China perhaps, or even a dog!

As you know, a vast amount of global manufacturing is outsourced to China. In fact, a fair deal of so-called “original” art now comes from China as well, where art factories of “copyworkers” are busy reproducing works by old masters or, for a few extra Yuan, originals in this or that particular style. For instance, the city of Dafen, China manufactures more “Van Goghs” in a couple of weeks than the real Van Gogh created in his entire lifetime. Dafen produces some great bargains — $2 for an unframed old master, $3 for a custom version (prices before enormous markup) — if you like to buy your art by the square foot.

You’ve probably also seen miscellaneous watercolors emanating from talented elephants in Thailand, the late Congo’s tempera paintings auctioned at Bonhams, or the German artist chimpanzee who, with her handlers, recently fooled an expert into believing her work was that of Ernst Wilhelm Nay.

Well, now comes a second biography of Tilamook Cheddar, or Tillie, the most successful animal painter in the history of, well, animal painters. Tillie, a Jack Russell terrier from Brooklyn, NY, has been painting for around 7 years, and has headlined 17 solo shows across the country and in Europe.

Despite these somewhat disturbing developments, I think artists will be around for some time. But, what about gallerists and art dealers? Could you see the Toshiba robot or a couple of (smart) lab rats or an Art-o-mat replacing your friendly gallery owners? Please don’t answer this one!

Portrait of The Dog. Image courtesy of T.Cheddar.

If you’re an artist thinking, “who needs an artist statement… the art just speaks for itself”, please think again. We’ll need one for each of our artists. During our initial business planning for art251, the results from our market survey confirmed that customers and collectors alike want the story and the facts behind the art and the artist.

An artist statement is a great way for an artist to define the connection between artist and art, and an essential tool for building a connection between artist and audience, potential customers and existing collectors. It may not necessarily help a viewer understand more about the art or its meaning. What it will do, however, is open a small, but important window for others to peek into the artist’s world view. Through it a viewer may learn an artist’s intent, or motivations for being an artist, or achievements, or frustrations, or influences and role models.

Cory Jaeger, artist and owner of an art relations and resume service for artists puts it this way:

Of course, strong art, by itself, will evoke a profound emotional response. But when an artist speaks from the heart about how this art came to be and why it had to be made—this is when art changes minds, moves people, and even becomes unforgettable…

The next time you need to write an artist statement, think of artists like Van Gogh, Picasso, da Vinci—artists who left behind not only sweeping artistic vision, but also enduring and enlightened writings on the subject. Know that your art is a precious thing, and so are your words about it.

I couldn’t agree more. So, here are a few tips to help our artists create a narrative masterpiece to complement their visual one. As you write a statement, imagine your favorite work, and then imagine explaining it to your non-artist friends and/or your mother, or better still, your mother-in-law.

1. Be honest and open
2. Speak in your own voice
3. Keep to the facts
4. Keep it simple, but don’t dumb it down too much
5. Avoid hyperbole and academic-speak
6. Keep it reasonably brief — if you have to write a manifesto, give us a summary
7. Answer the “why”, then the “how”
8. Talk about the positives AND the negatives
9. Re-write it every couple of months to keep it fresh

Please avoid phrases like, “I find this work menacing/playful because of the way the disjunctive perturbation of the negative space makes resonant a participation in the critical dialogue of the 90s.” [Courtesy of the Instant Art Critique Phrase Generator.] It’s all English, but I have no idea what it means.

Generally, you’ll not go wrong if you keep to the facts and stay away from instructions to your readers on what to think and feel — leave that to your art. If you’re still having trouble, we’ll help you. We’ll have an artist statement template available soon that will help artists who may be suffering from writer’s block, and help art251 present all our artists’ narratives in a consistent way.

Whoa! Or, Brilliant! as we say in the UK.

art251 got a mention in the Ft.Worth’s Star Telegram daily newspaper on July 15, 2008.

OK, it’s only 2 lines, but it’s a good start. Look for much more PR over the coming months — beautiful and different art, top notch established and emerging artists, Art-o-mat, art purchasing seminars, artist shows and more.

We live in a mobile, untethered, wireless world. Or, so we are told by those glamorous models in “work from the beach” television commercials. Well, if only it were that simple for our art space. We had three different contractors — electrical / telephone, fiber optic, and exterior signage — all working inside art251 today, all busily wiring, or discussing wires, cables and conduit.

This morning was not a pretty sight. We had what looked like miles of electrical and telephone cable in various primary colors dangling from the ceiling and walls, and snaking through panels, boxes and holes of different shapes and sizes. By this afternoon, the chaos was gone, the cables hidden and we were all wired up — lots of extra power where we need it and fiber optic service for our communications connections from art251 to the world beyond. Today, we took another step towards completion.

The cover has been blown on London’s, and perhaps the world’s, most famous street artist. Banksy, has been scrawling and air-brushing graffiti and street art around London, and other cities, for around 15 years. Now, according to a variety of British newspapers, we know Banksy’s real identity. Apparently, Banksy is a middle-aged, middle-class guy named Robert Gunningham.

It’s not clear yet what effect Banksy’s outing will have on his increasingly visible and collectible art — some Banksy prints, created from his street art stencils, now fetch over $20,000. Regardless of who is the real Banksy, I like his work and his critiques on topics such as ubiquitous surveillance, police harassment, corporate greed and militarism. It’s interesting, but not surprising, to see that he’s an “ordinary bloke”, as the Sunday Mail put it.

Banksy’s Can Festival. Image courtesy of J.Dyson / Getty Images.

art251 is receiving lots of interest from artists. This is great! So, to help us, and you the artist, we’ve listed some of the most common questions that we’d like you to answer should we meet. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. Importantly, if you’re an emerging artist and are just starting out don’t be discouraged if you lack answers about history, sales and shows — we’d still be delighted to speak with you and consider your work.

We’ll ask you some questions to get a feel for you and your relationship with your art:

• Why have you chosen to be an artist?
• What are your goals as an artist?
• What kind of formal art training do you have, and from where?
• Who are your favorite artists?
• What are your influences?
• Which is your preferred medium and why?
• How much time do you dedicate to your art?

We’ll ask you about your recent works and sales?

• Where have you shown before and for how long?
• Have you participated in solo or group shows?
• What does your typical customer look like?
• Who are your collectors, and where are they?
• How large is your inventory?
• What is your sales history over the last 1-3 years?
• Do you have any published reviews? If so, where and by whom?
• What is the price range of your work?

We’ll ask you specifics on how you’d like to work with us?

• What kind of relationship do you want to have with us?
• What type of feedback do you want, and how often?
• How quickly could you replace any sales with similar work?

And, then there will be even more questions that you should ask of us.

We’ve selected our contractor for the exterior sign. Both bidders offered us similar designs and installation terms, and both have pretty good reputations with local businesses. So, not surprisingly, we went with the lowest bid.

The sign was approved by the city and our landlord yesterday. So, here’s a mockup superimposed on our storefront. Note that these colors are not the precise ones that will go on the sign, since it’s impossible to show the exact acrylic, plexiglass colors online. The final style and color scheme matches our interior, logo, website / blog and our marketing materials. The sign should be up by the end of the month.

To some degree we are art starved. Our home could benefit from more art, and our surroundings could probably get a visual boost from several more, carefully placed, and even more carefully funded, public art works. We like to be surrounded by art. We love exploring new ideas, taking on new perspectives, shaking our sensibilities, diving into pools of color and enveloping ourselves in new forms and textures. These make up some of the reasons we founded art251.

Then, I came across a recent article by Guy Kennaway, novelist, journalist and contemporary art collector, in the Times of London (July 9), describing his fatigue with contemporary art. Surprisingly, I find myself partly agreeing with his sentiments:

I have collected contemporary art since the White Cube [leading contemporary art space, London] was two little rooms up a narrow staircase, 20 years ago. I have been a friend to modern artists and modern art for a very long time, but now – there’s no escaping it – I’ve got contemporary art fatigue. I am swamped by art; it’s on the Tube [Londoners' term for the subway], in restaurants, bars and offices, on the street, at airports, stations and all over the telly [that's television]. It’s impossible to find an art-free space.

It was different 20 years ago when art was confined to galleries and specialist publications, and artists were sensitive, amusing and modest. They were fun to be with, and to champion. Now, art is everywhere…

I can sympathize with his trauma. Art is being co-opted by corporations, mass media has blurred the line between design and art, consumers are printing their own art on tee-shirts, and many artists have become market savvy and market driven. Yet, although art is fast becoming integrated into the global economy its permeation into our culture does remain highly localized. I don’t think Keller or even (north) Texas is likely to become art saturated like London any time soon. And, even in London, while art haystacks may abound, the needles are still there.

Banky’s interpretation of a ubiquitous Damien Hirst spot painting. Image courtesy of flickr

Mr.Kennaway goes on to lay the blame for his exhaustion at the feet of art dealers:

If I go and see a film I can tell if it’s any good, and I am confident about my opinion; if I read a book, I can tell if it’s successful and can explain why. We all can. But with art it’s more tricky. If we are unmoved or unimpressed by a piece of art we worry that the fault lies not with the work but with us. It’s madness.

The cleverest trick the dealers have played is to make us believe that the price of a work of art reflects its quality. It’s no surprise that artists just keep churning the work out. Why shouldn’t they? Damien Hirst’s spots are the new Burberry check, but it doesn’t seem to stop them getting more and more valuable.

Again, I can see his point, but I suspect his analysis applies more so to the upper-reaches of the art market, where typical prices will be more than the average home in our area, and where there is much more to gain (and lose) and faunt. But, like many other social instruments, art continues to be a way for individuals to express their individuality, or their membership in a certain group or their social status. This cannot be a bad thing. Yet, it’s a double-edged sword. As more people enter the monied, middle-class, more will seek from art what once only the elite could afford. So, some artists will jump on the bandwagon — they’ll produce more of what the market-driven market wants, and Damien Hirst, just like Andy Warhol, will hire more “staff” to create “his” works.

This is a complex question. Though, it has a rather simple answer: yes or no or maybe, or even a combination.

As a gallery owner I would be doing you, the customer and the artist, a huge disservice if I said an art purchase will go up in financial value. A purchase may very well go up, or it may go down in financial value. (I’d welcome having a prescient, 6th sense when it comes to predicting the future value of art, stocks, children and so on, so if you know where to find one please call.)

I say financial value because art does have other types of value — some art has instrumental value, and most if not all art has intrinsic and inherent value (I’ll cover these types of value in more detail later). That said, these values are subjective and social, since what’s valuable to me — regardless of the monetary component — may very well not be valuable to you, or alternatively we might negotiate and agree upon an arbitrary value.

My initial reaction to such as question would be to counsel against buying art as a financial investment; it may well turn out to be a tremendous one, but your primary reason for buying art should be because it touches you in some way either emotionally or intellectually.

A piece of art can bring you a lifetime of value, in any number of different, non-monetary ways — pick from my non-exhaustive list below or feel free to add yours:

• it may remind you of a special moment or a certain individual or a memorable place
• it may evoke intense emotions ranging from grief to joy, and these may change from day to day
• it make bring color, warmth, form and texture to your home or office
• it may become an endless and fascinating conversation piece
• it may offer a narrative to which you can connect
• it may be created by someone you respect, admire or follow
• it may transport you to another place and time
• it may open your eyes and heart to a different perspective
• it may cause you to examine your own desires and goals

Now, some of you, quite rightly, may be concerned about the monetary value of an art work. But although I could and would not tell you that an art work will increase in value over time, I can give you some tips that might improve your chances of deriving future financial benefit or mitigating your risk, as follows:

• ensure the artist has a documented track record
• learn about the artist and his or her work in detail
• determine if the artist’s work is privately collected and/or placed in public collections
• familiarize yourself with the secondary or resale market (if there is one) in the artist’s work
• find out if the artist has shown regionally and nationally
• learn if the artist and his or her work has been reviewed or critiqued

These factors will help you put the artist’s career and work in perspective, and learn about the trajectory of the artist’s reputation. When an artist is gaining in stature and importance, and his or her work is gaining in demand, but with limited supply, you can be reasonably sure that the art will go up in retail price, and usually resale value.

Some galleries and art dealers specialize in trading art for investment purposes. art251 is not such a business. We are in the art market because we are truly passionate about art, and we’d like to bring more of it to more people and support artists in the process.

Coming next, art251 Q4/251: What is the difference between modern and contemporary art?

Visit any major metropolitan area and you’ll see lots of public art on display. My previous home town, London, is a prime example — there’s great (and some not so great) public art everywhere. I couldn’t imagine the city without it. My current home town, Keller, has some public art, and debates seem to rage on a daily basis as to its cost and value. I’ll leave that analysis and answer to a future article.

This brings me to an interesting twist on public art that seems to be gaining favor in the UK, Netherlands, and France — public loans for private art. The national and local governments of these nations are offering and/or underwriting interest free loans for people to buy art. I can hear artists, gallery owners and art lovers in London, Paris and Amsterdam jumping for joy.

Here’s a peek at the program in the UK, run by the Arts Council (England) courtesy of the Arts Council England website:

The Own Art scheme is designed to make it easy and affordable for everyone to buy contemporary works of art and craft including paintings, photography, sculpture, glassware and furniture.

You can borrow up to £2,000 [about $4,000], or as little as £100 [about $200], and pay back the loan in 10 monthly instalments – interest free. The scheme is available through a network of over 250 participating venues across the country.

Arts Council England aims to put the arts at the heart of national life. One of the ways we do this is to encourage people to live with art they love. We also want to help artists live by their creative output and support galleries who sell high quality contemporary art.

The Arts Council of England spends around $700-800 million on arts projects annually. It derives much of its funding from a percentage of sales from the UK national lottery and private donations. The public in the UK is well aware of the national lottery’s mission to spread wealth, and many arts projects funded in this way have become national treasures.

However, one rather troubling component of the Own Art program is that an “independent” panel selects participating galleries. There are around 250 art spaces involved in this program, and their inclusion is assessed by the level of work they have on display, the training of their gallery staff, the quality of the space and the relationship the gallery has with its artists. I have no doubt that these procedures were put in place for well-meaning reasons, such as avoiding tricksters. However, (government run) bureaucracies seem to have a tendency towards cronyism and waste.

The French have taken a similar but different tack to public arts funding. But, I’ll save this account for another time — it’s not pretty!

We’re continuing to make progress on the art251 construction, albeit more slowly than we had anticipated.

You’ll see from the latest image that our floor (though dusty and missing baseboards), walls and ceiling are done. We’re missing all our fixtures — both permanent and movable, desk, furniture and halogen lighting. Installation should begin next week.

Keen-eyed observers will notice that our 3D model has arrived, sans Lady Penelope. We’re using it to give prospective artists a pseudo-virtual perspective of the space before it’s complete.

We planned. We pre-planned. We even planned the plan. Now we’re executing the plan, only to find that things that can go wrong, will go wrong.

The unexpected will happen, some known unknowns will announce themselves, and even several “unknown unknowns” will rear their ugly little heads. We’ve found this to be especially true as we hurry to complete the build-out of our art space.

From experience, here are some of the things you should expect from Murphy: holes will appear where they shouldn’t; wiring will not be where it should; doors that should open will stick; doors that should remain closed will be missing; some contractors will do work for which you never asked; others will not even get to do the work you want. All the while, a giant vacuum will continue to drain start-up funds from your business account like a voracious inter-galactic black hole.

art251 will open — unfortunately, a little later than planned. Its two owners will be a little bruised and battered by the process known as “starting a business”; one of its owners will lose a little more hair, both will lose sleep. But, we haven’t lost sight of the goal — we’ll be open.