This Sunday will be Andy’s 15 year anniversary at The Art Shop! When Gallery Director Andy McAfee joined The Art Shop on July 1, 1997, his goal was to help make The Art Shop an award-winning internationally known art and framing gallery. The Art Shop was voted Top Gallery of the Year for five straight years by DÉCOR MAGAZINE, so I’d say he achieved his goal.

What does Andy love to do at The Art Shop?

  Talk, Teach and Evaluate Art

If you‘ve met Andy in person or spoken to him on the phone, you can appreciate his gift of gab. Andy knows and loves art and his enthusiasm is contagious.  So contagious, in fact, that he has become a sought-after speaker for local service organizations, retirement homes, churches, synagogues and clubs.  His talks are educational and humorous.  With a degree in Art Marketing from Appalachian State University, Andy’s knowledge of his subject is evident and afterwards, many attendees have brought their art to Andy to evaluate and restore.

Andy is also a sought-after teacher at ArtExpo in New York, Atlanta and Las Vegas. Owners and directors of galleries across the country have signed up for Andy’s classes in Art Marketing and Art Event Planning.

Evaluating art is another passion of Andy’s. Nearly every day, someone calls about or walks in with a piece of art they inherited, found or bought wanting to know what it is worth.  Andy loves to get out his magnifying glass and examine it.  In most cases, he has to diplomatically tell the person his art has only "decorative value", but on the occasion Andy finds a piece has real value, he takes great pleasure in being able to tell that to his client. Then a full, documented, accredited appraisal can be arranged through The Art Shop if the client desires. 

We partnered with two local radio stations to hold a free Art Evaluation Day at The Art Shop.  Andy was a guest on both morning shows. The event was a huge success!  There was a line out the door of people bringing in their art for Andy to evaluate and make recommendations for preserving and protecting it.

In his free time, Andy loves to play tennis (although he hasn’t beaten Lenny yet). Seems fitting: Andy LOVES art, believes in providing excellent SERVICE and believes if your art loses value because you didn’t take care of it, it’s your own FAULT.