Curators and Art Collectors.

The Ulrich very recently had a special guest come in and speak with some of their high-end donors; I was lucky enough to sit in with them. The speaker was an art collector and commissioner from Kansas City who had a lot of experience with the dealing of art. Oddly enough, most people of her profession work as both gallery operators and merchants. Much like a car dealership, they put their best material out on display for people to look around and "test drive". As she had said, the main focus of her career was to find new and emerging artists before they reached fame. By doing this, she could not only contribute to their growing fame and gain reputation for herself, but also obtain some of their artwork for a cheaper price. Her role in the economy of the art world became very apparent.
The audience itself was also very interesting. As the slide show continued displaying multiple galleries and works of art that she had contributed to, some of the patrons of the Ulrich commented and even named the artists before she even spoke. Some, however, simply appreciated the stimulus of the images. For some strange reason, I felt extremely out of myself. Suddenly I was in the direct vicinity of the very people who actually spent $500-$5000 on a single piece of artwork--something I could never even dream of doing. It became very clear to me that the lifestyle of an artist was maintained primarily by these patrons, and it was almost necessary to be in close contact with an art dealer in order to survive. The life of an artist is part vision, part skill, and a good deal of personal advertisement.
-Aerica Van Dorn