Perhaps I go should paint more and go to openings less; maybe it’s the wine and company that does it for me - maybe it’s the wealth of possibilities there - but sometimes I feel like I use the Art World as way of avoidance from facing my own work - of being with myself.  I wonder how many other people I see at openings are doing the same thing?

Anyway, tonight I went to a show titled ”A New Spirit of Progress” presented by Art for Progress at World Culture Open Center and found the atmosphere too controlled, too tame, though the work I saw there was good - as far as it goes - I was left with the thought in my mind of “why”?   Why about any of this work really stands out?  

It got me back to thinking about something I’ve been grappling with for a while - why do people buy Art at all?   My feeling is there needs to be a compelling reason to buy someone’s work - otherwise, there’s no real commercial value to it.

For a while now, I’ve been working on the theory of “community” and how an art community can affix value onto any work, which otherwise is valueless.  For example, if I want to think of one of my paintings as worth 500 dollars - that’s a declaration of value - but only when someone buys it for that is the value really declared (to the world) that the painting was worth 500 dollars.

But wait, that’s not enough - in order for paintings to be worth something to a large community - there needs to be several who also agree (citations) that my paintings are worth 500 dollars (or more) - meaning that it’s the community that really sets and confirms value to anyone’s work.

Getting back to the Art For Progress show - what I felt missing was not so much community (there was a community of Artists present, after all, the same artists and friends of the Artists, that want to display / sell the work) but of the wider community that can affix real value and liquidity to work.

That’s why I’ve often fell back on the idea that Artwork is done (by me) for self development - and not really to sell - or even to display.  Why?  It’s too hard to get real, widespread buy in for your work, or anyone’s work - so it’s not a viable path to making a living - but more of a pleasant surprise that works sells, when it does.

So…getting back to the Why?  Why this show, why paint, I feel it’s OK to show display work and being a member of the Art For Progress Collective is not a bad idea, the benefits seem worthwhile and they do good work for their members, that only a few of the members would largely benefit from it - those that can best leverage the community they’re allied with.

I think that’s true for many organizations - perhaps they help everyone a little, but some benefit much more because they can leverage contacts they make.

At least, that’s my thinking about Art Communities today - maybe I’ll feel differently at a future time - I’ll leave the door open to change of my opinion here - though what I saw tonight more confirmed my opinions than changed anything.

Sunday night I also went over to the Tripnotica festival at The Delancy bar in Lower Manhattan.  I did not stay long because there was not that much for me there when I arrived (around 8 PM).  I’m told that 400 people attended by the end of the evening (I was long gone by then).

A couple of thoughts.  I spoke with someone from Art For Progress group and it sounded like it could be good to join it - I briefly mentioned the group the other day; but I’m not thinking of it for myself - it’s right for some artists, but not for everyone.  Most of what Art For Progress - www.artforprogress.org offers can be easily gotten elsewhere - but the packaging might be right for artist seeking to get visibility.  An artists’ life is not an easy path (not that any one’s life is) and anything that can make it easier is worth a look.

On the other hand, I’m too aware of how easy it is to get the thing that Art For Progress offers, so their pitch really does not work for me (website, multimedia upload and sharing is so common these days, and often free - that it makes little sense to sell that as one of your main features - and Art For Progress does do that).  The opportunities for showing work at various events and the community aspect of the membership, along with access to health benefits (which, as an artist, you can probably get via Healthy NY, from NY State without Art For Progress) are the main reasons to join.

After one drink and a conversation with an artist representative (of some pretty hideous work, by the way - my opinion) I left.

And it reminded me of just how hard it is to be an artist, to expose yourself via your work to the public - and now, via the internet, to the world at large.