Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 3 - (Page 8)

>muse the business model behind full time art galleries. “If we decide we are going to do a show then I launch the show, hang the work, sell the work. I am the liaison between [the artist] and the collector, ” she said. the BLue gaLLery holds regular business hours during which Kuhn actively promotes and sells the work of some forty artists that her gallery represents. It’s a full time job, no doubt. If you’re familiar with art in wichita, then you know full time art galleries don’t stick around for long because we don’t have the market to bear it (or so we believe). Artists typically have extra jobs and will spend more money putting on a show than they typically make in a night. So here’s the crux of a major problem for emerging artists in Wichita who are looking to bump their careers to the next level: with so few full-time galleries, how do you sell your art? Answer: You learn to sell it yourself. One way to learn about the business side of art is to take up a residency at arts incuBator of kansas city (aikc), an organization which helps artists learn important business skills. With studio space for 50 artists and emphasis on developing a long-term business plan, aikc provides key support for emerging artists. “We bring in experts from whatever part of the arts industry—whether its public art, corporate art, museums, the gallery process—whatever that is, [artists] have access to experts in those industries who can meet with them and really help them assess what their next steps should be to progress and move on, ” said Jeff Becker, director of aikc. While I don’t expect everybody to join aikc and move to kansas, the incubation process is worthy of deeper consideration (and a visit, if you’re ever in the area). Developing a productive mentorship with a local artist whose work you respect is as close as a wichitan can get to being on par with ‘industry experts’ without leaving home. a walk around written by > MAnDe brADen PHOtOGrAPHeD by > LAnDOn tAyLOr the block nakedcity Utilitarianism. Usually I balk at the word but I’m using it here for the hell of it, just to describe the work of Dierk Van Keppel. Just to confuse y’all, because his work transcends the everyday ordinariness commonly associated with my grandma’s light fixtures. Dierk probably didn’t know it, but he puts (vicariously that is, through the art) the fun in functionality. Through the window from down below (before we went inside) we came across a sign: Lightworks. As a gallery space for rock cottage gLassworks, the gallery displays a range of stylish and intricate…glassworks. You can find anything from vases, tiles and the previously-referenced and ever-so-trendy hanging lamp (see cafe Modern in wichita for an example) to more artistic pieces, such as light-inspired wall hangings which are edged in neon. “Somewhere along the line you have to compromise to pay the 8 nakedcitymag.com > volume 1 issue 3 Peggy Noland—a clothing designer whose zany garments have grabbed the attention of club kids in aMsterdaM, boutiques in Moscow and tokyo and the fashion editors of Rolling Stone, Glamour and Spin—holds shop on the 100 block of west 18th street, just across the street from kcai. Although she has international vision, Noland had no experience running a business when she decided to open shop. “I needed to heavily rely on the people around me—the businesses around me—to help me out. I think that only in a city like this would someone tell you, ‘Well, here is my credit card machine guy—use him. ” You know what I mean? Like, ‘Here’s who we use to get our bags from—use them. ’ I think that’s kind of unique to this area and small towns because [my shop] could’ve easily been competition but people around here don’t necessarily see it that way, ” said Noland, who moved in next door to spooL, another independent clothing store. Although owner Kelly Allen does not make her own clothes, she buys limited edition items from local independent clothing designers and the remainder from independent warehouses in L. a. and new york. “first friday is great for the neighborhood, ” said Allen. “I think it’s a really cool thing that we can sort of bridge the gap between gallery and retail spaces. Its profitable for them, its profitable for us and it is an avenue for local designers to treat their stuff as art when people are showing up from the galleries right into these spaces and taking a look. It is a mix of two different worlds that sometimes don’t really get to coincide: retail and gallery space. ” >>> bills; if you compromise too much you get taken advantage of and if you don’t compromise enough you never get anywhere so its a tricky balance, ” said Van Keppel, who depends on commissioned works and contracts with two major manufacturing companies to make a living as an artisan. More than skilled labor, Van Keppel adds a satisfying, creative touch to his own work. It is a good example of functional art that becomes fine art. Although he rarely sells a piece during first friday—a phenomenon which tends to strike non-artists as surprising even when they have never purchased a piece themselves—he chooses to keep his doors open. Truth be told, the gallery crawl—whether you’re in kansas city or wichita—is a time to engender a sense of community. In wichita, many artists depend on each other to purchase or trade pieces; often, we represent ourselves to potential buyers who may attend our opening. But nobody likes to talk business all the time, art is supposed to be fun. Right? That’s where gallery representation comes in. Van Keppel, owner of the BLue gaLLery in kansas city, helped me understand http://nakedcitymag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 3

Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 3 Contents Muse - A Walk Around the Block Terrain - Geocoaching Uncommon Threads - Stylin' in Doodah Iconology - Illustrated Man Babble - Reporter's Journal Noise - Hearts and Bondage Cake - Road Trip Grub Juiced - Death to Analog Muse - The Art of Emprise Muse - Vision for a Beautiful City Muse - Hand2Hand Uncommon Threads - Matt Egan Male Model Spin - It Never Came Here: Brick Street - A Piece of Americana Noise - Metal Engagement Spin - Road Trip 10 Noise - Jason Aldern Spin - The Need to Read Make Me Blush - Personal Landscaping Lip Service - Ask the Ass

Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 3

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