SCAD’s Kari Herrin Offers Tips For Starting Your Art Collection
Text: Kari Herrin, Vice President of Brand Experience at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
Photos courtesy of SCAD
With spring fast approaching, you may find yourself tapping into your inner interior designer and wanting to adorn your walls with fresh, new artwork. In this article, Kari Herrin, Vice President of Brand Experience at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), offers a few helpful tips on how to approach the art buying process.
Be Curious!
Have you ever been amazed by a work’s intricate geometric patterning, taken by the vibrancy of colors, or moved by an artist’s interpretation of something seemingly ordinary? Be bold in your wonder and ask who the artist is! Make it a point to find one piece of artwork a week that draws you in. Make an inventory of names you can refer back to when you are ready to purchase. Then, submit to the art of discovery by asking yourself a series of questions: How does this artwork make me feel? Is this the feeling I’d like translated in my home? Do I want a statement piece or something more subtle and grounding? What sorts of conversations might arise from this work?
Once you identify the artist, do your research. You may be able to find prints of the work you couldn’t get off your mind. They may even have other works that speak to you, giving you the opportunity to create a cohesive look and feel across your home.
A Wealth of Resources/The Art of Resources
Are you an art aficionado, but don’t know where to start your collection? Luckily, there are an array of consultancy firms that help simplify the process by coalescing a series of works by diverse artists, my favorite being SCAD Art Sales. It is extremely user friendly and offers all the information you need to make your purchase: artist name, name of artwork, dimensions, price, and more. The best feature, in my opinion, is the guiding experience offered by the expert consultants. They pilot you through a series of services, including selection, acquisition, and installation—an invaluable resource.
If you’re of the mood board variety, consider exploring Artsy. The website makes it easy to explore works by genre, subject matter, gender, marginalized identity, career stage, region, and much more. It also allows you to follow artists so that you can stay current on new works and upcoming sales.
Instagram is also a helpful tool to follow and research artists. There are endless points of engagement with artists, often promoting and celebrating other artists with whom they are in proximity. Simply enter #art in the search bar and explore. Go one step further and identify the gallery that represents the artist you like. This will open up another network of possibilities. I sometimes find myself with a similar or aligned interest with the gallerist, launching another avenue from which to discover artists.
One More Thing
Lastly, if you find yourself at an exhibition or gallery opening, consider acquainting yourself with the room. Chances are there’ll be many local artists in attendance and you can find out more about where to buy their work. Offering a compliment or two on their works never hurts.
Published at Thu, 25 Feb 2021 18:36:55 +0000