JOSEPH NEASE GALLERY
What does it mean to invest in visual Art, and why should you do it?
August 15, 2020
Center Image Above: James Woodfill's Kansas City studio, 2018
Let’s define visual Art as all the endeavors of an individual or a small partnership to make drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, ceramics, digital art, sculptures, installations, and films. Artists who are fostered and whose art is made this way, allow their unique visions to be brought forth more profoundly than, say publicly funded art that may come with significant creative restrictions. Another way to put this is as the National Endowment for the Arts does – these individual artists are making “exceptional aesthetic investigation(s).”
And let’s define how you can invest in visual Art as one or more of the following:
- attending art events (yes, challenging in this time of COVID) such as online art events, appointments at galleries and museums that are open that way, and attending exhibits and artist talks (when possible)
- “following” one or more artists by keeping up with their latest work and activities
- purchasing artworks, which helps the artist continue making art, and helps the exhibiting venue continue to discover and show the art
- direct financial support to artists to help them pursue their unique visions
Artist studio, connection with an artist, in this case, James Brinsfield.
Gallery opening and chance to visit with artist, in this case Finnish artist Sirpa Särkijärvi, foreground (pre-COVID).
Why should you make this investment?
Visual Art has the power to communicate differently than other media (such as writing or music). Therefore, it offers the potential for a different understanding of the world to those that experience visual Art. This different understanding, in turn, has the potential to create breakthroughs in fields other than Art. Consider that this potential for such breakthroughs starts at a very young age. According to the National Association for Gifted Children “…a creative environment helps children engage in abstract and analytical thinking, sharpen their visual-spatial acuity, and become more receptive to out-of-the-box thinking.”
Visual Art can bring different communities together and create dialogue. Some artwork addresses universal themes. Yet the artists making the artwork are likely to come from a different background than you or I. Once the artwork leaves the studio, additional meanings beyond what the artist was thinking about are possible. Artist talks and Q & A sessions let everyone hear the different viewpoints. Typically, open to all, there is no financial impediment to attending an Art event, and no one is expected or required to purchase anything.
Finally, visual Art builds rewarding connections between the artist and their supporters.
We trust that you can find a way to invest in visual Art. Thank you.
~ Joseph Nease
Joseph Nease Gallery is currently open by appointment only. Our hours are Thursday through Saturday, 12 to 4 pm. Appointments can be made by calling the gallery or by emailing our Gallery Manager Amanda Hunter at [email protected]. All visitors are to wear masks, and we will be routinely disinfecting common surfaces within the gallery space.
