Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheila Urevbu.
Hi Sheila, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’m a wife, mom and busy entrepreneur! I’ve lived in Memphis since the mid 90s and consider it my home. My journey didn’t begin with entrepreneurship, though. I had worked as an HR Strategist for twenty years when I was laid off in 2014. So, as you can imagine, I was surprised to find myself at a crossroad. During that time, I had led many Fortune 100 and 500 companies in the areas of talent management, organizational development, change management, performance management and culture integration.
If I’m perfectly honest, I thought about leaving Corporate America the year before, but the thought of setting out on my own was scary. So, being laid off was my chance to pursue my dream of establishing and running an art gallery (which had been my passion for many years). So I firmly decided not to pursue corporate employment again! It didn’t take me long to kickstart this new venture. In the Spring of 2014, I swung the doors WIDE open and took the helm of my newly owned art gallery. Boy, was I not ready for what awaited me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Not entirely smooth, no. Surviving as an entrepreneur in the fine art industry is tough. Surviving in the fine art industry in Memphis – a fringe art market is even more challenging. As I sometimes say, I have many artists however I need a lot more art collectors!
A lot of trial and error, creativity, and learning new skills in marketing and sales helped me to expand my reach tremendously. It was not easy to learn new skills and certainly not easy to unlearn methods or techniques that work in a corporate setting but not necessarily in my world. I was army-crawling my way through the new world of entrepreneurship in the beginning. I now have clients from all over the world. It’s a lot to know, a lot to become, and a lot of mindset changes to become a successful entrepreneur. The biggest obstacle is myself – getting out of old ways of thinking and believing. Self-doubt and a negative mindset can rear their ugly heads if you’re not intentional about positivity and being laser focused on your vision.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
In 2017, I changed the name of the gallery from Art Village Gallery to Urevbu Contemporary because the legacy of our family’s accomplishments in the Memphis art scene is extremely important to me. Also, it was important to recognize and better establish the gallery’s identity and legacy. I consider it a privilege to exist in this space and do this work, and will continue cultivating the art gallery as one of relevance, bringing new voices and new perspectives in global dialogue.
Every art gallery has its own “lane”, its own mission or personality. Urevbu Contemporary’s mission is to support and promote the work of a community of artists who have been disadvantaged or historically overlooked. Black artists from Africa and its Diaspora fill the roster of artists who exhibit their work in the gallery.
When I open an exhibition, in addition to the visual art, I truly strive to explore the artist’s entire culture including, food, music and more. I achieve this through thoughtful exhibition programming. Gallery patrons have told me again and again how much that additional experience with the culture connects them with the artist and their artwork. I feel it too, and it’s amazing!!. It’s fulfilling and so deeply meaningful for me to impact the lives of others [in a positive way] through art. To me, art has a great ability to find commonality among us as people. Humanity connects through all mediums of art – food, music, visual art, dance, literary – its spiritual.
One of my most meaningful programs in the gallery is the ‘dinner and dialogue’ series. My highest aim has always been to inspire an appreciation for diversity and culture. The dinner and dialogue series is my version of a contemporary and innovative program that I designed as a series of curated dinners (facilitated by a diversity and inclusion expert) that includes a period of conversation on topics commonly causing divergence and common concern, so we can bring understanding and acceptance. The artwork on exhibition is always an integral part of dinner discussion as well. The dinner menu is curated by an international chef by intention. I want the food (another form of art) to be something guests don’t typically experience. I want the dinner guests to have an experience and gain knowledge that may enable a shift in their mindset. Can one begin to appreciate a culture outside of their own by being immersed in it for an evening? Well, I say yes.
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming for me – the business of helping people coalesce around art to open the door for conversation, mindset shifts and understanding – but I remind myself that positive change is always happening whether I know it or not and even if its just one person at a time.
Urevbu Contemporary has become a cultural touchstone in Memphis’ downtown arts district. Before long, I began to receive press and news articles about the innovative work and exhibitions that I launched in the gallery. This confirmation for me was so affirming.
And although I decided not to return to a full-time role in the world of Corporate America, I did have a difficult time at the thought of completely walking away from a profession that I invested so much of my life to. So I extended my brand. I discovered a way to integrate both of my passions. This means I’m also an HR Consultant. Corporate leaders turn to me when they want to build and sustain a culture of diversity and team inclusion through curating immersive art experiences and opportunities for connection. I typically consult with leaders who want to elevate their corporations diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. And I also consult with small companies who need help with strategic goal setting, and annual talent and performance planning.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I always tell the same story about finding a mentor. I once heard someone say that we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. If a person wants to improve his life, he should change the 5 people he spends the most time with. They said, “find 5 new people”.
Networking and mentorship don’t necessarily have to be accomplished in the traditional sense. What the person was saying to me is that I should leverage technology and take advantage of the plentiful mentor -like resources readily available to me. If one wants to enhance a specific skill or simply be inspired, solutions can be found in books/audiobooks, podcasts, youtube, blogs etc. So, I now spend a lot of time with a mix of 5 authors and business entrepreneurs who I’ve never met personally but have truly impacted my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.urevbucontemporary.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/urevbucontemporary
- Facebook: facebook.com/urevbucontemporary
Image Credits
Camille Leigh Photography, Malik the Martian, and Gabrielle Duffie
