Art Space Talk: Christian M Benedetto, Jr. (art collector)

Christian M Benedetto, Jr. is the CEO of Hopkins Sampson & Brown Equities, LLC. Christian is an avid collector of art. Many of his art purchases are made online. As an online collector of art Christian has had great interest in the development of myartspace.com. He and his wife Suzy live in suburban Morris County, New Jersey with their son Christian III.

www.myartspace.com is a networking site for artists, gallerists, art collectors and others involved with visual art. The eCommerce platform for myartspace.com is the New York Art Exchange (NYAXE), www.nyaxe.com. The two sites were founded by Catherine McCormack-Skiba and Brian Skiba. The founders will soon open a brick & mortar gallery in Palo Alto, California. The gallery will feature artists from the myartspace.com community.

Winter Field 1 by Lois Foley. www.nyaxe.com/lois.foley

Brian Sherwin: Christian, you are an avid art collector with an interest in www.myartspace.com. Can you discuss what attracted you to the myartspace community and to viewing art online in general?

Christian M Benedetto Jr.: It is very practical and time saving to be able to view art online. Online I can comparison shop between emerging artists with ease. It is also a great way to save time. For example, my wife Suzy and I had a son last spring, so time has really become an issue. Going to brick & mortar galleries is a little tougher with a stroller.

It is nice to be able to visit the myartspace online galleries in the comfort of my own home. Myartspace has also been a way to have my young son participate in viewing art. My son will often sit on my lap as I scroll through art clicking away. He has a pretty good eye and is a huge Charlie Spears fan.

I look at a few hundred pieces of art per month online. I would not be able to achieve that if I had to physically visit galleries. The other great thing about looking at art online is that it allows the viewer to click over to Google and find out more about the artist. It is relatively easy to discover where an artist has exhibited and what they have accomplished by searching for them online.

Strangers, Friends, & Lovers by Ariane Bartosh. www.nyaxe.com/arianebartosh

BS: Do you mind giving our readers some insight into your personal collection? How many works of art do you own? Are there any specific pieces that stand out in your opinion?

CB: I have a few pieces that I really, really enjoy. I was very lucky to come across Shawn Barber in 1997 when he was still an undergraduate student at Ringling School of Art and Design. I bought a piece called “Coltrane in Blue” which won Best in Show for the school’s senior class art show. It was the first piece he ever sold.

Shawn went on to become the Illustrator of the Year for MTV in 2001, has done the US and Germany Grammy’s, countless works in Magazines and has a few books out and is a regular on TV. His shows always sell out in a day or two. I have been offered about 100 times the price I paid for the piece. I have about a dozen other pieces of his works and still stay in touch with him.

Then there is a painting which I bought through Myartspace.com by Charlie Spears called Topsy Turvey for my son, Christian III, before he was born. The painting hangs in his room and he looks at it all the time, smiles, and every time he does, it melts Suzy’s and my heart, so it is very special. I also have a very large Daniel Ferriss pencil drawing from the 1920s of a twenty-one story building I owned. It was given to me by the late Leona Helmsley. We sold the building years later, but I still have the drawing – the detail is unreal.

The Hopkins Sampson & Brown Equities, LLC collection is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, privately held art collections in New Jersey. We have never sold a piece; we have donated a few and have even taken pieces right off the wall to give to friends, clients and visitors who remarked about a piece. Our goal is to have 10,000 paintings over the next twenty five years.
Wedding Table by Alex Golden. www.nyaxe.com/alex.golden

BS: My understanding is that you purchase art online as well as in the Traditional method of visiting brick & mortar galleries. Traditionalists of the art market will often mention that viewing art online will never replace viewing art in person-- which suggests that viewing and buying art online is inferior to the traditional model of art business. What is your stance on this issue?

CB: I say to them, go to a high end Auction house for a live auction and see how many bidders are bidding via the Phone and have never seen the piece up close and personal or who sent representative to bid for them. The quality of digital photos, slides, and other media have improved greatly in the last few years.

Sometimes a collector can actually inspect a piece better using these methods than he or she could accomplish viewing a work of art on hanging on the wall at a brick & mortar gallery. Best of all the art can be viewed with your schedule in mind instead of the galleries schedule.

Pollen by Kalliope Amorphous. www.nyaxe.com/kalliope

BS: So do you tend to buy from artists that you are aware of when buying art online? Or do you also buy from emerging artists who are unknown to you? Is it a mix?

CB: I would say emerging artists who are unknown to me, as well as Journeymen artist who are also unknown to me. People recommend artist to me all the time and I am involved fairly heavily in the New Jersey Art Scene.

In New Jersey I’ve helped several galleries obtain free space and we do more than our fair share of pro bono real estate work for Artist and Artist housing. Needless to say, I get a lot of pitches, so it is nice to be able to surf myartspace and the New York Art Exchange.

ChangAn Club, Beijing, China by Beatrix Reinhardt. www.nyaxe.com/beatrix.reinhardt

BS: You have mentioned that you have bought art off of artists that you have met on myartspace. Can you tell us more about that?

CB: On myartspace I have purchased art from Charlie Spears and Adrienne Outlaw. Both are wonderful artists who stayed in touch with us. They have kept in contact by sending notes, e-mails and cards. Adrienne even sent our son a teddy bear when he was born. Charlie checks in with me and gives me advice about being a dad and such. I share a lot of the poems I write for my son and wife with him. I have purchased other works off of the site by artists I had in my collection earlier.

Summer's End by Lee Ables. www.nyaxe.com/leeables

BS: As an avid collector of art I assume that you have many associates who also collect art. What sort of feedback have you obtained from fellow art collectors concerning www.myartspace.com?

CB: Its all been very positive, the site allows artists to price their works much more competitively and still make more money, as they are not paying 35-50% to the gallery, so you can really find some fantastic art at all price points. What a great deal of people hate to admit is that Art is a business. I’m happy if I can buy three paintings online for the price I would pay for two at a gallery with the end result of putting more money into the artist’s pocket. It is really a win-win situation for the artist and the buyer.

Galleries can also do well online because every gallery has the same issue-- space. For example, it would not be hard for a gallery to represent 100 artists online and maintain an online store of 800 paintings. So if the gallerist is really in it to help the artist why would he or she not want to have a store on the New York Art Exchange? Maintaining a store on NYAXE is very practical and efficient.

Whitley Heights, LA by Alysia Kaplan. www.nyaxe.com/alysia.kaplan

BS: You are very open about the fact that you are an art collector on Myartspace-- I assume that you receive many inquiries from artists interested in showing you examples of their work. Do you have any advice for artists as far as contacting known collectors online?

CB: I would suggest that they be very exact in their e-mails, letters or calls. There is nothing worse than to be contacted by someone who is not really sure why they are calling or if they are looking for an unrealistic jump in their price point. For example, MFA students looking to sell me pieces for $30,000 when they have never sold a piece for more than $4,000 makes no sense to me. I’m also annoyed by people looking for funding for a project without providing me a written plan. Those are two of my pet peeves.

So here is some advice: Have a plan, be organized and assertive, don’t come off as aggressive. I have had more than a few artists send me paintings for free so they could say they were in our collection and we have ended up buying several pieces from them since. Show me your passion for your craft.

I bought a wonderful piece by Brian Guidry. When it arrived Janet (our registrar) started to unpack it, she called me over saying, “You have to see this!”. I was thinking oh great it was damaged being shipped up from Louisiana. However, when I got into the conference room I found the most amazing hand made carry case/crate. It was custom made with a handle and neatly burned into the wood was the painting name and our name. Brian must have spent 10 hours making it, his passion for his work showed.

The same is true with Sharon Shapiro, she always tells me her paintings are like her children and when she ships her work she goes the extra mile. Let the passion and love of your work carry throughout, Art is a business, treat it like such. I cannot tell you the number of times we get things shipped to us that are packed in a hurry and it shows. If it appears that you do not care about your art a collector may very well lose interest.

I'll Let You Be In My Dreams If I Can Be In Yours by Herbert Murrie. www.nyaxe.com/herbertmurrie

BS: Do you have any suggestions for how artists should present themselves online? For example, do you pay more attention to art community profiles and personal websites that contain detailed information about the artist compared to profiles or personal websites that offer little biographical information? In other words, do you like to know about who you are planning to buy from or does it matter?

CB: If I like something I will know instantly. I do however like to see some biographical information, other shows they have been in, if they have a list of collectors-- it is nice to know who owns some of their works. Sometimes I’ll know one of their old professors or another collector and reach out for them to find out a little bit more. So yes, the more information the better.

Wrinkled 24 by Christina Massey. www.nyaxe.com/cmasseyart

BS: As you know, many art collectors are wary about buying art online. There is always great concern with transaction involving large sums of money. Do you have any advice for art collectors who have yet to take the leap as far as buying art online is concerned?

CB: Anthony Benedetto (no relation, who is better known as Tony Bennett) original works sell for $6000 to $60,000 and as far as I know, he has no gallery you can visit – it’s all done via the internet and phone. However, my advice would be to go slow and take some precautions. If it seems too good to be true it most likely is. For example, I do not think I would buy a Picasso off Ebay for $10,000 it would just seem too cheap.
Faunagraphic Parrots by Fauna Graphic. www.nyaxe.com/faunagraphic
BS: Any predictions on how sites like myartspace will change the direction of the art world-- or at least offer galleries an alternative to the traditional art market? Do you think that the traditional art market will be more apt to mesh with new technology and methods of marketing-- such as eCommerce-- as time goes on?

CB: There are few things that compare in the Art world with walking into your favorite gallery in Rome, Venice, San Francisco or New York (you get the idea) having some refreshments and looking at art while being wooed. But the internet travels at the speed of light, so I can be in Rome, Venice, San Francisco and New York all within the same hour looking at all the artists the gallery has-- not just the one showing that day, plus a wider view of the work.

We all love going into an actual bookstore on a rainy day and getting lost for hours wandering through the aisle and forgetting what we were looking for, but how many times have we left with nothing only to go home and order a few books-- the same products-- on amazon.com because it was cheaper? What I’m saying is that Myartspace.com will not replace galleries. However, it does give us more options and better pricing. People like to save time and money when they shop-- art is no different.
Six Pomegranate Seeds by Jenevieve Hubbard. www.nyaxe.com/jenevievehubbard

BS: In your opinion, why have certain circles of the art world scoffed at the idea of buying and selling art online aside from the reasons I've already mentioned?

CB: I think buying at a gallery, especially a higher end gallery, is a status symbol to some people. It is kind of like buying high end brand name clothes. I am fond of saying “just how cold does your ice need to be” If you want to support the artist, buying online is a fantastic way to get more money in their pocket, while saving yourself some along the way.

Many Galleries are embarrassed selling online and have neglected to develop an Internet strategy and marketing plan. What galleries need to remember is that there is not much difference between myartspace and the New York Art Exchange than an overseas buyer calling in his bids at an auction in NY or London. Many brick & mortar galleries are losing profit because they have failed to adapt to these changes.
Bend #1 by Chadwick Gibson. www.nyaxe.com/chadwickgibson

BS: Finally, are you considering any purchases at this time on the myartspace platform for eCommerce, the New York Art Exchange (NYAXE)?

CB: I am a huge Arielle Sandler fan, I own over a half dozen or more of her works, and I used one of her painting as the cover of my third book. She had a great piece in the New York Times Magazine not to long ago, recently her work was featured on the TV shows Brothers & Sisters and Eli Stone. I stop by her myartspace.com page all the time to see what she has put up. Same with Charlie Spears, Jill Moser, Sharon Shapiro, Eric Brown and David X Levine.

I would really like to add a few pieces of Eric Foxs’, he is an artist from Long Beach, NY who does fantastic work using lobster traps as canvas with beach themes, and bright vibrant colors. Having grown up surfing on the New Jersey Shore his art takes me back.

Christian is currently a member of the myartspace.com community-- www.myartspace.com/christianbenedetto. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews. For further information about myartspace.com or nyaxe.com please write, info at catmacart.com

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com

New York Art Exchange

www.nyaxe.com

London Calling

www.myartspace.com/londoncalling

Red Rag To a Bull vs. Other Criteria?

Cha-Ching!

A report from Bloomberg explains that Damien Hirst has opened a second Other Criteria (www.othercriteria.com) store in London. Some may recall from past Myartspace Blog articles that Other Criteria is Hirst’s publishing and merchandising venture. Of the store Hirst has stated, “I don’t think art has ever been as popular as it is today and Other Criteria aims to sell affordable art of the highest quality to everyone who wants it.” . Apparently the price for Other Criteria art and merchandise ranges from $5 to $5,800.

Some art world insiders view Other Criteria as a jab at the traditional art market. After all, the first Other Criteria store was opened next to Sotheby’s shortly after Hirst’s “Beautiful Inside My Head Forever.” which took place at the auction house. Hirst’s break from the traditional brick & mortar art market stirred shock waves of criticism from gallery owners throughout the world. Needless to say, many gallerists feared that top billed artists would decide to take their art and career into their own hands by following Hirst’s independent lead. You can’t blame Hirst for being an entrepreneur .

On the other side of the UK art spectrum, the Stuckists-- as reported by Bloomberg-- have opened up their own online ‘store’ at www.redragtoabull.com. The site states, “Red Rag To A Bull is a radical institution dedicated to the pursuit of "FREEDOM, TRUTH and JUSTICE in the art world and BEYOND". And also overblown statements.”. The purpose of the site is “for CREATIVE CRITICAL REVIEW and should be treated as such“. The sites goes on to state that, “ALL images and any proposed sale of these images is designed to create critical dialogue and may or may not be what they first appear to be.”

In a sense the site is a conceptual anti-conceptual work in progress-- if there is such a thing. Needless to say, if it had been created by anyone else it would have probably been reviewed in a art magazine or two by now. On a side note: Readers of the Myartspace Blog may recall my interview with Charles Thomson -- Co-Founder of the Stuckists -- which was posted in October of 2006.

A collage by Cartrain involving Damien Hirst's 'For the Love of God'. Cha-Ching with an extra Cha.

Viewing the Red Rag To a Bull online store I noticed that one of its directives is to support CarTrain , the 16 year old street artist who was recently threatened by Damien Hirst’s legal team on allegations of copyright infringement. CarTrain, had created, distributed, and sold prints involving a parody of Hirst’s ‘For the Love of God’. It seems that Hirst was not thrilled to discover that a young graffiti artist had profited from prints involving his copyright protected works-- nevermind the fact that he himself has infringed on copyright in the past (reminds one of the Shepard Fairey vs. Baxter Orr issue).

That said, due to the fame of ‘For the Love of God’ I’m sure CarTrain’s Hirst parodies would be considered “fair use”-- at least in the United States. After all, the images by CarTrain served as a social comment about Hirst’s status in UK society as well as the art world in general. I don’t think there was any confusion as to who created what. CarTrain established dialogue with his parody.

Cartrain has some strong support-- Stuckists James Cauty, Jamie Reid, and Billy Childish have created various prints and other products that parody Damien Hirst’s artwork. Parodies of works by D*Face and the Chapman Brothers can also be found on the site.

Links of Interest:

Hirst Opens Second Shop, Defies Slump With 3.50 Pound Keychains -- Bloomberg

www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aaThCKzrdQ_w

www.stuckism.com

www.othercriteria.com

www.redragtoabull.com

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com

New York Art Exchange

www.nyaxe.com

London Calling

www.myartspace.com/londoncalling

Art Space Talk: Dan Duhrkoop (EmptyEasel)

EmptyEasel, founded by Dan Duhrkoop, is an online art magazine that contains practical advice, tips, and tutorials for creating and selling art. The goal of EE is to publish helpful information for both new and professional artists—without any of the vague or confusing “artspeak” common to the art world. EmptyEasel helps new or unknown artists reach a wider audience by encouraging ALL artists to use the internet to promote and sell their artwork. Since 2006 EmptyEasel has become one of the most visited advice sites for artists on the World Wide Web.

www.emptyeasel.com

Brian Sherwin: Dan, EmptyEasel is an online art magazine with practical advice, tips, and tutorials for creating and selling art. The site also features reviews of social art sites and other online art communities. Can you give our readers a brief history of Empty Easel-- how long has the site existed and why did you decide to establish it?

Dan Duhrkoop: Sure—I started EE near the end of 2006, so it's been going for just over 2 years now. My original idea was just to share information about oil painting techniques and feature some of my favorite artists, but I began adding art marketing tips and some business advice when I realized that many artists were looking for information on selling art as well as making it.

Then in early 2007 when several big-name art-startups began picking up steam (Redbubble and Imagekind in particular) I started researching and comparing various internet art galleries in addition to my other articles.

Mid-2007 I redesigned and enlarged the site, and opened up EmptyEasel for article submissions. A lot of folks have gotten involved and I've been posting at least one reader-submitted article just about every week in addition to everything else published on EE.

BS: Who is Empty Easel—as in, who are your writers?

DD: All of my writers are also artists: Dianne Mize has contributed a lot of the recent painting tutorials found on EE, Margot Dinardi explains the digital side of things (GIMP help) and Denise Telep covers art marketing, motivation, and a lot more.

I focus most on where to sell art online and how to optimize your blog for search engines, but I also write the weekly featured artist section and dabble in everything, really. I'm working at lining up a few more writers for 2009 as well.

BS: So how can individuals interested in writing for Empty Easel contact you? Are there any specific topics that you prefer to include on the site?

DD: Anyone can submit an article via our article submission form—it's a great way to introduce yourself to a pretty big audience of artists and art lovers while promoting your art blog or art profile at the same time. Every author gets credit for their article and two links back to their own web page.

Suitable topics for EE range from tutorials on any medium (pencil, pen & ink, oils, watercolors, acrylics, etc) to business advice, art product reviews, or just opinion articles that relate to the world of art. Pretty much anything goes if it's on topic, interesting, and well-written.

BS: Dan, you are an artist with extensive knowledge of selling art online. Do you have any general advice concerning online exposure and promotion for artists? What do artists need to know in order to take full advantage of what the internet provides as a tool for success?

DD: You know, you've hit the nail right on the head. The internet is a tool, not a pre-packaged solution. I guess I have two pieces of general advice for artists who want to start selling online. First, it's not going to happen immediately - it may take months or even years to become successful. That's OK though. . . I'm a big fan of the slow and steady approach, and I really encourage my readers to stick with it and make it work. Second, the level of success you reach has EVERYTHING to do with the effort you decide to put into it. No one else will do it for you, but you CAN do it yourself. That's what's great about the internet.

For example, imagine two artists, one who pays for a premium listing on some big online art gallery, and another who does their own thing, blogging each day, posting new paintings, learning about the internet and search engine optimization, and so on. At the end of the year, I'd put money on the dedicated art blogger, not the artist with the premium listing. Effort gets you farther than anything else will, and I know that both from my own experience with EmptyEasel and by looking at other successful artists who have done exactly the same thing.

BS: With that in mind, can you point our readers to any specific articles on Empty Easel that you think would be helpful?

DD: Well here's an article which shows EmptyEasel's own visitor numbers from 2007 and gives a good idea of what to expect from your own efforts if you stick with blogging for a whole year. A while back I also posted some tips for creating an authority art website that are just as true today as they were when I published them in 2008. Both of those articles are great places to start.

BS: In regards to buying and selling art online do you have any specific suggestions? For example, is there anything that an art buyer should look out for when purchasing original art online?
DD: Just little things. . . make sure you know the size of the piece you're purchasing, whether or not it comes framed, and if you're responsible for paying shipping and insurance. See what the seller's return policy is, too, since some artwork can look different in person. You should always be allowed to return the artwork for a full refund within 7 days, if not longer.
That being said, there isn't (in my opinion) a whole lot to worry about when purchasing art online. Most folks aren't trying to scam you, and if they are, you'll probably know it just from looking at their website. Misspelled words, requests for money transfers to Nigeria, hard-luck stories, and anything else that seems shady should be avoided. If you're an art seller, take a good look at your blog or website to make sure that you're not scaring people away yourself. Accepting PayPal for payments is a good way to ease a lot of fears right off the bat.

BS: Can you give our readers some general advice about starting an art blog? In your opinion, why is it important for artists to maintain an art blog today?

DD: If you're just now starting an art blog, my first recommendation would be to go to Wordpress.org and download the files for your own self-hosted blog. You'll need to buy your own domain name and sign up for a paid hosting plan if you decide to go this route, but it's hands-down the best blogging solution anywhere.

Understandably, a lot of artists are a little nervous about buying a domain name and hosting and uploading files, etc. If that's you, I'd point you toward Blogger or Wordpress.com (note the ".com" not .org). Either of those are extremely simple to get started on.

Once you've got your blog you should set up a consistent posting schedule (3 posts per week, for example). At the same time, do whatever you can to start networking online. This may include joining art forums, Twitter, social media sites like www.myartspace.com, etc. Everywhere you join, make sure to leave a link to your blog—especially in forums and blog comments. These are the basic building blocks of internet art marketing. There's a full-length article at EmptyEasel explaining how to develop your own online art marketing strategy if you want more information on how to go about it.

In answer to the second part of your question, the reason why blogging is so helpful to artists is that it gives you an even footing with the big guys out there. Over the course of a year, for example, your blog could easily grow to encompass 150-300 posts. That's 150-300 chances for someone to find your website, and the more posts you publish the more likely you'll be found. When you think of the millions and millions of searches that people type into Google every day, I'd say that it's nearly impossible for a determined blogger NOT to be successful at gaining traffic and exposure online.

BS: What other advice do you have concerning social media marketing for artists?

DD: Don't spread yourself too thin. After 3-6 months of networking and getting your link out there, pull back to your own blog. You should have some decent traffic by that time (a few hundred visitors per day, perhaps) and you can focus on creating high-quality posts and more art. If you've done your social media marketing correctly, others will now be promoting your blog for you.

Of course, if you find that Twitter, Stumbleupon, or some other social site is working really well, you don't have to stop using them. Just start focusing your efforts there towards a specific goal, like getting people to sign up for your blog's email list.

BS: It appears that sometimes fans of specific social art sites and other online art communities are not always happy with the reviews that you post. I suppose one could say that there will always be controversy with criticism. With that in mind, do you see your site reviews as a form of feedback to help those specific sites improve? Have you been known to change your opinion of a site after improvements are made?

DD: I definitely see my reviews as feedback, and if they help spur a company towards better service and better results for their artists, then I'm more than willing to go back and update what I've written.
Ultimately, however, EmptyEasel has a responsibility to the individual artist, not to the big companies—so when it comes down to either writing what I believe and making some people upset or glossing over the truth just so they're happy, I've got to stick to my guns and point out whatever flaws I see (and how to correct them).

BS: In your opinion, how will the internet change the art world of the future? For example, do you think that brick & mortar galleries will eventually catch on to eCommerce and other aspects of the internet that artists have been exploring in mass?

DD: You know, it might be too late for the B&M galleries. Just like the music industry is seeing a surge of independent, self-marketed artists, so is the visual arts community. The power is shifting to the people now, and although we're just getting started, we're learning fast.

If traditional galleries ARE going to successfully transition to the internet, they'll need to start adapting and listening to what both art buyers and art sellers want. The prestige of being shown in a gallery isn't as important to artists as it once was. Now we're looking at page views and sales. We're looking at reach and engagement of our viewers.

Buyers, on the other hand, are looking for everything—all types of art. The internet is simply making it possible for them to find what they're looking for, no matter how obscure. It's a very different world than what it was 20 years ago. With such a large community of artists online who are determined to figure out how to make things work for themselves, I don't see the traditional art establishment catching up anytime soon.

BS: Finally, do you have plans to expand Empty Easel? Can you give us some insight into your future plans for the site?

DD: Well, beyond adding more articles and tutorials, I do have a super-secret project in the works that will be launching within the next few months (hopefully by March 1st). I don't want to say too much until we've finished it, but as you might expect, it's geared toward helping artists succeed online. Anyone interested in learning more about that can sign up for EE's free weekly newsletter and I'll keep you posted on our progress.

You can learn more about EmptyEasel by visiting the EE site-- www.emptyeasel.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com

New York Art Exchange

www.nyaxe.com

London Calling

www.myartspace.com/londoncalling

Buy Art and Sell Art Online: The New York Art Exchange (NYAXE)

www.nyaxe.com connects art buyers to art sellers.

The New York Art Exchange (NYAXE) continues to grow as new features are implemented. The New York Art Exchange, an online marketplace for buying and selling contemporary fine art, enables the art community to capitalize on new digital mediums through technology by connecting artists, gallerists and collectors via the World Wide Web. NYAXE is brought to you by www.myartspace.com, the premier networking site for artists, art collectors, gallerists and other involved in the global arts community. With over 50,000 members myartspace is a concentrated social art site for the art world.

NYAXE connects collectors, artists and gallerists together, allowing buyers to quickly search through thousands of works of fine art on the site and navigate through numerous curated pieces of works. Gallerists and artists can create a personal and customized branded online gallery storefront to begin selling on the NYAXE marketplace. Storefronts can be organized into categories such as watercolors, original works, sculptures, to make it easy for art collectors to find what they are looking for.
Create a NYAXE storefront and sell your art, photography, and fashion to the world. Mark Enger’s store on the New York Art Exchange -- www.nyaxe.com/MarkE

Currently there are five different levels to choose from in building a NYAXE gallery storefront. A basic storefront is free for the first five listings, and each level provides more advanced features and marketing capabilities and cost effective pricing structures. The various tiers of service are designed to enable artists and gallerists to try their hand at ecommerce to build a basic store at a low cost. Artists and gallerists subsequently can upgrade to higher tiers if they wish to expand their offerings. NYAXE is a an affordable solution for exploring what eCommerce has to offer.

The New York Art Exchange (NYAXE) was officially launched on December 2nd at the Bridge Art Fair in Miami. Catherine McCormack-Skiba, CEO and founder of NYAXE, stated, "It's been my vision for years to make great art accessible to a broader audience through technology and the internet. I'm excited that we can empower gallerists and artists to expand the awareness of their fine art and help them connect with a new audience of buyers on a global level."

Browse the New York Art Exchange

Buying and selling art on the New York Art Exchange is easy. Browse NYAXE stores quickly. Browse by medium or by category. Use ‘Jump to page’ to go to specific browse pages or simply view each page one page at a time. Use the NYAXE search field to search by artist name, tag, location, medium, style or price. Sort by Featured stores, date added, and price.

Links of Interest:

www.catmacart.com
www.myartspace.com
www.nyaxe.com
www.nyaxe.com/storeSellerSignUp.do

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com

New York Art Exchange

www.nyaxe.com

Art Space Talk: Alan Bamberger

Alan Bamberger is an art consultant, advisor, author, and independent appraiser specializing in research, appraisal, and all business and market aspects of original works of art, artist manuscript materials, art-related documents, and art reference books. He has been selling art since 1979 and rare and scholarly art reference books since 1982, and has been consulting and appraising for artists, galleries, businesses, organizations and collectors since 1985.

Bamberger has appeared live on CNN's Daywatch, KTLA's Making It (Los Angeles), and KRON-TV in San Francisco, and answered art business questions on New York City Cable TV's Project Art Show. He's been quoted in numerous media including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Great Britain's Guardian Unlimited, Marketplace (National Public Radio), the Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, the San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, ESPN Magazine, Real Simple, ARTnews, The Arizona Republic and Wired and has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Examiner, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Your Money, and other publications.

Bamberger is the founder of ArtBusiness.com-- a website that provides complete art services, art appraisals, art price data, news, articles, and market information to art collectors, artists, and fine arts professionals

Brian Sherwin: Alan, you are an art consultant, author, advisor, and independent appraiser. You specialize in appraisal, research, and the business and marketing aspects of original works of art. You also have extensive knowledge of artist manuscript materials, art-related documents, and art reference books. Can you give us a brief history of your background in this field?

Alan Bamberger: I began in the art business around 1980 selling old paintings and other original works of art. During that time, I would purchase reference books for my library. That gradually evolved into purchasing duplicate reference books and selling them to other dealers and collectors. After a while, I moved almost entirely into selling rare and hard-to-find reference books on the fine and decorative arts.

My education around art comes not only from books and catalogues, but also from artists, art gallery owners, and other fine arts professionals. During this time, I also became a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.

BS: You maintain www.artbusiness.com. Can you give us a brief history of the site? Why did you decide to create it?

AB: My original idea for www.artbusiness.com back in the late 1990s was to use it as an online portfolio of sorts-- to show samples of my writing-- in hopes of getting more writing jobs. Putting the writing samples online was easier than sending them in the mail (how writers used to query publications back in the good old days). Anyway, I realized when viewing my website statistics that quite a few people were finding the site and reading my writings, so I started putting more and more of my articles online. That's pretty much how things started.

BS: You have written about the art business since 1983. How has the art market changed in your opinion since that time? Would you say that it is easier to be successful as an artist today due to the advent of the Internet?

AB: I think the main ways the art business has changed are that knowledge is easier to come by and, more significantly, that artists can expose their work internationally with little or no effort. This is particularly advantageous for artists who do not live in major national or international art centers, but have talent. And some artists manage to get known simply by establishing online presences. This was not possible just a few short years ago.

BS: What advice do you have for artists who strive to gain exposure online? Do you have any marketing tips for artists who are focused on selling art online?

AB: A few quick tips-- price your art, have plenty of contact information, make your art easy to buy (accept credit cards, Paypal, etc), don't show a lot of sold work, show your most recent work, don't show a lot of old work (particularly if your current art is very different). I have several articles for artists online about how to approach internet selling like this one for example-- www.artbusiness.com/webworks.html.

BS: What about art collectors? Do you have any general advice for art collectors concerning buying art online?

AB: Know what you're buying, know who you're buying from, don't buy big name art at online auctions like eBay unless you are an expert in whatever artists you're shopping for, make sure you can return whatever you buy if it turns out to look different than it looked online, read and get informed about what you're buying before you buy-- not after.

BS: Can you point our readers to any specific online articles that they may find of interest concerning these topics?

AB: I have plenty of articles for collectors online here-- www.artbusiness.com/collectors.html. And my book, The Art of Buying Art, covers everything collectors need to know about how to buy art. It's easy to understand and anyone who buys art can benefit from it.

BS: Giving the state of the economy… do you have any general advice for artists, gallerists, and others who are focused on the business of art?

AB: Selling art is more challenging now than it's been in quite some time. It's important for anyone selling art to demonstrate the value of that art-- not necessarily in terms of dollars, but also in terms of meaning, significance, and similar intangibles. People buy art because it enriches, beautifies, and enhances their lives. Be able to show how your art (or art that you're selling) does that. Here's an article that kind of sums it all up-- www.artbusiness.com/osoquunewec.html.

BS: Speaking of the economy, there has been some debate online concerning the potential for brick & mortar galleries embracing the internet for an alternative way of selling art. Many traditional art sellers scoffed at the idea of selling art online during the 1990s. Have you observed a change in opinion concerning this as far as gallerists are concered?

AB: Yes. The large majority of galleries have online presences. In fact, some galleries and dealers sell almost as much and sometimes even more art online than they do out of their physical galleries. An online presence is particularly beneficial to galleries that sell art by artists with national or international followings-- avid collectors scour the market for the art they collect, and the internet is one of the best ways to get a quick overview of who's selling what.

BS: Speaking of the art world in general, do you have any concerns about the art world at this time? For example, there has been a lot of debate concerning the potential of orphan works legislation being passed. What are your thoughts on that issue?

AB: I can understand both sides on this one, but I am for the legislation because of the incredible difficulties entailed in figuring who, if anybody, holds the rights to reproduce so many works of art from all nationalities and all time periods. Of course, the person reproducing these works must do due diligence in this regard before reproducing them. That must be made very clear in any such legislation-- and the penalties should be significant for those who don't.

BS: I understand that you are a member of the Association of Online Appraisers. Can you give our readers some insight into the goal of that organization?

AB: The goal of this or any appraiser organization is to educate, promote uniform standards of appraisal, and to give everyone access to professional appraisers, not only for art, but for all forms of personal property, and not only for purposes of insurance, inheritance, donation, and the like, but also for buying and selling. For example, a gallery might represent a work of art as being a bargain when in fact it is overpriced.

When you don't know that much about what you're buying, it's always a good idea to consult an appraiser first-- for a no-conflict-of-interest second opinion. Likewise, private parties who are considering selling art need professional opinions as to how much it's worth before offering it for sale.

BS: What about other organizations and projects that you are involved with. Would you like mention anything about them?

AB: My main project these days is comprehensively documenting the San Francisco art scene with exhaustive coverage of gallery shows. It not only helps artists and collectors now, but I also intend it to be an archive for the future. This May will mark the sixth anniversary of this project which I began in 2003. Over the years, I have also volunteered my time and knowledge to help several local non-profit organizations.

BS: Where can our readers purchase your books online?

AB: You can read brief chapter summaries of The Art of Buying Art here-- www.artbusiness.com/basynop.html
You can order a signed copy of the book here-- www.artbusiness.com/bookorder.html

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your profession? Any closing advice for buying or selling art online?

AB: As someone who knows a lot about art and how the art business operates, I can't stress enough that when you're just starting out as a buyer (or seller), talk to professionals, educate yourself, and get second opinions as required before going ahead with purchases or putting art up for sale in the marketplace. It is simply too easy to make very expensive mistakes when you don't have that much experience.

In closing, I'd like to say that it is my great privilege and pleasure to work with as well as serve artists, dealers, collectors, and creative people everywhere. My main goals in life are to make art more accessible to everyone, and to help everyone-- buyers, sellers, and artists alike-- to do whatever it is that they want to do.... better.

You can learn more about Alan Bamberger by visiting the Artbusiness.com website-- www.artbusiness.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
myartspace.com
www.myartspace.com
New York Art Exchange
www.nyaxe.com

Basic Advice for Promoting Your Art Online

Basic Advice for Promoting Your Art Online

It is important for an artist to think like an online entrepreneur when it comes to promoting his or her art online. One must be relentless if he or she desires to be successful selling art online. Thus, it is important to devote time to online promotion. In the past I have discussed several effective ways to promote art online. Below are some of the topics that have been discussed on the Myartspace Blog in the past. This list is in no way complete, but it may be helpful to artists who are new to promoting their art online. Feel free to comment with any advice that you have.

Join social art sites -- Joining social art networks, such as myartspace.com , is an effective way to promote your art online. A successful social art site will normally have a high traffic ranking-- which can potentially bring traffic to your personal website if you have it listed on your social art site profile.

These online art communities are different than mere art registries due to the fact that they utilize aspects of social networking-- such as the ability to leave comments-- and often involve an onsite messaging system so that users can communicate with each other on the site. This form of interaction can be vital as far as promoting your art is concerned.

Social art sites can be very useful if you are selling art online. Most social art networks offer an eCommerce platform. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of social art networks to choose from. Each site will offer different opportunities. However, some social art sites have limitations compared to others. For example, Artwanted.com currently sets a limit as to how many images a free user of the site can upload per month-- in order to have unlimited uploading capability on Artwanted you must become a Premium user. Other social art sites, like myartspace.com, offer unlimited uploading to free users.

It is also important to remember that some social art sites have a general community theme. For example, deviantART.com tends to promote fan art-- art involving characters from popular cartoons, movies, and graphic novels-- so it may not be the best site to promote yourself on if you are a fine artist. It is also important to remember that the level of professionalism varies from one site to another. Some social art sites cater to young teens while others are designed for career-oriented adults.

Join social networking sites in general -- Joining social networking sites like Myspace.com and Facebook.com can be an effective way to promote your art online. Most of the top social networking sites allow you to create groups and fan pages. Thus, you may consider creating a group for your art along with a fan page.

The interaction you have on social networking sites can potentially introduce your art to individuals who may not frequent social art sites. In other words, by being active on sites like Facebook and Myspace you may open doors to potential buyers who you would not have met otherwise. You may also meet curators and members of the press who can give you advice.

Establish a newsletter (e-Letter) -- Establishing a newsletter is a very effective way to promote your art online. Companies promote their products and keep a steady flow of traffic coming to their website by utilizing this tactic. The business-minded artist should take advantage of this marketing strategy by adding interested individuals to his or her newsletter or by offering a way for individuals to subscribe to the newsletter if they desire.

There are three things to remember when establishing a newsletter. 1.) Regulate how often you send updates-- you don’t want to annoy your subscribers by flooding their inbox. 2.) Remember to offer a way for subscribers to unsubscribe if they desire-- work within the law. 3.) Stay on topic. The newsletter is about your art... not the movie you watched last week.

Create an art blog -- Maintaining an art blog that is focused on your practice is an effective way to promote your art online. As I have mentioned on the Myartspace Blog in the past, Blogger and Wordpress are two good options to consider if you decide to create a blog for your art. It is important to post regularly if you decide to take this route for promoting your art online. Strive to post at least two entries per week-- if possible try to post daily.

Maintaining an active blog can be a great way to increase the traffic ranking of your personal website and art social network profiles that you maintain. Using sites like Pingomatic.com can help you to spread your blog across the World Wide Web like wildfire. You may also consider using social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace to further exposure for your blog. Twitter.com is also a good option to consider.

My advice is to keep your art blog focused on art. Write about your art practice, post images of works in progress, post press releases for any exhibit that you are involved with, and write about issues that concern you within the context of the art world. Remember that writing about fellow artists can be helpful as well-- they may even decide to write about you.

Utilize social bookmarking -- There is a reason why most websites offer social bookmarking tabs-- it is an effective way to promote the site and is also an effective way for site users to promote their interests. This is important for an artist who desires to promote his or her art online. By utilizing social bookmarking you can increase traffic to images of art that you have uploaded or increase the flow of traffic to your art blog. The possibilities are only limited by how active or inactive you are in promoting your art online.

Participate in art forum discussions -- Participating in art forum discussions can be a very effective way of promoting your art. There are many online forums that focus on art. Wetcanvas.com is a prime example. You will also find art forums on social networking sites such as Myspace. Many online art communities have forums as well. Some art forums focus on specific themes or forms of art-- the forum on Conceptart.org is a good example.

Remember to take advantage of your art forum participation. An effective way to drive traffic to your personal website or art profile is to include a link to those respected sites in your forum signature. In other words, each comment that you leave increases exposure for your art online. You never know who may discover your website while visiting the forum.

Other Art Advice Articles:

Stop Complaining and Focus on your Online Presence!

Just another starving artist?

Should I send a gallery a link to my art or images of my art by email in order to be considered for gallery representation?

How can I make a living off of my art?

Should I invest in my career?

How do I market my art?

Should I be worried about my images being 'stolen' online?

The Artist Statement

The Art Portfolio Serves Many Purposes

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
myartspace
www.myartspace.com
NYAXE
www.nyaxe.com

eCommerce is a Welcome Addition to the Art Market

Lately I’ve been thinking about the influence the internet has had on the mainstream art world. One can already notice the fact that many gallery represented artists have a personal website-- some are exploring eCommerce as well. That said, there is no doubt that the next generation of artists and art collectors will be tech savvy in general-- having been raised with the World Wide Web. I expect that we will observe an extreme shift toward utilizing the internet within the context of the art world as a whole in the near future. I can foresee advances in eCommerce involving the art market as well as galleries striving for online visibility (that will be a hard fight since so many have slacked on it).

The possibility of a great shift makes sense when you consider the number of artists who have been utilizing the internet in order to gain exposure as well as the number who have explored the potential of eCommerce in recent years. It goes without saying that artists are leading this charge-- and that is exactly why gallerists will eventually pursue it in mass. In other words, the galleries will have to fill a need that the artists they represent obviously desire-- the need for high online visibility and alternative marketing by utilizing eCommerce. My guess is that artists in the near future will expect this from those who represent them.

When this great shift occurs I predict that artists will discover these options independent of the gallery that represents them if said gallery has failed to offer eCommerce and high online visibility. Again, the next generation of artists and art collectors will most likely expect a gallery to offer eCommerce and to have a visible online presence. Thus, I think a gallery owner would be better off exploring the possibility now in order to be prepared for the future. No matter what happens it does not hurt to have an improved online presence, true?

I will not go as far as to say that eCommerce will replace the traditional art market, but I will say that it is certainly a viable alternative-- a welcome addition to the art market. That said, I realize that traditionalists of the art market will firmly state that buying art online will never replace viewing and buying art in person. I agree to a point. However, one must remember that the same was said about other items and services that are now commonly sold online.

That is not to suggest that art is an ‘item’ or a ‘service‘-- that is up to the individual to decide -- it simply reveals how naysayers have been proven wrong in the past concerning eCommerce. People are starting to 'get' it. My guess is that we will see an increase in galleries selling art online by the end of 2009.

Topics of Interest:

Art Market Crisis: Galleries NEED to Embrace the Internet... and eCommerce!

eCommerce Can Work For Artists

Why Art Sites Work

how to gain exposure for your art online

Art and Recession: Time to Adapt

Don’t Expect Your Art to be Discovered. Make it Happen Online

Art and the Internet: The Artists Are Here. When will Galleries Participate?

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

www.nyaxe.com

Don’t Expect Your Art to be Discovered. Make it Happen Online

Don’t Expect Your Art to be Discovered. Make it Happen Online.

After over a decade of researching online strategies for gaining exposure and selling art online I have noticed that many artists tend to embrace romantic notions of how the art market works. These fantasies are fueled by literature and films that depict the magic moment at which point an artist becomes “discovered”. The scenario often involves an artist working years in solitude only to be discovered by chance-- with fame and fortune just around the corner. Unfortunately, the art world does not exactly work that way. To put it bluntly, artists need to put the bedtime stories aside and learn to make it happen for themselves.

An artist can’t stay hidden in his or her studio and expect fame and fortune to appear out of nowhere. I can't stress this enough-- the idea of being picked up by an influential art collector or gallerist out of the blue is best left for the movies. It can happen, but the odds are it will not happen to you, anyone you know, or anyone you will meet in the near future. Yes, it is that rare. There are only so many brick & mortar galleries to go around-- and millions of artists worldwide who desire to be represented by them. In that sense the internet serves a need while offering great opportunity to artists who embrace it. It is a new frontier that the art world is only now starting to explore in detail.

I base my observations on the conversations I've had with hundreds of emerging and established artists. This is why I know that reality works very different than what we read in a novel or view on the big screen concerning the art world and ideas of being "discovered". Thus, it is my opinion that an artist can’t wait to be discovered. An artist must take the bull by the horns and utilize every opportunity in order to promote his or her artwork-- again, he or she must make it happen.

Luckily there is great opportunity to be found online. The potential for gaining exposure and marketing online is limitless. In other words, there is a world of opportunity at our fingertips. All it takes is an entrepreneurial spirit, the initiative to get started and maintain a presence online, and raw ambition. These factors are crucial to establishing a successful online promotion / market strategy.

An emerging artist must do everything he or she can-- as far as online promotion is concerned-- in order to help him(her)self be discovered or simply to carve out his or her own destiny. In other words, artists today don’t have to wait to be “discovered” in order to have their work placed before the public. An artist today can display his or her artwork online in order to reach the public at large-- including potential patrons and art collectors in general. The artist must be relentless in establishing a presence online.

In that sense artists are bypassing the traditional route of brick & mortar marketing by representing themselves and using the internet as a vehicle toward a marketing path that can be just as successful. As mentioned, this online art marketing path has the potential to be very successful in the long-run and has the added benefit of potentially opening career doors in ways that emerging artists in the past would not have had access to.

Getting started is simple enough. Buying a decent computer and enduring the monthly expense of internet connection is a good investment for a visual artist when you consider that he or she can reach more people online per month than he or she ever would buying an expensive ad in an art publication or other magazine. Another thought-- technically an internet savvy artist has the potential to reach more viewers per month than he or she ever would in a traditional gallery setting.

True, if you can afford it you can have the best of both worlds-- but you will find that many artists are focusing on online efforts rather than traditional forms of gaining exposure-- just as many who have been successful within the traditional model have stated that the internet is opening new doors. The methods of art marketing are changing and artists are leading the charge.

The simple fact is that artwork is being seen in ways that would not have been possible years ago. For example, some artist blogs have more unique traffic per month than physical exhibit spaces do in a year. True, you can debate the value of viewing art in person compared to viewing art online, but when it comes down to the line traffic is traffic no matter how much you try to philosophically slice it. To put it bluntly, today artists don't have to cling to fantasies of being discovered-- they can make it happen simply by following their ambition and utilizing the internet. A little initiative can go a long way online. Make it happen.

A few suggestions:

* Answer email that you receive about your art promptly. When a buyer or other interested person has a question about your art it is always best to answer it within 24 hours. After all, if you wait a month to answer a potential buyer her or she may have already purchased from another artist who was more prompt. Thus, you will want to set time aside each day to check your email and answer any questions that viewers may have.

* Be smart about how you list your contact info. Make sure that interested individuals can contact you with relative ease. Include an email address on your website, blog, art community profiles, and so on. You may want to list your email as ‘myhandle AT insertname.com’ instead of ‘myhandle@insertname.com’ in order to ward off bot programs that harvest email addresses. That step will help you to cut back on the amount of spam you receive at the address you have listed. However, keep in mind that some individuals and companies will harvest emails manually. Thus, it is always good to create an email address specifically for your online promotional and marketing efforts instead of listing your personal email address.

* Have a website or online community profile that is devoted to your artwork. Remember that your personal website does not have to be fancy to get the job done. Your main focus should be to provide a site that is easy to navigate and allows images to be viewed quickly. In other words, people are not going to waste time figuring out a puzzle just to view your work nor are they going to wait over a minute for your images to upload.

Remember that in most cases if you have a personal website it will be your responsibility to maintain it. So if something ‘breaks’ you need to know how to fix it or be able to afford the expense of having someone fix it. Hiring someone to design a website can be very expensive and the cost of minor fixes throughout the year can add up quickly. Keep that in mind before your personal website runs you instead of you running your personal website. In other words, learn the skills, find a friend who has the skills, or find alternative ways to display your art online.

If you lack the skills or resources needed to create your own website you can instead use an online art community profile as the hub of you online activity. If you take that path be selective and choose the art community that works best for your needs. To put it bluntly, if you create fine art you might think twice before uploading your artwork to an online art community that appears to focus on anime/manga fan art. Remember that your online associations can reflect on your professionalism in the opinion of some individuals.

*Create free accounts on online art communities. Online art communities can be a valuable resource for artists as far as exposure and marketing is concerned. You should maintain a few regardless if you have a personal website. The simple fact is that an online art community will most likely have more traffic than your personal website will be able to obtain on its own. Which means that you can increase traffic to your personal website by including a link to it on your online art community profile.

Online art communities that offer messaging, comments, forums, blogs and other aspects of social networking can be a valuable resource for keeping in contact with fellow artists and other individuals who are interested in your work. Never forget that having strong connections with fellow artists can lead to exhibit inclusion and provide valuable insight into the market as well. To put it bluntly, you can learn from fellow artists and might even receive a helping hand in the process-- just be sure to spread the knowledge on with open hand.

*Maintain an active blog for your art. A great way to obtain exposure for your art is to create a blog that is focused on your art, the exhibits you have been in, and so on. Choose a blog service that has high traffic-- such as Blogger or Wordpress. Try to post at least two entries per week. If you are selling art online be sure to make a post about it on your blog with a link back to the site where your are selling the art. If you have an upcoming exhibit be sure to post a press release about the exhibit on your blog.

It may seem overwhelming at first, but it is actually easy to find something to talk about as far as your work is concerned. Just remember that each entry helps improve your presence online. Be sure to utilize free services like Pingomatic in order to help spread your blog content on the World Wide Web.

*Establish yourself on social networking sites. Social networking sites-- such as Facebook-- can make it possible for you to connect with professionals with backgrounds in various industries. It is not hard to discover journalists, scientists, politicians, and others who are willing to network with you. These individuals may be willing to give you advice on how to improve your presence online and offline. Just be respectful. Remember that establishing online rapport with influential art bloggers can be very valuable as well. The feedback that you can obtain will be very helpful for your growth.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
www.nyaxe.com

Press Reception for the New York Art Exchange (NYAXE)

Catherine McCormack-Skiba, CEO and founder of NYAXE, mingles with press

The press reception for the launch of the New York Art Exchange (NYAXE) took place earlier this month in Miami during Bridge Wynwood. The New York Art Exchange is a marketplace for buying and selling contemporary fine art online. NYAXE enables the art community to capitalize on new digital mediums through technology by connecting artists, gallerists and art collectors via the World Wide Web. The site is designed to be an ecommerce solution for members of the ‘art world’ social networking site myartspace.com.

The New York Art Exchange press reception brought design, technology, and art together.

Catherine McCormack-Skiba, the CEO and founder of myartspace and NYAXE, was on hand to answer questions from members of the press during a cocktail party. Visitors included journalists from the Associated Press, The Miami Herald, and prominent art blogs. Curious gallerists, art collectors, and members of the press observed what myartspace and NYAXE offers to the global art community by participating in site demonstrations. Opinions, ideas, and drinks were shared in a casual setting that was energized by a meshing between art, technology, and design.

Brian Skiba demonstrates the capabilities of the New York Art Exchange

Brian Skiba, the interim Chief Technology Officer and Chief Financial Officer for myartspace and NYAXE, demonstrated the capabilities of NYAXE during several presentations that allowed onlookers to participate. Members of the NYAXE staff directed visitors to experience the site first hand by accessing computers in a media center that was conveniently located within the design of the reception structure.

Reception guests viewed New York Art Exchange stores while listening to a presentation by NYAXE staff.

Catherine McCormack-Skiba, CEO and founder of NYAXE, stated, "It's been my vision for years to make great art accessible to a broader audience through technology and the internet. I'm excited that we can empower gallerists and artists to expand the awareness of their fine art and help them connect with a new audience of buyers on a global level."

Links of Interest:
www.catmacart.com
www.myartspace.com
www.nyaxe.com
www.nyaxe.com/storeSellerSignUp.do

Advice for promoting and selling your art online

Below are some suggestions on how to improve your online presence-- these suggestions can be helpful in planning your strategy for promoting and selling art online:

1. Post links to your art!

Include a link to the art site(s) that you are using on every profile that you have-- every site that you are involved with. For example, if you have a profile on www.myspace.com or www.facebook.com make sure to include links to the sites where your artwork can be found. Thus, if you have an account on www.myartspace.com be sure to include that link on your Facebook or Myspace profile. If you are managing a New York Art Exchange (www.nyaxe.com) store from your myartspace account be sure to include your store link on those sites as well.

You will also want to include a link to your art on every post that you make-- be it a blog entry or comment on social networking sites. Be sure to include links on any email message you send or reply to. You can even use html code in order to place something like 'View My Art Here' or 'Buy My Art Here' on your profiles so that people will click on 'View My Art Here' or 'Buy My Art' in order to be taken to the site you desire people to view.

2. Build multiple online networks to promote your art!

Build networks on sites like Myspace and Facebook. By building networks on several social networking sites you will be able to use each of those sites as a vehicle for your art. Most of these sites will allow you to send links to several people at once in the form of bulletins, shared links, or group messages. Take advantage of that! However, don’t abuse it. You don’t want the site to mistake you for a spammer nor do you want to annoy people. Sending a weekly update about your development as an artist will suffice. If you are selling art online you may want to inform your networks of new listings. Maintaining social networks is a great way to reach hundreds or thousands of people at once.

3. Write about your art!

Use a service like www.blogger.com or www.livejournal.com in order to create a blog/journal about your art. Post entries about your art, exhibits that you will be involved with, and your thoughts about the direction of your work-- include links to your artwork on every entry that you make be it a comment to another user or a journal entry about what you ate last night. Do the same on any art site that you are involved with if they offer blogs or journals. As mentioned before, it is always good to end an entry with your name followed by the links you desire to promote.

Remember that you don't always have to write about yourself. Anything you mention in an entry can help improve your placement in search engines. If you associate yourself with a specific artist, style, or movement be sure to write about that and the connection you feel that you have. By doing that your name may show up on searches for those respected influences on search engines like Google. Again, by including your name and links to your art on these entries you will greatly improve your search placement. In other words, each entry will help improve your online presence. Remember that establishing your online presence will improve your chance of selling art online.

4. Alternative press is a good thing-- Seek it!

Seek out art zines that may feature your work online. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of these to discover-- and don't dismiss art blogs! As you can tell by my interviews(www.myartspace.com/interviews) artists from all walks of life and stages of career have found value in what bloggers, such as myself, can provide as far as exposure is concerned. I've interviewed artists who are virtually unknown and artists who have had their work sell for over a million dollars at auction. These artists may not share artistic direction or financial status, but they all share an acknowledgment of what online exposure can accomplish and a desire for the recognition that the Internet can provide.

Many art bloggers will be more than happy to make a post about your art if you contact them. Sure, you may desire to be covered by a major art magazine... but until that day comes-- if it comes --the art blogosphere is the next best thing-- if not the best! An art blog article, review, or interview can bring a continuous flow of traffic to your website for years to come if you include links to your art. In other words, an article about your art on an art blog will most likely be viewed by more people than an article about your art in a magazine. Recognition is just a few clicks away! The times have changed.

5. Combine efforts, work together with fellow artists!

Forming an alliance of sorts with like-minded artists can benefit you greatly as far as online exposure is concerned. If you admire the art of your friends be sure to include a link to their work on your profiles and make sure that they do the same. Working together you may decide to create a profile, blog, or website that represents all of the artists involved in the group. A page that includes links to each respected members art is of great value-- especially if each member includes that link along with their personal art links when posting on the sites they are involved with.

Art groups have popped up all over the net alongside self-declared art movements. Artists unified under a common goal-- in many cases exposure for each member --have worked with great success on auction sites and other online resources. There are other benefits to a union like this... for example, if you are unable to find time to go online you will know that your name is still being spread by your friends. Gaining exposure online can sometimes be a battle... it may very well be a fight that is best not fought alone.

6. Find the time to promote your art online!

Some individuals feel that the Internet is an addiction best left avoided. However, if you want to gain exposure for you art-- both online and offline --you really need to find enough time to promote yourself. Spend some time each day posting links to your art, uploading images of your art, commenting on the work of others and building networks on the sites you are involved with. A half hour of concentrated promotion of your art each day will really pay off as the years go by. After-all, you can't build your online presence if you are not online.

One of the best ways to promote your art online is to maintain a blog that is focused on your artistic practice and interest. If you are actively writing about your art on a blog you will be able to take advantage of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In other words, you will increase your chances of being indexed by search engines. Again, this is time well spent.

7. Avoid throwing money away on 'how-to' art marketing books!

Don't waste your time and money on 'how-to' books that are focused on gaining exposure for your art online. I'm sure there might be some that are worth your time and cash, but I've yet to find any. That money is better spent elsewhere for your online marketing/exposure efforts. For example, you could spend the money on website construction or a premium account on www.myartspace.com. There are many online art communities... find the one that works best for you.

I've mentioned my dislike for 'how-to' art marketing publications in the past and have received some delightfully angry responses from authors of these types of books. Why do I say to avoid them? Because they are often over-priced for the information they contain-- information that is often not current with the times and that contains 'helpful' links that are no longer active... which is not very helpful at all-- especially when a $19.95 price-tag is involved!

I take this position because if you do a Yahoo or Google search for 'art marketing advice' or 'gaining exposure for your art online' you will most likely discover everything mentioned in these books and more-- for free. True, those books may contain personal experiences that the author has had researching (note, researching) online marketing and exposure tactics, but more often than not you will discover that the author is not an artist and therefore has not had any direct experience marketing or gaining exposure for art online.

Many of these books are also written by authors who have a business motive hidden within the pages of their book-- that being their $100+ per month art consultant service which is often mentioned in one of the final chapters. This is why I take a hard stance against these books and in many cases their authors-- and before you say that I have a motive note that I make it very clear that I write for www.myartspace.com. Also note that you did not have to pay $19.95 to discover that fact. Also remember that membership on myartspace is free. Premium service on myartspace is just an option.

Instead of buying a collection of art marketing books you would be better off researching online art marketing and exposure on your own. Discussing marketing and exposure tactics with other artists that you meet online is also a great way to discover free information about promoting your art online. The only thing it will cost you is the price of internet connection and time.

In closing, there are many things you can do to promote your art online. Each step can improve your chances of selling art online. This includes, creating free accounts on every art site that offers free membership, creating a blog or two about your art, using social networking sites to build a network, posting links to your art on art forums, and if you must invest money, invest it in a personal website or paid-membership on an art site that you deem worthy of your hard earned bucks.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

Mistakes that Artists (and art dealers) Make When Selling Art Online

Mistakes that Artists (and art dealers) Make When Selling Art Online

The art market of today is very different than the art market of the past. Today artists, art dealers, and other individuals can utilize the power of the internet in order to forge alliances with peers and to sell their art by exploring eCommerce capabilities. In most cases a personal website is not enough to be successful when it comes to selling art online. Thus, individuals need to promote themselves on high traffic art websites that demonstrate professionalism within the context of the mainstream art world. However, finding an online ‘home’ for selling art does not mean that your work stops there. An entrepreneurial spirit-- with the drive and ambition to succeed-- is needed.

As many of you are aware, www.myartspace.com is preparing to implement eCommerce capabilities. That is why I have decided to tackle some of the mistakes that artists and others make when selling art online. Below are what I consider to be the most common mistakes that online art sellers make when it comes to listing their art for sell-- these mistakes can easily block your efforts when it comes to selling art online. These mistakes can drive potential buyers away:

Lack of image descriptions: Believe it or not most art buyers, especially those making a purchase online, desire to know information about how an image was created and the motivation behind the creation of the image. Unfortunately, many art sellers leave options for image descriptions blank instead of taking advantage of the opportunity these options provide in order to offer more details to potential buyers. Thus, sellers need to take some time offering information about the work they are selling in order to be more successful selling said artwork online. This does not mean that the information has to be of any great length-- it simply means that online art sellers need to condition themselves to offer more content. Content is king online-- and that goes for selling art as well.

Lack of an artist statement: The lack of an artist statement does not say much for the artist or the artwork that is being sold-- literally. This is especially true for emerging artists who are not yet 'known' to the general public. Thus, having an artist statement that is easy to access online can drastically improve the chances of selling art online. Don't be afraid to write about yourself if you are selling your art online. If you are selling the artwork of others it is still important to offer as much information as you can about the artists you are representing online.

Lack of online networking commitment: In order to be successful selling art online one must be committed to online networking. Online networking is important for establishing a presence online. This is accomplished by taking advantage of networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and even myartspace in order to introduce yourself to, and establish rapport with, potential buyers. Also, by networking online an artist can establish connections with other artists who may have crucial information pertaining to strategies for selling art online successfully. To put it bluntly, you don’t exist if you fail to social network online in the market of today.

Lack of consistent pricing: Most of us would like to sell art for the same prices as Damien Hirst or another mainstream established artist. However, that is not exactly a realistic approach for pricing your art-- especially if you are only pricing works that you are extremely attached to in that manner. Thus, artists and other art sellers need to be realistic and consistent about how they price their artwork online. If your attachment to a specific work of art is blinding your judgment on pricing it may be best to not sell that specific work until you are ready to let it go. Also, while it is tempting to ask high prices for specific works the simple truth is that it is best to be consistent with pricing. In other words, if you have sold work for $500 it is best to stay in that price range. Once you raise your prices remember to be consistent with all of your prices.

In closing, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of art sites that an artist or art dealer can choose from in order to increase his or her chances of selling art online. However, the wise online art seller will focus his or her attention on art sites that are geared toward professionalism-- art sites that can prove their significance with an established track record of mainstream artworld involvement. Focus on art sites that have been involved with major contemporary art fairs because that often means that high profile collectors are aware of those sites. Only a select few, including www.myartspace.com, have been involved with art fairs directly. By utilizing art sites that are embedded in the mainstream artworld and avoiding the mistakes mentioned above an individual will greatly improve his or her efforts in selling art online.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com