Art for the artists

Jon // November 19, 2008 // Advertising, Branding // No Comments

When people visit our agency offices, they always comment on the visual experience we present — they love seeing the vibe we create because it represents an escape from the traditional office environment.  Sure, we showcase our creative talents in advertising, design, PR, etc. by posting our latest and greatest on the walls.  While we are very proud of the work we create for our clients, and our clients love seeing it displayed, we need creative inspiration as well.

That’s why, when we’re not showing our own creative art,  we decorate our walls with original works by local artists.   We’ve collected some pretty cool pieces over the years from some pretty well known local painters and mixed-media artists — and many were obtained from the same place.  The San Diego Art Institute:  The Museum of the Living Artist is in San Diego’s Balboa Park, and their space displays works from local artists in variety of media and genres.

And here’s what’s cool.  Twice a year they have a fundraiser called C-Note, where they sell works donated by their artist members for $100 or $200 each — and many are even framed!  What is a c-note you ask?  Well, in urban slang it means a hundie, a benjamin, a 100 spot, a Texas dollar and a bunch of other nicknames for a one hundred dollar bill.

In this case, the C-Note is a free-for-all “art grab”, where they open the floodgates and everybody runs into the museum and starts grabbing art off the walls.  For those that don’t want to spill their wine in the process, the activity calms down considerably after the first 20 minutes and you can then leisurely stroll through and choose pieces you’d like to purchase. The only rule is that once you take it off the wall, it’s yours and you must buy it.  Throughout the evening, the walls are replenished a bunch of times as people take things down and museum staff puts new things up.  Most of the pieces are valued at much higher prices than the one or two c-notes they sell for, so you end up with art that immediately appreciates in value.  Seriously, it is a major deal and so much fun.

So if you have time, go check it out and support our local artists.  It’s a great way to add to your collection and help out a deserving non-profit in the process.  (And it’s a tax-deductible donation!)

It’s November 22 from 5-8 pm, but get there early….