[featured-video-plus width=770]

  

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Shaking up the Austin art community
• Changing the way people buy and experience art
• Immersive exhibits

Lana Carlson and Leslie Gossett’s passion project has been shaking up the Austin art community. They are the founders of HOUSE OF L, which was created to fill a need in the art marketplace to help emerging, as well as established, creatives expand their reach and access to collectors. They developed this company as a way to combine their individual passions and strengths in high-end art and luxury real taste. What they do is create popup experiential art events to showcase creatives and give them a unique and accessible marketplace for their work.

Traditional galleries can be intimidating to new collectors, so HOUSE OF L’s goal is to create a relaxed and authentic environment. They combine different types of art, mostly emerging and established contemporary artists, in their exhibit to make the art more accessible for art lovers new and old. To assist this, they bring in immersive and interactive experiences and performances to make it more about the experience than the exhibit. The price points of the art they show also aid in making the art accessible as they range from a few hundred to a few thousand. Carlson and Gosset stated that this was something very important to them when bringing this idea to life.

When walking into one of their events you can find a Warhol painting sitting next to a piece by an up-and-coming Austin artist. By HOUSE OF L displaying these Austin artist’s works locally and nationally, they are given a platform they wouldn’t otherwise have. It allows them to present their work and collaborate with others, and in doing this, HOUSE OF L has been growing the previously near-nonexistent Austin art scene.

Hear more from Lana and Leslie about HOUSE OF L, how they’re disrupting the art world, and what their next plans are on this episode of Up and Comers. Be sure to share the episode with friends and colleagues, and you can listen to more Up and Comers episodes by clicking here.

Up and Comers is a founding_media podcast created in partnership with Heather Wagner Reed

Host: Heather Wagner Reed

Guests: Lana Carlson and Leslie Gossett

 

Transcript:

this is a founding media podcast if Hey everyone welcome to another episode of founding Austin’s up and comers a podcast about Austin’s vibrant innovation sector and super cutting edge start up them I’m your host heather Wagner read this week I am so excited to share my interview with Lana Carlson and Leslie Gossett they’re the founders of house of al Lana and Leslie have developed the company as a way to combine their individual passions and strengths in the high end art and real estate industries house of el was created to fill a need in the art market place to help emerging as well as established creatives expand their reach and access to collectors we were able to sit down with them on the tail end of their super successful event during south by so without further ado here’s my conversation with line and Leslie 

hi everybody welcome to founding Austin’s up and comers another episode today here during south by southwest Austin Texas excuse me nice heels by the way I’m heather heather Wagner read and I’m your host today and we are at the long center chatting with some amazing start ups that are actually launching out of Austin Texas I am so thrilled to be able to talk to these two amazing women today Lana Carlson and Leslie Gossett who are kind of doing something extraordinary in the in the Texas art community they have a brand new concept that they launched called house of L. they’ve done a number of activations now here in Austin during south by this year being the biggest one yet and I just want to welcome you to the show I wanna hear all about this great this great company that you’re launching thanks for coming thank you yes because I need to be here so 

so lawn and Leslie I guess we can start with just you know letting our our listeners and viewers know what is house of al who wants to start let’s see so I think houses L. as a passion project in the lawn and I sort of combining our world and our histories to create this this new concept that we feel is going to disrupt the way people buying experience arts wow okay so that’s a good word I love the word just roughly we used a lot on the show because there’s quite a lot of companies are doing some game changing things so how are you that is disrupting what is what’s different about house of all the idea behind house of Ellis to create these sort of pop up art experience show experiences in listings specifically said these listings around the country and so through our research there’s a trend moving towards people buying art at fairs you know and not necessarily galleries McAllister waiting for people to come in and train the people come in we’re putting together in curating these special events for artists and collectors all over all over the country it is just a fun way for people to buy an experience art

so so there is your background is with Sotheby’s and lining your background is curating and we’re gonna talk a little bit about both of your your your bios and and how you got here today I guess I’ll just ask Lana so with house of L. and launching this out of Austin I mean your events and the arch that you’re bringing to the city is like nothing else it’s just extraordinary maybe can you talk a little about the types of type artist you’re bringing to Austin in the kind of work you’re showing for sure we work mostly with emerging contemporary artists it also established as well so we present some of the mortar and and blue chip art in basically when we try to do we’re trying to combine and mix all sorts of art in putting together a piece by Andy Warhol together with emerging artists from Austin for example Tyler Greene eccentric so we tried to make it a little bit more accessible for the viewer and lasts how you see the steel right so we we it is a good one bye if what if you were to see our exhibit and not not to be afraid of fat seat a hundred thousand dollars piece of art in right not to get even a practically about one on the top of that we are trying to bring immersive and interactive experience such as installations and performance art so we are we are supporting that type of ours as well right so we are easy to pretty much an experience rather than an exhibition it’s much more complex than just an exhibit so our contemporary art to mostly and we work with all media we have five paintings and sculptures installations of Citrix so there’s every something for everyone I think kind of what minus at expanding on that a little bit is I think traditionally galleries can be sort of intimidating especially for a new collector and so we do want to create a very authentic and relaxing environment to you know inspire new collectors so at our south by show we had you know price points of as a couple hundred dollars all the way up to over a hundred thousand dollars and I’m and having that mix is just as important to us yeah yeah that’s incredible 

I mean I I went to the show this weekend and obviously you know walking into a room where Basquiat and Warhol were there with a number of of local artists was pretty pretty incredible because normally you’d have to go to a museum to see that type of work so I’m I’m intrigued by how you get the works here a line I know you source them from around the world and you have so many connections and you yourself are are from Russia originally well maybe we’ll touch on that yes it’s been it’s been a long way for me to establish those list of relationships with many artists around the world and dealers and galleries I’ve been in this business for over ten years now and I started working with the working in Paris at the gallery and then I started working here working and putting together my own in finance my own exhibitions and they grew from small exhibitions with emerging artist I got to the project where started working with state museums and after that I realized that please probably every everything is possible at this point and I can pretty much build any projects that I’m connecting thinking off and I oversee I wanted to do something bigger and when he received the support Gigi are to be used for start very often oversee said yes and it was pretty successful and we ran it for five years before we started house of al so these are yeah we we were bringing art from all over star from China Russia you Ruth up to South America X. interest rates so those are those are long term relationships with artists that I’ve been working and artists to continue working with us in the they love us and we’re adore our artist as well and we try to be this very very special collective where we bring artists do we give artists the platform when they can collaborate with the community other at the event and this time for solved by we had twelve artists line ina plus we had almost ten local artists so it was an incredible environment where artists already texting me and asking me for contact information of the other artists devoted to collaboration so it’s very it’s very interactive and very creative environment this is what we’re trying to bring in white creating those events yes I think I think too it’s at Austin has kind of struggled with their art scene you know we have a very rich music scene and that kind of a booming film scene and I think that’s why the city and the mayor have really been behind us today support what we’re trying to do for that sort of the art scene in Austin and I think that are emerging artists are very excited about the fact that we’re going to be in other markets nationally because it gives them that exposure that they wouldn’t necessarily gosh had so it’s that’s that’s I think where the platform is so unique is that 

it’s almost like this collaboration you have with these with the southern bees you know partnership these you know specifically to those markets I guess beautiful homes and beautiful spaces that you’re gonna be doing events and when an opportunity that’s great and it’s a pretty easy for us to cover every aspect of these industry because Leslie she’s out you know real state and staging and I’m on the other side of it which is pure art so between the two of us we cover all the cover S. seven arts staging the houses the decoration Exeter Exeter so I feel like it’s a it’s a pretty natural for us to try to cover this all and kind of have this umbrella in as such just as our company to cover every aspect of it so selling the house and the yard organizing events for artistic make immersive experience for our conductor signal yeah I think the word immersive has been key because as you walk through the door it’s like you’re taking to another place so that the event you did during if you yeah I mean I it’s just it’s so unbelievable for the census to walk into your spaces in all three events because you’ve done three now in Austin with house of al right the last south by in the member one in November which was a large and then the south by and this last one was at the Pershing and you had a beautiful exquisite dinner for forty which was your V. I. P. collector dinner and then open all weekend for south by badge holders and so you were an official south by events and the mayor made an appearance yeah and I’m sure he had some great things to say but this is so wonderful for Austin to have you doing this and to tell us more about just I guess what you know what it is like to to lunch out of a city like Austin well

I feel like if you if you like me are I feel like it’s an incredible opportunity for all cynicism there are listed but is also an incredible opportunity for us Austin’s art scene is growing and there is a lot of changes the changes happening in the last few years that we’ve been here but as well as us we’ve grown together with Austin and it’s it’s a sad time for the opportunities and a time for us to be are on the front of it so I feel like we Austin is helping us we help in Austin this is the this is the way I’m receiving that and obviously a lot of artists are excited to work with us and we are excited to discover new Austin stars let’s see you Austin talents and we discovered that every every year more and more so yeah it’s artist art scene in Austin is changing so as I I think you know something poignant and mayor Adler said that are meant was that Austin has always been a city that has created art and if we’re not careful to to protect that and support our artists were gonna turn into a city that just consumes minimum Martin so we really want to you know provide a platform for artists to thrive and to have opportunities whether it’s that you know creating a mural in the city just just have as various outlets to to thrive right right so I’m curious about this other bees relationship too so tell us more about your background in real estate and also how how this idea came together is this is your personal house of al if you don’t know is Lana and Lilly L.

name more deciding but when it’s also about how you know your background and then how you both came together sure so I’ve been in residential real estate for eleven years and started a staging company a few years ago as a way to add just supplement my my listings and make sure that they’re always presented in the in the best light and when I started that I wanted to focus on sort of luxury furniture and wanted was very particular about the art that I wanted in my inventory so I started working with Lana on purchasing art and help having her help me curate kind of my inventory for my staging business and then I also started helping her with sales at the events and have always had a passion for our my grandmother was an incredible artist kind of in a you know a collector it to some to some degree but it was at the south by and then last year that we through at the top of the five fifty five a penthouse residents that you know in a matter for hours I think you were there we had we had over three hundred people that came they didn’t want to leave and I just sort of had this idea I mean agents are always looking for a way to get people through the door and I just sort of had this idea my gosh I’ve got access to this amazing network with seventies what if we did these events and and kind of knowing the backstory having worked with pop in the struggles that you know we have just here locally with the artist half you know and getting their works I thought why it why not take you know be a traveling gallery here galleries are kinda in a rapidly declining and the trend is moving towards these fairs around the world but why not take a Sotheby’s listing in a city like Miami where the art scene is a little more established or Los Angeles or aspen and have exposure for artists and it’s just sort of a win win for everybody

I think it it allows the agent to have a very unique opportunity to present their listing and showcase their listing it provides exposure to the artists everybody sort of wins and I said the idea was well received by my broker here who owns that San Antonio and Austin offices and we’ve met with Heston the brokers all over the country and it’s it’s been very well received so we’ve got I think what nine more years very very easy this fall my gosh I but the demand is going to be there now yeah and what’s interesting it you know you never know what’s gonna come up from launching during you know the place like south by because we’ve had you know everybody from you know someone at the Santa Monica pier that said Hey would you all want to do a pop up experience the Santa Monica pier or Nike saying okay would you want to do you know some kind of experience installation the Citrix that’s that’s kind of the the doors that it is open is that we can be available for brands outside of Sotheby’s that want to maybe showcase their their brand of their product in a beautiful different even I mean it’s a great opportunity yeah goodness okay so you guys have a lot of events coming up in twenty nineteen and I know twenty twenty so what do the markets that are of most where were you focusing next market wise well we’ve been hired to do six events in in central Texas

so I think our next event is gonna be at like a thirteen million dollar home in San Antonio we’ve got another one coming up in June at a twenty million dollar home in Austin but I think we’re really excited about taking this on the road and I am going to Dallas Los Angeles and then ending in Miami during Basel right about international any international presentation yeah that is definitely a possibility I think we we want to give ourselves a little bit of time and establish and just make sure that our team is on on point and everything always ran smoothly so we can take it or even for the road we definitely have our to pertain to to work with our service Musco Sotheby’s Hong Kong in service Mexico so yacht EDC in our plants we give ourselves a few years back and to please stop wishing to I can go for the father and father in wonderful hi I do wanna mention Allana was the curator for pop Austin international archer and when you were doing that I actually can say that I started collecting some local I. stars because of that show Jason archer to his nieces Bob Schneider handling for and really should not be interested in those artists you know and it’s it’s just wonderful because you know that they’re going to benefit because you’ve been working with them for so long or dislike that will benefit from these other markets now that with house of L. seventy three yeses and we oversee reinvest in our time and energy in them so we I will benefit from from it as well it’s a mutual it’s a win win situation and we always obviously always rely on my heart in my notes or my ID and my knowledge of art to work with some of it over the other artist this is how I select my artistic Citrix right so ya know I think we all benefit from it and hopefully we can grow our collective right now we have a little bit under city artists already and we’re trying to grow slowly this time because with Bob it was he was overwhelming and we were working with hundreds of artists every year and this time I want to have a little bit different approach it’s more relationship with artist knowing every piece of art knowing where artist is what artist is working on right now eccentrics are so to be a little bit more tension to each and one of it

so yeah but we’re excited to grow slowly but surely and to have this beautiful collective of artists that always in our inventory and they’re there and I think that’s another you know I think seventy five percent of our artists were were in there and that kind of an important piece to that to the whole puzzle because I think that the collector in the emerging collector loves to meet the artist and the artist who loves to meet the collector and you know hearing their stories really this is special for everybody yeah I think the I think this is what makes sale usually collector meets the artist of the normal what’s behind the idea of the story behind the steps all trade and we want to give that platform we always invite our artists to participate at the show the help us

help us is actually to get out the story tell the story and make sales what seems like for people who are trying to dip their toe into collecting World that house elves like a perfect place to start invoice you have for your I guess younger people that are interested collecting or even people who may not be younger want to start something start their own collection one anymore what what advice do you have my personal opinions creator and listing rules her opinion it is to start with education in now you can yourself see more art shows like that like our street shows fear and just starting just start practicing your eyes and kind of see what’s going on in education is the first person to find out what’s happening in our sport yeah I think for me it’s just exposure getting out and you know art will speak to you you know what speaks to you might be very different than what speaks to me and people buy and collect for different reasons but I think just getting out and experiencing exposing yourself to the art that’s available around you what about people have a problem like art by I have a problem I buy too much art so in my garage right now just rotated or loaning it out I don’t this is the way to assure him the rooms aren’t ease differently like Viewtiful addiction coal India at the same time it’s something very few lean and very inspiring to have art home list has a lot of art at home and I’m sure we feel quite the same when you wake up and see all those bright colors it makes you realize it makes you do different and yes I know for a fact this is what we trying to express and this is what we’re trying to bring to other people so they understand that your day to day life in routine life could be much brighter and much once fired anything have ours so yeah routine is communicating with spaces with your friends yeah sometimes a give away too much so I feel like it’s never too much to you can only see miles on eBay so I know also you have other services besides just these incredible events and activations or tell us more about the other services that house as well as offering it will probably be the most important is service that we’re creating right now and we working for the next eighteen to twenty months he’s creating online platform and is going to be L. already sort of platform that I’m working on a so we will be selling online and essentially our events will be the engine to bring people to our online platform right and which which is going to be very convenient for artists to the old one to sell online they will want to be present sure they they want to have this global exposure when he sexually Dawson platform then we do have commercial and private commission so we can always consult people who are interested in buying art we can we can to read the house we concur with Towson offices eccentrics maybe I’m forgetting something what else do we do well yeah and now

I think that’s that’s essentially at the private curation commercial curation I think there’ve been some talks about collaborating on like merchandise and kind of exposing artists with different mediums senior right that’s another kind of fun making out in the interaction you reconsidering that oversee with taking one of thirteen a time when we don’t wanna spread ourselves self very theme now we focused on our advance in building that elective of emerging collectors emerging artists yeah yeah well I think the one thing I hope our listeners can can understand is that you guys are available to be hired anywhere around the world or rather friendly so hopefully people listening to Dave Wilke they’re interested in our brands out there that needs a great art activation will call you out house of L. here in Austin Texas but definitely international in scope and we’re very brand oriented and we always try to understand what brands want especially prince who are open to creative and artistic activations like that and some of our artists who we had for example in two thousand fifteen and pop we had incredible artists of one choice that I was thrilled to have now she’s doing something some incredible tuitions with something in in creeks right so we are we’re trying to bring that exhibitions that brand needs guys the limit really I mean we did what we could and for our south by a then but depending on the brand and we have access to some pretty incredible installations so while well and and the detail that goes into these events I’m holding here a program that’s absolutely gorgeous I mean just the visuals and the art

I mean definitely go to the website house of L. dot com L. dot to dot okay so creative the hospital dot org and check out some of the work and and just the aesthetic that that you have which is uniquely your own and I just see such big things for you so thank you and I’ll mention our our website hasn’t officially gone live so I think the best place to stay in touch as our Instagram yeah our social media yeah underscoring the house itself okay under support perfect well great thank you guys so much for coming story and I can’t wait to see where you go from here thank you thank you one and out thank you for tuning in to up and comers 

I just wanna say thank you to Richard rainwater to our delicious energy drink your range use end to the long center for hosting us today during south by southwest thanks for tuning in thank you again line and Leslie it was so great to hear more about what this exciting endeavor is up to you and what you’re doing in the art world right now I sure hope we can get more art into the homes of the Austin area and beyond the up and comers podcast is hosted by yours truly heather Wagner read produced by Mariah Gosset and our audio and video engineer Jake Wallace special thank you to Dan Dillard and everyone at founding media for your support like the show don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes we really appreciate that to keep up with me outside of the podcast you can follow me at Jews consulting on Instagram the link is in the show notes thanks for listening