How to Start a Meaningful Art Collection
Kristin M Roach, Day Flower, 2021, 6 X 8″, Morning light, Gouache, Walnut Ink. Photo courtesy of Kristin M Roach.
From Kristin’s website: “These works are a continuation of the Backyard Ecology Series which gave birth to the Junk Mail Migration birds and the Library of Backyard Ecology. These en plein air field studies in natural ink and gouache capture the vitality and beauty of even the humblest plant. Native, naturalized, and invasive plants are all captured equally as they appear in my yard throughout the seasons. Learn more about Day Flower and the painting process.”
Last week, we dove into three reasons why starting an art collection is a great idea for anyone at any budget. Y’all get inspired? Invest in any art? Maybe you definitely would like to support more artists and buy more art, and you have no idea where to begin. You’re in luck! Here are a couple steps to get you clear on the art and artists you’d like to support, plus a few ideas on how to find these wonderful folks.
STARTING YOUR ART COLLECTION: HOW TO BEGIN
Cliff Notes from last week: Art in your home or office should reflect your values, and knowing who you are and what you’re about can be an easy way to begin, and define, your collection.
Let’s say you’re fully committed to improving social justice in your community. You may decide to purchase art from local Black artists for the next year.
You may be an environmentalist, and would like to invest in artwork that promotes sustainability through its creation and/or its content.
You may be a foodie, or obsessed with the Muppets (just me?), or love New Orleans jazz.
Or you may want to expand what you’re already familiar with – you love photography, and want to know more about ceramics, or fiber art, or sculpture.
Start with what’s meaningful to you. That’s your North Star. Not your couch cushions.
Artist Akwi Nji + Threshold Gallery hosted In Living Color: Black Arts in Iowa at a private home in Cedar Rapids. The work of 14 Black Iowa artists was exhibited through the house, creating a fun, low-key vibe. The evening included a live musician and an informal talk by Chicago-based Black art collector Patric McCoy on why we should all be art collectors and the democratizing power of collecting visual art. Learn more about Akwi and her work here.
FOUR WAYS TO DISCOVER ARTISTS
Thanks to the Internet, there are loads of ways to discover and connect with new artists. A few to get you started:
Tap into Local Arts Councils: Each state and many communities have an arts council. These non-profit organizations often have artist members featured on council websites and should have their finger on the pulse of your community. Sign up for their newsletter and send them a donation while you’re at it.
Rabbit Hole Instagram. We LOVE Instagram. Problematic algorithms aside, IG eliminates traditional gatekeepers and lets us artists connect directly with our viewers and clients. Hashtags can be especially useful in finding new artwork.
Instagram Protip 1: Do not search #art or #painting or #sculpture. You will drown in a sea of overwhelm. Really try to focus your hashtags. Better yet, once you find and follow an artist you like, look at what hashtags they are using to promote their work, such as #blackartists #landscapepainting #Mississippiart #muppetart #steelsculpture, etc, etc, etc.
Instagram Protip 2: Those one or two artists you know and follow? Your art savvy friends? Commit to some sanctioned stalking. Spend a little time looking at who they follow. It’s an educational goldmine.
My downtown studio space that I open up by appointment, for community events, and for regular open studios.
Visit a First Friday or Open Studio Tour. Pretty much every community has some version of this, whether it’s monthly, quarterly, or annually. A First Friday or an Open Studio event is a coordinated effort among galleries or artist studios to launch new exhibitions or showcase new work. As with anything, there are pros and cons of visiting galleries versus artist studios.
Gallery Pro/Cons: In galleries, you typically have the opportunity to see a variety of artists and styles. Note that galleries take between 50-60% of the price of the artwork to offset their operating costs and marketing efforts. Many galleries treat their artists like gold, many do not. Do your research.
Open Studio Tour Pro/Cons: You can directly interact with artists, see behind-the-scenes into their process, and trust that 100% of your payment supports their work and career. However, you are limited by the number of artists that can and do choose to open their studio to the public. Many artists work in home studios that aren’t suitable for visitors.
Seek Out Pop-Up Exhibitions + Murals + Public Art: More and more artists are getting uber-creative with how they exhibit their work. In this month alone, there have been two pop-up exhibitions that pair local artists with downtown businesses for storefront exhibitions where I live. Again, your local art council should be a resource for these types of events.
Iowa Pop Art: A legendary art experience organized and curated by the formidable artist Niq Thomas.
If you skipped last week and want to know the whys of collecting art, check out 3 Reasons to Start an Art Collection Pronto.
Convinced, and want more tips about actually purchasing art? Read Buying Art: (mostly) Do's and (a few) Don't's.
Started a collection and wanna frame it? I got you covered. Start Here:
In the meantime, I’d love to know the artists you adore and support – leave a comment .
P.S. - I’ve been on a kick sending postcards that share stories of individuals making their towns better places to live. Want one?