Fair Share Art

The landscape of our lives right now—which includes the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and the intellectual—feels increasingly less like a scape of solidity and more like a fluid, undetermined and still evolving one. But whenever terrain goes through a transition, something new shows up, invariably.

As we become seasoned pandemicists (albeit reluctantly,) we are learning the value of perpetually shuffling the deck of cards. What worked before is no longer a guarantee. So play a new hand. Then another. Then another.

I will remember the pandemic for many things, but one of the best lessons has been learning how to be a “both/and” artist. Time alone in the studio is essential, but there are other parts of an art making life that can be collectivized and shared with others. After a lifetime of being fiercely independent, I have now found a better way.

The best advocate I know for this both/and approach is Matthew Burrows, creator of the now legendary Artist Support Pledge. (If you are unfamiliar with Burrows and his project, read more here and here.)

Burrows is straightforward in talking about the challenges facing artists. As he has pointed out, value in the arts tends to focus on fame and wealth. That proclivity distorts healthy relationships with nature, society, and art itself. “In my view, that’s not the best way of being an artist, nor does it allow for art to fully play an active part in our community.”

In creating the Artist Support Pledge, Burrows created a context that was more in keeping with his values:

I think a lot of artists suffer because they end up being quite isolated intellectually, emotionally and artistically. So, I came up with a process for developing small groups of people – sometimes just three or four in a group – which could sustain one another. I thought that if we could develop a culture within each of those groups that was about supporting one another, and supporting the immediate culture around them, then this would create an energy and a capital of its own. I’ve been working with this idea of generating a culture of trust and generosity now for 12 years, and when I was coming up with the idea for #ArtistSupportPledge, those were the foundations I used. I thought: ‘OK, I’ve got this culture of fostering generosity, and I’ve got this network of artists who are ready to act.’ Once I had the idea, I began to put it out there, and I rallied everybody and asked them to get involved and tell everyone else. That’s basically how it worked.

That culture of generosity and mutual support is what Karen Fitzgerald and I had in mind in creating Fair Share Art @fairshareart, a new page on Instagram. Starting on September 1, this page will feature smaller works by talented artists, all priced at $250 or less.

Fair Share Art allows artists to sell their work to you directly. The initial 50 professional artists are all members of artist collectives in the Shim Art Network: Pell Lucy @pelllucyartists, Spliced Connector @splicedconnector and Odetta Digital @odettagallery. The art is posted for one month, first come/first served, with new work added every two weeks.

Bringing art and art lovers closer together is a win/win. All that is required for you to participate is an account on Instagram. If you don’t have one, it is easy enough to set up. Then stop in and find art, reasonably priced, that speaks to you.

“BUY ART FROM ARTISTS”

Here are a few samples of what will be available: