by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Remember the days when commerce meant trading a pig for a bushel of corn?
Bartering is making a comeback in Springfield, where artists are using the concept to support the local arts community. Dubbed The Art and Bills Concept, the idea is to have a sizable art show linking the price of an artist’s work with their expenses.
Here’s an example of how it works: an artist tags their work with a parenthetical reference to the bill the purchase will pay for, say car repairs. The purpose is to underscore the obstacles — financial and otherwise — artists must overcome to survive. There is no price cap on works for sale.
“The show is illustrating what we are working towards,” said Tony Allegretti, director of marketing at Theatre Jacksonville and executive director of Springfield Arts & Living magazine.
“We wanted to demonstrate what the money is going to and how it helps someone who’s struggling.”
As one of its founders, Allegretti wants Art and Bills to be a recurring event for emerging artists. To ensure as many participants are included as possible, entries are limited to two per artist. The deadline for submissions is Saturday with selections to be made by July 20. The event is scheduled for Aug. 3 from noon to 6 p.m. at a yet-to-be determined location in Springfield.
Allegretti became involved during a Springfield Preservation and Restoration home tour where several pieces of art were sold. The experience gave him the confidence to help other artists.
“A lot of these guys work two jobs and have kids,” he said. “All over town they produce semi-professional art. I think it will help the city culturally to see these things.”
Artists selected for the show will have full discretion in terms of pricing their work. Large pieces may go towards paying down a mortgage, while smaller pieces may be used for art supplies, groceries or day care services. Those participating will be charged a commission by Springfield Arts & Living, a new not-for-profit quarterly magazine which supports the performing and visual arts community. The first issue premiered this summer and contains a cultural calendar, resources to find non-profit agencies and stories about Springfield. The magazine will also strive to introduce educational programs to youngsters to supplement current public school art programs.
“Art and Bills is sort of a way to strengthen the bridge between patrons and artists,” said Allegretti. “There’s art sold in town but it’s mostly high-end stuff only the upper echelon can afford. We have so many artist friends trying to get work out but there’s not many small or non-profit galleries around. We wanted to create a landscape where artists can make work available and affordable.”
The group’s mission is to house, host, produce and promote artistic events to increase the benefactor pool and make the arts accessible to everyone.
Operated from the live/work loft complex at 1951 Market Street, SAL’s organizers intend to schedule a program of summer events. A bazaar featuring a national recording artist, a theater and a tiki bar are some of the ideas being discussed. Separately, a performance piece is scheduled for December.
Its headquarters off 10th Street will be converted into a gallery with semi-permanent collections of a few local and regional artists. The gallery will be more in line with typical galleries and hold openings that rotate every six to eight weeks.
“1951 is where we’re running the shows out of,” said Allegretti. “The environment is a historic, distressed neighborhood. There is an abundance of square footage and we’re always looking to renovate. We are piggy-backing on [Springfield] development. We bring them [property owners] cool people and they bring us cool spaces.”
The modular show is in the process of presenting gallery works online. If the Art and Bills concept gallery proves successful, the organizers will present the idea more often.