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Unlock Creative Clarity: Mentorship for Artists, Galleries & Arts Leaders
Serious Play, based in Santa Fe, NM, and founded by Ivan Barnett, is a creative consultancy guiding artists, galleries, and cultural leaders to grow with integrity and success. Rooted in play, clarity, and strategy, we blend artistic insight with practical guidance to help you move forward with purpose. Explore our site to discover who we serve, what we offer, and how you can connect with the Serious Play community.
“Play is the exultation of the possible.”
— Martin Buber
Meet Ivan Barnett
Ivan Barnett, a Pennsylvania-born artist and former gallery owner, is a Santa Fe–based consultant who blends creativity with strategy to help artists and galleries thrive. Shaped by a family of creatives, his five decades in the art world reflect a lifelong passion for the arts.
“Be yourself.”
— Ivan Barnett
Organizations that Ivan Barnett
Has Collaborated With
Serious Play Client Testimonials
We at the Metropolitan Opera Guild want to thank you for helping to make the 2018 Opera News Awards a tremendous success. Thanks, in part, to your generous donation, your contribution makes a huge difference in helping support our Education Programs. This year we brought music education initiatives to 20,000 students in 220 schools.
The Metropolitan Opera Guild
Thank you for Ivan for your gift in support of the American Art department’s craft jewelry acquisitions. Your gift supports our efforts to acquire extraordinary works and cements our place in the uppermost echelon of encyclopedic institutions with such vibrant and growing collections.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
We feel incredibly lucky to know extraordinary people like you. To celebrate our anniversary and show our gratitude, Peter and the Atelier Zobel team made a special pin just for you. Without your support, we couldn’t do what we love. Thank you Ivan for over 21 years of partnership, friendship, and inspiration. We are deeply grateful for the memories, special moments, and continued encouragement you’ve given us.
Peter Schmid, Goldsmith
I just read your highly informative KLIMT02 conversation and am highly impressed by your ability to compact a lot of disparate ideas into one absolutely clear and understandable dialogue. Well done!!!
William Harper, Artist, Jeweler, Master Goldsmith
Guiding Artists and Galleries to Thrive
Artists across time share the same truth: financial concerns cause great stress—you want to follow your curiosity and lose yourself in creating, not in business. As Ivan Barnett says, your most brilliant work comes when you’re not fully focused on sales only. Yet every artist—whether emerging or established—carries that burden. From Van Gogh to Warhol, money has always shaped the art world. Serious Play is here for artists like you to spark new passion and fresh curiosity in your studio life.
“People forget that play can be serious.”
— David Hockney
Business Consulting
Strategic Support for Sustainable Growth
Serious Play helps galleries, museums, and nonprofits navigate the art world with tailored strategies. We focus mostly on emerging and mid-career professionals (add link to new internal page on career levels here), guiding leadership to balance creativity with financial sustainability. Ivan Barnett works alongside you, offering insights and actionable solutions aligned with your mission and goals.
Coaching for Creatives
A Path to Personal and Professional Growth
Serious Play offers one-on-one mentoring for artists, blending creative and business growth. Early and mid-career artists work directly with Ivan Barnett to advance their careers. With tailored guidance, you’ll refine your vision, strengthen business skills, and build a sustainable practice while fostering personal growth.
Serious Play Case Studies
These case studies highlight Ivan Barnett’s collaborations with artists and organizations, outlining challenges, solutions, and results. They demonstrate his ability to motivate, transform, and achieve meaningful change.
Claire Kahn: A Carefully Curated Discovery
The incredible value of having a world exclusive of an artist’s works for a gallery shows how the artist’s pieces were leveraged for selling through multiple exhibitions. In this study, Ivan took an educated risk on Claire Kahn and promoted her as the second most profitable artist at Patina, driving people to come to the destination to only collect Kahn’s artworks from there.
The Tension of Opposites Where Barnett Connected the Dots
This case study demonstrates how all the strategic planning came together, the artists, the photography, the opera opening, the jewelry when the gallery had their ground breaking opening of their historic exhibition, The Tension of Opposites. The synergy was a real testament to Ivan being able to connect the dots for this blockbuster.
Patina … Opening a Gallery that Defied the Odds
Patina Gallery beat incredible financial odds over the course of 25 years. The gallery was able to pivot and leverage operations, vision, and astute planning to weather many life-altering storms during that time and achieve global success.
Serious Play Muse-Letter
The End of the Blockbuster: What AI Means for the Fine Arts
By Ivan Barnett, Serious Play “Technology Has To Start Somewhere.” Image by Ivan Barnett. “No amount of skill-full invention can replace the essential element of imagination.”—Edward Hopper, American Painter. AI is here to stay. Whether we embrace it or not,…
The Self-Taught Artist’s Path: Challenges and Opportunities
The Seine and the Eiffel Tower in the Sunset, 1910 – Henri Rousseau – WikiArt.org “I am not an academic; I am self-taught. Some things can only be learned by doing.” — Louise Bourgeois In my decades of work as…
When Asking for Help Becomes the Hardest Act of Creativity
By Ivan Barnett “When You Notice Cracks in Your Business Model, Don’t Wait to Fix Them.” Santa Fe, NM. Ivan Barnett Image. “True strength is not shown in what we can do alone, but in knowing when to lean into…
