James Rutherford began his professional experience in the arts in 1980 when he and a partner founded Contemporary Installations, an art services business in Beverly Hills, California serving galleries, museums and collectors. In 1983, Rutherford, artist Tony Price and partners opened the Atomic Art Gallery, featuring the sculpture of Mr. Price, in the SoHo district in New York City. Following his return to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1986, the Governor named Rutherford Director of the Governor’s Gallery of the Museum of New Mexico. Serving over six years for three different administrations, he implemented an exhibition schedule and acted as arts advocate for the Executive. He also created traveling exhibitions, started an outdoor sculpture program on the Capitol grounds, and is widely credited with establishing the Governor’s Gallery as a significant public arts program of the Museum of New Mexico. Rutherford was instrumental in the creation of the Capitol Art Foundation and, as a member and officer, developed significant fundraising and acquisition efforts. In 1993 he was appointed by the Governor to the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has been involved with numerous charitable, political and nonprofit organizations and is in demand as an auctioneer. He was a founding member of Friends of Tibet: New Mexico, Megavision: New Mexico and Businesses for Social Responsibility.
   After leaving N.M. State Government in 1992, Rutherford and partner, Jack Copeland, opened Copeland/Rutherford Fine Arts in Santa Fe. The gallery featured 1500 square feet of exhibition space and a quarter-acre sculpture garden and enjoyed significant sales and media coverage during nearly six years of operation. In addition to the exhibitions schedule, the gallery was host to numerous charitable events, performances, poetry readings and parties and succeeded in becoming a significant part of the artistic landscape of Santa Fe.
    In 1997, Rutherford began working with the estate of the late singer/songwriter Roger Miller to establish an online e-commerce enterprise, rogermiller.com and continues to operate it’s website and mail order functions.
    Rutherford moved to Nashville in 1998, and served as the Assistant Director of Special Projects at the Tennessee State Museum until May 2000. He was responsible for creation of the Museum’s Collectors Club, selection and installation of Visual Arts Outreach exhibits and coordination of traveling and sales exhibitions. He organized and led the Museum’s membership trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico and served on the host committee for the Y2K Tennessee Waltz. He has also served as a member of the Museum of Art Committee at the Cheekwood Museum since 1999.
     Rutherford continues to work as an independant curator and in February 2000, he assembled the exhibition Ron Adams, Master Printer: A Survey of Work, 1984-1999 at the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery. In 2002 he began working under contract for the Museum of New Mexico as guest curator for the exhibition Tony Price/Atomic Art opening at the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe in the spring of 2004 and subsequently at the United Nations in the spring of 2005.
(see exhibitions)
     In creating newartsweb, Rutherford is combining his experience as a curator, art dealer & arts advocate with the technology of digital media to serve his clients with a full range of art services and a commitment to personal and professional service.

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