Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael-Chase Strollo.
Hi Michael-Chase, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my story. I like to consider myself as someone who does a lot of different things with lowercase letters—meaning that I’ve had semi-professional careers in many diverse fields. From my military service to modeling to now art and design, I would say that there isn’t one experience that defines me more than another.
In 2015 I launched my “mcstrollo” social media brand. My parents blessed me with a double first name, Michael-Chase. Strollo is my last name. Growing up, I was very cleverly nicknamed “MC,” and that’s where mcstrollo came from.
My Twitter quickly grew as I shared funny and relatable life stories and memes. My other platforms began to grow after a few viral posts and features by national and international press.
One of my earlier jobs was working for a radio station in Atlanta where I was able to build a brand identity and find my voice. I started collaborating with creatives in the industry which led to partnerships with designers Trina Turk and Jo Ghost and brands including Macy’s and Shopbop.
In 2019, I was featured on the CBS daytime television talk show “The Mel Robbins Show,” where I talked about social media and the work put into building my following. I was later cast in Jack Harlow’s “Tyler Herro” music video. The next two years I was invited to attend New York Fashion Week events with brands Alice + Oliva, Dur Doux, Kim Shui, Sherri Hill, and Afterpay.
It wasn’t until my time spent at home during the pandemic when I truly began to appreciate and collect art. I wasn’t traveling and spending as much then giving me more time to learn and create, directing my interests and what money I had towards art.
In December of 2019, I knew I wanted to create a way to showcase art differently. After graduating college, I decided to publicly launch Dash Fine Arts, the first-ever “anti-gallery” art gallery.
As Creative Director, I work to connect clientele, collectors, and creatives through partnering with luxury industry leaders by strategically placing fine art in fine settings.
Contrary to a normal, brick-and-mortar gallery, we own 100% of our art. Instead of representing artists, we tend to represent artwork. This gives us the creative control to place our pieces in any setting while also designing the space it’s in.
When we acquire art, we determine the best temporary fine setting for it. By partnering with hospitality organizations, private member’s clubs, real estate brokers, and other luxury industry leaders, we provide art for their spaces.
If a client purchases a piece, our partner displaying it receives a commission, essentially acting as the brick-and-mortar gallery. Then the piece is replaced creating a revolving door of new art on display for our partners.
We also often see our partners gain new clientele from promoting what art they have showcased. For our clients, our partners, and our organization, it’s a win-win-win.
While secondary market sales is our primary service, we also provide private art curation, staging, restoration, loan programs for higher education and museums, as well as artist, buyer, and seller representation.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I would say that the greatest challenge would be finding the right people to work with who are just as passionate. I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve been told “no.” It’s probably one of the hardest words to hear, especially as an entrepreneur.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about DASH Fine Arts?
I don’t think I’d be where I am if it wasn’t for the support of my friends and family, especially my grandmother who shares the same love for art. I was about 6 or 7-years-old when my grandmother took my older sister and me to see “Beauty and The Beast” at The Fox. She was the first person to introduce me to the fine arts. We still talk about art all the time. She’ll tell me about pieces she buys on cruises abroad, and I send her photos of what I’m working on. She’s my muse.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Networking is one of the most important aspects of running any business and one of my favorite things to do. You see how small the world really is. Knowing that I had an impact by connecting people who later collaborated on a project or created something incredible makes me feel as if I’m doing good in the world. I would say I’m a natural connector and a great storyteller. A friend once described me as her “personal TMZ,” because I am always in ‘the know.’ I try to find what I have in common with others by sharing my stories and experiences, while also learning about theirs.
I would encourage people to try new things and to not be afraid of failing. Once you find what you love, chase it. When someone tells you “no,” just remember that there are 7 billion other potentials “yeses” in the world waiting for you. You just have to put in the work to find them.
As I’ve grown I’ve learned to love what you do. For me, the response I see from the people who enjoy and appreciate the arts is what makes me happy.
When we look around us, we start to realize that art isn’t just limited to a painting hanging on a wall in a museum. Art can be anything created to evoke emotion or to tell a story.
I love music and spend a lot of my free time at concerts. While I enjoy listening to music, I have just as much love for what goes into the production.
From set builds and lights to pyrotechnics and choreography, I love seeing how the moving parts work together to become a whole show.
While art certainly makes me happy, the sense of relatability is what resonates most with me. It amazes me how two people can listen to the same exact song yet relate to it so differently. The same can be said for interpreting a painting in a museum.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 470 823 9122
- Email: info@dashfinearts.org
- Instagram: @dashfinearts
- Facebook: @dashfinearts
