An expansion project at Hollis Taggart will nearly double the size of the Chelsea gallery’s first floor exhibition space, a move the dealer describes as “a vote of confidence” in the New York neighbourhood even as more galleries migrate downtown to Tribeca.

The space is scheduled to open to the public 7 September—coinciding with Armory Week in New York—and will largely be used to display work from the gallery’s historic division, Taggart says, and allow the gallery to run two shows at once or larger, more ambitious exhibitions. The project adds 698 sq. ft to an existing 887 sq. ft of exhibition space, according to the gallery.

The inaugural display will feature work by artists including Ralph Iwamoto, the late 20th-century Japanese American Surrealist painter who was largely overlooked during his life (Hollis Taggart began representing the artist’s estate in February), Dusti Bongé, Sheila Isham, Irene Monat Stern and Michael (Corinne Michelle) West. The initial hang will also include a presentation of six drawings by Jackson Pollock dating from the early 1950s. According to the gallery, the sketches are from a notepad that sat beside the telephone at the Long Island home Pollock shared with his wife and fellow artist Lee Krasner.

Taggart, who has occupied space at 521 West 26th Street for nine years since relocating from the Upper East Side in 2015, says he’d always “fantasised” about expanding into other sections of the Chelsea building near the High Line. The space next-door—previously home to the Loretta Howard Gallery—had been leased out by a series of tenants over the years. When it became available most recently, Taggart says he approached the landlord and worked out a deal to open up the space into his gallery.

The first floor expansion follows an earlier extension last October, when the gallery took over space on the second floor of the building at 521 West 26th Street. Taggart says that despite the rush of galleries decamping to Tribeca for larger spaces and lower rents, he preferred to invest in the gallery’s presence in Chelsea.

“It is a vote of confidence for the Chelsea gallery district. I’m confident that Chelsea is here to stay,” Taggart says, adding that the gallery’s mega-dealer neighbours like David Zwirner, Pace and Gagosian all own their Chelsea properties and are likely “planted for the long-term”.

Amid concerns that the art market is slowing down after tepid spring and summer sales in New York and London, Taggart says he’s comfortable expanding when his colleagues may be doing the opposite and trying to cut expenditures in case of a market correction.

“I’ve always been a contrarian,” Taggart says. “It’s kind of going against the concerns in the art market right now for me to actually be expanding, but I think that’s just the time to do it.”

There are less than two weeks until the winner of this year’s Searchlight competition will be announced. The judges selected the Top 100 artists, who were revealed on Aug. 2. The Top 10 artists will also be announced from that list on Aug. 15.

From there, these industry experts will determine who is Canada’s next breakthrough musical act, and select the artists who will be the four secondary winners for outstanding Indigenous artist, outstanding country artist, top teen, and the songwriting prize. 

So, who are the music industry professionals evaluating this year’s contenders? Read on to get to know Andrés Mendoza, Amanda Rheaume, Justin Gray and Karla Moy before seeing who they select to win CBC Music’s Searchlight on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 8 a.m. ET.

Andrés Mendoza

Andrés Mendoza began his music career in 1991 when he became an artist manager, promoter and agent with Antara Productions, a Montreal-based Latin Music company he co-founded with Edgardo Linares. His subsequent roles have included label executive, content developer and sponsorship leader.

He also created Cuto, a music marketing and strategy consultancy. His resumé also includes working at Virgin/EMI Music Canada, Ent! Marketing, Harbourfront Centre and he’s been a jury member for the Canada Council for the Arts, FACTOR and Ontario Creates, as well as a counselor at AMP Camp (now Indigenous Music Camp) and co-producer of live events at the AfroCubanismo Festival.

Currently, Mendoza leads the team responsible for brand strategy at the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), working on marketing, communications, creative, digital, social and partnerships for the Juno Awards, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Allan Slaight Juno Master Class and year-round CARAS initiatives.

In addition to amplifying and celebrating Juno nominees and winners, Mendoza has worked with many artists over the years including Alex Cuba, Coldplay, Janet Jackson, Corinne Bailey Rae and more. 

Amanda Rheaume

Amanda Rheaume is a Juno-nominated Métis singer and songwriter who makes guitar-driven ballads steeped in resilience. As the director of operations for the International Indigenous Music Summit, a coordinator for the development of a National Indigenous Music Office and co-founder of Ishkōdé Records, she is constantly striving to build community and support Indigenous musicians in the industry.

As an artist, Rheaume has released five albums and received recognition for her work including a Juno nomination and a Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous songwriter of the year. Her latest album, The Spaces Between, was released in 2022 and saw Rheaume unpack themes of identity, colonialism and culture.

Justin Gray

Justin Gray is a Canadian-born, L.A.-based songwriter, producer and composer who has had a career spanning more than 20 years in the music and entertainment industries. He is the founder and CEO of music tech startup MDIIO, as well as co-founder of the music publishing and talent management venture Anti Gravity E.

Through his artist collaborations, Gray has accumulated more than eight billion global streams and has worked with stars including Mariah Carey, John Legend, Avril Lavigne and Glen Campbell. His work includes multiple viral hits and global No. 1 songs with artists such as NCT 127, SuperM, Chris Lee and more.

Gray’s music and projects have appeared in trailers and on the scores of films and television shows including Toy Story 4, Hocus Pocus 2, Grey’s Anatomy, The L Word and more. He also co-composed the score and created music for the 2023 film Spinning Gold, and is currently writing, producing and composing the original motion picture soundtrack for Verona with Evan Bogart.

Karla Moy

As the founder of HustleGRL, Karla Moy’s passions sit at the intersection of music, design and web development. Her work includes credits with artists including Drake, Eminem, Dvsn, Hit-Boy, Mac Miller and even Lil Wayne — she designed the cover art for several of his mixtapes, including No Ceilings and Sorry 4 the Wait. 

As a DJ, Moy has performed sets at major nightclubs as well as corporate events and large-scale venues. She works within the music industry to foster the development of emerging artists, and currently sits on the board of directors for the Remix Project. She also serves on the juries of the non-profits FACTOR Canada, the Polaris Music Prize and the Prism Prize.