2026 - and series five - kicks off with An Art to It's first ever transatlantic episode: this week I'm joined by gallerist Liz Lidgett of Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design in Des Moines, Iowa. https://www.lizlidgett.com/
Liz shares how growing up with a free local museum - and a grandmother who bought her art lessons every Christmas - shaped her belief that art should be for everyone. After studying art history and working as an in-house curator for a major corporate collection, she left the corporate world after exactly one year to become a freelance art advisor before opening her own gallery in 2019… just months before the pandemic.
In our lively chat we talk about how being based in the midwest - rather than LA or New York City - gave Liz the space to experiment with selling art, and how Instagram and lockdown turned a her local gallery into a global business. and why Liz treats her gallery as her biggest artwork – built on joy, ethics, and a strict "no jerks" rule.
Inspired by her belief that art really IS for everyone, 2026 sees the launch of Liz's book, Art for Everyone where she demystifies buying, hanging and living with art for people who "love art but don't know where to start." It can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.
In this episode, we chat about:
Why being in the "overlooked" Midwest gave Liz freedom to play, make mistakes and experiment
Moving from art history and corporate curation into art advising - and what she learned from seeing behind the scenes of galleries.
How her Midwest gallery now ships to all 50 US states and 11+ countries, and why location matters less when your voice and eye are strong
The values at the heart of her business: accessibility, kindness, paying artists on time, "no jerks", and approachable (never snooty) language
Building a community for artists: annual surveys, honest questions, and a legendary 5-year party that brought 35–40 artists together in person
The emotional and as Liz says, "slightly woo-woo" side of gallery work: believing that each artwork has a person it's "meant" for – and her job is to connect them
What galleries can still offer artists in an age of direct sales and social media
Treating the gallery itself as her biggest artwork, and why joy is non-negotiable in how she runs her business.
@lizlidgettgallery @lizlidgett
@elaine_dye_ @thebyregallery
