Innovative, location-based Seek Fine Art search engine app seeking to connect fine art galleries to collectors launches at Mill Valley’s ROOM Art Gallery, replacing the outdated paper gallery guides with a visual database of 450+ Bay Area galleries and over 11,000 galleries across 38 countries.
The Seek Fine Art team, from left: Karolis Karalevicius, Molly Moses, Kaylyn Balmoria and Agne Christensen. Courtesy image.
As a contemporary figurative artist, art lover and the owner of a gallery – Room Art Gallery in downtown Mill Valley – Agne Christensen is fully immersed in the art world in the Bay Area and beyond. That vantage point put her in an ideal position to identify one of the art scene’s greatest needs: a virtual meeting point for art collectors and galleries near them, showcasing their greatest artists.
She’s done just that with Seek Fine Art, a search engine app for all digital devices that leverages location-based technology to allow users to search fine art near them sorting by location, gallery, artist or art style.
“Art is for everyone!" Christensen says. “Seek Fine Art is my way to bring joy of discovering art to the masses and turn art lovers to collectors. I want to know every gallery, every artist and all art everywhere at anytime. I can do this with music, so why not with art? I’m thrilled to be able to help make the journey of 'meeting' art easier and more enjoyable.”
Christensen, who opened Room Art Gallery in 2008, came up with the concept for Seek Fine Art three years ago, and spent the next two years working with developers to create its design and architecture. A mom of two, Christensen says it was not easy to juggle the roles of mother, artist, gallery owner and now tech company founder.
In late 2015, she launched the first version of the Seek Fine Art on the Apple Appstore, and brought on Karolis Karalevicius, a product manager who knows a thing or two about startups. Karalevicius' background includes a stint at Google and as the director of operations for StartupHouse, a San Francisco-based hub for early-stage startups.
She’s done just that with Seek Fine Art, a search engine app for all digital devices that leverages location-based technology to allow users to search fine art near them sorting by location, gallery, artist or art style.
“Art is for everyone!" Christensen says. “Seek Fine Art is my way to bring joy of discovering art to the masses and turn art lovers to collectors. I want to know every gallery, every artist and all art everywhere at anytime. I can do this with music, so why not with art? I’m thrilled to be able to help make the journey of 'meeting' art easier and more enjoyable.”
Christensen, who opened Room Art Gallery in 2008, came up with the concept for Seek Fine Art three years ago, and spent the next two years working with developers to create its design and architecture. A mom of two, Christensen says it was not easy to juggle the roles of mother, artist, gallery owner and now tech company founder.
In late 2015, she launched the first version of the Seek Fine Art on the Apple Appstore, and brought on Karolis Karalevicius, a product manager who knows a thing or two about startups. Karalevicius' background includes a stint at Google and as the director of operations for StartupHouse, a San Francisco-based hub for early-stage startups.
Over the past six month, the SFA team has worked relentlessly to improve and build the simplest and most intuitive way for gallery managers to feature and updated their inventory. With a ready-for-primetime app and rapidly growing support from both art lovers and gallery owners in the Bay Area, Karalevicius is drawing on those startup experiences to drive Seek Fine Art ahead, hoping to expand its reach beyond the robust 38 countries and 11,000 gallery and museum listings the app currently includes.
“This is just a start. We want to soften the perception people have about art galleries; they shouldn’t be exclusive or impersonal," Karalevicius says. "This means everything from the moment you start researching, to how you get to a gallery, to how you experience the artworks inside a gallery, to learning more about the artist, immersing yourself in their stories and techniques used for their works. Imagine rich content, videos and bios accessible on-the-go at any gallery you walk into. Once a gallery or museum has an active profile, anyone who 'likes' their profile gets alerted each time it’s updated."
The company is now focused on inviting all Northern California galleries to “claim” their profile on Seek Fine Art and thus be able update it regularly with their exhibit details, and latest works.
The 411: Seek Fine Art can be found in the iTunes store for your next visit to San Francico, New York or Seoul.
“This is just a start. We want to soften the perception people have about art galleries; they shouldn’t be exclusive or impersonal," Karalevicius says. "This means everything from the moment you start researching, to how you get to a gallery, to how you experience the artworks inside a gallery, to learning more about the artist, immersing yourself in their stories and techniques used for their works. Imagine rich content, videos and bios accessible on-the-go at any gallery you walk into. Once a gallery or museum has an active profile, anyone who 'likes' their profile gets alerted each time it’s updated."
The company is now focused on inviting all Northern California galleries to “claim” their profile on Seek Fine Art and thus be able update it regularly with their exhibit details, and latest works.
The 411: Seek Fine Art can be found in the iTunes store for your next visit to San Francico, New York or Seoul.
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