Art Business - Inside Out
Art in the Recession
The recession has deepened in Ireland taking its effect on all sections of society and on the Art industry since April 2008. Talking to many Gallerists the mood is low and future prospects don’t look all that healthy either! Sales are falling with Artists and Galleries cancelling exhibitions and dropping each other in favour of new talent. There is a point to be made that the government in Ireland is doing little or nothing to stimulate growth or help small business even to the point where it has admitted, that raising the VAT rate to 21.5% was a mistake, but then not correcting it in the last budget.
So why should business wade in when there is no support from the administration?
The Art business is unusual in that, while it works the same as any other business in terms of commerce, its takes its raw material from a resource pool of artists where the reason d’être is to stimulate , provoke thought and to comment socially.
This is where the Art business can turn, not only to find help and inspiration, but in a symbiotic way encourage their charges to get to work revitalising the public interest and awareness in Art. But Artists need support and while many galleries have done rather well in the last decade it is now time to repay their previous good fortune by investing in their own future and supporting their artists.
It is time to get out of the Galleries and go public with their Art. To show that there is still an Art business that is interesting vibrant and more importantly that Art has something to say and is worth investing in.
There are many vacant buildings not only around Dublin but also countrywide that are crying out for an Art installation, guerrilla Art exhibition, music, recitals. Public areas that could be used for symposia and public art display involving the community in an inclusive way though master classes and demonstrations by some of the best artists in the country.
I would propose that particularly in Dublin that the Gallery’s get together to formulate plans for an Art Festival over the summer months that gives something back to the community while raising their own profile. Currently all the art colleges from NCAD in Dublin to Crawford school of art in Cork are turning out their latest batch of graduates all of whom are keen to meet the Art world head on.
Between all the networks of contacts shared among the Galleries, there must be a patron who would be willing to give the use of suitable premises to host an extensive Art Festival both inside and out for all kinds of artistic endeavour and instruction.
Isn’t the Art Industry missing a trick here by not turning itself inside out?
David Kirwan
Artisan Frames
