 |
| John Palmer, Karen Comer-Love, Radcliffe Bailey, and gallery owner Arnika Dawkins photo by Patrice Worthy |
Karen Comer Lowe, the director of the Chastain Art Center
and advisor, says it is important to support artists but it is even more
important for a novice collector to educate themselves about Black artwork. She
reiterates when you see something you like ….to buy it. Most great artwork
appreciates over time and Lowe says buying a piece early is crucial to adding
to your collection and allows the collector to get the most out of the
investment.
“Why is it important? I‘ll tell you…. I wish I would have
bought a Radcliffe Bailey when I first met him,” Lowe laughs. “Now I am trying
to twist a way to get a Radcliffe Bailey. Now, I may have to put down $50,000
or more because his work grew in value.
I use that example to show you should support young artists. All art
does not grow in value, but some of it does. If you can’t afford to go out and
pay $50,000 for art, it is important you support emerging artists on the ground
level.”
One component of collecting art is to learn about the
artists. The panel agreed while supporting the artists is important, it is
essential to get to know artists. Lowes says the best way to meet any artist is
to attend shows, even if you don’t buy the work it is important to see and
learn about the person behind the piece.
“In many cases when I
start to work with someone they’ll come up and say I have this artist and that
artist, and can I find something along those lines that I will like. It’s
important to understand there are markets you can find art in. I am going to say this confidently….you are
not going to find collectable art in the mall,” Lowe explains. “So that’s why it’s important you go to the
events to find out who these artists are. Go to the educational programs, not
just the High Museum, but the Hammond House and the smaller institutions where
you can have personal interaction with the artists.”
Bailey says the collector artist relationship is symbiotic.
While the collector may want to get to know the artist, Bailey says being open
about your work and inspiration can make a difference between selling a piece
and being overlooked. Bailey is not what some may consider an outgoing artist.
The painter is known for his quiet but strong demeanor, but he makes an effort
to be accessible to connect with the collectors and his subjects. He’s hosted
parties at the W Hotel and The High Museum of Art as a way to familiarize
himself with the community and vice-versa. Bailey says building relationships
with collectors is almost more important to the artists than the collector.
“In terms of collectors, when I first started 90% of the
collectors wouldn’t buy my work and that’s because of the subject matter of my
work. What I learned is that it wasn’t about the subject matter it was about
changing their opinion of the subject matter.
Growing up in the South there are certain sensibilities we have and I
wanted to capture that in my work,” Radcliffe recalls. “To be honest I don’t
like to allow people in my studio. I see it as a place to work, not a place to
sell. To be able to have that relationship with a collector where they see what
I do and understand, they go visit my shows in New York, and they have
relationships with the dealers in New York, so the relationship with the
collector is very important in terms of honoring that and understanding the way
that works.”
“Radcliffe has a
beautiful spirit even if he didn’t do art, he is just good people to engage and
just incredibly intelligent,” Palmer says. “He has views on things that we all
have in common, but his views go on a different path to create something you
haven’t seen before…G-d is he intelligent.”
Palmer says listening to an artist and the story behind the
work is the most crucial and exciting part of collecting.
“I know what I like. I think we should collect things that
we like and love, that speak to us and say something. There comes a narrative
You may enjoy an artist lines, but you haven’t begun to have an experience
until you talk to her and see what this African- American sister has to say
from her vantage point about the world we live in and her collective
experiences,” Palmer explains. “So my thing is that art has a narrative and a
narrative speaks to who the artists are and what their collective experiences
are and how they come to do what they do. That’s what I think makes a
difference.”
To find about more about the NBAF go to nbaf.org