Kaitlyn McElwee is the founder and managing director of Arcadia Art Consultancy. AAC offers bespoke advisory and appraisal services to both private and corporate collectors. As their clients build and manage collections of fine art, jewelry, and other luxury assets, Arcadia Art Consultancy offers trusted support.
“I started AAC because I saw a need to provide collectors with trusted guidance, so they may curate a thoughtful collection that not only speaks to their aesthetics and art historical interests but does so from a financial mindset,” says McElwee.
Although the professionals at Arcadia Art Consultancy are crossover specialists, capable of providing consulting services related to a wide array of luxury assets, the core of their business is modern, post-war, and contemporary art.
Arcadia Art Consultancy is available to help clients in three primary ways: appraisal reporting, collection management, and advisory services.
Advisory and Appraisal
The advisory services exist for clients who seek to develop collections that not only match their aesthetic preferences but also further their investment strategy. AAC helps clients source artwork through the primary and secondary markets via auction houses, galleries, and private sales. As an impartial third party, AAC draws from its vast network of resources. With this support, they can ensure that clients identify the right works for the right price at the right time.
As many art collectors will attest, the art market is notoriously complex and opaque. It can be challenging to anticipate what acquisitions are sound investments. This is due to issues of authenticity, title, art historical significance, or market trends. It doesn’t matter whether the collector is experienced or novice. An unbiased, knowledgeable professional can provide insight and steer clients away from costly mistakes.
In addition to its advisory services, AAC provides written appraisal reports for a wide variety of needs. Those needs can include art lending, equitable distribution, estate planning, insurance coverage, and non-cash charitable contributions. If a client’s needs include collection management services, AAC partners with a network of art lenders, conservators, framers, installers, storage facilities, and shippers. This enables them to respond to any need a collector may have swiftly and smoothly.
McElwee and her team regularly work with high-end, notable collections. Although the Arcadia Art Consultancy office is based in Charlotte, their clientele lives throughout the United States.
Holistic Approach
No matter who they are serving, Arcadia Art Consultancy will take a holistic approach. “Our goal is to make sure that we do right by our client in both the short and long term,” says McElwee. This ethos is what has allowed AAC to help clients curate truly meaningful collections. Collections that also have true investment potential, if that’s among the client’s goals.
McElwee has a master’s degree in art history/fine art administration and years of experience within the art world. She is engaged in ongoing academic pursuits (exploring the intersection of fine art, finance, and the law), is an active member of the International Society of Appraisers, and serves as Chair for “Coined in the South: 2022,” a juried art biennial at the Mint Museum here in Charlotte. Her team offers a similarly robust list of qualifications that they apply in the service of their loyal clients. This has earned AAC five years of successful business and many more to come.
Website: www.arcadiaartconsultancy.com
Instagram: @arcadiaartconsultancy
