WALL STREET JOURNAL

AT LEISURE MAIN AUGUST 14, 2006, 12:09 P.M. ET
YOUNG AT ART
New Groups Ease the Way For Aspiring Collectors
By ANNELENA LOBB
Leyla Marrouk, a 29-year-old attorney at the New York office of the firm Clifford Chance, says she always has
enjoyed visiting museums and galleries, but her hectic work schedule rarely leaves her with enough energy to
just drop by. Last fall, Ms. Marrouk began looking for a way to deepen her connection to the arts. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Apollo Circle, for patrons age 21 to 39, appealed to her, but she was daunted by its
$1,000 fee. “As much art as there is in New York, there aren’t many ways to get involved in an unintimidating manner,” she
says. Through a college alumni connection, she heard about an organization called the Contemporaries, which brings
together young professionals with an interest in contemporary art for educational and social events. Ms.
Marrouk has been a member for about a year. She says she might join the Apollo Circle one day, but that the
Contemporaries has provided her with an engaging alternative. Young-collectors’ groups like the Contemporaries that target newcomers to the fine-art world are multiplying, fueled by growing wealth among under-40 professionals who are interested in buying art, but who might be put off by its perceived elitism. The new groups, often created by young professionals themselves, position themselves as demystifiers, offering novices how-to lectures about collecting and opportunities to socialize. They say their aim is to serve as starter organizations to grow the ranks of arts enthusiasts and feed museums’ patronage efforts. Some groups target individuals in law, finance and business, giving young professionals a
chance to rub elbows and get hooked on art as their salaries climb.
For museums, which depend heavily on philanthropy and for decades have cultivated emerging donors and
collectors through their in-house patrons’ circles, the growth of independent groups poses a challenge. On the
one hand, increased interest in the arts ultimately could enhance museums’ ability to attract new patrons. On the
other hand, young arts aficionados might never develop the institutional ties that lead individuals to become
significant contributors as their wealth grows. What’s more, the newer organizations have come on the scene as
arts institutions compete with public health, education and other causes for donations.

Museums for years have run their own arts-patronage groups to
court under-40 members. Besides art itself, the organizations often
emphasize fundraising and acquisitions, with the belief that some
of today’s young art enthusiasts will be tomorrow’s significant
donors. At New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Junior
Associates run campaigns to raise capital for the museum. The
group raised around $1 million for the expansion of MoMA’s
building facilities in 2004. Some members of the Guggenheim
Museum’s Young Collectors’ Council sit on its acquisitions
committee and help select new pieces for the museum, says Abby
Lawler, who organizes events for the group.
In contrast, the independent organizations tend to concentrate
solely on education and collecting, and don’t have a fundraising component. They spend time with pieces new
collectors can purchase, rather than works that fit a major museum’s budget. “I saw a need for a group that
focused on collecting, rather than looking at pieces a 30-year-old could never buy,” says Rodney Reid, who
co-founded the three-year-old Contemporaries while at Harvard Business School. The New Collectors’ Circle,
which launches this fall and is affiliated with Ramsay Fairs, a company that runs several contemporary-art fairs,
combines events like Pulse, a contemporary-art fair held in New York and Miami, with gallery tours, lectures,
and curatorial walk-throughs.
In general, museum development officials say their in-house groups are better places for young arts enthusiasts
to get started. “Art fairs are a great place to go and look at collecting, but it’s a commercial perspective,” says
Bettina Korek, who chairs the prints and drawings council at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and who
helped launch Avant Garde, its patronage group for people under 40, three years ago. The Guggenheim’s group
offers new collectors an opportunity to cement strong relationships with curators, says the Guggenheim’s Ms.
Lawler, who help develop every event.
But museum officials also see the potential for outside groups to act as feeders for their own organizations. Both
the Guggenheim and New York’s MoMA arranged recent events for Summer Art Circle, another new group,
whose members are summer law-firm associates. Kianga Ellis, the group’s founder, says she aims to create a
pipeline for museum arts-patronage groups like the Junior Associates or the Whitney Contemporaries. She plans
to launch another group, the Young Patrons’ Collective, in October, for professionals under 40.
Young-collectors’ groups are emerging as the art market has soared: Last year, fine-art auctions brought in $4.2
billion world-wide, an increase of 15% over the year before, according to Artprice, an auctions tracking firm. The
Contemporaries’ Mr. Reid, a 28-year-old investment banker at UBS Warburg, says that some members have
begun to collect more seriously since joining.
“They don’t collect purely as investors, but you notice the
potential,” Mr. Reid says of the group’s members. He now owns
about 60 works of art, 10 to 15 of which he bought over the past
two years.
At a July gallery talk for Summer Art Circle, founder Ms. Ellis
started a debate among the lawyers in attendance about the risks in
buying pieces by very young artists, who might gain early fame
only to see the value of their work sputter by age 30. She
encourages participants to start collecting. “Once you make that
financial investment, it makes you serious,” she says.
Phil Selden, a summer associate at law firm Willkie, Farr and
Gallagher in New York, went to several Summer Art Circle events
Paul Brissman Photography
Members of Summer Art Circle attended a Phillips
de Pury & Co. auction preview in June.
The Contemporaries
The Contemporaries at a gallery reception in July.

Before taking part in the group, he hadn’t had much experience with the visual arts beyond museum
visits and a high-school studio-art class. He says the group gave him the know-how to find galleries in New York
with art he likes. “I’m much more comfortable with art now,” Mr. Selden says. “So much of this was about
access.”
Summer Art Circle’s Ms. Ellis and the Contemporaries’ Mr. Reid both expect that at least a few of their fledgling
collectors eventually will become prominent arts patrons. Mr. Reid says he is confident that some of the
members of the Contemporaries will land on museum boards in the next 10 to 15 years, in part because so many
of them have the kinds of lucrative career paths that would make such largesse possible.
“Some of us will be there,” Mr. Reid says. “I aspire to that role myself.”
Write to Annelena Lobb at annelena.lobb@wsj.com

Washington, DC bases political strategist and PR executive Ryan Prucker will moderate Wednesday’s panel discussion Anger and Politics at Eye Level Art’s 103 Gallery. Prucker is the president of Imagelight, a full service public relations firm out of Washington DC and New York, as well as a regular contributor to Fox News Channel, Entrepreneur Magazine, PR Online and more.

Read more about the Wednesday’s discussion, meet the panelists, reserve your spot and submit a questions here.

See Ryan speaking on Fox News below:

Eye Level Art’s 103 Gallery has a slew of events this May, don’t miss out on any of them. But with deals like these…why would you?

Music

Tik Tok & Michael Trent (May 15) : The traveling musical side show Tic Tok will be stopping by the 103 gallery with their brand of Eastern European chamber folk. Usually known for busking in Berlin and caravanning across the country Tic Tok promises to bring an adventurous evening of music paired with the singer/songwriter talents of Michael Trent (The Films, Shovels & Rope).
Free admission and 3 complimentary drinks for Special Single, Couples, Artist, Patron and Special Patron Members. 2 Complimentary Drinks for Single Members and 1 Complimentary drink for Student Members. Doors are at 8pm. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Cotton Jones & Jason and the Juggernauts (May 20) : Often referred to as a musical sound of Johnny Cash and Washed Out rolled into one, this confident and melodious duo Michael Nau and Whitney create a blend of indie pop and psychedelia while adding a folky and experimental twist. Well-known and celebrated for their live shows, Nau and McGraw craft jazzy folk peppered with pianos, strings and organs, fused with soft vocal harmonies. After listening to Cotton Jones live, one is usually left wondering why every year can’t be 1967. Free admission and 3 complimentary drinks for Special Single, Couples, Artist, Patron and Special Patron Members. Pre-sale Ticket Price at the Door ($10) and 2 Complimentary Drinks for Single Members and Student Pre-sale Ticket Price at the Door ($5) and 1 Complimentary drink for Student Members. Doors are at 8pm. Tickets are $10 in Advance, $12 at the door and $5 pre-sale for students with valid ID.

Stella by Starlight (May 27) : Stella by Starlight professes a special sound, seemingly fusing the magic of electro-pop bands with a more radio-friendly vibe. Frontman Nate Fowler developed the band’s psychedelic pop sound as a solo project while attending Duke University, where he was awarded with the MTVU Woodie Award for Best Music on Campus in 2007.  Free admission and 3 complimentary drinks for Special Single, Couples, Artist, Patron and Special Patron Members. Pre-sale Ticket Price at the Door ($8) and 2 Complimentary Drinks for Single Members and Student Pre-sale Ticket Price at the Door ($5) and 1 Complimentary drink for Student Members. Doors are at 9pm. Tickets are $8 in Advance, $10 at the door and $5 pre-sale for students with valid ID.

Kiss the Sky (May 30) : Eye Level Art will combine the talents of 11 Charleston music heavyweights for Kiss the Sky on May 30 at the 103 Gallery on 103 Spring St. Inspired by the legendary musician, Jimi Hendrix, the ensemble will perform songs inspired by the influential artist’s music. Free admission and 3 complimentary drinks for Special Single, Couples, Artist, Patron and Special Patron Members. Pre-sale Ticket Price at the Door ($10) and 2 Complimentary Drinks for Single Members and Student Pre-sale Ticket Price at the Door ($5) and 1 Complimentary drink for Student Members. Doors are at 9pm. Tickets are $10 in Advance, $15 at the door and $5 pre-sale for students with valid ID.

Classes

Work From Life with Christopher Dotson (Mondays 6:30-8:30pm) : Perfect for the established and learning artist alike, learn with as much or as little instruction as you’d like. Bring your own supplies and Eye Level Art supplies a nude model and easels. Members price $12.00, regular price $15.00.

Yoga with Harry Dinwiddie (Tuesdays 6:30-7:45pm) : Learn from Charleston yogi Harry Dinwiddie as he guides students through a vigorous, but beginner friendly work out. Never tried yoga before? Not a problem! Come with an open mind and enjoy the work out. $10 for Members, $13 for Non-Members. Note: Tonight’s Yoga class is canceled, yoga will resume next Tuesday May, 18.

Visual Art + Special Events

State of Shock (Opening Reception May 14) : A new exhibition at Eye Level Art’s 103 Gallery will present a radically different type of exhibition to the Charleston audience. State of Shock by Fletcher Crossman imagines a time in which President Barack Obama has been assassinated, and explores the angry and sometimes violent responses to this event. Opening Reception 6:00-9:00pm. Exhibition runs through June 2.

Movies on the 103 Green (May 26) : Your favorite out door movie series is back! Join Eye Level Art for a screening of the romantic comedy Under the Tuscan Sun at the 103 Gallery. Bring your own bottle of wine or case of beer for a $5 corking fee and enjoy Italian treats by Newton Farms Catering. Free admission and waived corking fees for Members. Tickets are $5. Doors at 7:30pm

Eye Level Art Gallery Coordinator, Caroline Millard, was a columnist in this week’s Charleston City Paper with her opinion about Charleston’s “free” mentality.

Eye Level Art was featured in today’s Charleston, South Carolina City Guide on the national blog, Design Sponge. The entire article is wonderful, especially the bit about us, read it here!

Holy City Artists & Fleas
June 12 – 13, 2010
Noon – 8pm

EYE LEVEL ART 103 Gallery
103 Spring St
Charleston, SC 29403

::ABOUT::
Inspired by a recent visit to Brooklyn, Eye Level Art is excited to premier a new concept to Charleston’s creative community. Perfect for the trend-hunter, purveyors of cool and those wishing to indulge in Charleston’s true creative spirit, Holy City Artists & Fleas is an open market for our city’s creative community.

Open to artists, vintage clothing brokers, fashion & jewelry designers, screen printers, record labels, crafts people, chefs and more Holy City Artists & Fleas will allow locals to buy directly from new and emerging vendors and talents.

::VENDOR COST::
Vendors receive 100% of their sales.

Space Size : 10’ x 10’
Cost : $80.00/day
$150/Saturday and Sunday Combo

Space Size : 8’ Table
Cost : $25.00/day
$45/Saturday and Sunday Combo

Vendors may rent tables for $10.00 per day, or may bring their own.

::QUESTIONS & ANSWERS::

What kind of schedule can vendors expect?
Vendor load in and set up will begin promptly at 10:30am with doors opening for business at noon. If a vendor is late, participation in the market that day is at the discretion of Eye Level Art. The market will close at 8pm. Vendors must be out of the gallery no later than 9pm.

Are vendors responsible for staffing tables/booths?
Vendors are completely responsible for their space at Holy City Artists & Fleas including set up, staffing, sales, breakdown, and clean up of their space.

Will Eye Level Art take any commission from vendor sales?
No. Vendors receive 100% of their sales.

How do I become a vendor?
Email caroline@eyelevelart for a vendor application. You will be contacted within 24-48 hours.

When are registration/payment due?
Registration and payment (by check or cash only) are due by May 28. Applicants will be considered, space permitting, after May 28 and are subject to a $20.00 Late Registration Fee. Vendors will be placed in the order of their registration, register early and get your pick of the best spot for your wares. There are vendor spaces available inside and outside the gallery.

This sounds like a cool concept. But I can’t participate that weekend.
Eye Level Art plans to make this a monthly event. We hope you can join us for the second market!

I still have more questions…
That’s okay. You can email Caroline at caroline@eyelevelart.com She will be able to answer any additional questions.