Amanda Baker Brings the Art Community Together at Club Gallery

The walls within Club Gallery are covered in paintings of eccentric cafeteras. In a few days, the works by Kiki Valdes will come down and be replaced by paintings by various artists for a group show titled "Super Natural." Shortly thereafter, Amanda Baker will again strip the walls and get the space ready for the Miami Art Week show.

Baker sits at a rectangular table in the center of the space. The table is empty, except for her pink laptop, which she stares at intently, her fingers dancing around the keys. In a moment, she pushes her computer off to the side and crosses her legs.

Baker has been managing and curating Club Gallery since she opened the place in 2022 — and technically before that. The origin story of Club Gallery, located on the first floor of the Citadel in Little Haiti, is a modest one. In late 2021, Baker was approached by the owners of the Citadel to curate special programming for Miami Art Week. A few months later, the venue asked her to do it again. However, this time, Baker went into it with an ulterior motive, hoping to take over the space full-time eventually.

She worked up the nerve to strike up a deal with the Citadel and bring a permanent art gallery to the dining and shopping destination. And by the end of 2022, Club Gallery was officially birthed.

"I knew that I really, really enjoyed putting on shows because I've always worked in galleries. I've always liked working with living contemporary artists. That's basically my only skill set," the gallerist says, laughing.
Born in Mexico, Baker moved to New York when she was 6 years old and grew up surrounded by art, regularly visiting galleries and museums. She went on to study art history in college and landed a job at a prominent gallery in the city.

As she recalls working in the East and West Coast art scenes, Baker keeps her hands neatly rested on her right knee. Her time in New York taught her how to sell a gallery — and the work of the artists. "That's where I learned to show what you love and making a splash out of it," she says. "I wanted to bring that energy to my first year here [at Club Gallery]."

Later, her years spent working in San Francisco taught her perhaps something equally valuable: how to run and manage a business.

Club Gallery puts on a new show every four weeks, and frequently, the gallery organizes community events, like artist talks or workshops. Concerning the gallery, it's really only Baker at the helm. Club Gallery is Baker's one-woman show.

The beauty of the mission behind the space is how Baker wants to bring art to the people.

"I feel like everything now is a social club, and you need to be cool or a member to get in," she explains. "I wanted to create more of an inclusive club that was, like, for artists, by artists of the city, for the city."

Part of the gallery's mission is also having artwork at accessible price points so the community at large can truly benefit and enjoy.
Baker recalls the first curated programming she put on during Miami Art Week 2021, where she had works priced starting at $5,000 and upwards of $30,000. While people would walk into the space intrigued, their interest diminished as soon as they heard the prices.

"I would tell them the price, and I could tell that they were never going to walk into an art gallery again," she says of the experience. "Why would you fall in love with something only to be told you can never have it?"

She vowed to be the catalyst to bring much-needed change to the fine art world. For every show at Club Gallery, whether for an emerging or established artist, Baker ensures works will be available at a reasonable price.

"I try to keep the shows unpretentious. The price is unpretentious, and allows an entry point for new collectors," she adds.

Although Baker is not a South Florida native, she aims to create a space where local artists can thrive and feel at home. She had been working and living in Miami since 2018 when she started infiltrating the local art scene. She name-drops a handful of artists as pillars of the scene like We Are Nice'N Easy, Jessy Nite, and Josh Aronson — all of whom she exhibited in the first year of Club Gallery's existence.

She also points to a recent show, "Blue Chips," that featured works from more than 300 local artists, including names like Jillian Meyer, Thomas Bils, and Arnaud Pages.
"That show brought everyone out — both artists and collectors," Baker says, her eyes widening in delight. "And I like it when everybody is here."

A common thread that connects all the artists Baker exhibits is that they're local. Not only are they living in or from Miami, "but Miami acts like an underlying theme in the works," she explains. "The artists highlight their individual artist explorations and highlight different facets of Miami, and it's never the stereotypical Miami that you would think."

The next artist on deck at the gallery is HoxxoH. The popular street artist turned fine artist will "embellish the walls," says Baker, extending her arms wide and gesturing at the open floor plan.

"He's doing this entire wall, full salon style, of five by five to 36 by 36 — or a wider range of sizes — to be all accessibly priced," she says excitedly. "And then bigger pieces that are more emblematic of his large-scale murals."

Club Gallery's location within the Citadel makes it uniquely positioned to reach not only locals but also tourists and visitors.

"I really want to convert civilians into coming into the art world or knowing that they can take ownership of the local art community and they can participate and they can support. I want this to be a community, a club, and fun," says Baker, perking up in her seat. "I really want Club Gallery to be synonymous with fun."

"HoxxoH: Of Light and Shadow." Saturday, December 9, through Sunday, January 14, 2024, at Club Gallery, 8300 NE Second Ave., Miami; clubgallerymiami.com. Opening reception 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, December 9. Admissions is free.