Buying vs. Collecting

Most people know how to buy art… you see, you like, you buy. But a ‘collector’… How do you know if you’ve been collecting art and not just buying it?

Marie Craig uses cyanotype, a primitive photographic process that embraces the unpredictability of the sun, wind, and water. In rooting her artistic process in nature’s forces, Craig explores our interconnectedness. Through Craig’s work we are reminded of nature’s resilience as well as the urgent concern for its equilibrium. See Craig’s most recent work in Fountain Street’s May 2019 main gallery exhibition “Secrets of the Unseen.”

It takes real dedication and a clear mission to collect art. Now, this shouldn’t scare you off. You most likely already have this dedication, and may actually have been collecting art for a long time.

Ask yourself a few basic questions:

• Why do I like the kinds of art I'm buying?

• Is the work newer, older, or local?

• Is the majority of the work on paper, paintings, ceramic, sculpture?

• What about it satisfies me?

• Is it the artworks’ subject matter that interests me?

• Is it communicating a call-to-action that is compelling?

If you can identify common links throughout the work in your home, congratulations, you’ve created a collection!

Allison Maria Rodriguez is a first-generation Cuban-American interdisciplinary artist working predominately in video installation and new media. She creates immersive experiential spaces that challenge conventional ways of knowing and understanding the world. Her work focuses extensively on climate change, species extinction, and the interconnectivity of existence. See Rodriguez’s most recent work in Fountain Street’s May 2019 main gallery exhibition “Secrets of the Unseen.”

As you notice commonalities in the kinds of work that move you become more conscious of how you respond deeply to certain artworks rather than others. Recognize the ways these patterns influence your purchasing decisions, and let that awareness guide you as you consider what to own next. It’s this intentionality that makes you a collector.

Whether you are early on in your collecting, or years into the journey, be true to your tastes. Enjoy having the work in your everyday space! You’re not a museum, so you do not have to be a purist.

And every now and then, color outside the lines!