GenArt

History

Gen Art began as a non-profit company, called Generational Arts Limited, by Ian Gerard, Stefan Gerard and Melissa Neumann in 1993. At the same time a for-profit production arm of Gen Art, Generational Art Productions was also launched. Ian was attending New York University Law School at the time. Ian knew that many emerging visual artists from his college experience (Vassar) and elsewhere had difficulty showcasing their talents in the art galleries of New York City. He also noticed that there were a lot of young people with disposable income, who wanted to obtain art but could not afford to buy from the SoHo art galleries. The idea was to bring together these two groups together so they could both benefit.

Gen Art was launched from Ian's law school dorm room at New York University, using just a fax machine and a laptop. Ian's brother Stefan, who worked in publishing, and Melissa Neumann, a 23-year-old analyst at Lehman Brothers, joined the organization. Early on an advisory board of artists, gallery owners and dealers was formed to help establish some credibility within the art community. Then a fundraiser showcasing four emerging artists was organised. This was a success, with 500 people attending and a write up in the New York Times styles section.

The company expanded into fashion in 1995, on the advice of a young accessories designer who had attended one of the art exhibitions. A one night fashion show for emerging fashion designers was held using excess gallery space. A year later Gen Art hired a young film professional, Paul Gachot, to create and direct its first film festival. Around this time Gen Art began to expand, opening an office in Los Angeles in the summer of 1995 and San Francisco in 1996.

Upon graduation in late 1994 Ian started work at a corporate law firm. Stefan became the day to day CEO of the Company. Stefan quit the company in 1997 and Ian left his law job to work full-time at Gen Art, becoming the CEO. In 1998 Adam Walden was brought in and made the company president.

In the beginning of 2002 when a group of venture capitalists offered to invest in Gen Art, the bulk of the business was moved from the non-profit to the for-profit entity which then took over all responsibilities for corporate sponsorship and production of Gen Art's programming. Gen Art was able to leverage new national partnerships with Heineken and Chrysler to take the company national and Gen Art launched new offices in Miami and Chicago, and centralized the West Coast office oversight in New York.

From 2002 - 2009, Gen Art produced over 100 events in fashion, film, music and art showcasing over 1,000 emerging talent. Its Film Festival celebrated its 18th Anniversary in October 2013.

In February 2011, Gen Art announced was acquired by publishing company Sandow Media. Under this new umbrella, longtime Gen Art Senior Executives Elizabeth Shaffer and Jeffrey Abramson were named Co-Presidents.

As of 2016, Gen Art is currently owned and operated by fashion executive Keri Ingvarsson and a team of private investors.

Today, Gen Art is a leading arts and entertainment company dedicated to showcasing emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. Gen Art produces high-profile events, ranging from an authentic film festival to massive star-studded fashion shows, live music performances, art exhibitions, multimedia events and much more. Over the years Gen Art has helped launch the careers of many influential designers, filmmakers, musicians and artists: Zac Posen, Rodarte, Jennifer Lawrence, Rooney Mara, Rebecca Taylor, Vena Cava, Mandy Moore, Adrian Grenier and Jason Reitman are just a few names on our roster. Gen Art’s programs offer creative conception, innovative design, eloquent brand activations, avant-garde content development, competitions and media exposure, all the while staying true to emerging talent.

GenArt Film Festival

The GenArt Film Festival was founded in 1996 to showcase the work of emerging independent filmmakers. The festival's unique theme programming consists of just seven features and seven shorts and dons the tagline "7 Premieres. 7 Parties". Each night a feature and short is paired, with an after party following the screening.

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1996, First Year of Film Festival