About Raandesk® > Founder/Director Jessica L. Porter
Fine and visual art has always been a dominant force in Jessica L. Porter’s life. At the University of Delaware she studied Art History and French Language & Literature with the intent of becoming an international corporate curator, while harboring a dream to one day open an art gallery of her own. Her academic and free time were dedicated to furthering this ambition, and upon graduation and the slowing pace of the corporate art market as companies began to sell their collections, Jessica realized that her dream to become a corporate curator was not as viable as she’d once thought. She gained valuable experience working at the Smithsonian Institution’s American Art Museum in the curatorial department specializing in works by Joseph Cornell, the Winterthur Museum and Gardens and the Delaware Art Museum in the Education departments. She continued her arts training by consulting for an international fine arts shipper to remain connected to the field and to explore her options. Ultimately, art shipping broadened her abilities and connections, but was limiting, so the path led her to study law at the University of Maryland, where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 2001. While studying law she did not abandon her true interest in the arts and became the Founder/President of EASL (Entertainment Arts and Sports Law) at University of Maryland and was one of the first students enrolled in the University’s Art Law course. After practicing law in the fields of bankruptcy, employment and corporate law, her desire for the arts trumped her legal ambitions, so in May 2005 she developed the idea for RAANDESK® Gallery of ART.
With Raandesk Gallery, Jessica conceived of an environment that was less threatening, that offered a variety of contemporary works in many mediums, and that provided a more efficient and pleasant buying experience for the blogging generation of her peers. Many potential art buyers (including her friends) felt excluded by the traditional gallery process, and wanted to know the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of art buying without the hassle. The internet was the answer – a virtual gallery – and in May 2006 www.raandeskgallery.com was officially launched with an accompanying ‘real’ exhibition in Chelsea. By using the internet as a venue, Jessica could also incorporate her language skills in French and Japanese to incorporate a larger audience of not only art collectors but of artists. Raandesk has continued strongly since that time and now has a permanent location at 16 W. 23rd Street. Raandesk stays true to its original intentions of making art more accessible and regularly hosts exhibitions in other shared spaces to continue that intent.
