Information Please!

The current situation we are in has us all over here thinking about what the role of a magazine is and what motivates us to publish it each and every month. And that conversation extends to not just what we think it is but what you, the reader, wants it to be.

From our discussions and from what we hear every day as we talk to gallery owners, art dealers, auction professionals, artists and of course collectors, is that this magazine should be provide a direct link between collectors, gallery owners and artists in a way that makes it easy for people to purchase art for their own collections. When we came up with the preview concept (often imitated but never duplicated, btw), this was an entirely new format never done in any other publication. And the idea for it was that the typical form of art writing—the review—does not help collectors. They come out after the show is down and the art is sold.

Instead, we replaced the review with the preview. The idea being that in this new format collectors could see the best new work—see it for the first time on the pages of our magazine—available from the best galleries and artists coast to coast and then be able to purchase it right off the pages of the magazine. And believe me, 15 years later, I still hear every month of people doing just that.

This focus is more important right now. With galleries just starting to open and people’s personal travel severely limited, there is more of a need to see what is hanging on the gallery walls in the best galleries in the country. And that is what we are here to provide. Open the magazine and think this: Almost every single image you see is available to be purchased. Call the gallery, call the artist, do your homework. See what’s out there. And then, once you’re comfortable, make the purchase. And the next step, as always, is send me an email letting me know! I love to hear from all you satisfied art collectors out there.

The art business has been affected by all that’s happening right now, but in a way, it’s also come to a watershed moment. Magazines, websites, virtual happenings are now more important than ever. And it’s been galleries and museums who’ve been one of the first businesses to respond to this!

Sincerely,

Joshua Rose Editor

P.S. Remember, we are also allowing galleries to post up to 250 images from their inventory directly to our website. Visit www.westernartcollector.com today to see even more available work from the best galleries and artists our country has to offer!