Well, it's clearly a tongue-in-cheek editorial, but insulting. This guy probably thinks it's OK to download music from Napster for free. I'm glad he got as many responses as he did.

I am curious about the prices, though. Was this a juried show, and art only, or part of a larger venue like a county fair?

Ann Arbor is the grandfather of all art shows. At this point, there are five major shows running simultaneously and approximately 2000 exhibitors, spread over the city. All five shows are highly juried but the quality ranges, as it does in most art shows because each show has it's own subjective jury. But that's not the point. The writer is clearly more turned on seeing work by dead artists who died poor instead of experiencing meeting and seeing the work of live working artists who have mortgages.

I see the point, Larry, but I was curious about the show for a reason. I was the fine arts superintendent for the Coconino County Fair in Flagstaff, AZ for the last three years, and it was rare to see a price for any work exceed $500. The show was not juried. I thought the price difference might have something to do with differences between the two shows, since I couldn't believe that western artists were worth any less than eastern artists.

If you get a chance to walk the Tempe Fine Art Festival - Dec 2-4, you'll see a mix of quality but more high end art than you're used to seeing at a county fair. I know a lot of artists who do shows similar to yours because they have a low end "turnover" item. Both type of venues are feasible for the artist trying to earn a living selling their work. They're always looking for a market that matches their marketing.

Yeah, well, unfortunately that is one of the problems with selling "art" to make a living -- the right price is one that someone is willing to sell it for, and someone is willing to buy it for. And, since what is "good art" is so subjective, and since we have so many "starving artists" shows where they are selling mass reproductions, the view of what the "right price" is can get sort of skewed.

But, somehow, I suspect that Van Gogh, Renoir, and even Rembrandt had similar thoughts back in their day.

-Ed T.

Thanks for the link. I agree totally with the writer. Being more interested in the business-end of things, I wonder what the actual $ales were by these "artists"?

You're posting to a four month old thread. You need to be more clear what you agree with or disagree with so it can stimulate a discussion.