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Q&A

Off the Cuff: A Q&A with SCOPE Art Show’s Alexis Hubshman

November 1, 2024

Alexis Hubshman is the founder of SCOPE Art Show

 

“Off the Cuff” is a Q&A series from Luxury Daily exploring the career paths, current projects and next steps of those shaping the world’s best luxury brands.

The interviews feature a Proust-style twist, allowing readers to get to know industry leaders on a personal level. The 14th edition features Alexis Hubshman, founder of SCOPE Art Show.

In this Q&A, Mr. Hubshman talks creativity, where the art world is headed, and building his first business while living in a tent.

Here is the dialogue:

What was your first job ever? What did it teach you?
My first real job immediately followed college graduation. Two close friends and I bought a pickup truck from a preacher, found equipment from Bard Building and Grounds, and used my Army Colonel grandpa’s 1950’s, green canvas, three-man military tent, which we proceeded to live in for three months.

We built a successful landscape company while eating oysters in Wellfleet, Cape Cod. This was my first experience building a company from the ground up. It also helped me build an appreciation of projects and initiatives with a sense of place – which is true of SCOPE Art Show, which takes place on the sands of South Beach, today.

Which skills have been critical to your success? Did you gain these skills within or outside of the workplace?
Being an artist has filled my toolbox with possibility. Believing in possibility has been critical to my success and, in turn, the success of SCOPE and other initiatives I have led.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Be teachable.

How has your field changed since you started out in the creative sector, and what do you think your industry will look like in a decade?
Over the last 20 years, independent shows – defined by their creative approach and new ways of thinking – have leveled the playing field in the art world for artists and galleries alike. Big businesses are now consolidating the art world.

But what sets SCOPE apart is that we always forecast new trends and spotlight the people and ideas that drive them. We remain a culture-shifter.

What recent projects have ignited your passion for working in art and luxury?
Aligning aspirational brands with creative culture shifters, especially artists and curators, is SCOPE’s North Star.

Who, in any industry or sphere, would you most like to share a long lunch with and where would you take them?
That’s an easy one: Puerto Sagua restaurant in Miami Beach with my wife, Sylvia.

How do you get into the right mindset before a big meeting or presentation?
Practice, repetition and a mindful, downplayed performance of slowly rolling up one’s sleeves in the spirit of getting down to business.

On your days off, what can you be found doing to relax or have some fun?
Studio, Fortnite.

What does creativity mean to you?
It’s modern day alchemy – making something from nothing that means everything.

Whether a product or service/experience, what is your favorite luxury indulgence?
My major indulgence is a luxurious vehicle with horsepower – which I jokingly refer to as “brutal luxury.”