Businesses wanting to share in the process of showing art are finding out the method of locating and exhibiting good art is difficult, even in a town that has more than its share. The art of selling art has its challenges, such as, how will a buyer receive their piece without affecting the exhibit. Will there be an opening, if so, who sponsors it? How does the shop financially divide the proceeds? Selling art is not an easy venture, inclusive of, but not limited to, locating and managing artists, pricing, hanging, transporting, delivering, registering sales, and dividing profit. Still, the walls of the local coffee shops and eateries make fertile space for contemplation of work by emergent talent. Perhaps the caffeinated rush fuels a yearning to reflect intellectually. Visual art made available to contemplate provides a layer of intrigue. The most disconcerting aspect of showing work outside the formal arena of the gallery is posting prices. My sister recently shared a story with me about visiting the home of an acquaintance who had prices of her artwork stuck on the wall next to the art displayed. Taken aback, her mental response was how tacky. Placing prices directly on the wall invites and gives impetuous to the pressure of a sales room, a connotation that the works primarily intent is for commercial consumption. It is an inhibitor, for rather than reading the contents of the work presented, a viewer may dismiss the work for sheer conflict in opinion of commercial worth. In the traditional gallery, the list of prices provided upon request, leaving the visitor to safely view from a subjective vantage point. Value is certainly personal, imagine going into the National Gallery in Washington and being able to see how much each piece cost. Of course, some works to the museum might be quite low and some rather high. Works acquired a long time ago likely obtained at a much lower price than pieces more recently acquired by the museum. Pieces purchased yield a higher cost than those donated. What is expensive to me may be quite different for a descendant of the Waltons. Of course, the work in the National Gallery is not for sale, although in times of financial strain a museum may decide to sell pieces from their collection, as happened in Michigan last year. In a profession where poverty holds historic acclaim, artists have not always been comfortable about the monetary worth of their own work. For example, Modigliani suffered for his difficulty to attaining a commercial connection between his work and the collector; such was not the case with Picasso. On the other hand, Monet was quite comfortable in the gain from the monetary value of his pieces. Savannah’s artists are impressively perceptive about the collectable value of the art they produce. This is largely the result of an educational institution placing commercial achievement high, the buying practices of a local tourist market, and a struggling economy. Successful shows here ranked by number of sales rather than by the readability of artistic intent. The truth is professional artists need to survive fiscally.
It is a win-win situation, Sulfur Art Services maintains a list of available artists; sales are managed with the artist, the venue, and Sulfur Art Services benefiting. The customer is a prime player, by acquiring a QR application and bringing art into their lives. Savannah residents are becoming aware of what fun it is to acquire works of art. Many are setting funds aside to acquire these precious pieces. Sulfur Art Services, was designed to help connect businesses who want quality art with local working artists. We handle the curatorial aspect, installation and sales, allowing artists to focus on making and our locations to focus on their business. Our unique art tags allow visitors to scan a code using their Smartphone to receive more information about the art and artist and even make a purchase right from their phone. Shipping options are available for out of town purchasers. Art can also be purchased from the Sulfur Art Services Website: www.sulfurstudios.com, or by calling us at 912-231-7105. Detroit deaccessioning:
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2015/05/13/van-gogh-sale-dia-tiptoes-art-auction-market/27280699/ Alice Walton: http://www.artnews.com/2012/01/12/american-art-alice-walton%E2%80%99s-way/ QR Applications: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.scan.android.client&hl=en Sulfur Studios: www.sulfurstudios.com
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Laurie DarbyThis blog was created to share academic dialogue. My painting studio is based in Savannah, Georgia. Archives
October 2017
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