Buy/Collect: Arts Patronage in Minnesota: The Exhibition

Buy/Collect: Arts Patronage in Minnesota
April 11 - 25, 2009
Curated by Yuri Arajs & Robyne Robinson

@ Bookman Stacks
345 Sixth Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401

There’s a difference between an art buyer and art patron. Both may have an aptitude for certain genres and ideologies of art. And of course, both can write out a check to buy any work that moves them. But that’s where the similarities end.

An arts patron readily accepts the role they play as an activist – not just for an individual artist, but for the entire arts community. That role as an activist also comes with a certain amount of responsibility – and risk.

The relationship between artist and patron is indispensable – it’s a collaboration that has traversed the centuries; we’ve come quite some way from the patron solely providing the artists’ livelihood, but a patron still must have a deep respect for the artists’ concepts and ideas.

"The exhibit is based around Robyne's collection," says co-curator Yuri Arajs, of Placement Gallery. "Together, we went through her works, and selected 12 artists we both felt represented the range of artists in her collection. Buy/Collect will feature pieces from Robyne's collection, and 2 new pieces by the artist. Both the patron and artists will in turn write a paragraph about what the role of patrons inject in their lives and careers." Arajs says the documentation -- the first that addresses the role of the arts patron -- will be made available to the McKnight Foundation.

Another goal of the exhibit is to highlight the works in an environment that enhances and promotes the artistic relationship. Hosting the exhibition in the Twin Cities’ expanding neighborhoods such as the Bookmen Stacks in North Loop can expose and identify an increasing number of emerging arts patrons. The exhibition also speaks to the growth of the metropolitan area as an arts Mecca, as well as the financial growth and stability of Minneapolis-St. Paul – something Minnesota artists desperately need.

Join us for this exhibition exploring the patron-artist relationship, featuring work collected by arts activist/supporter Robyne Robinson, and new works by several of Minnesota’s ground-breaking artists. But/Collect is an aopportunity to give the community a chance to learn more about how both artist and patron feel about their professional - and sometimes personal - relationship; what role if any do they think the patron has in their career and/or their lives; why the patron supports their work; and if the patron’s relationship with the artist can provide a stronger socio-economically base to the broader community, as well as the arts community

The exhibition will also include artists’ talks and discussion panels with Twin Cities’ artists, historians and arts administrators from various galleries, museums and non-profit organizations.

Featuring work by:
Aesthetic Apparatus
Greg Dickerson
Luis Fitch
Frank Gaard
Matthew Madson
Ernest Miller
Ben Olson
Terrence Payne
Erica Spitzer Rasmussen
Amy Rice
Al Wadzinski
Anne Wood & Dean Lucker



Schedule of events
April 11 @ 6-10pm: Opening reception. Free and open to the public.

April 18 @ 2pm: "The Relevance of Arts Patronage". Panelists include: Emma Berg, mplsart.com; Amy Rice, artist; Frank Gaard, artist; Anne-Marie Wagener, Minneapolis Institute of Art; Sheila Smith, MN Citizens for the Arts.

April 19 @ 2pm: "The Growth and the Decline of the Contemporary Art Market in Minnesota". Panelists include: Greg Dickerson, artist; Sheila Smith, MN Citizens for the Arts; Martin Weinstein, Weinstein Gallery.

April 25 @ 2pm: "Designers & Galleries: The interdependence of Art & Design". Panelists include: Susan Wittine, Design Within Reach; John Alspach, artist/curator; Dan Ibarra, Aesthetic Apparatus Artists and Design Group.


Accompanying the exhibit will be a limited edition catalog featuring art work from all exhibiting artists, statements from these artists, and curatorial statements from Yuri Arajs and Robyne Robinson. The full color, 6" x 6" catalog, will be numbered and limited to 400 copies. It will be available for sale during the exhibition.