CAMBRIDGE, MA - On June 12, a friendly group of artists and art enthusiasts gathered at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (CCAE) to celebrate the commencement of this year’s Community Supported Art program.
A brilliant concept whose tagline is “Invest in local artists, reap a harvest of art,” CSArt is one of a gazillion great ways that the worlds of sustainable farming and contemporary art seem to be colliding lately, and this one is literally in your backyard!
Borrowing a few basic principles from community supported agriculture, CSArt matches nine local artists with 50 shareholders who, at the end of the season, will acquire a bounty of limited edition, original artwork for the bargain price of $350. That’s NINE works of art…produced by talented artists from the Greater Boston area, that will nourish your mind and creative urges in the same way that farm-share produce fills your body with healthy, organically grown goodness. The art will be doled out in phases at three different shareholder harvest parties this fall, gatherings meant to cultivate new friendships as much as they do new collectors.
Oh, and did I mention that CSArts is also super entrepreneurial? Shareholders reap the benefits of starting or adding to their art collection and have the pleasure of knowing that their support provided an opportunity for these artists to get paid for their work, receive a great deal of exposure, and connect with the CCAE for business tips and networking opportunities to enhance their practice.
Artists like Will Whelan, who plans to create a series of swirly, process-revealing prints by transforming discarded, all-but-obsolete phone books into his impromptu sculptural blocks; Melissa Chao, who will channel her bookbinding prowess into fabricating a series of hand stitched journals – treasures whose pages beg to be filled with tales of everyday neighborhood adventures; and Kristen Belton Willis, who will fabricate rag dolls (sure to become family heirlooms) inspired by the strength, smarts, and courage of escaped slave Mary Walker, whose family owned the very house that is now home to the CCAE on Brattle Street.
There are still some shares available, but take my word for it, they won’t last! Visit the CCAE website today and don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to get in on the arts harvest action. And be sure to swing by the CCAE in July to check out this year’s exhibition of harvested art, which will be on view through early September.
Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?
For more information, please visit: Community Supported Art 2012
Cambridge Center for Adult Education
42 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 547-6789
Image Caption:
Eight of the Nine participating artists in CSArt 2012. Photo Credit: Mary M. Tinti
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