HEIDI VAUGHAN FINE ART

BY JOHN BERNHARD

JOHN BERNHARD: How did you get started in Houston?

HEIDI VAUGHAN: I am from Chicago and have a solid marketing background. In 1995, my husband (at the time) was recruited from the University of Chicago by Conoco. We lived in Houston three times, also Norway, and

Qatar. We had children and I didn’t work. I earned a graduate degree in art history from the University of Houston and appraisal credentials from the International Society of Appraisers. I got divorced and the children grew up. Since then, I have done work with the major museums in Houston and was briefly with a gallery. When a business partnership I was working on fell through, I found myself with my own art gallery here in Houston five years ago.

JB: You have one of the smallest galleries on Colquitt gallery row. Small galleries need to take advantage of their strengths. What are your thoughts on the use of this space?

Clockwise from top:

Heidi Vaughan Fine Art gallery on Colquitt gallery row.

The Andy Moran Collection, John Biggers and Friends exhibition installation at Heidi Vaughan Fine Art.

Hillerbrand+Magsamen exhibition installation at Heidi Vaughan Fine Art.

Susan Budge exhibition installation at Heidi Vaughan Fine Art. All photos courtesy of Heidi Vaughan.

HV: The gallery is small, but it is special. It doesn’t take many people to make it feel like something is happening. I like to compare the gallery to Holly Golightly’s apartment in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It just gets packed and it’s always fun. You would be amazed who comes here. It amazes me. We sell a lot. Our top sales so far are one painting at $2 million, one for $1.1 million, and one for $300,000. We do handle sculptures and have a little courtyard for the outdoor ones. Our size does not seem to be holding us back.

JB: You represent local mid-career artists based in Houston. They live here but are from all around the world. In building your roster, what’s your criteria?

HV: First, it’s about supporting artists from our own community. Second, I have to want to buy the work. If I see the work and I’m not saying to myself, “How can I find a way to get that?” I know it’s not for me. After those two criteria, and equally as important, is simply that they have to shine bright. We do not work with difficult people.

JB: Do you have any special exhibitions or artists that you were most proud of and would like to share?

HV: I am proud of every artist I represent and to select one or two would not be fair to the rest. I will say our show with Jereann Chaney, The Chaney Collection Benefitting the Houston Arts Alliance, was pretty spectacular. The sale featured works that had been in the MFAH’s Red Hot Asian Art from the Chaney Family

Collection exhibition. It was important museum-level work priced to sell. One hundred percent of the proceeds went to the Houston Arts Alliance’s Emergency Relief Fund, which supports artists and arts workers during a disaster. Another high point was making the front page of the Houston Chronicle with The Andy Moran Collection, John Biggers and Friends. It honored the wonderful Black artistic tradition honed at our very own Texas Southern University. It happened here before the Black Lives Matter movement took off.

JB: You also represent Houston art collectors and collections and help them sell their art in the secondary market. Could you share some insights about that side of the business and what’s involved?

HV: This is a significant part of my business. I work with people who have one object to sell up to entire collections. With the secondary market, it’s typically 80 percent to the consignor. I am known for being fair. My reputation is everything and I take care of my clients. I sell through the gallery if I can. I also work with Sotheby’s, Christies, and Simpson Galleries here in Houston, among others. I appraise art for insurance purposes, charitable donations, equitable distribution, etc., too.

JB: You are a busy businesswoman. You serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Houston Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization that oversees the maintenance of Houston’s most iconic public sculptures.

How did you become interested in that organization?

HV: A dear friend and mentor, Gus Kopriva, owner of Redbud Gallery, pulled me in years ago. HAF was founded in 1965 and continues to be relevant and responsive to today’s needs. With the help of Chris Hill and Hill Branding Solutions, and the marvelous photographer Shau Lin Hon, we launched a new logo and sophisticated website (covered in this magazine). We are in the process of growing our Adopt A Monument program. In 2023, we’ll be working on the iconic Jesús Moroles Police Officer’s Memorial to have it in tip top condition as Mayor Turner rounds out his final term.

JB: You are the Co-Host of The Houston Hour with Mister McKinney and you have interviewed an amazing number of illustrious guests. How much time do you dedicate to this endeavor?

HV: A lot and it’s worth every second. We interview someone from the arts (Houston Symphony, Alley Theatre, Houston Ballet, visual artists, etc.), and what we call a Houston legend, someone like Mayor Turner, Lynn Wyatt, and Phoebe Tudor, on each episode. The show airs every Friday at 6 pm on 90.1 KPFT.

JB: What are your ambitions for the future?

HV: I love the gallery. It doesn’t need to be any bigger than it is. Awhile back I got an offer that I turned down from someone who said to me, “Don’t you want to be a player on the world stage?” I said no.

BY ARTHUR DEMICHELI