Upcoming Art Fairs

One of the best things you can do as a collector is understand what kind of art you enjoy.  Your collection, however small or big, or as cohesive or disparate the individual works may be, is something you will be spending a lot of time and money investing in.  Art fairs are a great way to see a lot of art in a short amount of time.  Instead of going from gallery to gallery, or waiting for your desired lot to come up in an auction, you can peruse booths at the fairs.  Below are a few upcoming fairs of note:

Art Chicago
May 1 - 4, 2009

The International Fine Art Fair (New York)
May 1 - 5, 2009  

Hong Kong International Art Fair (China)  - see image below
May 14 - 17, 2009

Museum Collector Groups

Joining a museum collector group is a great way to get closer to the art world and the community where you live. These groups provide a greater understanding of the museum, curators and the art they exhibit. Some museum groups are by invitation and others are open to collectors for a fee.

Here is a list of some of the best museum groups in NY. You can contact them to find out more about joining and the associated fees.

Young Collectors Council
Patrons Circle
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 5th Avenue
NY, NY 10128

Junior Associates
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019

Whitney's Young Collector Group
The Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
NY, NY 10021

NYC Collectors Club
George Eastman House
900 East Ave
Rochester, NY 14607
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street,
New York, NY 10036

Contemporary Art Council
Brooklyn Museum
Department of Contemporary Art,
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway,
Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052

Focus Group
International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street,
New York, NY 100

ArtBabble website

A staff member at the Indianapolis Museum of Art explains the ArtBabble Web site. Tom Strattman for The New York Times.

Lately, I have been posting information about resources that help collectors organize and enjoy the work they own. If you are like me, you want as much information as possible from artists, curators, dealers, and others in the art world.

I have always enjoyed speaking with artists and curators to gain a deeper understanding of the work I collect or just to get to know the people behind the art. As of this week, there is a new place to go for videos about art and artists.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art just launched ArtBabble.org, a website that offers videos from sources such as Smithsonian American Art Museum, the New York Public Library, and the Museum of Modern Art. The site is not only geared towards collectors, but makes the voice of the art world accessible and clear to all.

Collector's blog

Every collector has a story and I just came across a blog that compiles these stories about some of the world's top collectors. Every week a new collector is featured, bringing insight into what, why and how they collect. I find it inspiring.