Helen Toomer has a reputation for being an “Art Whisperer” who nurtures rising talent.

You have a bit of a reputation as an “art whisperer” for nurturing art and artists in a way that feels really independent from the pressures of the market, which is kind of remarkable considering how much work you’ve done with commercial fairs. How do you square the two?

I am definitely going to add “art whisperer” to my LinkedIn—I love that. it just comes back to loving artists and loving people and listening. Stoneleaf has been a super big part of that. And artists will come to Stoneleaf and say, “This gallery has asked me to be in this group show, but I’ve never done a consignment form,” or “I want to apply to this residency or this job. Can you be a reference?” and I’m like, “Of course.”