Sean Kelly + Collect Wisely

Organized by Sean Kelly

With Jon Gray

Sean Kelly began his career in England as an artist, subsequently serving as a museum curator and director before relocating to New York where he established his eponymous gallery in 1991. Over the course of more than twenty-five years, the Gallery has garnered international attention for its collaborations with renowned cultural institutions, coordinating hundreds of exhibitions on behalf of its artists at an array of prestigious museums. The Gallery has become a symbol for high quality, thought provoking contemporary art and conversation, most recently with the launch of Collect Wisely in May 2018. Collect Wisely is an overarching advertising, podcast, social media, and event driven campaign aimed at refocusing the discourse around collecting to return to the heart of the matter: discussing art, artists, and a passion for collecting and connoisseurship. Sean is equally committed to education, human rights and social justice issues, making the gallery available free of charge to educational advocacy groups and school tours throughout the year. Recently Sean and his wife Mary Kelly donated their extensive James Joyce collection to The Morgan Library and Museum. Sean currently serves on the board of PEN America where he is the Co-Chair of the annual PEN Literary Gala.

Jon Gray is the co-founder of Bronx-born creative collective Ghetto Gastro, defining their own lane that transcends food, art, music, fashion, and design. Jon's curiosity has taken him around the globe and has had him seated across the table from world renowned thinkers, artists and chefs, but he's most passionate about home. The Bronx is part of the team's lifeblood, and every piece of the Ghetto Gastro universe is meant to uplift and celebrate the borough, and other places like it, as an unsung driver of global culture. 

The Hot Topics Series of The Hudson Eye 2020 was made possible via a Relief Grant from Humanities New York.