FUN GALLERY CO-FOUNDER Bill STELLING IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN WISNIEWSKI
John Wisniewski: How did you get involved with the New York art scene, Bill? Who were some of the artists who exhibited at the Fun Gallery?
Bill Stelling: I met Patti Astor at the Mudd Club while she was filming Wild Style, Charlie Ahearn’s seminal movie about the hip-hop scene. I owned a little real estate business in the East Village and had an empty storefront at 211 East 11 Street. I asked Patti if she knew any artists who would be interested in exhibiting there and that’s how Fun Gallery was born.
The gallery opened in 1981. Though the gallery was mainly associated with aerosol artists, such as Future, Lee Quiñones, Fred Brathwaite aka “Fab 5 Freddy,” Dondi White, and Zephyr, we also showed Jane Dickson, Kenny Scharf, Kiely Jenkins, Arch Connelly, Nicolas Moufarrege, and Steven Kramer. In 1982 we moved to a large space at 254 East 10th St and added Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat to the roster.
John Wisniewski: Was this an exciting time in NYC art history, to have all these artists together exhibiting their work?
Bill Stelling: It was an exciting confluence of visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, performance artists who congregated in the same bars, clubs, restaurants and galleries. Fun Gallery was unique in showcasing work by Black and Hispanic artists who didn’t come from a Talking Heads/RSID “art school background.” We represented their work as fine art. For many East Village hipsters and Park Avenue collectors, it was their first exposure to life above 125th St.
John Wisniewski: Any remembrances of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat?
Bill Stelling: We were at Keith’s birthday party at his studio and one of our graffiti crew, K-Rob, was rapping to a young woman who turned out to be Madonna. We were at Jean’s studio the night before his opening at Fun and he decided to switch out a painting, so Patti and I walked a 4' by 6’ canvas from Crosby Street to 10th Street at three in the morning.
John Wisniewski: What was the concept behind opening The Fun Gallery?
Bill Stelling: “Let’s show our friends’ art and have a party!” The plan was to have each artist name the gallery something different each show; somehow Kenny Scharf’s “Fun Gallery” stuck.
John Wisniewski: What was your best moment at the Gallery?
Bill Stelling: When Lee Quiñones spray-painted “Mom” on the front window of the original gallery and we instantly assumed street cred with the kids on 11th Street (where I also lived), and beyond.
John Wisniewski: Any other artists that you like, Bill?
Bill Stelling: William Rand, Maynard Monrow, Jedd Garet, Scott Covert.
John Wisniewski: Kelley Stelling and yourself have now opened an art gallery. Could you tell us about this?
Bill Stelling: We’ve embarked on a new chapter in our story, leaving behind the brick-and-mortar retail storefront in Manchester, New Hampshire and replacing it with a more dynamic business model and a name change to Kelley Stelling Contemporary Projects. The result is a diversity of exhibitions and public programs in venues across New England. We’re thrilled to be expanding our reach to a wider audience.
We have done some exciting collaborations, including an artist residency at Canterbury Shaker Village, an art show of Maine artists on Great Diamond Island off of Portland, and the juried Biennial Show at Sagendorph Gallery at Keene State College. Since COVID restrictions have precluded indoor activities since last spring, we organized and hosted a benefit exhibition for the NH Potters Guild on a beautiful autumn day in Haysfield in Deerfield NH. We continue to do private sales and commissions.
John Wisniewski’s interview with Jack Foley is included in the great weather for MEDIA print anthology Arriving at a Shoreline. In addition, you can find his interviews with Puma Perl, Thaddeus Rutkowski, and R J Dent here on the great weather website.