I have lived in Fort Collins for over a decade now and feel like I now have a fairly good understanding of the pulse of the Northern Colorado art scene. We have unique community that thrives on a vibrant cultural landscape but when it comes to the visual arts, I have seen a disparity. I have been showing in Fort Collins since 2001 at galleries, fundraisers, restaurants and cafes while also becoming involved in public art. I am always happy to see the outpouring of support and hear the true appreciation of the viewing audience, however the sale of my artwork here is often secondary or non-existent.
After getting used to this, the first time I had my artwork at the Art Students League of Denver Summer Art Market, I was shocked at the outright demand for art and quantity of sales. This opened my eyes. In recent years, I have been looking with a more critical eye at sales on a national level and people who have always purchased at a higher price point are still doing so today. I read a newsletter from the executive director of Anderson Art Ranch. She had just returned form Art Basel Miami and reported that “the $50,000+ art sold well, while the lesser value work did not sell.” Last month, I attended a workshop and gallery opening in California with renowned artist, Jeremy Lipking. At his art opening in Santa Monica, I saw his newest piece priced at $59,000 and many of his contemporaries where also selling at prices much higher than our local average. Frankly, it was inspiring to see people my own age creating such high quality artwork and seeing some serious price tags.
The artists that I know in the Northern Colorado region who are “making it” are either creating true high quality work and selling in multiple locations nationally and/or they are diversifying their skill set. The idea of dropping your work off at a gallery and waiting for the checks to roll in doesn’t play here. Our full-time artists seek out commissions; teach private lessons, classes, workshops; sell online at daily painter sites, Ebay and Etsy; travel to larger national arts festivals with a fine arts focus; and engage in public art projects. The reality is that traditional gallery sales are often a small percentage of what makes up the local artist’s viable income.
Looking forward, similar to what
SpokesBuzz is doing to retain the musical talent in our region, I hope that those artists who are creating high quality art here will help to raise the bar locally rather than simply move to another community that has a stronger gallery scene. The end result would be not just a thriving
art scene, but also a thriving
art market.
