Artlink Phoenix will provide a new platform for art enthusiasts to engage with local art and artists through its first installation in a new series of Collector’s Tours starting Friday.
The event will include a guided trolley tour of three downtown Phoenix art galleries: Modified Arts near Roosevelt and 5th streets, Willo North Gallery near Thomas Road and 7th Avenue, and Jackson Street Studios near Jackson Street and Central Avenue.
There will also be intimate discussions with the featured artists and curators. The event costs $35.
In contrast to the free public events of First Friday, the fee may seem high. Yet, according to Artlink president Mike Oleskow, the tour offers a level of exclusivity not found in the First Friday scene.
“It’s a little more private, a little more intimate,” Oleskow said. “You can actually talk to the artist and hear their inspiration and thought behind their pieces.”
Robrt Pela, curator for Willo North Gallery, echoes Oleskow’s view on the distinction between First and Third Fridays. The Collector’s Tour is “less about just hanging out in the art scene on First Friday and more about the art,” Pela said.
The crowd will be different as well.
“People who are collectors and who are less invested in the fun of First Friday are going to be the ones who are discovering us and will hopefully come back,” Pela said.
Besides providing art enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to make a personal connection with highlighted works, the program benefits Artlink, local galleries and featured artists. Because Artlink is a nonprofit organization and relies on community contributions, the revenue generated by ticket sales will help fund its arts initiatives.
Pela said the Collector’s Tour will provide Willo North and other galleries with a higher profile among collectors. Rather than Roosevelt Row’s conglomeration of galleries usually frequented during First Friday, Willo North is more of a destination for those looking to interact with art. This, Pela hopes, will be the Phoenix collector’s domain.
Willo North will be featuring thematically similar exhibits by Phoenix’s Christy Puetz and Carolyn Lavender entitled “Fauna/Fauna.” Puetz said she looks forward to her exhibit, “The Lost Forest,” being included in the first Collector’s Tour.
Inspired by vulnerability and isolation, Puetz emphasizes her desire to hear viewers’ emotional responses to her work.
“I love listening to collectors or anyone who comes to my shows. How do they perceive my work? What are they taking home from it?,” she said.
Lavender’s work is self-described as a “miniature retrospective” and was produced from 2003 to 2011. She also said she is looking forward to observing and reflecting on others’ reactions and appreciates the opportunity for a dynamic interaction between art, viewer and artist.
“Even for myself, it always changes my relationship with a work when I get to see the artist and get to hear their voice,” Lavender said.
The tour may prove lucrative for individual artists as well.
“Quite honestly, a lot of people will only buy art if they’ve talked to the artist,” Oleskow said.
Though Artlink’s Collector’s Tour may be more appealing to the serious collector or the experienced viewer, participating galleries and artists encourage anyone interested in local art or the creative process to attend.
“I think it’s really important to not disparage people who just really are about the art scene, because those are the people who, one day, are going to be the next collectors,” Pela said.
“Anytime there’s another way for more people to access art, I think that’s great,” Puetz said.
Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite. The tour will begin at 6 p.m. at the Phoenix Art Museum, located at Central Avenue and McDowell Road, where a trolley will pick up attendees and take them to the galleries.
Contact the reporter at emregan1@asu.edu
