by Robert Maniscalco

In a recent gathering of artists, part of the Detroit Artists Network (DAN), the conversation turned to promoting the art of Detroit. The question came up: what is the "it" of Detroit art? Is there a predominant genre or movement arising from the tremendous creative energy that is pulsing in every corner of our city? It seemed a harmless enough question. After all, we were just trying to find ways to increase awareness within our community that Detroit is home to several world-class visual artists who are producing work in need of a market to support it.

Detroit art has begun to be recognized internationally. But what is Detroit art? Clearly, we have a musical voice in Detroit with Motown and Techno. And yes, the Cass Corridor movement represents a clear, historical precedent for visual art, but what have we done lately? How might we characterize the current Detroit art scene?

The very idea of trying to define the "it" of art is so abhorrent to most artists that it came as no surprise to many in the room, representing DAN, when the conversation hit a brick wall. It wasn't the first time it occurred to me that artists are the last people to ask about marketing their own work. That's the reason we have galleries, reps, consultants, and in a larger context, arts councils, associations and agencies.

First, we must distinguish marketing, which is determining who will buy an art/product, from sales, which is the act of presenting the art/product in its best light and making it available to the market. The marketing process, by definition, implies an attempt to respond to the market, to exploit a niche, i.e. making paintings with wine bottles, because wine tasting is on the rise. There is an inherent, fundamental disconnect between the artist and his/her market that prevents them from dealing with marketing. I think this is as it should be. After all, at what point does the artist cross the line between expressing those most personal - and consequently universal - thoughts and feelings, and pandering to the lowest common denominator?

It is for this reason that the artist must remain detached from his/her market, especially in the moment of conception and execution. Not that artists should bury their heads in the sand. The challenge for the artist is to research where and if there is a market for his/her work. I believe, perhaps naively, that there is a market for every work of art that is sincerely conceived, if you are willing and able to find it. Artists need to think outside the box. If you paint cars, put your work in front of car lovers, who may not have, heretofore, considered collecting art.

Dealing with marketing is central to the mission of DAN. Branding is another issue altogether. The conversation breaks down as we turn our attention to developing a slogan or mission that attempts to characterize or somehow express the creative energy of ALL artists in Detroit. Can it be done? I invite my readers to do so. Let's have a little contest, shall we? Is there an "It Factor" for the Detroit arts scene? This is an issue of branding; one that is perhaps better left to advertising agencies. But, what the heck, go for it! One suggestion by Jenenne Whitfield at the recent DAN meeting was: "Detroit, The City of Originality." What's yours?

Presumably, we know how to break an artwork down to its visual and conceptual elements. But what is it that makes some artwork literally jump off the walls? We, as artists and dealers, can attempt to define it for ourselves, but our partiality tends to make us an unreliable source. Clearly, we need regular, intelligent art criticism in our media to explore the "it" of Detroit's arts scene. In order to generate interest in Detroit artists we need regular, impartial, fine art criticism of Gallery Exhibitions. Without a reliable critic, Detroit collectors will continue to be left fending for themselves and buying art will remain a bit of a crapshoot.

For an artist to be collectible, certain factors need to be in place. One DAN member, Ray MacDonald, defined "The Five Points of Success." They are: 1) Visibility 2) Affordability 3) Availability 4) Dependability and 5) Ability.

DAN is a good start in search of solutions. One suggestion was for DAN to create a powerful "Declaration," drafted by Paul Horton, and a march on Detroit to make our presence known. Plans are now underway for such an event, possibly in late June.

Certainly, a strong gallery system needs to be developed. Efforts are now being made to revive the Detroit Art Dealers Association (DADA). We need a comprehensive, easily accessible source for upcoming gallery information. One of DADA's first orders of business will be to produce a brochure, available everywhere, listing galleries in and around Detroit. The bottom line is that the arts community needs to participate in the process of building confidence and integrity in our business practices, individually and as a community.

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