Duo aims to make art collection accessible and affordable

Kerry James Marshall paintings sell at auction for millions of dollars But Minnesota-based curator and collector Esther Callahan has a slightly more affordable plan When the U S Postal Provision releases its th Black Heritage stamp in featuring Marshall s portrait of poet Phyllis Wheatley Callahan will head to her local post office to buy a stack of sheets I can t collect an original Kerry James Marshall she mentioned But I can get a whole bunch of those I can frame that and be like I got Kerry James Marshall in my house The project reflects Callahan s efforts along with her friend Keisha Williams to expand what art collecting looks like and rethink who gets to be a collector Together they are the BLK Collectors aiming to preserve reclaim and celebrate Black creativity We re about finding pathways to enter the world of collecting which doesn t have to be buying the million-dollar painting Williams reported during a up-to-date Zoom interview It can be collecting prints going to local art fairs building relationships going to studios going to sales going to Art-A-Whirl and seeing what s available Our ancestors knew what it was to build neighborhood and sponsorship from within she revealed So how do we step in at this moment and say This is where our values are and this is where our money should be going Related Sale of Northside art studio represents the joining of two legacies Callahan and Williams met at the Minneapolis Institute of Art when Williams was the curatorial department assistant and artist liaison and Callahan was a curatorial affairs fellow They were part of a squad that curated Mia s Mapping Black Identities which opened in As a part of the exhibition they invited participants who shared the artists cultural and ethnic backgrounds to shape the visitor experience They saw the project as a model for how museums could strengthen cultural competency and district engagement After her time at Mia Callahan spent five years as co-director of the Emerging Curators Institute and now curates independently Williams is the director and curator at Minneapolis College of Art and Design s galleries and exhibitions But the work they did together is still an major connection point Williams revealed We re still rooted in being part of a society supporting artists that we live and work with and really uplifting Black and BIPOC voices in everything that we do When Mia opened Giants Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys see my piece about it here something sparked for Williams and Callahan Beatz and Keys flat out revealed they were described to collect white artists They were described to invest in Warhol because it was just about expenditure not about a reflection of society not a reflection of their own values Callahan explained They re an influential couple that could do something about it So they decided to shift what artwork they owned and who they owned it from Conversations inspired by the show helped crystallize BLK Collectors mission It was a prime opportunity to say OK people are talking now in a more open way than maybe what we ve seen in the past Callahan announced People are intrigued So now s the time Related Music icons Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys share their collection of Black art with Mia At the June Soul of the Southside Festival the BLK Collectors curated an exhibition that featured artwork by local artists of color at affordable prices More not long ago Callahan and Williams are featured in Soo Visual Arts Center s annual Collect Call exhibition inviting Minnesota collectors to share specific of their pieces with the citizens Historically collectors have made a donation to pay for their wall at SooVAC but Callahan proposed an alternative approach asking a donor to cover the cost for collectors who can t afford it Esther Callahan s wall L to R Eyenga Bokamba eyengabokamba Christopher Harrison christophereharrisonartist Stephanie Watts wattsupvp Sammy Jean Wilson sammyjeanw Yvette Griffea-Gray yvelen and Nailah just nailah Keisha Williams wall L to R Anika Hsiung Schneider anika h schneider Jill Kittock jillkittock Valton Murray valtonmurray Lindsey Kusterman lindseykusterman Genessis Roxanne Lopez genlopezart Suyao Tian suyaotian SooVAC director Carolyn Payne liked the idea and offered BLK Collectors two walls For hers Callahan chose to feature prints by Black artists It was really significant for me to show that you can have and collect really beautiful work that doesn t have to cost you an arm and a leg she mentioned Williams approached her wall as a story about collecting As someone who has been collecting her entire life from folk art to Snoopy figurines she craved to include a true variety She chose pieces like a ceramic by Annika Schneider and an early watercolor by Suyao Tian to display alongside pieces she s purchased online It s all about there is no right way to collect art Williams reported On Nov SooVAC will host an event led by Payne and BLK Collectors focused on how to start an art collection and become more engaged with contemporary art including building connections We re talking about background significance provenance and how to endorsement local artists Callahan reported The idea they say is to make collecting more accessible for everyone The event takes place Thursday Nov at p m at SooVAC Bryant Ave S Minneapolis free Reserve your spot here The post Duo aims to make art collection accessible and affordable appeared first on MinnPost