Over dozens of cruises, I walked past the Park West Gallery and never really gave it much of a thought. On a few occasions, I sent my wife at home a picture of a painting, sculpture, or some other artwork that stood out to me.
The art seemed a lot to me like Effy jewelry or the onboard stores that sell watches that cost more than my car. There must be an audience for those retailers, but it most certainly wasn't me.
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In addition, while many cruises offered art seminars, I always dismissed those as barely hidden sales pitches. That's a reasonable assumption on a cruise ship as the various port day shopping seminars, acupuncture or IV therapy classes, and liquor tastings are just excuses to sell.
That, however, is where Park West, the company that runs the onboard galleries breaks cruise line tradition. I attended the art seminar on Royal Caribbean's (RCL) Utopia of the Seas at the invitation of the gallery's lead auctioneer Slavio Correia.
It was not what I expected in any way, and it was the rare time that I learned something (really a lot of things) at a cruise ship event.
Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com
Park West wants you to appreciate art
During an art auction, Correia has an energy that's somewhere between high-energy preacher and that section of the show where Bruce Springsteen talks about the power of music. As a seminar leader, Correia has the same energy, but he transfers it to his love of art.
In the hour-long event, Correia gives a masterclass in how art gets created. He's lecturing but in a way that's welcoming to people who know absolutely nothing about fine art and illuminating to people who have a base of knowledge.
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At no point does Correia make an attempt to sell passengers anything. Instead, he's sharing his love of art and giving people the tools to more fully appreciate what's being sold.
Some of the knowledge shared will be helpful during an art auction, but that never feels like the point. Correia, over the course of a fast-moving hour, casually works in facts about his own collection and shares why he was drawn to certain artists,
Park West auctions are welcoming
In addition to the seminar, Correia and his team host a by-invite-only auction as well as an open-to-the-public auction. At both events, it seemed like every member of the team had a personal interaction with every single person in the room.
During the invite-only event, members of the art team clearly had personal relationships with many of the attendees. They knew what each person collected and the artists they were interested in.
It was an invite-only event, but just being there clearly made you part of the club. Correia and his team made everyone feel comfortable. While this was a sales event, there never seemed to be any pressure to buy.
That continued through to the main auction which featured everything from $50 prints of the crew from the 1970s Hanna-Barbera show "Wacky Races," to works by masters including Picasso.
Correia kept the art education aspect as the undertone of the entire event. As he sold individual works or put together packages to sell together, he explained who the artists were and how each piece fits into their portfolio.
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Even if you left without buying anything, you exited the auction richer than when you came in. You might have known Peter Max from his history with the Beatles, but Correia gave you so much more about him. That made it much easier to appreciate who you might want to own a work by someone with Max's deep history or buy a piece from a newer artist like Kre8.
Yes, Park West is selling art, but, in doing that, it's working to build an understanding and appreciation of the works that line its galleries.
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