How to Turn Being Fired Into a Catalyst for Art Business SuccessDontae T. Muse didn't plan to become a gallery owner. He was working as a manager at a car dealership when a two-week trip to Colombia shifted something in him — and by the time he got b
Dontae T. Muse didn't plan to become a gallery owner. He was working as a manager at a car dealership when a two-week trip to Colombia shifted something in him — and by the time he got back, he was fired within days. "That was the catalyst," he says. What followed was Above Art Studios, a New Brunswick gallery he built from nothing in 2016, and a career that now spans the Harlem Fine Arts Show and the Newark Symphony Hall Centennial Program.
In this episode, Deneen L. Garrett has an intimate conversation with Dontae T. Muse — Cultural Producer, Artrepreneur, and Director of Artist Relations at the Harlem Fine Arts Show — about choosing yourself, building legitimacy from scratch, and what legacy actually means.
Key Takeaways
- Getting fired can be the forced permission slip to finally pursue creative purpose
- Legitimacy is built through consistency and community trust, not credentials
- "Say yes and figure the rest out later" beats waiting for the perfect conditions
- Your perceived weaknesses can become your sharpest business advantages
- Real legacy is measured by the opportunities you create for others
Reframing the Firing as an Opening
Dontae doesn't dress up the story. He got fired from the automotive industry, and that was that. What came next wasn't a polished pivot plan — it was a decision to stop making everyone else rich as a promoter and nightclub manager, and instead build something he could control. "Let me be in a position to create opportunities for other people," he says of the moment Above Art Studios was born.
Building Legitimacy From Zero
Above Art Studios didn't open with a full roster of artists or a built-in collector base. Two days before the grand opening, the gallery had no art on the walls. Dontae and his partner had spent roughly $22,000 renovating a space with no guarantee anyone would show up. What changed things was three unproven artists agreeing to exhibit — and legitimizing each other simply by showing up together. From there, momentum built through events, not just art sales: spoken word nights, wine tastings, even a body-painting party, all designed to get people through the door so the art could do the rest of the work.
Say Yes, Then Figure It Out
This same instinct carried Dontae into the Harlem Fine Arts Show — the largest and longest-running diaspora-focused art show in North America. He didn't apply for the role; he was invited to a VIP opening by a gallerist who couldn't attend, got noticed by the general manager, and the conversation started from there. It's the same philosophy Deneen has built her own career on: say yes, and then figure it out.
Legacy Is What People Remember
Asked what eight-plus years in the gallery space taught him about legacy, Dontae doesn't point to sales numbers or press. "It really means how you touch other people," he says — the stories people tell about you after you're gone, the exhibitions that changed how someone saw themselves. It's the same principle now driving his work on Newark Symphony Hall's Centennial Program, preserving 100 years of Black cultural history at a venue where Marian Anderson and Jimi Hendrix once performed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is artrepreneurship?
Artrepreneurship blends artistic practice with business strategy — building sustainable ventures like galleries, festivals, and cultural programs around creative work rather than relying on sporadic sales.
How do you build legitimacy for a new creative business?
By showing up consistently, embedding yourself in your community's needs, and letting early supporters — even just a handful — vouch for you publicly. Trust compounds from there.
What does legacy mean in creative entrepreneurship?
It's not about personal recognition. It's measured by the opportunities you create for others and the impact people remember long after the moment has passed.
