About Raandesk® > Founder/Director Jessica L. Porter
Fine and visual art has always been a dominant force in Jessica L. Porter’s life. After obtaining her Art History and French Language and Literature degrees from University of Delaware, she gained valuable experience working at the Smithsonian Institution’s American Art Museum in the curatorial department specializing in works by Joseph Cornell, the Winterthur Museum and Gardens and the Delaware Art Museum in the Education departments. She continued her arts training by consulting for an international fine arts shipper to remain connected to the field and to explore her options. Ultimately, art shipping broadened her abilities and connections, but was limiting, so the path led her to study law at the University of Maryland, where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 2001. While studying law she did not abandon her true interest in the arts and became the Founder/President of EASL (Entertainment Arts and Sports Law) at University of Maryland and was one of the first students enrolled in the University’s Art Law course. After practicing law in the fields of bankruptcy and corporate law, her desire for the arts trumped her legal ambitions, so she began by helping her law school friends purchase their first works of art. She soon became the personal art dealer to many of her law school friends and in May 2005 developed the idea for RAANDESK® Gallery of ART.
With Raandesk Gallery, Jessica conceived of an environment that was more approachable, that offered a variety of contemporary works in many mediums, and that provided a more efficient and pleasant buying experience for the blogging generation of her peers. Many potential art buyers (including her friends) felt excluded by the traditional gallery process, and wanted to know the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of art buying without the hassle. Raandesk began as an online resource for buyers to view and purchase work and was combined with "pop up" locations for traditional exhibitions. By 2008, Raandesk had found a home at its current location, 16 W. 23rd Street, 4th Floor, NYC.
