Empowering Women to Support Female Artists

Interview with Hall W. Rockefeller

I am excited to share my interview with

Hall W. Rockefeller

, a true champion for female artists. She also publishes a newsletter

Less Than Half

on Substack.

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Q: Could you tell us a little about your background and how you got involved in the art world? Why is art so important to you?

I grew up on the Upper East Side of New York City, which likely has one of the highest concentrations of museums per capita in the world. Art is second nature in New York, but even so, I grew up around a lot of it. It wasn't until college, when a friend visited my parents’ house and commented on the abundance of paintings, that I realized not everyone has art on their walls.

I studied art history in college and for my MA. However, I learned very little about women in those courses. They were always a footnote or an aside. At some point, I vowed to myself only to write about women in my coursework, sometimes straying pretty far from the curriculum to do so. For my undergraduate thesis, I wrote about my great-great grandmother's collection of folk art, two pieces of which I now own, and for my master's thesis, I focused on Anni Albers. 

Once I moved back to New York, I started a blog, writing reviews and profiles of women artists. 

Now, I am the founder and director of Less Than Half, an online education and advisory platform that encourages culturally curious women to enter the art market as collectors and supporters of women artists. 

I am developing a “matronage curriculum” designed to meet you wherever you are and teach you everything from how to look at art to how to navigate the art market. I also have a membership for new collectors looking to learn how best to support women artists. 

I realized the other day that everything I know about women artists, I taught myself. If I do my job right, that won’t have to be the case for others. 

Q: In your Harper's Bazaar article, you mentioned that women are more likely than men to be trained as artists, highlighting that around 70% of MFA graduates in the U.S. are women. Could you elaborate on the different career paths available to artists today? In your experience, how do these career paths differ for men and women in the art world?

I will say that very few artists are only artists, able to live solely off their work without another job. A common stereotype is that of the female art teacher, and certainly, almost all of my art teachers in elementary and high school were female. However, at the college level, the gender ratio among art teachers is much more balanced.

Many artists whose output requires more than one set of hands employ studio assistants who are also artists themselves. Also, conservators and other museum professionals often have backgrounds as practicing artists.

As for artists who work full-time as artists, they may have an independent, self-motivated practice. However, they often make the majority of their income through commissions, portraits, illustration, graphic design, or other creative pursuits.

Of course, there are many artists who are also mothers, which I consider a full-time job! 

Q: What do you believe are the most significant barriers female artists face today? How can these barriers be overcome, and are there specific strategies or initiatives that have proven effective in promoting and supporting women in the arts?

I think being a female artist is an endurance sport. Out of art school, you start with a burst of energy, success, and recognition, but eventually, things quiet down. The art world doesn’t seem to be a very hospitable place, especially if you have children or other caretaking responsibilities: 

• Art openings (6-8 pm) are during the critical hours you have with your children.

• Residencies don’t often accommodate families.

• Imagery pertaining to caretaking is generally considered sentimental and unsaleable to a largely male clientele (as if men can’t appreciate women’s stories).

If you look at recent patterns, this period lasts until you are 80 to 90 years old (and I’m only being slightly cynical here), when the art world “discovers” you, as if you’re some sort of buried treasure. It is perhaps how art galleries look at older women artists—as a pay day! 

This is why I preach a philosophy of "matronage"— the female equivalent of patronage. It encourages women not just to collect the work of women artists, creating a larger market for works depicting female experience, but also to holistically support these artists throughout their careers, especially when/if they become mothers.

Matronage might not necessarily involve buying the work of a woman artist. Instead, it could mean offering the use of an empty home as a "residency" where her family can stay, covering studio rent during difficult times, or even connecting an artist with a lawyer, doctor, or someone else in your network who could help her.

Q: What advice would you offer to women with financial means who wish to support female artists but may not have extensive knowledge about art? How can busy professionals outside the art industry educate themselves on this topic? What steps can they take to connect with female artists?

My first suggestion is to join my membership group as a matron of the arts. Here, we help culturally curious women find meaning in art by teaching them to collect and support the work of women artists. As a member, you'll be part of a community with the same goals, and you'll have access to me, my expertise, and my network.

With headlines shouting the news of paintings sold for a hundred million dollars or more, we are conditioned to believe that original art is out of reach for all but the wealthiest of us. Not so! Part of my philosophy is to encourage people to buy the work of all female artists. 

Artists have to eat, pay rent, and buy materials. Ignoring the lower end of the market only hurts these women, so buy from a local art fair, go visit open studios (search the name of your city or neighborhood + “open studios”), and catch the MFA graduating showcase at your local art school. 

As a starting point, consider buying art at online auctions, which offer a low barrier to entry. If you have a favorite artist, set an alert for their name on an aggregator like Live Auctioneers. However, keep in mind that buying at auction doesn't directly benefit living artists.

Good luck, and email me at hall@lessthanhalf.org with any questions.