Gary+Motley+email+interview

**An e-mail interview with Gary Motley**
Gary Motley was a board member of Art Papers magazine for 10 years, during which time he served as its president for 4 years. He was also a board memberof the Elton John Art Auctions for AIDS for 4 years. He is currently on the board of the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd school of art, a position he has held for 8 years.

Gary Motley: It seems most boards are more concerned with the financial health and future of the organization than anything as exciting as artistic content. Our challenges encompassed both, listed in priority; a. To broaden our readership base by making the magazine more accessible and readable to a greater audience than the academicians that had been our primary subscribers since inception. b. By enhancing the image of the magazine we planned to become less reliant on various grants and become more self sufficient. c. By becoming more financially independent, we could be less concerned with the capriciousness of the various granting authorities and more concerned about maintaining the integrity of our content.
 * Art Worlds: During the time you served on the board of Art Papers, what were some of the major issues and concerns that the board faced?**

GM: We greatly stepped up our fundraising activities to help fund the changes we needed to make. This was the beginning of our visiting artist program, the ART PAPERS Auction... With these funds we maintained our editorial staff and hired a non-artist, business manager and a sales person to attract advertisers and increase distribution points. With the support of our subscribers, advertisers and donations we were able to increase the size of paper, greatly increase the number of photographs, introduce color for the first time and have a glossy front cover. These improvements, in turn,attracted more readers, subscribers and advertisers which allowed us to progressively improve the magazine and the staff creating it.
 * AW: How were these problems solved or addressed?**

GM: I, through the help of various committees, helped to conceive and implement the vision of what we all agreed ART PAPERS could be. By recognizing the strengths and interests of the board members, we created the various committees necessary to bring it all together ( fundraising, staff search...) As president, my primary duty was to maintain the focus on what we were trying to accomplish and create a structure to support it.
 * AW: What sort of duties and responsibilities did your position as a member of the board of Art Papers include?**

GM: Maintain order in a room full of passionate artists, fire people when no one wanted to, empty the trash and fix the copier.
 * AW: And what were your specific responsibilities during your four years as the president of Art Papers?**

GM: All the above.
 * AW: Over the 10 year period that you were involved with Art Papers, what sort of changes were made to the magazine?**

GM: The arts community, from the beginning had always been very aware of and greatly affected by AIDS. Through his concern and celebrity, Elton attracted a much larger and diverse audience. By auctioning the art of national and local artists, we also brought attention to the artists and their work.
 * AW: Over the four years that you were a member of its board, what accomplishments did the Elton John Art Auctions for AIDS make that you feel most proud of ?**

GM: I have always been drawn to beauty and those of like mind help and support each other.
 * AW: How did you personally get to be involved in the Atlanta “art scene” as a member of such influential groups and organizations?**

GM: Yes
 * AW: Are you yourself an artist or art collector?**

GM: Dinner with friends.
 * AW: On a more personal note, what is your favorite Atlanta art gallery or art event?**

GM: Be more concerned with making your art than making your name.
 * AW: Do you have any advice for young artists and art students looking to make a name for themselves in Atlanta?**