In March 2025, Greenstage Gallery made its international debut at Affordable Art Fair NYC. For founders Will and Sophie Pudge, partners in both art and life, it marked not just a new milestone but a natural next step in their journey. Based in the UK, Greenstage has spent the past 20 years building a reputation for its warm, collector-friendly approach and a thoughtfully curated roster of artists. With over 40 UK fairs under their belt, bringing Greenstage to New York wasn’t a spontaneous leap; it was a carefully considered move grounded in experience, trust, and a long-standing love for art.
“We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Greenstage Gallery this year and, having participated in over 40 UK art fairs, we decided it was time to exhibit internationally. We both love New York and we were excited to make New York our first international fair.”
From day one, Greenstage has focused on making art accessible; they believe art should be for everyone, not just seasoned collectors. That spirit guided everything about their NYC debut; from the artworks they selected to the way they used digital tools to extend the conversation beyond the booth.
“First and foremost we are art lovers and collectors so we seek to ensure that our gallery is welcoming to all, no matter what your level of knowledge is or budget.”
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Planning with intention
Greenstage’s approach to New York was anything but improvised. They put serious thought into the logistics, the curation, and the digital tools that would enrich the fair experience. Knowing the local landscape was key: “We know that there are a lot of high rise apartments in NYC so any paintings we brought to the fair had to be able to fit into an elevator.”
As the official Art Marketing Partner of Affordable Art Fair, ArtPlacer offered participating galleries a complimentary two-month subscription, and Greenstage wasted no time in putting it to work. They built out a full ArtPlacer profile ahead of the fair, unlocking access to a suite of interactive tools and securing a spot on the bespoke mobile app ArtPlacer developed for the event. Designed to help visitors plan, explore, and connect before and during the fair, the app made an immediate impact.
“Clearly word had got out about the app as we received enquiries before the fair had started. Also at the fair itself, we saw that many people had already downloaded it and had been looking at artworks in advance of visiting in person.”
“Printed Portfolio Presentations were very useful in showing customers what additional works we had available.“
Creating an experience beyond the booth
Once inside the fair, Greenstage made sure collectors had tools to go deeper. Not everything can fit on a single wall, and that’s where ArtPlacer’s Portfolio Presentations came in. These printed PDF portfolios, created for each of the 7 artists, served as a bridge to the wider collection. “As we can’t hang every artwork on our stand at the art fair at the same time, the printed Portfolio Presentations were very useful in showing customers what additional works we had available.”
Their Viewing Room link also served a practical purpose for the gallery. “Customers were able to scan the QR code and see our full collection at the fair. It was particularly helpful where customers wanted to go home and consult with their partners or have a further think about the work they had seen – having all the details at their fingertips was very useful.”
Greenstage also made the most of one of ArtPlacer’s most hands-on offerings: the in-person Advisory Sessions. Will and Sophie personally directed interested visitors to the ArtPlacer stand. These sessions allowed collectors to visualize artworks to scale in their own homes using ArtPlacer’s Personal Spaces.
“Many customers had brought photographs of their own rooms together with measurements and the ArtPlacer team were extremely helpful in helping customers visualise the paintings in their own rooms. This definitely helped customers in feeling more confident when making purchases.”
Mockup created during an ArtPlacer Advisory Session.
The results
Their lineup, featuring work by Steve Johnston, Sara Huxley, Sally Stafford, Pierre Williams, Paul Powis, Doug Eaton and Beth Richardson, struck a chord with the NYC audience. These are artists Greenstage Gallery has championed for years, and bringing them to an international stage felt both exciting and affirming.
“We have worked with all of these artists for a number of years and have sold their work internationally so we thought the work would receive a positive reception in New York – which it did!”
With that, Greenstage’s New York debut became more than just a milestone; it was a celebration of two decades spent championing artists and cultivating lasting relationships with collectors.
From thoughtful preparation to a collector-first experience assisted by ArtPlacer’s digital tools, Will and Sophie brought the spirit of their UK gallery to a new audience across the Atlantic. Next up: a return to familiar ground at the Affordable Art Fair Hampstead in May; energized, inspired, and already thinking ahead.
