Inside Arcadia’s Relationship-First Approach to Advising

In the ever-changing—and notoriously opaque—landscape of the art market, working with an advisory has become more important than ever for collectors seeking to start or build their collections. That’s where Arcadia Art Consultancy comes in.

With half a dozen offices across the United States, and an approach to partnering that is equally balanced between transparency and discretion, Arcadia Art Consultancy meets private and corporate collectors where they are and at any stage they’re in the collecting journey. With a team that reflects robust expertise in art, finance, as well as law, and working across a diverse array of collecting categories, from contemporary and Modern to decorative arts and design, the firm is primely situated to engage with myriad art and art collecting imperatives, promising dedicated service and above all else, a relationship founded on trust.

We sat down with Arcadia Art Consultancy’s Managing Partner, Kair McElwee, to learn more about the firm’s newest developments, and what she thinks is the foundation of the client-advisor relationship.

Can you give us some background and history of Arcadia Art Consultancy—what has led it to being the firm it is today?

Arcadia Art Consultancy was founded on the belief that collecting should be grounded in trust, scholarship, and stewardship. What began as a small appraisal practice has grown into a multidisciplinary firm offering appraisal, advisory, sales, and collection management services. Our team brings decades of combined experience across the auction market, private sales, and museum-level stewardship, allowing us to advocate for clients with scholarly rigor and practical market insight. Our growth has been driven by long-standing client relationships, often spanning generations and supporting everything from early collection building to legacy planning.

Most recently, we opened a new exhibition space in Charlotte, with our inaugural show featuring North Carolina–based artist Katie St. Claire. We’ve also expanded geographically to serve clients across Texas, the Northeast, and the Southeast, reflecting the national reach of our relationships. While our business has grown, our ethos remains intentionally boutique: each project receives direct attention from senior advisors who treat every collection as both an asset and an inheritance.

Deborah Butterfield, Untitled #3604 (2010). Courtesy of Arcadia Art Consultancy.

How would you describe the core mission or ethos of Arcadia Art Consultancy?

At its core, Arcadia exists to bring clarity and confidence to collecting. We view art as having both cultural and financial value. Our role is to help clients navigate a market that can feel opaque: to explain pricing and provenance clearly, to contextualize works thoughtfully, and to provide honest guidance around condition, authenticity, and timing. Integrity is our currency: we would rather build trust over years than close a single opportunistic deal. We measure success not by volume, but by the quality and longevity of the relationships we build, and by the collections that stand as thoughtful reflections of our clients’ values.

With so much change in the art market recently, have the priorities of Arcadia evolved in any significant way? Or, alternatively, have you noticed the role of art advisories evolving?

The past decade has brought big shifts in the art market. Online platforms have expanded access, younger collectors are entering earlier, and price volatility has made it harder to know what truly meaningful value is, versus what is simply momentum. At the same time, many galleries and market channels have become more transactional and more repetitive, which can leave collectors feeling both overwhelmed and under-supported.

At Arcadia, we start by helping clients understand the full picture: when to buy, sell, gift, or hold, and how art fits into their larger financial or legacy goals. More than anything, we aim to be good guides. Instead of chasing names or trends, we have always focused on finding the right work for each client and building collections that feel personal, intentional, and enduring. As a collector myself, I want to provide a meaningful experience that inspires other collectors to find the same joy through a non-transactional experience.

Courtesy of Arcadia Art Consultancy.

What have you found to be the most crucial elements of the advisor-collector relationship?

The most successful advisor-collector relationships are rooted in education, discretion, and shared values. Collecting is inherently personal, each acquisition tells a story, and our role is to honor that while providing clear, data-driven counsel. Transparency is crucial: we provide full visibility into pricing structures, comparable sales, and condition reports so that clients can make informed decisions with confidence. Equally important is listening. Before recommending a work, we invest time to understand a client’s aesthetic sensibility and long-term intentions. That understanding transforms a transaction into a partnership. When a client entrusts us with a collection, we see it not as a series of assets but as a legacy to be protected—financially, historically, and emotionally.

Are there any trends in the art market happening now that you find particularly intriguing?

Cross-disciplinary collecting is flourishing, and it is one of the most exciting shifts in the market today. Collectors who once focused on a single medium or category are now embracing photography, sculpture, design, craft, and digital work side by side. They are reaching across genres and eras, with contemporary collectors acquiring Old Masters and American collectors seeking international voices. The result is collections that feel more personal, resonant, and reflective of the collector’s life. The emphasis is no longer on following established categories but on pursuing what genuinely inspires.

With the opening of our new exhibition space, we are leaning into this momentum. Our intention is to bring contemporary artists into conversation with historical and secondary-market works, allowing those relationships to be seen and experienced directly. We want the space to feel like a living conversation, layered and exploratory, where ideas echo across time and new ways of seeing emerge.

Katie St. Claire, Terraform (2022). Courtesy of Arcadia Art Consultancy.

Whether new or seasoned, is there any evergreen advice you continually offer to collectors?

Our advice remains simple: collect with intention and clarity. The most rewarding collections are built slowly, informed by curiosity and reflection. Ask questions. Not only about condition, provenance, and market context, but also about meaning. Buy only what you would be proud to live with for a lifetime, regardless of market cycles or social media trends. Surround yourself with trusted professionals—advisors, conservators, curators, framers—who bring transparency to every step. And think long-term: every collection, whether emerging or established, benefits from documentation, proper care, and a clear plan for the future. In a market often driven by urgency, patience is a competitive advantage. At Arcadia, we believe that when collectors approach acquisitions with education and passion, they not only protect their investment, but they also enrich the broader ecosystem of art stewardship and trust.

Learn more about Arcadia Art Consultancy here.