Ever Considered Adoption?

There’s always a bit of mystery about what drives young collectors.  What interests them in art?  What interests them in the type of art they collect?  For me, as an enthusiast on a budget, I’m always curious about how collectors in my age range, and tax bracket, can afford to build anything that we’d refer to as a collection.  

Inevitably, folks I know in their late twenties and early thirties are saving for homes and caring for newborns, and some of us are even trying to recover from the hit we took from losing our jobs in this job market.  In any case, disposable income is hard to come by for folks who aren’t established in their careers.  How’s a young enthusiast (with a network of contacts who appreciate contemporary art) become a collector?  

Enter Fine Art Adoption Network.

FAAN is a vehicle through which artists and art enthusiasts can partner so that art enthusiasts become potential collectors, and artists can introduce their works to new audiences.  Like, you’d expect from any adoption process, both artist and potential collector must select one another based on the most advantageous circumstances for the artist.  Although some of the details seem a little knotty, I think it’s a great fix for artists and enthusiasts wanting to have a unique experience with giving or receiving artwork. 

If you’re an artist or potential collector, check out the details here.  It may just be the answer to some of MY questions.

Just Wondering…

Just wondering…when are these going to make it to Philadelphia?  Recently, while poking around recent press about my alma mater, Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, I came across a familiar name.  Michael Rakowitz, a finalist in the Jack Wolgin Competition, is also the artist responsible for initiating the project called paraSITE, a glorious cross-section in the world of functional art and urban activism.  Although the project is over 10 years old now, it’s interesting to think that there’s no such project happening in Philadelphia these days.  Over the past several years, similar initiatives in other cities have sprung up (although at the moment, only the EDAR comes to mind).  If I’m feeling left out, I can only imagine how our city’s homeless population (which is estimated to be about 700-1,000 sleeping on the streets) feels.

Saturday Night “Light”

I’ve always loved simple stories told in simple ways.  Whenever I see a photo montage, child-drawn stick figures, basic images moving across the screen with a quiet narrative playing in the background, I pay attention.  I’m calling it “The Sesame Street Effect”.  Cut and Paste, a short film about a black femme discovering her fetish for “kink”, is told in a charming and innocent voice.  Oddly, The Sesame Street Effect is brilliantly applied here.  Although I don’t know when or where this short will be screening again, I’m pretty excited about all the other gems that I’ll be stumbling onto in the near future.

The Flickering Light, a new project by Sara-Zia Ebrahimi, has been showcasing independent films every Saturday night at the Sedgwick Theater in Mount Airy.  Check out the website and take a look at the schedule for the next few weeks before the whole operation goes on a little winter break.  Perhaps you’ll stumble on a few gems of your own.