Acquiring Art on the Internet, Part I

NEW YORK—We begin our series on acquiring art online with quite a remarkable discovery: a site where collectors can actually obtain art for free. The Fine Art Adoption Network [FAAN] seeks to find good homes for fine artwith absolutely no cash changing hands.

The process couldnt be simpler: You go to the site, subscribe for free and then start browsing for works youd like to own. And theres some excellent work on view: wonderful collage paintings by Jennifer Cecere, poignant photographs by Jessica Schwind, drawings made from sequins by Natalie Moore and colorful, pleasantly Tuttle-esque sculptures of painted wood from Pam Lins. Collectors with a back yard or oversize apartment may be interested in Sheryl Orings Writers Blockthree-foot-cubed metal cages filled with antique typewriters.

Currently, there are about 75 artists offering hundreds of works (each artist can post up to six works). You can browse each artists page or search by medium: paintings, drawings, sculpture, photographs and installations.

Once you find a work you love, you start the adoption process. Youre asked to fill out an online form explaining why you want to adopt this particular work; where you would place it; and to tell a little about yourself (What is your typical day like? Where do you live?).

Then, its up to the artist to decide if your home is the right one. Already, about 100 works have been adopted.

This radical, exceptionally cool concept is the brainchild of Brooklyn-based artist Adam Simon. The inspiration for it was a familiar one for many working artists: a simple lack of storage space.

His mother was moving from a house to a smaller apartment and no longer had room for some of his larger paintings. Quite by chance, this coincided with a friend drawing his attention to an open call from the Lower Manhattan not-for-profit Art in General for new artists projects.

Simon proposed the site; Art in General loved it, commissioned it and worked with him to build the site, which is currently described as being in beta testing (although were already huge fans of the site as is).

A key goal of the site is to help art enthusiasts start to think of themselves as collectors by exposing them, for free, to the pleasures of owning art (and also exposing them to the experience of properly caring for a piece; to help, the site includes links to online resources that offer tips on art care).

Id make the claim that the majority of people who are interested in art dont own it because they cant afford it, Simon says. There is a surplus of good art out there. The art market cant really accommodate all the good art. So the Fine Art Adoption Network is dealing with that surplus.

The benefits for collectors are obvious. But whats in it for the artists? As much as artists want to sell their work, they also want to communicate with others and have an impact on the lives of their viewers, Simon says.

Its really exciting for an artist to put something on the site and have somebody actually solicit them, actually ask to be considered. Its a reversal of what most artists are used to, Simon continues. If you sell an artwork you often have very little contact with the person getting it. But in this case, the artworks are actually facilitating human interaction.

And its very much on an equal footing because the artist has the anxiety of wanting their art to be appreciated, and the adopter has the anxiety of wanting to be accepted by the artist, Simon says.

Of course, there is also the chance for artists to 1) get their work in front of a lot of eyeballs, helping to develop a new audience for their work; and 2) develop a relationship with someone who clearly likes their work and may become a future purchaser.

Practical Points:

• While the art is free, those adopting it are responsible for paying for shipping.
• Artists may include a rider forbidding any resale.
• There is an adoption limit of three works per person or institution within a one-month period.
• Currently, FAAN is open to artists by invitation from participating artists or collaborating organizations only. In the future it may be open to any artist interested in participating.
• In addition to Art in General, the other institutions supporting the site are Arthouse, Artspace, Delta Axis, Gallery 400, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Transformer.