Building an interior space can feel like a 21st-century task with only 20th-century solutions. You have to know someone who knows a good designer, or be related to someone who went to college with a reliable contractor. To know an artist, you have to know a gallery, and to know a gallery you might have to know an art advisor. It’s all about the right relationships—or at least it can seem that way when you get started.

For many, this is the biggest hurdle to incorporating art into interior design, says MaryLinda Moss, founder of Source Art. Moss’s company, founded in 2012, aims to make the whole process easy by providing those relationship opportunities for you all in one place—big budget or small. Source Art connects art lovers with art makers, homeowners with interior designers, collectors with consultants—and any combination thereof. Think of it, Moss says, like a bespoke, one-stop-shop for all your art needs. 

We spoke with the Source Art founder to learn more about how her company works, where it’s been, and where it’s going next.

An Emily Van Horn painting placed by Source Art. Courtesy of Source Art.

Can you tell me about the origins of Source Art? Where and when did you found the company? Why?

Having worked in both the fine art and interior design worlds for close to 20 years, I was inspired to bring those worlds together, supporting and guiding the procurement of art for interior designers and their projects. Since launching in 2012, we have evolved into a rich support system providing those seeking art with works from artists and galleries, both local and around the world, in every genre, and at every price point. I am honored to do the work I do, thrilled each day to work in the world of art with its rich complexities. 

For someone new to Source Art, can you explain how the company works and its different facets? 

We have developed an art procurement process that we use to guide our clients through the process of buying art. We initiate a custom art plan based on design vision, budget, and style. Sourcing from across the art world, we create virtual galleries and renderings to help our clients find art they love that also works beautifully in their space. 

Though the vision of a given design is our guiding principle, the artwork is a focus and inspiration. This elevates both the art and the design as they play off of one another, giving a feeling that the room has been designed around the art, even if we are brought in at the end of the process. We take curation to a whole new level; every aspect of procurement and installation is thoughtfully managed, and we guide commissions and additional project-specific needs as needed. 

A painting by Luc Bernard, placed by Source Art. Courtesy of Source Art.

You were trained as an artist as well. In what ways has that informed the way you work now?

At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where I got my degree focusing on sculpture and installation art, I delved into a wide range of media—that gave me an inside understanding of art making, how artists operate and how their creations can interact with the world. Knowing the depth of what art has to offer inspired me to want to share that experience. 

Bringing little ego to the table, we closely work cross-disciplinary with all parties involved—artists, yes, but also galleries, fabricators, and other consultants. We’re open to what any collaboration may bring. We always invite our partners’ expertise, vision, and passion to the process. 

We are always on the lookout for new artists. Each project is an opportunity to expand our reach, to find new artists and galleries to draw on. I see this not just as a way of doing business but as a way of being alive and passionate in the world of art. Our work with artists and clients has led us to reach into the realm of offering artworks for sale. 

A room designed in collaboration with Source Art, featuring a wall sculpture by Sharon Hardy. Courtesy of Source Art.

You’ve mentioned before that the art world is all about relationships. It’s one of the reasons people feel isolated from the art world, or intimidated by it. How do you cultivate and perpetuate those relationships while building new ones?

Yes, I have seen that disconnect in some of our clients. We work to make it accessible, to help them connect to the artists and the art, focusing on the human desire to express and create rather than some lofty, out-of-reach idea.

We are very broad in the art we connect our clients with, as it’s about who they are as collectors, what speaks to them. We have a range of clients—ones who already have a collection and others who have never even thought of themselves as potential collectors. We work to stretch their view, expand their world. Our calling is in part as educator, helping awaken the collector in them or refine their collector soul.

The company is launching a virtual gallery component too. Can you tell me about it? What are the challenges of translating the art and design experience online?

It’s exciting, the new realms we have all recently been forced to consider. We were inspired to develop a multi-disciplinary approach that allows for a depth and flexibility of experience. Ideally, while utilizing these new technologies, we not only increase exposure but create exquisite, compelling experiences. With Source Art Virtual we have been able to create cinematic-quality, fully-navigable, 360-degree spaces, replicating existing galleries and creating purely virtual spaces untethered from any physical constraints. Including embedded video and audio commentary from artists and gallerists deepens and broadens one’s experience of the work.

It’s a brave new world out there, full of possibilities. Our focus, as always, is to share art in a way that moves and inspires.