When you buy art you are helping an artist continue with their craft - the money goes back into supplies to create more art! When an artist is self supporting, this creates other creative endeavors that connect to the community.. co-ops, galleries, studios, not to mention the millions of dollars that are raised for non-profit charities by artists donating artwork.
by Tara Agacayak originally posted at Intarsia Concept*
Let's say there is a small artist collaborative of five women in a small town who decides to open a gallery together. They don't have a lot of money, but they are very talented, spirited and passionate about what they do. So they gather together their resources and open a gallery in a run-down neighborhood. It's an industrial neighborhood filled with repair shops and auto mechanics and though it isn't the creative haven they've imagined, it's what they can afford, so they move on in.
In three months they hold their first exhibit and it draws the attention of art lovers who slowly begin visiting the gallery more regularly. Pretty soon someone decides to open a cafe near the gallery so that visitors can have a place to sit and drink their cappuccino while pondering the latest collection of artwork. And then there's a bookstore, and a frame shop, and an art supply warehouse who move in to attend to the needs of this new arty clientele.
One day after leaving the cafe, Ms. Latte gets in her car to notice that it won't start. Looking across the street she sees Mr. Auto Mechanic and enters his shop to ask for help, which he does. Before you know it she sends all her friends to the gallery for a gander and to the mechanic for a tune-up. And within a year the mechanic is buying magazines from the bookstore for his clients to read while they wait for their cars.
And the neighborhood is brought to life by the flow of people who just wanted to come and see some well-crafted artwork. Property values increase, festivals are planned, and people come to the neighborhood looking for new inspiration. In no time at all, by bringing a little art gallery into a forgotten part of town the business of art has revived the place.
*Used with permission
True, very true.
ReplyDeleteKim