We had the good fortune of connecting with Juan Pablo Sanchez-Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juan Pablo, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
At the time I began my business I was already working with another company doing essentially the same tasks and had similar responsibilities to the ones I have now as a business owner. I wanted to strive towards more success and my girlfriend at the time suggested I break away and start my independent business. I started with the Art Handling company in 2017 and pursued that with a lot of passion. At the time that I started that company I knew I wanted to strive towards my own gallery in the future. 2 years later I felt it was time to strike while the iron was hot and opened Miami Art Society. For the almost 10 years I had been in the art industry there had been this absence of galleries dedicated to exhibiting the stunning talent the city had. I knew that the endeavor of bringing these amazing artists together would be one well-received and also a project I had a personal take in so I would drive it forward as passionately as possible. With these independent ventures, if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing you won’t enjoy it. It has to be something you strongly believe in so that when the going gets tough you don’t give up but rather strive to do better.

What should our readers know about your business?
Miami Art Society is an art gallery located in the Little Haiti/Wynwood area. I can say with certainty that what sets us apart the most from our peers is that we are currently the only gallery in the city exhibiting artists exclusively from Miami. The gallery takes pride in the fact that we are working tirelessly towards boosting the art scene and the representation of artists in the city. By taking our exhibits to art fairs, murals, shows at the gallery and hopefully shows abroad in the future we’re bringing further recognition the art that was created in our very own city and the aesthetic that we have as artists and creatives. I believe what we are most proud of has been the sheer number of exhibits we managed to put together in the first year of the gallery’s opening. To have the ability to be invited or accepted into 5 art fairs between Miami and New York was definitely my proudest moment. To stand in New York amongst some of the industry’s most seasoned galleries was a dream come true and a huge achievement. I am most excited about our next series of exhibits. We have chosen a theme with numerical series that we will be applying to all our upcoming shows that I believe will definitely up the ante. Getting to this point has taken a massive amount of work. It takes serious perseverance and a lot of patience. I believe some of the greatest challenges come from how naive one is early on and how that often makes the process much more difficult. Perhaps the healthiest way to deal with these challenges and overcome them is to take each loss as a lesson. Anytime a challenge presents itself and does not go entirely your way, it can still be used as an example in the future for how to do it better. What I hope people come to know about the brand and the story is the importance of community, creativity, diversity, and teamwork. While I am the only person heading the project, every artist, every employee, every vendor and supporter all come together to make the dream work. One of my greatest lessons has been that no one achieves anything alone. There will always be someone to support what you’re doing. The gallery, and the brand, represents that. Honoring those that come before and will after, to create a unified vision of artists regardless of genre, and that we maintain a level of curation and professionalism that we hope stands equal to the greatest in the industry.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is actually an extremely difficult question. There’s just so much to do for so many different crowds in Miami. Though I can definitely outline a few places I’m a big fan of. Most of the trip I’d say I would spend taking them through quite a bit of the art and museums in the city. Visiting the Miami Science Museum as well as the PAMM at Biscayne Park would be a big one. The cafe at the PAMM has some pretty great food and beautiful views. A tour around Wynwood is a must. To see all the different walls, artists, restaurants and bars. What I think is most outstanding about the murals in Wynwood is the way there could be a freshly painted one and others, such as Ron English’s piece, that have stood the test of time for a decade. The sheer number of great restaurants also makes it a worthwhile visit. Kyu, Le Chick, Alter, and Kush are my favorites at the moment. If you’re there in the evening and want to dance El Patio is the place to go without a doubt. In the beach you could do so much as well. Not only do I think it’s important to go to the beach and get a good tan, I think its a refreshing and necessary get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Generally I prefer North Beach by Normandy since its more quiet, but the South Beach and Miami Beach area has a lot more to do. A good bar hopping experience in that area through hotels like The Delano, SLS, 1Hotel, Faena and others is a great experience for fans of crafted cocktails. Nearby you can also visit the legendary Broken Shaker and 27, which I’ve been a big fan of for years. Another artsy and up and coming area is the Little Haiti and MiMo sections of the city. There’s still a lot of interesting places to visit or eat at that remain relatively undiscovered. Drinks at The Anderson or The New Yorker Bar are intimate, fun, secluded little places that are a bit away from more hyped up locations. On NW 2nd Ave, by 62nd, is a small restaurant called Sur. Daniel and his wife serve amazing, gourmet, freshly baked Argentinian empanadas that might be the best in the city. Near this area is also the design district which I think is a great place to. a stroll with your family on a weekend. The St. Roch Market in particular is a favorite of mine. With a bar in the center and numerous small pop-ups to choose from you can’t go wrong here. Itamae, the peruvian-japanese fusion stall, is my absolute favorite. My current obsession is the pop-up restaurant Lil’ Laos. Though they switch locations constantly, the chef brings forth some of the most delicious Southeast Asian dishes you can imagine. Sit back, order lots, get some Beerlao and you’ll have a great time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think any and all success stories have a series of developments and individuals that tread the path you’ll walk on while showing you the ropes. My career has such a varied number of jobs at so many locations it would be a dishonor to not mention all the steps it has taken and the people that have created great impacts along the way. My first art job out of college was at Fine Art Auctions Miami. There I worked alongside two girls that had been in the art world for much longer than myself and can say with certainty that they set the standards for me of what to expect and how to do things appropriately. Roxana and Shantelle were a great example to follow early on and helped me many times throughout my career afterwards. When doing Art Handling, my mentor and work partner Rodger basically showed me the ropes to doing all the installations and exhibits. He was very methodical, would show me the importance of work safety, as well as how to use numerous tools appropriately. Many of his little knacks and tricks are some of my most important work tools to this day. Early on I also met numerous artists that I grew to greatly admire and who explained much to me about artistic expression and all the local artists that now form part of my gallery. Definitely a big thank you and shoutout to ABSTRK, an amazing artist from Miami that has worked tirelessly to succeed and push the Miami aesthetic to great bounds. Discovering his work so early in my career definitely focused my interest in artists from the city rather than big names from out of town. On the personal aspects of life, definitely those closest to me have had the greatest impact. My family was extremely supportive of my goal and would be present for all my milestones. I believe my father, who also ran his independent business, was my greatest guide and example on how to run a business, treat those you work with, and always be ethical in your approach to everything you do. Similarly, if not for my girlfriends support and faith in my abilities, I don’t think I would have taken the plunge to starting my own thing. Carla was the first to suggest purchasing the van that became the basis of my art handling business as well as the first to say she envisioned me owning a gallery someday. When the art handling was taking off she once again pushed me to aim higher and pursue the path of the gallerist. I think I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that if not for her I might have never taken the leap to beginning.

Website: https://www.artsy.net/miami-art-society
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamiartsociety/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiamiArtSociety/

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