No, not the bARTer project. Remember the story of the young blogger who wished to trade a red paper clip for a house? You know, the inspiration for my own bARTer project? Well, Kyle MacDonald just achieved the goal of his efforts... a small, three bedroom home in Canada. Bravo for him!!
Since the last time I shared his story he has since had involvement with Corbin Bernsen, Alice Cooper and the band, KISS. What a story! Be sure to read it here.
As an update, I still have Nick Holliday's beautiful collage awaiting a great home. I hope that tonight I am able to complete a bARTer for it but if you would like to make an offer, do so now.
One of the most interesting things about this project thus far is how artists respond to the prospect of making a trade. It's something I knew, but now I really know. Many artists place a huge value on their own work which is understandable... I do too. But I've been a bit surprised by the selectiveness of artists. "No, that piece isn't quite right." "No, I want to wait for something better." "No, I couldn't give up that piece for it."
When I complete a trade, I want both sides to be pleased with what they get. That is imperative. But I've been suprised by the artists who want to wait for something better or to hold on to that piece that has been sitting in storage for three years gathering dust. I admit to being the same way, though I am trying to break out of it.
Some artists that I've been in contact with and want to wait for something better fail to realize that after a few more trades, the work will be "priced" out of their league. This isn't something a lot of artists are willing to recognize. As I continue to trade up, the value of each next piece must increase as well. Some artists may price their work at $1000 but in reality it's probably only worth $300 or so. Though they think their work is much more valuable than some little collage, they've been priced out of this project, unless of course, they want to trade multiple pieces.
On the other hand, there have been artists who want to hold onto that piece in storage for 3 years. After all, even though it hasn't sold in 3 years, it could sell to a big time collector next week if they get discovered. Or, it could go into their retrospective at MoMA a few decades from now. They couldn't possibly let the piece go when things like that are just around the corner.
Let me reiterate - I completely understand. There are some pieces that I won't let go of and I probably value at way more than their actual worth. I started thinking about this and realized that practically and realistically it was pretty ridiculous to hold onto all these works. That's why I put two pieces up on the Fine Art Adoption Network... they are free to a good home.
Wow, this turned into a pretty long post when all I wanted to say was that the red paper clip guy finally got his house! Hopefully I'll get my Jackson Pollock just as fast!
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