In response to the recent wildfire tragedy in Los Angeles, Independent and Crozier have announced that Crozier Fine Arts will fund an artwork shuttle service for Los Angeles exhibitors participating at Independent Art Fair in New York on May 8–11, 2025.
Six galleries, all headquartered in Los Angeles and without outposts in other cities, will benefit from the initiative: Night Gallery, Chris Sharp Gallery, Sea View, Vielmetter Los Angeles, Michael Kohn Gallery, and Diane Rosenstein Gallery. “Los Angeles will be one of the main cornerstones of artistic production and curatorial expertise in the forthcoming edition of Independent, and we hope this can help support these participating galleries through unprecedented and challenging times,” Independent founder Elizabeth Dee says.
The idea for supporting Los Angeles galleries began with a call between the Independent team and Crozier's Louise Cary and Ann Samler, to discuss the pressing needs of galleries in the aftermath of the wildfires. A key factor of the feedback was the importance of access to the New York market for Los Angeles galleries, as were costs associated with showing outside of Los Angeles. In response, Crozier committed to offering a free shuttle service for all Los Angeles exhibitors at Independent.
“Crozier has served as the Lead Sponsor of Independent since 2020, and the partnership has achieved far more than the typical sponsor relationship,” Dee says. “Through the extraordinary vision and generosity of leadership at Crozier, we hope this has an impact in not only rebalancing the market for LA galleries, but also in addressing rising costs and minimizing the negative environmental equation.”
Crozier’s Director of NA West Operations, Ann Samler states, “Offering the LA galleries complimentary access to Crozier’s shuttle service was an obvious solution. We are grateful to Independent for the opportunity to support.”
Gallery founder Susanne Vielmetter, who is presenting Los Angeles artists Andrea Bowers and Shanna Waddell in New York, says, “Our gallery recognizes the vital role of shipping in international art exhibitions. Crozier and Independent have been invaluable partners, demonstrating exceptional support and empowering us to more easily reach our curatorial ambitions.”
This is the second initiative between Crozier and Independent to address climate-related issues for Los Angeles galleries. As part of a long-term sustainability initiative in 2020, Crozier and Independent consolidated the shipment from participating Los Angeles galleries to New York, the first art fair initiative of its kind to address climate change-related logistics. Other initiatives include the research and funding of a first ever New York Art Market Report, by leading arts economist Clare McAndrew.
About Crozier
Crozier is an award winning, global art logistics company operating over 1.8 million square feet of dedicated storage across 30 locations in 12 global markets. Crozier's globally connected network of industry-leading experts across North America, Europe, and Asia allows the organization to set the standard for customer service in shipping, logistics, crating, and transportation worldwide.
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