Defining Support - The Art of Buying Local by: Margaret Spivey & Tim Faulkner

One of the more popular motivational catch phrases making its way through the streets of Louisville these days is for us all to “Support Local Art” and/or to “Keep Louisville Weird”.  Although this is clearly a sentiment shared by every gallery, boutique, artist, and art related organization in the city, it seems to be losing momentum.  Perhaps the inundation of billboards, bumpers stickers and radio spots has created an atmosphere of complacency rather than compliance.  What exactly are we as a citizenry doing to follow this mantra?  One need only look at the I-264 exchange at Shelbyville road to know that we have yet to forego the Mall in search of that perfect gift.  Why, during this busy holiday season do we not avoid chain operations that offer nothing more than a conformist approach to giving? What about our own homes?  Are they filled with distinctive, original pieces that help define what is culturally unique to the city of Louisville or the homeowner?  If we truly want to keep art local, rather than simply sound supportive, then we had better do more to encourage “local” citizens to invest their dollars in more than your typical Wal-Mart print. Perhaps local denizens can be encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and experience some of the truly unique spots that Louisville has to offer on a regular basis, rather than only frequent these places on “special occasions”.  Art lives on

Market street

everyday of the week, not just on First Fridays.

Defining how one can support local art goes farther than a catchy slogan. How many of those Volvos driving around the highlands, sporting a buy local sticker actually own an original piece of artwork?  We all have décor adorning our homes, we all try to display a sense of ourselves on our walls and we have all purchased these items somewhere along the way.  Did we truly spend our money wisely?  Even if Art is not a major focus in our individual lives, each dollar we spend locally only strengthens our city’s economy, and therefore, these should not be wasted dollars. No one is suggesting that people not take vacations to other cities or make purchases outside Louisville.  However, when we do decide to buy, we should first consider our own backyard.

Many of the cities top local artists show outside of Louisville and for good reason, because only by doing so can they make a living, and therein lies the major problem.  Why should gallery / boutique owners in Chicago, Indianapolis or Cincinnati benefit from the toils of Louisville’s best?  We have a deep well of artistic talent here and those patrons (including Louisvillian’s) who travel, and spend their dollars in these other markets only perpetuate the problem, regardless of the bumper stickers they may sport on their SUV.  Supporting local art means exactly that!  Spend your dollars here. There isn’t a single gallery in Louisville that would not work diligently to find whatever “special” piece a client might be looking for.  There is no reason, other than vanity, to shop outside our own market.  Just because a painting sells in New York or San Francisco, does not inherently make it a better work of art.  Per capita, all of these major markets have a larger selection of mediocre work for sale than Louisville.  Lucky for us, Louisville is not a tourist destination

 for art buyers.  We have the privilege of creating an art scene primarily for the benefit for those who live here.  Make no mistake, we would like to become a center for regional art buyers, but that can only happen with a firm foundation created by local support.     

While the economy is certainly shaping up, one must simply look to places like Bardstown road to find vacant store front where once familiar local businesses resided.  This is what happens when we stop supporting local anything.  We have a major responsibility to ourselves and to the future of our city to ensure that Louisville does not become another cookie cutter community.  The next time you plan on going shopping, stay off the Watterson and head downtown to Market street, or Butchertown, or Bardstown road, or one of the many other pockets of deserving local business districts, then your bumper sticker is justified.