Remembering the Collectors

Collectors Share a Special Bond with Artists

At this time of the year, when San Francisco artists prepare for Open Studios, it is good to remember the bond they share with collectors.

When you purchase a piece of art, clothing, jewelry, or recording from an artist, you are taking a piece of that experience home to live with you. Every time you wear, or listen, or walk by the art, memories of the time and place and shared spirits return.

When you buy a recording from an artist at a club you remember who you were with, what you wore, how much you danced, and how happy you were, each time you play the music. You relive the night over and again and again. That is why people who do not buy music at a store buy CDs from a band at a club. It is not about the music or the band. It is the night that they want to capture.

Artists set the stage with flowers, food, wine and music, and invite the public to participate as guests. These informal gatherings encourage social interaction, unlike the hushed formal atmosphere in most galleries and museums. Art events are special places, where people go to meet and mingle, to engage in conversations and share ideas.

People who need to look for a primarily red painting that goes perfectly with the red and green striped couch that sits in a beige room on a deep burgundy carpet, carry out those tasks elsewhere.

Informal encounters and memories of the good times are reflected in art that hangs on the wall, around the neck, or plays on the stereo. Living with their art keeps collectors in touch with the creative spirits.

M Eliza