How to Show Up for Art (Even When Your MP is Low)
Drawing I made on Procreate with my iPad Pro during the Curators chat
This morning, I woke up and did my usual routine: checking out the latest on the Piglet-Silent Hill crossover corner of the internet. Afterward, I saw a message from a friend asking me to hang out at the final day of From Atlanta to Venus—the group show I was part of. I didn’t want to go. My MP was low as hell, y’all. But I’d invited people, and I remembered that the night before, I’d been told about something called “Coffee and Collectors,” sponsored by Torrents.
At first, I thought, Record collectors? Why should I care about that? But there was coffee involved, and I wanted to obey the 33% rule, so I went.
It was a brisk, orange autumn morning on the rooftop of Hotel Nell in D.C. The view was stunning—lit by the amber sun, I could see the brutal, reflective architecture of one of President Silver’s new medical facilities. It filled me with awe.
The setup was impressive: scones, bagels, mimosas… but no records. Confusing! As I commiserated with another artist about how we almost didn’t show up that morning, people began introducing themselves to us. It turned out two of them were art collectors.
My artist friend explained the difference between collectors and patrons. A collector buys art as a transaction—a one-time exchange. A patron, on the other hand, forms a relationship with the artist and helps build a community around the work. Think of it as the difference between a one-night stand on Tinder and a long-term relationship that blossomed from a friendship.
The topic of collecting video and interactive work came up, which made me realize how little I know about this outside of MOMA collecting Nam June Paik’s work. Honestly, it was kind of annoying—there’s so much to learn about this side of the art world, and I felt a bit unprepared.
Then the talk began. I realized we were here to discuss art collection—not bones or souls, as I had half-hoped. The speakers were Phillip Collins- the founder of Good Black Art and Conrad Lindsey. They dropped some gems, and here are a few that stuck with me:
You are an art collector if you collect art in any form. That means I, too, should consider myself an art collector. Owning art doesn’t have to mean warehouses or million-dollar investments—it’s about valuing and engaging with creative work.
Don’t stomp all over your own opportunities. If you’re invited into a new space or a process you’re unfamiliar with, try to follow the 33% rule: push yourself just a little further than you want to. Do the extra step to stay engaged and learn.
Have the courage to participate, even when no one looks like you. But… if no one looks like you, you might be there to check a diversity box. Remember Kendrick’s lyric: “And when I wake up, I recognize you’re looking at me for the pay cut.” That’s some real-ass shit. I don’t have perfect advice here, but be nosy—find out who’s at the top of these organizations and why you aren’t in that room having real conversations with them.
Adopt the identity you want to have. For instance, I’m working on embodying the identity of someone whose work is collected, someone who has solo shows and sees my work as a meaningful contribution to the art world.
Insure your collected artworks. Make sure you have a digital system to catalog and insure the work you buy. Take care of your collection, whether that means getting proper storage or, in my case, finally finding a flat file that doesn’t cost a fortune. If you have any ideas on that, hit me up.
One other thing Phillip said really stuck with me. He mentioned Issa Rae’s masterclass, where she talks about the importance of creating spaces and opportunities you haven’t seen before. I hope that I’m doing a little of that right now—just by putting these words in front of your eyeballs.