Having worked with a great many artists in my day I can safely say that they are, as a whole, tragically unmotivated and unintelligible in the ways of self promotion and business management. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule, but be honest and admit that most artists are not only lacking in these things, but they aren’t even remotely interested in them. Thanks for Boston-area start-up ArtVenue.com, creative types can stay busy throwing paint on a canvas or whatever it is those crazy kids are doing these days, and let the pros do all that dirty business for them.
The idea is simple, the work for the artist is nearly nonexistent and businesses have the opportunity to have great local artwork on their walls and kickass opening exhibitions that will bring in the greenbacks
Founded by art lovers and entrepreneurs Dan Vidal, Casey Rankin and Jesse Rankin and based in Cambridge, ArtVenue provides a place for artists and businesses to come together in art-exhibition bliss.
The concept is kind of ridiculously simple: artists create a profile on the site and pick which businesses they would like to work with. Businesses also create profiles and sort of like a dating site, they and artists find each other and meet up for casual sex an exhibition.
Once the show is up and running, “art lovers at a show see a work they want,” says co-founder Casey Rankin, “they’ll be able to purchase it straight from their smart phones using the QR code or URL on its placard” (We are in the future!).
“We get excited about using technology to solve real-world problems, and the fact that this project could potentially make our community a bit nicer to live in made it that much more attractive [to start the company]” Rankin told me.
Artists make an extraordinary 70 percent of the sale, with 20 percent going to the venue hosting the exhibition; I can hear the collective ‘suck it!’ in artist solidarity against the practice norm of galleries taking a whopping 50% of artist sales. Frankly, the starving artist schtick just ain’t what it used to be and art patrons like myself are sick of disorganized artists and exorbitant prices from galleries, and it’s pretty fantastic to see a company that feels the same way. Not only is ArtVenue uniting artwork with our business community, but they are providing an instant technological outlet for purchasing on the go.
So it’s pretty much the most intriguing thing to happen to the burgeoning art-market since Etsy rejuvenated contemporary art and craft culture online.
“We want to change the game for artists by tearing down the current barriers to getting work out there,” says Rankin. “Our ultimate goal is to spread art everywhere throughout the community” and now is the time to jump on the bandwagon – ArtVenue is in the beta phase in Boston which means these guys are working double time to build relationships with you (the artist), local businesses and buyers like me. Nothing like a little personal attention to get the blood flowing, right?
Now that you’ve got ants in your paint-stained overalls about this opportunity, here is how to take advantage of is: hit up ArtVenue and make your free* profile. Keep in mind that local hotels, bars and restaurants might not be thrilled about showcasing your latest series of x-rated nude portraits of you mom, so you might want to avoid uploading that. That’s not to say you can’t try, or that you have to do portraits of puppies and sailboats in order to be successful, it just means that you should probably be mindful of where you want your work to be shown. Flat mediums such as paintings, photographs and just about anything that can hang is ideal, though sculpture and other media may be more accessible in the future. No matter what your speciality is, just make the profile anyway because you never know what opportunities are around the corner – and shit, it’s free.
If you are a business owner who would love to have local artwork in your space and make some money off your totally altruistic exploits at the same time, then make your free profile as well and be a part of the next big thing in Boston.
The idea is simple, the work for the artist is nearly nonexistent and businesses have the opportunity to have great local artwork on their walls and kickass opening exhibitions that will bring in the greenbacks and new patrons. ArtVenue does all the heavy lifting and I’m pretty sure this is exactly what we’ve all been waiting for.
*ArtVenue is free for businesses and currently free for artists as they sign up in the beta phase. For more details and to get started on your profile head to ArtVenue.com.
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ArtVenue is just another company exploiting artists.
Galleries take 50% because they promote shows, have a base of collectors, and develop careers of artists.
This might be great for businesses who want to make extra money and decorate their walls for free, and for the middle man website with their 10% and eventual sign up frees, but for artists? If your are seroius,
Don’t wast your time.
Promote yourself or find someone who will actively promote you and advance your career.
eh, I think that is a bit disingenuous. Galleries often take 50% while still relying on the artist to generate buzz and often pay for physical promotional materials. That is to say, if you actually get into a gallery to have a show. So the bulk of the work still lies in the artist while they lose half their money.
The art world is changing, and the vast majority of emerging artists are not exhibiting in galleries – they are doing pop up shows with other groups of artists. I think ArtVenue is offering another opportunity to just get your work out there and for now at least, it is free. As a former art dealer I can attest that selling art to even motivated buyers isn’t easy and showing in a gallery is no guarantee of a big payday. Saying to artists ‘promote yourselves’ is kind of ridiculous no? Of course they are – but through what outlets? I think ArtVenue is providing one option, galleries another, pop up shows another, etc, yadda yadda. Don’t limit yourself, but certainly don’t expect (of think you deserve) to have to world at your feet just because you make pretty pictures. My advice to artists is to get your name out there through as many venues as you can.
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