BY: QUENTIN STUCKEY
It’s odd to contemplate the idea that an artist as renowned as Vincent Van Gogh ever had to convince people to showcase his paintings. Or even a band so ingrained in popular culture like The Beatles ever struggled to find the right venue for their concerts. As consumers and appreciators of art, we can’t always fathom that these artists whose work we enjoy had to rise out of the ashes of obscurity and get “discovered.”
Without proper representation or having the right connections, it’s difficult to get the creative work out to the public. (Social media isn’t exactly what artists strive for in terms of showcasing their work). Everyone must start somewhere after all. But where do we begin? Is it reasonable to call up Massey Hall in Toronto and say “I’m the lead singer in this sick band, how would you feel about letting us perform there for one night only?” That may be an extreme example, but there is a new way for up and coming artists to have their work showcased easily and effectively.
Singer Julia Patinella performing in a New York City apartment as part of an Artery Showcase.
Artery is a recent online company which specializes in showcasing the work of people in a variety of creative industries including art, music, dance, theatre and poetry. Their motto: “every space is a stage” could not be more accurate. The website allows artists to connect to people willing to host events by lending out their spaces. The Artery website works in three simple steps.
The first step is to add an idea for an event or showcase which will be posted for discussion. From there members of Artery who are interested in your idea will connect with you and discuss factors such as a date, time and most importantly location! The final step is to launch the event on Artery inviting friends, family and other online members. The best part is that members pre-pay online before the actual address of the event is released (so the artist and the host make a profit even if it is a free event).
Spoken word poet Thomas Fucaloro performing in another New York City apartment as part of an Artery Showcase.
Thanks to this website you can host your events in unconventional ways and spaces. You could showcase your paintings on someone’s roof top, perform music on someone’s front lawn, host a poetry slam in someone’s living room; pretty much any space where you want to present your creativity.
Artery is still an up and coming company but with their innovative platform for artists’ work to be made public, it is a service that is certain to become useful to creatives all over the world. Visit their official website here to find cool Artery events near you and maybe you’ll be tempted to host one of your own. Visit their official YouTube channel to see more examples of the company in action.
