purpose
initiating personal relationships between artists and patrons for mutual benefit. letting these relationships freely grow into a nurturing network. promoting the arts/creativity as one of the human essentials, and its impact in daily life and society.
qualities
personal: because artists are highly sensitive and passionate individuals, a 'match' can only be made on that personal level. this requires specific qualities from the mediator. personal vibes decide here!
passion: all people involved should share a passion for manifesting something unusual. in case of the mediator it might just be the passion of matchmaking, at least a general interest for creativity/the arts is required. in case of the artist passion is usually never a question: the arts/creativity. in case of the patron: sHe should be passionate in general about the arts but also very specific and somewhat eclectic about to whom sHe wants to connect and whom sHe wants to nurture, but also from whom she feels inspired.
curiosity: questions and the process of manifesting solutions are important. are there new ideas? what's new? how can we find out? new ways? new levels?
openness: living in the moment means being surprised again and again. no art functions without this innocence. does life?
respect: the respect for life and work of all people involved is a must. actually, the patron should definitely feel inspired by ideas, concepts, work of the artist.
people involved
model 1
1) a mediator/communicator with a passion and skill for 'matchmaking' and the arts/creativity.
2) an artist, who is open enough to see a patron not just as a money cow but more like a collaborator.
3) a patron, who is really passionate about the work/life of a specific artist.
these 3 form the core 'cell'!
model 2
1) a mediator/communicator with a passion and skill for 'matchmaking' and the arts/creativity.
2) an artist, who is open enough to see a patron not just as a money cow but more like a collaborator.
3) a group of people, who is really passionate about the work/life of a specific artist. (if 5 people spent $6.000 -with a total of $30.000 tax deductible - this is basically enough for an artist to at least keep going, remember, an artist needs to pay for studio/materials, a musician for recordings, practice space, instruments etc.)
model 3
1) a mediator/communicator with a passion and skill for 'matchmaking' and the arts/creativity.
2) an artist, who is open enough to see a patron not just as a money cow but more like a collaborator.
3) a company, who is really passionate about the work/life of a specific artist.
how to start
on a very personal level:
1. the 'mediator'(communicator) knows either an artist(or some) or a patron(or more) and feels a connection could be made between an artist and a patron.
2. in case the mediator knows just one side(patron or artist), sHe has to find/search for an unknown match.
3. in case the mediator has just the idea and the enthusiasm sHe needs to find both sides. this could happen in different ways.
finding artists: preferably through personal performances(shows, concerts, publications etc.) of the artist, the mediator picks somebody he's interested in.
the web is not a bad place to search. its endless and confusing and shows a lot of mediocre art, but one can also find a lot of useful information.
ad: to spark interest for both artists and patrons to come out of their obscurity, an ad or/and a website may be launched. (while I was in ny I put an ad in the papers with the obviously provoking question: what is a genius worth?, which indeed caught the attention of some people.) the main point of the ad has to be provoking and sensitive at the same time, any 'marketing' approach will repel artists/patrons alike.
using resources: by attending shows/events/concerts one might get in touch with atrists/patrons or people who know somebody. looking through art catalogs/magazines etc the eye might meet the object.
finding patrons: looking up all sources of foundations, lists of art collectors ('art in america'), lists of wealth angels and wealthy people in general, lists and news about philantropy ('e-newsletters') etc.
once the mediator found somebody sHe is interested in sHe might get in contact with a person. neither the artist nor the patron/could/would do that: the artist because he always appears prostituting himself, the patrons because of discretion. once in contact sHe should be able to make a point if prepared properly with material about people/work and the general importance of art/creativity in today's society.
special areas of attention:
abundance: there is an interesting connection to be made between the abundance of an artist (talent, imagination, skill, passion, determination, perseverance) and a patron (network, money, skills, passion, determination, perseverance). as one can see, the last 4 qualities in the list are perfect 'matches'.
dangers: the one and only thing to avoid in art/creativity is generalization. authenticity and originality in life/work of the people involved find an unusually strong expression here. that is why art-historical comments don't actually say much about the work: abstract expressionism is a term like impressionism or minimalism which collects all kinds of sometimes highly diverse artists. the same applies to 'patrons' , 'collectors' etc.
ART IS PERSONAL!!
