Art in the Birdhouse: Q&A With Jessica McKay
By Sarah DaCorta | Image: “Steamboat” by Adam Nielsen, available on Birdhouse Collectible’s Art Market
Birdhouse Collectible is a local interior design consulting company that recently launched an online art vendor that focuses exclusively on helping local artists reach a wider audience in an online retail format. In celebration their new website, simply called The Art Market, we asked Jessica McKay, the principal designer and owner of Birdhouse, to tell us more about her latest business venture.
…
OMAHYPE: Does your website feature solely locally-based artists or is it open to the national or international artist? Do you have plans to expand the art auction aspect of your business?
JM: Our website currently features only local artists’ work. I don’t see it expanding to anything more, other than the surrounding areas. I wanted an outlet for our local artists to make their work available to anyone who would be interested.
Was the decision to have an online art market a natural progression from being an interior design firm?
It was completely natural for me! I wanted to open a small interior design showroom that featured furniture, accessories, and original art. Most interior designers in Omaha don’t place a large enough importance on using original art in their designs. It is more like, does this art match this sofa and it is mass produced kind of thing. I come from a studio art background, which helps me understand how special having an original piece can be. That stock print you bought won’t be worth anything in 30 yrs and your grandchildren won’t want it. So, we opened up the space and then wanted to showcase artists with solo shows. We had our first show at Birdhouse Collectible at the end of last year. We are having our next in April. It seemed natural to also provide a place for the artists’ work to go online as well. I know other designers in Chicago, LA, etc. that would be happy to buy a piece from a talented artist for one of their designs. It is about those designers (and everyone else) in other cities having access to the talent that is in Omaha.
Where is your business located and is it open to the public?
We have both a brick and mortar showroom/ office space that is located in the Mastercraft building in North Downtown and an online auction site. We are only open to the public on Saturdays, all art openings, and by appointment.
How is your website different than something like etsy.com?
Etsy is about the artist putting themselves out there and you have to weed through a lot of bad to get to the good (ed’s note: see regretsy.com). We have already curated the art, by selecting artists we believe in and then showcasing their work.
Have you had any interesting requests for art to be specifically made for an interior?
We have done several custom art pieces for clients. We commissioned Peter Cales to create a Steampunk inspired sculpture and have had Rebecca Herskovitz paint a lovely oil painting of North Downtown Omaha. However, the auction site will not feature custom work for clients, but will showcase pieces from solo shows at the same time they are up in Birdhouse Collectible (our showroom).
Peter Cales' Steampunk-inspired sculpture, commissioned by Birdhouse Collectible for a client.
How can artists or prospective buyers get in touch with you?
Artists will email our curator (who happens to be the amazingly talented artist mentioned before, Rebecca Herskovitz at art@birdhouseinteriors.com or myself at design@birdhouseinteriors.com. Or there is a contact page on our site that allows you to send an email right away. Our website is www.birdhouseinteriors.com.
Do you think it should be more common for interior designers to ally with artists?
I don’t know why, as an interior designer, you wouldn’t ally yourself with tons of artists! In my opinion they are part of your team just like your upholsterer, seamstress, contractors, etc. There is nothing more special than to finish out a space with one-of-a-kind pieces – that should include the art.
What was your favorite example of finding a piece of art, which worked really well with the space?
I usually don’t buy art or place it in a room solely based on function. I pay attention to scale, and certainly color palette does factor a bit, but overall I select a lot of pieces that could work and I let the client go with something that speaks to them. There have been times that I have placed the opposite of what my personal choice would be in a home because that is what the client loved. As long as it is quality, I am not going to complain with the individual aesthetic.
…
You can contact Jessica at: design@birdhouseinteriors.com or by calling 402-577-0711.
