The Artist's Path: Understanding the Art World
If you are a newcomer artist, who wants to achieve success in the privileged art world, Tomiuc suggests that there is only one way to do so, which is by branding yourself. Yet, understanding the mechanics of the art market, the system of art collectors, art dealers and museums of art can be quite an eye opener (p. 6).
Since first stepping into a fine art high school in Italy, I wondered why a selected number of contemporary artists were enormously famous while the majority remained completely unknown.
Self-portrait on the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States, 1932, Oil on metal, 12 1/2" x 13 3/4", Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Reyero. Source: http://www.pbs.org
I realized that the craftsmanship of their art was not the reason why they had superstar careers, and I observed the trends of conceptual art and minimalist art, and the artists’ fervent goal of creating shock in the public. It felt like true appreciation for the skillfully created, beautiful works of art disappeared to give space to a different form of art, the entertaining spectacle. And that always hit a nerve. I thought “great, if that’s the direction the art world is taking, I guess I’ll never join that boat. I’ll study Botticelli, Michelangelo and da Vinci instead, and learn a thing or two from them.” Yet, even though aware of the sad reality of the art world, after reading about Frida Kahlo’s life and work and graduating from high school in 2007, I left Italy with a big dream of becoming a well known fine artist and making it as a professional painter. Yes, I truly believed I could make it, but I just didn’t know how. I thought the next step was to study art in college so, in 2008, I enrolled in the Visual and Performing Arts department with a major in painting - how wrong I was! Picasso wrote: “Learn the rules like a pro and break them like an artist” and all I was pushed to do was to break the rules and experiment, experiment, and experiment without being taught the rules in the first place! ‘Asking professors how to get into a gallery was like pulling teeth. I should have taken the hint from them that, unless super famous, it’s too hard to make a living solely with your art.
Source: www.amazon.com
In 2009, I made the hard decision to put my education aside to raise my growing family. Then the universe gave me a sign. One day, I remember feeling particularly frustrated about my assumption that without a degree I could never make it into the art world. That day, an aunt of mine gave me a book that she found at a garage sale, and it changed my life. The title of this book How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul by Caroll Michels. This successful sculptor committed herself in helping other artists by fighting the myth of the starving artist and by coaching them the foundations necessary to become creative business professionals. In her book, Michels nicely explains how galleries are not the only way into the art world and how nobody will discover you at your house and make you famous. Thus, step by step, she guides artists into effective way to promote their art. The book, for many years, was literally my bible; it was my go to for building up my portfolio, my promotional materials, my website, and to build-up my artist resume’. Becoming a professional artist is a commitment for life, and she warned in her book to find a day job, not necessarily art related, to feed into this difficult path.
Yet, the questions remain: why are a selected number of artists super famous while the rest of us are completely unknown? What does it take for a new comer to climb up into the art world?
The original Fountain by Marcel Duchamp photographed by Alfred Stieglitz at the 291 (Art Gallery) after the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibit. Stieglitz used a backdrop of The Warriors by Marsden Hartley to photograph the urinal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp)
To answer those questions, I think it’s important to first understand what the art world is, what the art market is, and why artists and art institutions have to become brands to become famous and successful. Senior lecturer and PhD, Anamaria Tomiuc explains in her journal article, Branding in the art world: the contemporary visual artist that the art world is a “socio-economic systemic network” that includes “critics, art curators, artists and collectors…within galleries and museums” (p.5). If you are like me and wonder why conceptual art is considered art, sociologist, Howard S. Becker lays down a deep truth. Becker writes that “the theory states that reputation is founded on the art works. But in reality, the reputation of artists and of their art works derives from the collective activity of the art worlds” (qtd in Tomiuc). This means that whatever the art world says is art, is art, not the hours you put into your work or the dedicated experience you have built throughout the years to excel in your craft. If the art world says that what you have created it’s not important art, then it is irrelevant, while a toilet titled Fountain by Duchamp is internationally celebrated. Because… Conceptual art! You are very welcome to throw a fit right now, I totally understand the frustration, but it gets worse!
Poster. Source: http://archiv.monopol-magazin.de/
If you are a newcomer artist, who wants to achieve success in the privileged art world, Tomiuc suggests that there is only one way to do so, which is by branding yourself. Yet, understanding the mechanics of the art market, the system of art collectors, art dealers and museums of art can be quite an eye opener (p. 6). Tomiuc identifies the art gallery as the most important institution of the art world because they have the highest control over the art made by the artists. Interestingly, for the past three decades, art galleries have used continuous curated art shows as a strategy to sell a large number of art works while quickly raising the value of the art pieces. Then we have the collector, who plays an extremely important role in building the credibility of the artist they choose to invest in, with the capability to launch their career to an international level. These collectors, with their large capital and their involvement as board of directors in art museums, play different roles in the art market: they buy art, sell art, they curate exhibitions, and sometimes they even open contemporary art museums (p. 6, 7). Whoa, right? Art history has and will be written around these eccentric millionaires’ taste.
The art market also includes the auctions houses and the art fairs, which are responsible for the rise in the price of the art and the quota of the artwork sold, and are the places where dealers search for new art trends and see what they like (p.7). Established artists whose art is sold in these markets, will witness an increase in the value of their work. Collectors buy art signed by what they think is an important artist as an investment for their social status; therefore, collectors, media coverage, fancy art events, and contemporary art museums, and galleries all build up the image of the artist as a superstar (p. 8). Therefore, Tomiuc advises that to become famous and being able to monopolize the art market, they have to brand themselves.
You might ask, how do you do so? How do I brand myself??
Andy Warhol's Self-Portrait, 1986 sold at Sotheby's in 2010 for $32.6 million. Source: http://www.sothebys.com/
Tomiuc shares that Warhol branded himself by using self-promotion, and by creating an image that he kept consistent throughout the years (p. 10-12). Tomiuc shares this in her article:
As R. Moulin says, the strategy of the newcomers involves a collaboration with one (or more) leader gallery (brand gallery – Gagosian, Gladstone, Haunch of Venison, Yvon Lambert, etc.) which assures their launching and promotion on the market, the acquisition from a great collector (brand collector – Saatchi, Pinault, Arnauld, etc.) – which gives them an international passport – then, the diversification of the galleries, dealers and collectors they collaborate with. An important aspect in the building up of their celebrity persona and their brand is the use of advertising and marketing strategies and a lot of media exposure in articles and professional magazines (Art Press, Frieze, Flash Art, Artforum, New York Magazine, etc.), pages in catalogues (Art Now, 100 Contemporary Artists, etc.) and tabloids. The receiving of an important award (Turner Prize, Prix Marcel Duchamp), the participation in major branded cultural events (the Venice Biennial), the insertion of their works and important major exhibitions in brand museums (Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, MoMa, Guggenheim, etc.) follow. (qtd. In Tomiuc)
So that is the advice, if you want to become a zillionaire artist super star. Good luck in the process! I think I’ll go through a different direction; I am a creative entrepreneur who will keep building up her business along with a future career as a professor. I will keep creating art to show in galleries and shops, work on art commissions for clients, and I won’t be consumed by the scarce chance of making it into the art world. I am grateful that I can create art, sell art, and that I have a balanced work/life. In my next blog post I’ll talk about how to brand yourself as an artist not much to please your ego, but to fulfill your creative soul. Stay tuned.
Work Cited
Tomiuc, Anamaria. “Branding in the art world: the contemporary visual artist.” Journal of Media Research. 8.2. (2015): 3-13. Online Library OneSearch. Web. 18 Sept. 2016
Michels, Caroll. How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling your soul. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009. Print.
The Artist’s Path: What are Other Artists Doing?
My take away from these two contrasting art shows, We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie and Angela Fraleigh: Between Tongue and Teeth, is that, in different ways, personally confirmed how art can be a powerful tool for engagement and made me appreciate the richness of the arts that we have in the New York region. Additionally, they made me question my own path as a professional fine artist.
With a new commitment to engage actively with my art community and to see what other contemporary artists are doing on a local and national level, in this blog post I talk about two art shows that not only have re-affirmed for me that art is a legitimate tool for engagement but, also, made me question my own path as a professional fine artist.
Artist: Penny Santy
The first opening I attended was at The Tech Garden in Syracuse, New York on Thursday September 22 at 5:00 p.m. to see We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie. This show was created by The Tech Garden’s artist-in-residence, Steve Nyland with the premise that he needed to be consoled for the loss of his idol, the music legend, David Bowie. Although Nyland has lost faith in using conventional PR channels, his call for artwork through social media and word-of-mouth received a good response from artists residing in Central New York with the outstanding number of 95 pieces, and with one artwork from England and one from the Philippines. The Tech Garden, which function as an incubator for promising technological enterprises, is a very modern one level building which was originally a garage (thetechgarden).
The Tech Garden’s hallway is long, tall and not too narrow, with an art gallery wall system that allows for easy installation. The opening for We Can Be Heroes was a true success. Many people came by to enjoy the art, the live music playing David Bowie’s hits by Parlor Games, the refreshments, and the social aspect. The amount of artwork depicting David Bowie as an icon was impressive, and it was almost odd to see the few pieces that were purely inspired by his music. When you walk down the hallway of The Tech Garden, no matter if you are a fan or not, you won’t be able to ignore the positive energy, a heartfelt commemoration of David Bowie’s life as an artist who influenced many generations during his five decades of music career (Wikipedia).
The beauty of an open call versus a juried call is that it gives the viewer an art salon style experience and it gives the artists a chance not only to showcase their work but an opportunity to make important connections to foster their art career.
We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie is open until December 2, 2016. Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5.p.m at The Gallery at The Tech Garden located at 235 Harrison St. Syracuse NY.
Through the half drowned stars. Oil, ink and synthetic resin on canvas, 66" x 90", 2015.
The second art opening I visited was at Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, September 23, to see Angela Fraleigh: Between Tongue and Teeth. The museum, which was built by the famous architect I. M. Pei in 1965, is a piece of art of its own right and experiencing it both from the outside and from the inside is always quite impressive to the eye (everson). Angela Fraleigh is a professor at the Moravian College and “currently lives and works in New York, NY and Allentown, PA, and this is her 1st major solo show in a museum (angelafraleigh). Between Tongue and Teeth, is a painting exhibition that include 30 paintings created by the artists in the span of ten years. The art is located in the upper floor of the museum in the Coyne Gallery and the Memorial Gallery. Fraleigh’ paintings are provocative because she re-interprets “women's roles in art history, literature, and contemporary media” (everson).
Angela Fraleigh, Carried by Voices, 2014, oil and 23kt gold leaf and alkyd on canvas.
What makes her pieces stand out is not only the great size, which Fraleigh explains in a video on her website allows her paintings to go from personal to political, but the artist’s mastery of mixing classical figuration with contemporary and modern elements. I think Fraleigh’s creative process expresses her ability to push her limits by alternating from controlled painting techniques to hazardous and experimental ones. Creating a classical painting is time consuming; yet, Fraleigh fearlessly will set her pieces horizontally to add these paint pours giving chance a big role in the final composition. Along with the large scale paintings, the artist created for this exhibition intimate portraits and sculptures depicting women that played an important role with their art or activism in central New York (everson). Director and CEO of the Everson Museum of Art, Elizabeth Dunbar curated this astounding solo exhibition which will run until December 31 of 2016. You can visit the museum located at 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse NY on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday from noon to 5.00 p.m.; on Thursday from noon to 8.00 p.m.; and on Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (everson).
The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell. Oil and silver metal leaf on linen, 90" x 66", 2015.
My take away from these two contrasting shows, We Can Be Heroes: Visualizing the Life & Music of David Bowie and Angela Fraleigh: Between Tongue and Teeth, is that, in different ways, personally confirmed how art can be a powerful tool for engagement and made me appreciate the richness of the arts that we have in the New York region. Additionally, they made me question my own path as a professional fine artist. After the creation of my community-based exhibition Trees of Onondaga, which was funded by the Individual Artist Grant commissioned by CNY Arts, I faced a creative dilemma.
Let me explain: I am an active user of Instagram, a social media platform that uses images and hashtags to connect people with businesses, and I've witnessed this distinctive separation among what I call commercial artists, entrepreneurs who create art to be sold directly to their audience, and the traditional artists, who strictly use the art world channels to achieve recognition and success by showcasing their masterpieces in fancy art galleries and museums. And here I am, stuck in the middle of these two pathways. Dwelling both ways; yet, truly unsure which way to confidently go. Of course, I know there is no real right or wrong answer. and time and more hints from the universe will eventually help me figure out the direction I want to take with my art path.
On my next blog post I will talk about how the branding of artists and art institutions play a crucial role in shaping the art market.
Work Cited
‘About.” Angela Fraleigh. N.p. 2016. Web. 23 Sep. 2016.
“About.” Everson Museum of Art. Everson, 2016. Web. 23 Sep. 2016.
“Current Exhibition.” Everson Museum of Art. Everson, 2016. Web. 23 Sep. 2016.
“David Bowie.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. MediaWiki, 2016. Web. 23 Sep.
2016.
The Artist’s Path: Getting Fragmented Hints from the Universe
At the young age of eight, after my teacher, a nun, who was also an amazing artist, scolded me by saying: “If only you could apply the same passion that you use for drawing into studying, you would be a phenomenal student!” A light bulb in my brain lit up. That day I knew exactly that I had to become a professional fine artist, and make that profession my living. So after promising myself that that was my destiny, it was ease to ignore all the nay say-ers telling me that I was going to end up as a starving artist. I knew my truth and I wouldn’t let anyone change my mind.
Do I believe we have a destiny written in the stars? Yes.
Do I believe that we can choose what path we want to follow? Also, Yes.
Let me explain myself, my name is Maria Rizzo, I am a fine artist from Italy who discovered a love for drawing at a young age due to the fact that it was the only thing that made me feel really good about myself because of my being “different.” Yes, I was special, but not in a good way as I had a lot of limitations: one was not being able to retain information and the other one was not being able to verbally communicate with other people until the age of five. “There,” I thought while drawing, “I have some potential here.”
My eight years old self in front of my parent's house in Carnate, Italy.
At the young age of eight, after my teacher, a nun, who was also an amazing artist, scolded me by saying: “If only you could apply the same passion that you use for drawing into studying, you would be a phenomenal student!” A light bulb in my brain lit up. That day I knew exactly that I had to become a professional fine artist, and make that profession my living. So after promising myself that that was my destiny, it was ease to ignore all the nay say-ers telling me that I was going to end up as a starving artist. I knew my truth and I wouldn’t let anyone change my mind. I am not going to lie, I was a lucky kid, I grew up in a loving family in the north of Italy, with a father who was a great provider and a mother who loved art and collecting art, and always supported my creative dream from day one. I attended the Liceo Artistico Sperimentale Preziossissimo Sangue in Monza, an artistic high school that taught me five years of art history, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture and gave me the foundations to grow as a confident fine artist. In the summer of 2007, my mom made the tough decision to move her family back to her native city, East Syracuse, NY, to give her kids a better chance to find a good job after graduation.
In 2008, I met my husband while pursuing a BFA in Painting at SU and in 2009, I made the difficult decision to pause school to focus on my growing family. In 2010, I made another important decision: although a stay-at-home mom I chose to pursue my dream of becoming a professional fine artist. I read many books on how to make it happen, and started my own business. Between 2010 and 2016, I learned a few things about running a business as a visual artist: I created different series of paintings, I learned how to create thematic art shows, I figure out how to get into art competitions, I studied how to pitch to the press to create a wider awareness about my brand and, ultimately, how to sell my art to people. Not an easy task for a shy person like me, even though crucial for running a business!
2012 - Opening for Tree: Totems of Life at the Maxwell Memorial Library in Camillus, NY.
My take away from this experience is that an artist has to become a brave entrepreneur and build an authentic brand and a professional presence both offline and online. Also, artists have to be always on the look out for opportunities to reach out to their target audience; thus, specializing in a particular field and finding a niche are crucial to find financial stability. I personally still have a way to go!
In 2015, I was asked to teach my very first painting class at Homer Center of the Arts, and scared as I was, I did jump into this new opportunity and fell in love with teaching other adults the in and outs of creating a painting in acrylic. After that positive experience, I started thinking of pursuing a career as an art educator for adults, and more specifically my intention of becoming a painting and drawing professor in a college. In 2016, I made the important decision to finish my Bachelor degree in Visual Arts at SUNY Emprie State College, and I will graduate in the spring of 2017. This semester I am taking Art Criticism, and my professor suggested I started using my blog as a tool to participate in the conversations relating the local arts and the art world. This class will give me the opportunity to go back out in my art community and see what other contemporary artists are doing on a local level, but also to keep an eye into what’s happening in the art world at large. In my next blog post I will talk about two art openings in Syracuse, NY that I had the pleasure to experience, and how these art shows made me re-think about my path as a professional fine artist.
I truly believe that our destiny is out there, but it just takes an open mind to notice all the little hints the universe shows us to lead us to the path we truly want to follow.
MARIA RIZZO
Trees, Lands & Dreams | Art Blogger #theartistspath | Art Educator | From Italy 🇮🇹🇺🇸 |