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Buffalo, Feathers, or Abstract Swirls: How to Use the Art Market to Your Advantage
by Elizabeth A. Slocum
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Economic self-sufficiency through one's art—the
goal of any artist—is enhanced through association with the
art market triumvirate: collectors, curators, and critics.
Sales to collectors and museums, inclusion in shows by curators,
and positive coverage by critics all enhance an artist's success
in the marketplace. Therefore, it behooves contemporary Native
American artists to cultivate relationships with these individuals
who can assist in their career. When artists are able to determine
these audiences' motivations, they can use this information to their
advantage and increase their level of success and self-sufficiency.
According to Sophy Burnham, ''If you want art world recognition,
you must play along with its mercantilism.'' (1)
A Native American installation artist agrees and feels ''the most
successful artists [Native or not] are twenty-four/seven networkers.
Art is a game of admittance and you must be willing to play the
game.'' (2)
Successful use of self-promotion affords the artist a wider audience
base, which, in turn, provides a higher level of self-esteem and
satisfaction.
Let us examine each of these groups and explore
their motivations. Collectors have financial resources and
the power to influence museums. Their motivation is to collect artwork
of either financial or emotional value. Collectors can also gain
prestige in their community through the loan of their collection
to a museum and/or an outright gift. Curators provide prestige,
knowledge, influence in the marketplace and access to artists. Their
motivation is to be the first to identify an emerging artist or
trend and convince a museum board or private collector to strengthen
a collection through their recommendations. Legitimate art
critics have influence through their esteemed knowledge and nonbiased
criticism. The motivation of a critic is to be the first to
spot a trend or artist and be respected for the articles one authors.
These three components should be approached collectively.
Collectors have the financial assets to purchase work for their
personal collection or on behalf of a museum. They also look to
curators and/or critics for advice. Curators and critics need
collectors to validate their opinions. Critics look to collectors
and curators to see what themes are occurring in the marketplace.
Regardless of whom the artist reaches first, the artist will benefit.
The challenge lies in how to approach these three distinct groups.
First, an artist must identify the right audience.
Numerous collectors of Native American art exist. However, many
noteworthy collectors have amassed a collection of traditional objects
but no contemporary artworks. An artist can approach these collectors
but, according to basic marketing principles, it is much easier
to convince someone to purchase art they are already interested
in, rather than convince someone to purchase something different
from what they already collect. In what is called customer
retention vs. customer acquisition in the business world, artists
will have greater success if they identify collectors who care about
contemporary art and market their work to this audience. The
same principle could be taken with museums and curators. Museums
exist for every art form, whether art of the quintessential ''buffalo,
feathers, and horses'' genre or contemporary abstract art or even
emerging art forms such as digital and site-specific installations.
Structured identification of curators associated with the artist's
subject matter is the best route. Historically, art critics are
more difficult to approach, as mainstream critics do not always
view contemporary art produced by Native American artists as on
a par with art produced by their non-Native peers. This may
be changing. A recent New York Times cover article focused
on the emergence of non-Western art being treated as art first.
(3)
Additionally, the number of Native American art critics as well
as non-Native critics that critique Native art based on the same
values of all other art continues to grow. It is important
to note that a valid critic will not write about an artist's work
merely if asked to. The recommended strategy is to keep one's
art in the critic's milieu. Once the individual and their
motivations have been identified, the next step is to reach out
and make a connection.
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