Our latest in our series of Podcasts on the Art Market.

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Holiday Selections 2007
Trunk Show Saturday – December 1st of
Bonnie Buck Jewelry 1- 3 pm
November 6 – December 22, 2007
Not opened on November Gallery Night

There is a one-day trunk show, Saturday December 1st from 1 – 3 pm of Bonnie Buck jewelry. Meet the artist and preview the new sterling silver and pearl designed jewelry by contemporary Providence artisan Bonnie Buck. Elegant, affordable and quietly sophisticated, Bonnie’s jewelry makes the perfect addition to your holiday shopping list. Holiday refreshments served.

About Bonnie Buck:
Bonnie Buck is an artist of many talents. But as a silversmith she has a special aptitude. In the late 1970’s she relocated to Providence. Originally from Ohio, Buck received a BFA from Ohio State University and went onto Rochester Institute of Technology to study at the School of American Craftsman. The result is a twenty year history as a metal smith traversing the commercial arena and the fine art world.

Artists’ Statement
I enjoy the paradox of creating comfortable accessories out of hard metal by using shapes which compliment the human body, and by the use of fabric techniques in metal. The pieces are hammered, cast or crocheted, and move freely with the body. I am an artist who makes objects that are intended to be worn. The most common compliment is that, “Bonnie Buck’s work feels good on and is meant to function with the lifestyle of the individual who wears it.”

I have worked extensively within the fashion and jewelry manufacturing industry making products for reproduction as well as creating special runway items for the NYC fashion market. My work is high fashion jewelry and accessories of original sophisticated style; work which exudes flair and originality. It is art, craft and fashion that has been transformed into wearable ornament.

Bring warmth to your hearth this holiday season with our ample selection of historic and contemporary paintings, prints and jewelry by local artists. Holiday Selections 2007 runs from November 6th through December 22nd, 2007. The gallery is located in the Corliss Landing Building near the Point Street Bridge at 540 South Water Street in Providence, RI and is open 11-5 pm Tuesday through Friday, and 12-4 pm on Saturday. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

Podcasts are coming soon. We promise.

To view photographs from this event “Giclee in the Art Market” which took place on August 16th during Gallery Night Providence, please follow the link below.

http://flickr.com/photos/bertgallery/

During the exhibit “Who really creates the art market? – museums, auctions, curators, critics, artists, collectors or galleries,” Bert Gallery hosted two round table discussions to explore the art market from differing perspectives. There was much discussion among the panelists and the posted podcasts on bertgallery.com give you an opportunity to hear from the different constituencies. Despite much debate at the end of the second panel discussion, a frustrated audience member inquired,” But who really does create the art market? What are we to conclude?”

After listening to the programs and pondering this question on a daily basis for the past twenty-two years, I can’t resist editorializing and attempting to answer the question. First though, we need to identify the variables in the art market and then determine how they interact and ultimately what factors dominate.

The art market consists of the “makers of art” - the artists; the venues in which they exhibit work – museums, commercial and non-profit galleries; venues and people who sell their work – galleries, private dealers and auction; and finally, the people who “critique” artists’ work - the art critics and buyers of art.

There are two categories for artists – those that are “living” or contemporary, and those that are “dead.” The conditions for exhibition and sale of the contemporary artist and the dead artist are very different. For this discussion we will concentrate primarily on the contemporary artist.

For the contemporary artist, the traditional way to show their art and reach an audience to exhibit in a gallery, museum or non-profit space. The web has become an additional venue where artists can post images of their work on a website. Most artists seek to exhibit their work in galleries and museums. The standards for galleries and museums vary and are very competitive.

Non-profit gallery spaces usually give artists the most access to exhibit their work. Providence non-profits include places such as AS220 and the Providence Art Club. These galleries do their best to promote the artist’s work and give them experience documenting and showing their artwork. However, the non-profit gallery space’s primary mission is to promote, not to sell an artist’s work. Oftentimes an audience of viewers and buyers can be cultivated in these spaces. Also, an art critical review may help to document the artist’s work and bring attention to a wider audience.

Commercial galleries and museums are a more competitive and difficult arena for an artist to gain entry. For the commercial gallery, exhibits and artwork need to bring in revenue. There are a limited number of artists that a gallery can handle and while there are varying missions or goals for every commercial gallery, ultimately the artist’s marketability is crucial. Art sales are the sole source of income that pays bills and salaries; there are no fundraisers or granting opportunities to raise income for a commercial gallery.

Museum curators however, are not interested in commercial success, but in artists who they believe are exceptionally talented and contribute much to the development of art history.

For an artist to be successful, they must attempt to touch all the various arenas in the art world; exhibit in non-profit and commercial galleries, as well as museums, garner art critical review while their work is on view, and generate sales from buyers. Simply put, they try to build a resume that will result in both commercial and critical success. It is very difficult to achieve this kind of success in all of the art arenas.

In addition to the various segments of the art world, there are also different pedigrees of galleries and museums. Much like colleges and universities, there are “Ivy league” galleries and museums very well known across art communities for their excellence. Most of these are located in major cities, such as New York and London, where the art forces developed nationally and internationally due to history, talent and resources.

Then there are the local and regional galleries and museums. As you might guess, an artist has a higher probability of achieving widespread recognition and financial success if they move from the local and regional arena into national and international centers, very much like moving from the minor leagues to the major leagues in baseball.

Beyond the commercial and critical arenas, there are other factors that enter the formula in a major way. Contemporary artists usually sell their work in galleries and sometimes directly to buyers. Overall, roughly 50 % of all art transactions take place in the gallery market, the remaining in the auction market. While in the past art auctions were dominated by sales of “dead” artists, contemporary artists in auction now make up 18% of the yearly sales. So, in 2006 Sotheby’s reported annual sales of 3.75 billion dollars in auction income, with 18% in the category of contemporary art or 675 million dollars. Therefore, for “living” artists the secondary market-the re-sale of a work of art the original purchaser to a new buyer-may have an impact on the commercial market of an artist’s work.

So who really does create the art market? The answer is different for the “Ivy league” arenas of New York and London compared to the regional. In New York the museums, commercial galleries and art critics hold the most sway in bringing an artist quickly to notice. Art criticism in the New York Times is an important endorsement for an artist; a show at Gagosian Gallery or selection into the Whitney Biennale can pretty much launch an artist’s career. Large numbers of people come to see the artist’s work, regional curators take notice of what the major museums are showing and collectors purchase works from galleries who represent these important artists. For example, Richard Serra is on exhibit at the Tate Modern Museum in London – Gagosian has a sale of his work, the London Times reviews the show and Christie’s has works available for sale in their upcoming Contemporary auctions. In the “Ivy League” arena, usually the art forces align very quickly once notice has come in but one sector.

In Providence or other regional centers, no one art arena dominates, and the alignment of art forces takes time or may never fully coalesce. And if those art forces do indeed coalesce, then they may never extend beyond the region. A sell out gallery show creates local buzz but does not guarantee an artist notice in New York, among national and international collectors. Most of the time, museum curators and art critics do not flock to regional museums to see art exhibits or read local newspaper art reviews.

So for artists working and showing in their local communities the challenge is to try to achieve respect and recognition among nonprofit and commercial galleries, museums and local collectors and critics alike, and then work hard to segue into national markets.
If an artist perseveres and gains notice in a major art center - then the path to critical and financial success is not guaranteed but certainly increases.

All things considered, there is no one segment that “creates the art market” in most artistic communities, the only exception being the “Ivy League” art communities such as New York, London and a few other major centers. But even the status of “Ivy” in the art world changes, and reading the latest contemporary art magazines gives you insight to those shifting tides.

There are two recent trends that may significantly alter the field of the artist. First, the internet allows an artist to bypass “bricks and mortar” institutions and potentially reach a larger audience. Second, art criticism and art reviews in the printed press have significantly declined. Whereas artists twenty years ago enjoyed regular coverage in newspapers and community publications, the decline in coverage significantly restricts an artist getting recognition in their own community. Ironically, it is the emergence of the Internet, which has impacted the printed press, so it will be interesting to see if the web opens more exposure and opportunities for artists than the local press.

GALLERY NIGHT PROVIDENCE IN AUGUST!

WHAT: Gallery Night Providence’s 11th Season. Join us for a fun-filled cultural extravaganza. Nineteen galleries, museums and historic sites; eight convenient parking lots; live music; refreshments; art buses; celebrity guides and it’s all FREE!

WHEN: The Third Thursday, August 16, from 5 to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Meet at any one of the galleries and jump on the art bus, or park behind Citizens Plaza and walk to the front of building. The buses depart every twenty-five minutes or so.

AUGUST CELEBRITY GUIDES: Channel 12 News Anchor and art lover Karen Adams (5:30 p.m. Wickenden/Wayland); Congressman Jim Langevin (6 p.m. Gallery Z and downtown); and artist Kenn Speiser (6:15 p.m. East Side).

KAREN ADAMS is an award-winning anchor at WPRI/Eyewitness News. She began her broadcasting career in radio, but quickly moved into television news working as a reporter, anchor and news director for television stations in Missouri, Maryland and North Carolina. Karen is well known for her generous work in the arts community and the Rhode Island community at large.

JIM LANGEVIN: Recognized as a national and party leader on homeland security, health care and stem cell research, Congressman Jim Langevin has dedicated his many years of public service at the federal and state levels to the hard-working citizens of Rhode Island.

Born April 22, 1964, Langevin is the first quadriplegic to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the age of 16, Langevin was injured while working with the Warwick Police Department in the Boy Scout Explorer program. A gun accidentally discharged and a bullet struck Langevin, leaving him paralyzed. The tremendous outpouring of support from his community inspired Langevin to give something back and enter public service.

Langevin resides in Warwick, Rhode Island, and serves on a number of boards, including PARI Independent Living, Tech Access, The Rhode Island Shelter, the Hope Alzheimer’s Center and the Big Brothers of RI. Langevin is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Lions Club and Save the Bay. He graduated from Rhode Island College and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

KENN SPEISER is a sculptor with an international reputation whose interests range from public sculpture to the varied designs that line “security envelopes.” A common theme is the color and pattern that encapsulate us in the post-modern world. As an artist whose work features aluminum, asphalt and circuit boards he is an ideal guide through the urban landscape.

NEW EXHIBITIONS: Paintings by Sung Mee Lee at BankRI: Paintings by Deborah Scales at the Chapel Gallery; Preview of Santa Fe Indian Market at the Gallery at 17 Peck; Paintings by Areg Elibekian at Gallery Z; and Treasures collected on trips to Mexico and Guatemala: masks, textiles, and jewelry at Peaceable Kingdom.

HIGHLIGHTS: Honky Tonk Portraits of Country Music 1972-1981: Photographs by Henry Horenstein at the RISD Museum of Art; What is Original Art? Is it a Gicleé - a new exhibit at the Bert Gallery: and Origins, an exhibit featuring innovative individual and collective window installations by URI Art Professors Bob Dilworth, Aldridge Hansberry, Brian O‚Malley, Kim Salerno, Zoey Stites, and Blue Wade viewed through the URI Providence Campus Windows on Union and Washington Streets.

CLOSED in August: Bannister Gallery; Bell Gallery: Providence College Reilly and Hunt Cavanagh Galleries; and The Chazan Gallery at Wheeler

DIRECTIONS - From 95 North or South, take exit 22 and follow the signs for Downtown Providence. Go straight through the traffic light; you are on Memorial Boulevard. Take a left at the next light onto Exchange Street. Take your next right and then right again to park FREE in the parking lot of Citizens Plaza. It is the Metro Park lot with the booth at the entrance. Parking is available free as space allows.

PHONE: 401 490-2042
WEB SITE: www.gallerynight.info

taking a look
2007 Theme series

BERT GALLERY PROGRAM: A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION ON
“WHAT IS ORIGINAL ART?” FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND DIGITAL PRINTER

Thursday August 16, 2007 at
Bert Gallery starting at 6:30pm
On Gallery Night Providence

In exploring the theme What is Original art? Is it a Giclee?, there will be a round table panel discussion examining the opinions of areas photographers and a digital printer.
Rhode Island is home to many talented visual artists who pride themselves in being current on the latest developments in the art world. The introduction of “giclee” into the art market is a hot topic. Bert Gallery has assembled a group of artists, all photographers, to weigh in on their opinion of this process. Richard Benjamin is currently using digital printing for his work and Erik Gould dallies in all different photographic processes from silver gelatin prints, printing in the dark room to digital printing. Carmel Vitullo, who began her photography career in the 1940’s, lends perspective into the evolution of photography and developing images. Ted Pfeffer is actively working with many Rhode Island artists producing and managing limited edition digital photographs. Catherine Bert will moderate an open debate among the panelists and audience as to the pros and cons of this “giclee” process and whether it is a fine art process in photography, let along for the reproduction in the wider arena of watercolors and oils.

Moderator:
Catherine Little Bert: Owner/Director of Bert Gallery, Inc.

Panelists:
Carmel Vitullo: Rhode Island photographer
Erik Gould: Providence artist and the photographer for the RISD Museum
Richard Benjamin: Former Providence Journal photographer known for his photographs of Rhode Island sold exclusively by Picture This Galleries.
Ted Peffer: President of io labs, a Pawtucket digital printing company

The program is in conjunction with the Bert Gallery exhibit “What is original art? Is it a giclee?”
• On view July 10th – August 24th, 2007
• At Bert Gallery, located along the Providence waterfront at Corliss Landing, 540 South Water Street in Providence, Rhode Island
• Open Gallery Night: August 16th
• Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Friday from 11 – 5pm, Saturdays 12 - 4pm or by appointment. Exhibits are free and open to the public.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
Catherine Little Bert, owner and director of Bert Gallery, has passionately researched and written on the subject of local artists since the gallery’s founding in 1985. She has served as Co-President of Gallery Night
Providence and Chair of the National Advisory Board at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. She has consulted at exhibitions at the Fall River Historical Society, the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Newport Art Museum and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Carmel Vitullo is a local photographer who took most of her photographs in the 1950s, a time when photography was only beginning to become fully accepted as an art form. She grew up on Federal Hill and spend most of her life taking “Street Photographs” around Federal Hill, Providence, in Italy, and in Oakland Beach, California which are her most popular collections.

Erik Gould, in addition to being the sole photographer for the RISD Museum, supports his own artistic and commercial ventures at his photography studio in Pawtucket. He has presented his own work at countless exhibitions in the New England area.

Richard Benjamin began his photography career as publicity photographer for the Armed Forces Recreation Center. He worked at the Democrat & Chronicle papers and Newsday before settling at the Providence Journal in 1969. He started an early retirement in 1996 in order to pursue his passion for fine art landscape photography, specializing in Rhode Island imagery.

Ted Peffer has been the President of io labs, inc. in Pawtucket since 2000. The company presents services in Photographic, Fine Art and Display Imaging. He’s a former partner and Vice President of Concept Link Ltd, a printing company in Providence. He’s also worked for Faces Imaging and Charette ProGraphics. On the side he is a ceramicist and musician.

It’s Gallery Night Providence’s 11th season! Join us for a fun filled cultural extravaganza. Nineteen galleries, museums and historic sites; eight convenient parking lots; live music; refreshments; art busses; celebrity guides and it’s all free!!!!

WHEN: The Third Thursday, July 19th, from 5-9pm

WHERE: Meet at any one of the galleries and jump on the art bus, or park behind Citizen’s Plaza and walk to the front of the building. The busses depart every twenty-five minutes or so.

Bert Gallery Program: 6.30pm
Fine Art Digital Printmakers, a talk by Susan Fader of Ditto Editions

at Bert Gallery starting at 6.30pm

Artists, art collectors and dealers will not want to miss an informative lecture by Susan Fader, co-owner of Ditto Editions, one of the country’s leaders in Fine Art Digital Printing, located in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

In her talk, Susan will unravel the mysteries surrounding the fine art digital print process, explaining that it is more than scanning an image, color correcting and printing on a digital printer. She will demonstrate how recent technological advances will impact the understanding and positioning of digital prints not only as a reproduction method but also as a way that many artists create new work.

The program is in conjunction with the Bert Gallery exhibit “What is original art? Is it a giclee?”
· On view July 10 - August 24, 2007
· At Bert Gallery, located along the Providence waterfront at Corliss Landing, 540 South Water Street, in Providence, Rhode Island
· Open Gallery Nights: July 19 & August 16
· Gallery Hours are Tuesday - Friday from 11-5pm, Saturdays 12-4pm or by appointment.
· Exhibits are free and open to the public.

GALLERY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS: Honky Tonk Portraits of Country Music 1972-1981: Photographs by Henry Horenstein at the RISD Museum of Art; Paintings by Kathrine Lovell at the Bank RI Gallery; What is Original Art? Is it a Gicleé - a new exhibit at the Bert Gallery; Innovative Natives: New Works by American Indian jewelry designers and goldsmiths Melanie Kirk-Lente and Michael Lente (Isleta Pueblo at the Gallery at 17 Peck: and Origins, an exhibit featuring innovative individual and collective window installations by URI Art Professors Bob Dilworth, Aldridge Hansberry, Brian O’Malley, Kim Salerno, Zoey Stites, and Blue Wade viewed through the URI Providence Campus Windows on Union and Washington Streets.

CLOSED in July: Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College, Bell Gallery at Brown, Reilly and Hunt Cavanaugh Galleries at Providence College and The Chazan Gallery at Wheeler.
Celebrity Guides:

Cherry Arnold produced and directed the award-winning feature documentary, “BUDDY, The Rise and Fall of America’s most Notorious Mayor.” In 2005 Cherry launched Big Orange Films, a Rhode Island-based video production company specializing in documentary, educational and commercial films. Before returning to her hometown of Providence, RI, Cherry lived in New York City where she did marketing, business development and project producing for companies such as Barnes&Noble.com, Sony and the Warner Music Group. At the start of the Internet boom, Cherry helped launch and expand the New York WELL, an offshoot of the venerable San Francisco-based online community. Previously, Cherry’s company, Cherry Arnold and Associates, produced advertising work for commercial photographers and directors in New York City and Philadelphia, PA.

Richard Benefield is Deputy Director of the Harvard University Art Museums. Previous positions include assistant director of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design and administrator of the David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University. He is an accomplished musician and continues to perform occasionally as a concert organist, championing the work of contemporary composers. He is an avid collector of contemporary art, especially collecting the works of artists he knows personally. We are excited to have lured Benefield, who contributed so much to the arts scene in Providence, back home to help us appreciate the growth of the city’s arts district.

Wendy Edwards, a professor of art at Brown University, was educated in New Mexico and Philadelphia. She exhibits her work internationally as well as in Providence RI. Her artwork reflects an interest in pattern, decoration and repetition.

Peter Goldberg is a Providence-based freelance photographer specializing in editorial and commercial photography. Known for his non-obtrusive shooting style and for his ability to capture people in a comfortable and natural way, Peter shoots regularly for Rhode Island Monthly Magazine, The Clarendon Group, The Gamm Theatre, Brown University, Bryant University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Saint Joseph Hospital. From 2000 to 2002 Peter worked for Providence Mayor, Buddy Cianci, as the City Photographer. Peter’s photographs have been exhibited a number of galleries including The Rhode Island Foundation, AS220, Hera Gallery and The Providence Art Club. Peter graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1988.

Wm McKenzie Woodward
We are thrilled to have Mack Woodward, a native Texan, as a celebrity guide this month. Woodward has worked since 1976 as architectural historian for the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission He lectures extensively on both urban and rural topics throughout southern New England, and his audiences have included Providence Preservation Society, Society of Architectural Historians, Victorian Society in America, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His work has been nationally recognized with awards from the American Association for State and Local History and the Society of Architectural Historians. This promises to be a fun tour, for Woodward combines an intimate knowledge of Providence architecture with a robust enthusiasm for art and design.
Directions

From 95 North or South, take exit 22 and follow the signs for Downtown Providence. Go straight through the traffic light; you are on Memorial Boulevard Take a left at the next light onto Exchange Street. Take your next right and the right again to park FREE in the parking lot of Citizen’s Plaza. It is the Metro Park lot with the booth at the entrance. Parking is available free as space allows.

PHONE: 401-490-2042

WEBSITE: www.gallerynight.info

We hope to see you there!
Gallery Night Providence
www.gallerynight.info
401-490-2042