ZA
Original art is mostly out of reach for ordinary South Africans, leaving them to buy prints or imported mass art. We present an opportunity in the affordable art business that contributes to society and makes money.
The opportunity
The connection between mental health and creativity and how the resulting art can be a source of income and opportunities for NGO's and the artists who are part of the NGO's programs, especially in countries that have broken mental health care systems or lack proper social services. But NGO’s specialize in treating mental health and are not art dealers. The opportunity is market and sell these artworks to either buy directly or arrange commission based exhibitions. If the artist is part of an NGO work program or "club house" tt is important to rather work with the NGO to ensure that the artist get a fair price.
Sourcing
The connection between creativity and mental illnesses has been a source of interest towards researchers for years. Mental illnesses have a large impact on the sufferer's creativity and how they express themselves. Many household names in the art world have dealt with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, mania, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. These illnesses and their impacts are visible in some of the world's most famous paintings, literature, etc.- The Connection Between Mental Illness and Creativity
Selling
As stated before art exhibitions and selling is outside the expertise of mental health NGO’s. Cape Mental Health’s Fountain House (SA) is which part of the global Fountain House movement. Fountian house in New York for example has a gallery and studio that supports the careers and creative visions of contemporary artists living with mental illness and provides an environment where artists living with mental illness can express their creative visions and exhibit their work. Founded by Fountain House in 2000, the storefront Gallery in Manhattan sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators and cultural institutions.
Here is an example of a local exhibtion a few years ago
Cape Mental Health Art Exhibition
The art exhibition was held at St. George’s Grammar School Art Gallery in Cape Town. The exhibition featured various artworks and sketches from different artists as well as arts and crafts.
Handmade crafts such as photo frames, greeting cards, bead-work and wood-crafts was also for sale on the night. I had suggested to one of the ladies that they should have included a thin magnetic strip at the back of their small photo frames to make it a fridge magnet as it didn’t have any type of stand. The frame was made of black card stock surrounded by ice lolly sticks.
But it was the paintings that was the highlight of the evening, which included Alexander Smith’s “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” as well as Richard Lawrence’s “Conversations while a tsunami is happening”.
Alexander Smith’s “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” sold for R1000
Surprisingly there was no takers for Richard Lawrence’s “Conversations while a tsunami is happening” which was priced at R500
Two more pieces by Richard Lawrence
Sigmund Freud by Paul Martin
I picked up Sigmund Freud by Paul Martin for the bargain price of R50 I had it framed with a Freud quote, “Time spent with cats is never wasted”.
Sigmund Freud Framed
Affordable Art
