still life # 9 ~ get onboard, the train's a-comin'
Monday, July 27, 2009 at 09:48AM 
Bowl of fruit and produce lit by lamp • click to embiggenOK, let's get down to business, re: folios / let's swap.
The recent scorched-earth economic landscape that we all find ourselves inhabiting has been particularly hard on those things that might be labeled as frivolous - a new cellphone every 3 days, a really big flat-panel tv in every room, expensive "designer" clothing, and so on. One other major casualty that many might consider to be "frivolous" has been the art world, Big and small.
The word is that in that market revenues are down 70-80%. Galleries, new and old, large and small, are closing their doors. Some believe that the once vibrant Chelsea Art District is about to be given over to "junkies and whores". Maybe. Maybe not.
But, there is no denying the fact that sales have fallen off the bottom of the chart and that definitely includes the stuff in the Photography Division of that world. My friend Michael Gordon who derives at least some portion of his living from galleries sales - albeit it in the "lower" rungs of that system (which to say, not in the NYC/Big City scheme of things) - mentioned in our recent get-together that he had lost a couple galleries that sold his work. I assumed in the context of our discussion that he meant that those galleries had closed.
In any event, it is against that background and my long-time position that one of the medium's inherent characteristics that distinguish it from other genres is its ability to create an endless number of "originals" - a fact that should / could make it possible for prints to be priced within the reach of a modestly endowed ($$$$-wise) "collector". Alas and chagrin, this characteristic has rarely been explored by anyone other than the street-fair crowd but it does seem that the current state of the art market has lead some to at least start considering new ideas or the possibilities thereof.
Hence and to wit, my idea of the folio sales / exchange proposition. IMO, the web is the perfect place to start this endeavor because of its low startup and overhead costs. And, quite obviously, it is also possible to reach a very large audience on the web in relatively short order and, once again, at relatively low cost. All of these costs and issues are not a big deal.
The BIG DEAL is getting enough participants to get the whole shebang rolling and this where I could use your help - my free folio prints offer still stands and it could be expanded to include more recipients, and, while I still want to get this up and running ASAP, I am also willing to extent the timeframe for the free prints in order to accommodate those who are interested but not quite prepared to act so quickly.
I could also use your help in getting the word out about this endeavor - links on blogs / websites / mentions on photo forums and the like would be greatly appreciated. This truly is a situation where "the more the merrier" is the operative rule.
I am absolutely convinced that time has arrived for something new, re: the cost of collecting photographs. I don't think that the "old" gallery system will disappear (although it will be greatly reduced in numbers). Photographs will eventually and most likely still sell again for mucho $$$$ (again, in significantly reduced numbers). A "new" system will not wipe out the "old" one - IMO, they can peacefully and profitably co-exist in a symbiotic relationship.
My intent for The Landscapist for the immediate future is to devote a great deal of time, effort, and entry space on this endeavor. So, once again, I ask - how about it?
Reader Comments (3)
There is, of course, the fear that my work isn't halfway good enough to participate.
How about an extension of the idea - instead of straight swaps, a collective. Each order a participant receives gives them a credit to order one of the other folios. Over time, more participants and multiple folios per person would extend the range of exchange options.
Of course it sounds like a good idea Mark but I don't know about waiting around for a bunch of people to say they are on board with you. I'm guessing that if you build it, they will come out of the woodwork. Would this be a site unto itself with an identity separate from The Landscapist?
I am in.