Research; Art Barter

Don't blink at Modern Art, or you'll miss something. The event has grown into a cultural explosion of visual and performance art that turns the Modern Hotel into an annual creative mob scene each First Thursday in May.
This year, all of the 39 rooms at the boutique hotel are booked with one or more artists. Plus there will be a plethora of alternative spaces in use, from hallways to the courtyard, lobby and bar.
This year there are more artists and more art - photography, painting, sculpture, interactive and experiential art, and collaborative installations.
Each year, it grows. That is great, say organizers Kerry Tullis and Amy O'Brien, but how do you keep the event connected to the community?
You'll find the answer in the Art Barter Room, Tullis says. It's a simple concept: just make a trade for art.
Last year, the Art Barter idea came late in the process, so it had a quiet presence at the event. This year, O'Brien and Tullis are amping up the idea because they say it speaks to the heart of the event - which is the interaction between artists and the community.
"I think this helps keep Modern Art a pure interaction between the artists - who sometimes work in isolation - and the community, who may think art is something that's inaccessible," Tullis says.
How it works is simple: Artists can opt in to barter if they want to participate. Not all artists will.
If you find a piece you like, go to the Art Barter office in the hotel's business center on the second floor, and write a card expressing what you would be willing to exchange.
The offers last year ranged from dentistry to lawn care,baby-sitting to machinery. Artist Troy Passey traded a piece of art to an Episcopalian pastor for a personal tour of the cathedral. Karen Bubb traded a piece for dance lessons.
Art Barter is one more thing that makes Modern Art unusual. It's already an event geared to break down the barriers between art, artist and observer. Here they're all in it together, O'Brien says.
"There is more impact and immediacy in the interaction," she says.
"When people come to this event, they don't feel they have to act a certain way. They just walk in and pick stuff up or talk to the artists. So, this act of bartering is another way for them to interact."
© 2010 Idaho Statesman

Art Barter - The Platform For Exchange Between Artists And The Public

The Art Barter event revolves around the idea that artwork will be acquired by individuals through alternative means to money. There is a catch at Art Barter where you will not know which artwork belongs to which artist until after the show’s end. This will create a gamble for the public and will make people value the art for what it really is. What’s more, Art Barter allows art to become available to a more diverse crowd than only people with disposable income, involving them in a fun way. Having to barter will also make them think about what they have that is unique to offer the artist.


The first Art Barter show was held in November 2009 at The Rag Factory in London where 50 artworks were on display without artist's names, titles, prices or descriptions being attached, thus leaving the viewer open to a pure aesthetical interpretation. Please see the barter page for a full overview of the results of the first show

After the successful launch of its first show in London last year, which featured artists such as Tracey Emin, Gary Hume, Gavin Turk and Mat Collishaw, Art Barter has now landed in Berlin.

The second event was held from June 24th to 27th in conjunction with the .HBC space on the Alexanderplatz, and showcased the work of 25 Berlin based established and emerging artists, including Jonathan Monk, Jason Dodge, Saâdane Afif, Haralampi Oroschakoff, John Isaacs, and many more. Please see the barter page for a full overview of the results of the first show.

Art Barter is heading now to New York. The show will take place from December 9-12th 2010 at Envoy Entrerprises in Manhattan. More info coming soon.

Barter for Art

 Here the BBC video


An art exhibition in East London is giving punters the opportunity to barter for expensive works of art. Art Barter is selling contemporary works by artists such as Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk, for anything but cash. Today presenter Evan Davis went to take a look.

Media

Press Release

Barter-it.ie
Press Release by Finnella Naughton CEO Barter-it.ie
Friday, 3 July 2009

Doghouse wanted for Nintendo DS

A dog owner will barter a Nintendo DS she no longer needs for a doghouse that she does need. And she’s making the offer on www.barter-it.ie a new bartering website.
Welcome to the cash-less society. Instead of spending money you haven’t got, you can now swop goods for what you need.
“People can barter what they have for anything they see on Barter-it.ie,” said website founder Finnella Naughton.
For instance, a course provider offered an ante-natal course to a local accountant in exchange for some precious bookkeeping services.
Inspiration for the site came about when Finnella Naughton and a fellow business owner joined forces to negotiate a better magazine-advertising deal for both of them.
“Everyone gained. So now Barter-it has a free community section where people can post and ask for offers on what they have. They are also free to start discussions on whatever they like to discuss. And they can contact like-minded people through Barter-it,” she said.
The distinctive site also has a Members’ Lounge where, for just €40 a year, businesses can register and offer goods and services to one another, away from the public gaze.
“Offers in the Member’s Lounge will be flagged on the forum with the other offers; but to transact a business barter people need to register for the member’s area, so it’s a valuable place to be for anyone in business looking to source goods without cash,” said Finnella Naughton.
Barter-it offers new ways of doing old things: Swopping what you no longer need for what you do need, without bank or credit card charges. It could be the future, today.
Ends
Contacts: www.barter-it.ie; email info@barter-it.ie Tel 045-850998 086-3408286
Notes for editors Barter-it is a website where goods are traded person to person and business to business. Anything can be offered for barter and the deal can be done. There is nothing to lose by offering to barter.
There are no charges for bartering and other than the nominal €40 a year Member’s Lounge for continuous business transactions, everything is free to use.