The names are great but is there some method in the exercise of your 'passion'?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Najee Dorsey on June 19, 2010 at 12:48am

We started buying what appealed to us visually but over the years we've started focusing on work by more established artist that have been actively working and exhibiting for decades and that have been documented in books on african american art and that are in other strong collections. The last 5 or 6 works we've added to our collection have been 1stringfellow, 1 delsarte, 1 denmark and 1of his portfolio collection and the langston hughes portfolio by phebe beasley and a piece by an emerging artist. We still buy what appeals to us but it's more selective...

Permalink Reply by Faith Ringgold on July 1, 2010 at 10:30pm

I rarely buy art because artists are my friends and we are generous so we trade pieces. I have a large wonderful collection of artists work I love. I don't think about artists being established only-- Do I love the work? Who knows what will survive history? Its a gamble. Young people are often rotated and dismissed. As a young person I was simply ignored which is worse unless you are in it for the long haul. So on the one hand being an artist is a way of life. Nothing is guaranteed especially to the young. On the other hand a strong body of work and a long un interupted dedicated life as an artist is about as much guarantee as one can hope for. "I did it my way" is the mantra. In the final analysis with any luck you hold the keys to your future. Just stay in place.

Permalink Reply by Patric McCoy on July 2, 2010 at 4:15pm

I buy art and encourage others (even artists) to buy art because in this society, artifacts and aspects of the culture are not appreciated unless there are some numbers associated with it. That is not to say the I believe good, important visual art should be or has to be expensive.... there just has to be some number other than free. I have accepted a few gifts of art from artists that I have bought a lot of pieces from in the past but I do not encourage artists giving me art. And I always pass on the wisdom of Attorney and Art Collector Clarence Wilson - that artists should not just trade pieces but trade pieces and checks so that there is always documentation that their pieces sold.

I agree on your position about buying the "established artists" only. We, as AA Collectors should be about, through our collecting and grapevine communicating activities, continually establishing artists.

Permalink Reply by Kiela on December 8, 2010 at 8:31pm

I recently found out that according to the IRS a trade of product or service is technically supposed to be documented, and value recorded as income for taxes to be paid on its value. Would this accomplish what you are saying Patric?

Permalink Reply by Faith Ringgold on July 2, 2010 at 9:26am

I think when you talk about collecting you should name names. I have David Driskell, Elizabeth Catlett, Bob Blackburn, Sam Gilliam, Aminah Robinson, Romare Brearden, Jacob Lawrence, Margaret Burroughs, Samella Lewis and much more

Permalink Reply by Najee Dorsey on July 2, 2010 at 9:31am

For me and most people it's a scarfice to collect art and I don't mind letting other's know how serious I am about my love for art and without people seeing other's collection the best way to discribe the level of commitment one has for the arts is to share names....

Permalink Reply by Patric McCoy on July 2, 2010 at 4:34pm

Why do you say it is a sacrifice for you and most to collect art?

Permalink Reply by Patric McCoy on July 2, 2010 at 4:33pm

I talk about collecting all the time and do not feel compelled to name those names as being in my collection. I understand and appreciate to the highest artistsic Innovators, scholars, trailblazers, reference artists and influences but a conversation about collecting does not have to be a recitation of a list.

Permalink Reply by Faith Ringgold on July 7, 2010 at 8:30am

To Patrick: Not only is it important to name the Artist you collect but to identify the art with the Title of the Art, the Date, and the Medium. Actually the Period, Genre and anything else that can establish the historical and or cultural significance of the art you are collecting is crucial to the value of your collection. I can't imagine a serious discussion about collecting art without knowing the "who, what, when where and why" of the collection.

Being an artist my self I don't collect in the way "collectors" do -- I trade. I have a huge collection of wonderful art. I also have a Foundation (Anyone Can Fly Foundation) to preserve the legacy of Master African American Artists. Many artists and collectors donate art to the cause. The Foundation will take on the "Emerging" artists in years to come when they reach maturity and beyond. There are other foundations dedicated to emerging artists. Najee is correct we need to share names of important artists we collect since MOST PEOPLE don't know the name of one living artist.

Permalink Reply by Patric McCoy on July 8, 2010 at 4:57pm

Faith Ringgold

I wholeheartedly agree that you should name the artists that you collect (and all of the other documentary information) but that was not my comment. My comment was why do we have to name those names to indicate or validate that the speaker is a collector? For the last 20 years when I hear or read about African American art collectors I get essentially the same names as though the collector is reciting from a list. Let me reiterate that I love the work of Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Charles White, Dox Thrash, Samella Lewis, Barthe, Richard Hunt and many many more master artists. "All praises to our creative geniuses"

And I encourage everyone to get exactly what they like from whatever artist, time period, genre, etc. That variety is what makes a culture rich. I have over 300 different artists' works in my collection but I don't have those names. Does that diminish in any way the importance of my collection?

I'm always looking for the 'collector' to identify names that I have never heard of before... that warrant investigation. To me the collector is the best agent for the artist because the collector's voice is a seminal culturally important voice. The collectors in Diasporal Rhythms love to talk about the Chicago artists like Joyce Owens Dalton Brown, Juarez Hawkins, Marva Jolly, Dale Washington, Faheem Majeed, Julian Williams and on and on that we collect ...and those artists from other places that have been introduced to us like Skip Hill in Oklahoma City, Mason Archie in Indianapolis.

As a collector, Najee had the opportunity but did not use it to inform us about an 'emerging artist' that he recently collected ...yet I had heard from many collectors in Chicago about Najee well before I met him.

Permalink Reply by Najee Dorsey on July 8, 2010 at 5:17pm

Patric, this is the work of one of our member artist. His name is Michael Smith and I really love his work. I've been tring to get him to focus on more the fine arts but he also loves to tattoo. The piece above I got from Michael several months back....

Permalink Reply by Najee Dorsey on July 8, 2010 at 7:09pm

Patric, correct me if I'm wrong but didn't I list Charly Palmer, Ernani DeSilva and Allen Stringfellow. Their not usually the names you see when people are reciting a list of artist. Well maybe Stingfellow if your in Chicago.

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