The Solution to Winning the Art Race That No One is Talking About

America is losing the Art Race to Europe and Russia. As has been discussed by our contributor, Ricardo Tomasz, Art is a precious natural resource, and there is a worldwide Art Race, where certain countries benefit from a better quality of life because of their artist communities.

In America, we do not have publicly funded art. In fact, many politicians go out of their way to destroy the arts in America.

As a result, the burden has fallen to the private sector, allowing the wealthy and the 1% to determine what goes in our museums, galleries, and public venues.

In order to change this, it will require political will to increase funding for the arts, and restructure how that funding is dispersed. That day may come, but for now, we have to work with the system we have.

Therefore, here are two ways that you (yes, you) can support artists and artistic communities.

Open Your Walls

Street art has become a dominant genre in modern art, with artists like Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and MegZany becoming national and international sensations.

With its roots in graffiti and hip-hop culture, the genre has expanded to include murals, stencils, and political statements. Sadly, the police still hunt down artists for expressing themselves, and beautifying the city.

What artists need are for those who have public facing walls to open up, and give their permission to artists to place high-quality murals on them. This could be a building wall, a back alley entrance, a construction barrier, or even an empty billboard. Here are some examples from street artist WrdSmth.

If you own real estate, and you are willing to lend one of your walls to improve public art, use the below form to contact us, and we will link you with an artist that is right for your location.

Open Your Homes

Too many young and talented artists can’t get into a gallery because of issues outside of their control: they’re not well known enough; they’re not white; they’re not male, etc.

There is a growing movement based on the French Salons, where middle class homeowners will host a one-night art show in their living rooms. This gives new artists a chance to shine in a comfortable environment.

If you own a home, and would be interested in hosting an art show, use the below form to contact us, and we will link you with artists that are right for your sensibilities.