Making Art More Accessible for the Average Person

I’ve been thinking a lot about a post I read last month by Kesha Bruce, How Can Artists Bring Art Back to “Everyday People.” In it she reminds us:

Let’s face it folks—in spite of street art, community art projects, and rising museum attendance, the art snob factor in the world of visual art is still sky high.

Many people find the idea of buying original art scary and foreign. Even though I’ve shown my work in galleries and museums, I still find them off-putting at times. No wonder there is a belief that art is something only the wealthy have. But anyone can have art in their homes, it’s just a matter of priority and finding where you are comfortable. You may not be able to have your exact first choice art, but you can have things you love and that enhance your day to day life.

What Can I Do?

Kesha Bruce thinks a lot of it comes down to building great relationships with our audience. I agree, but what does that mean on a day to day basis?

Here are a few things I’ve been doing:

• Sharing more about how I make art on this blog
• Showing my art in informal settings
• Showing some of it unframed
• Allowing people to rearrange and handle it
• Reproducing images as super affordable prints and cards

Things I’m working on

• Writing artist statements and labels in plain English
• Showing more of the relationship of the pieces over time

What Else Could I Do?

What makes looking at or buying art more comfortable for you?