The other day, I picked up a postcard from a local Portland store that had the words “Thirty!” on it. It was an invitation to purchase art on one night only. Thirty artists had painted thirty 8 x 8” panels in thirty days and were selling them for thirty dollars. Intriguing. The date was December 7, and it was supposed to start at 7:00 p.m.
I arrived at 6:30, and the place was packed with people. There must have been 200 people sardined into a small makeshift gallery. All the art was hung in a grid, and mixed up, so one artist was shown all over the room in the various parts of the grid. This was the preview.
At 6:45, we were asked to line up outside and wait so the staff could organize the sale. We lined up. We lined up out the door, down the street, around the corner, and down that street. And people still came. It was cold outside, but the mood was friendly. The potential customers were of all ages, too. I saw teens and greyed-hairs waiting in line.
When you think of it, an original work of art for thirty dollars is a pretty good find, and combined with the novelty of the sale, would be a great story to retell.
When the line started moving, I thought we would never have an opportunity to see the works. It took a while, because of the logistics of the sale, but we finally rounded the corner, walked up the steps, and into the makeshift gallery. It was chaos! The idea was to select the art, pay for it, and take it home that night. People were holding three and four squares, anxiously scanning the walls for additional finds. There was no way to see what was on the walls. This was not a gallery; this was a sale. People staked out their turf and would not move until they reviewed all that was on the wall in that specific place. I couldn’t see a thing.
Feeling really claustrophobic, I wove my way through the crowd and left. I hadn’t intended to purchase anyway, just look around.
But this was such a great idea! If all the art sold, that’s 900 pieces, at $30 each, the night’s take would be $27,000. Not bad for a one night stand. If the gallery took 50%, that would bring in $13,500. And, if my math is correct, each artist would make $450.
I sent an email to Flora S. Bowley who was the curator of this amazing event. I was curious. How did she get it done? Flora responded that she printed postcards and some posters. The artists, who received $20 per piece, or $600 if all 30 pieces sold, did a lot of the promotion. It was quite successful. They sold 700 of the 900 pieces. I am sharing this because I think it is such a great way to connect art with people.
Congratulations, Flora, the volunteers, and Portland’s great artists!