If you are looking to start an art collection, exploring the Short North Arts District is a great place to start. With their new campaign, ‘Start With Art’, the area is hoping you will do just that. The marketing is in celebration of the Short North Arts District’s 30th anniversary, right on the heels of the 30th anniversary of Gallery Hop which was noted in October of 2014.
“The ‘Start With Art’ campaign celebrates a truly unique collection of galleries that underscores and celebrates the heritage of our vibrant city,” said Betsy Pandora, executive director of Short North Alliance in s statement. “We believe the Short North Arts District’s art scene improves the quality and richness of life not just in Columbus, but throughout the region.”
Christopher Burk’s latest body of work ‘Connected’, captures the story and spirit of Columbus with paintings that keep -and even sometimes focus on- the wires woven throughout the airspace of the city’s urban fabric.
“Symbolically, I utilize wires as the symbols, even in the archaic sense, of the connectors of our city and how they intertwine each community into one,” says Burk. “My work showcases the various and unique urban spaces around town.”
Burk has been represented by Brandt-Roberts Galleries since September 2013 and was voted Columbus Underground’s Best Local Artist of 2014.
“Although there are many things that can inspire a space, art continues to be the best place to start,” says Michelle Brandt, owner of Brandt-Roberts Gallery. “The diverse selection of the Short North galleries continues to be a dynamic place to find those artworks that will inspire and enrich for a lifetime.”
“We have customers who bought art when the Short North Arts District first opened 30 years ago and can still see something new in a piece,” says Pandora. “Buying art enhances life and brings daily joy.”
While it was created to celebrate the district’s anniversary, Pandora hopes the “Start With Art” campaign will rejuvenate efforts to help collectors expand and share their collections across Central Ohio and beyond.
“Living near the Short North Arts District is amazing,” say Lisa Craig Morton, the owner of Victorian Village Guest House on Neil Avenue. “The district continues to grow and change. It is vibrant and full of energy and it keeps me feeling young.”
Morton began her -now impressive- art collection in November of 2006 with purchases from the Sharon Weiss Gallery, who recently celebrated twenty years in the Short North Arts District.
“I had never bought art before,” she says. “I had bought a lot of antiques and had purchased a number of things from Sharon Weiss. I trusted her, so I asked her about ‘how to buy art’. She was so helpful and unintimidating.”
Some key tips from Weiss include buying art that you love. Not buying art for investments or because the artist is ‘hot’. Buy because you love the piece and you want to live with it. Prices are not necessarily firm and sometimes you could negotiate and make monthly payments.
“I really don’t buy much stuff anymore – I just buy art,” says Morton.
To participate in the #StartWithArt contest, share how art has inspired you and your life by using the hashtag, #startwithart on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram through February 28, 2015. The Short North Alliance will select four photos from those submitted and ask Facebook friends to vote for their favorite. The photo with the most likes will be featured on the home page of the all-new Short North Arts District’s web site in April.
For more information on Christopher Burk’s work, visit ChristopherBurk.com.
For more tips on starting an art collection, view Columbus Underground’s Young Art Collectors series.
For more details on #StartWithArt, visit ShortNorth.org.