Posted on December 15, 2022

Having a love of art is something most people can relate to. There are definitely certain types of art that appeal more to one person than another but the general idea isn’t a foreign concept. Many people enjoy the works visual artists create and appreciate the work it takes to make a truly magnificent piece of artwork. 

The harder part of being an art lover is finding ways to support artists in your local community. Depending on your level of interest in owning artwork for your own private collection you may not be aware of the ways you can support your local art community. Sometimes it can feel like buying a painting is the only way and that’s not always something everyone feels is accessible to them. 

The truth is there is a myriad of ways you can support your local community’s artists. Owning their work is definitely one way to help support the artists near you but it’s not the only way. Supporting your local artists doesn’t have to be inaccessible even if you don’t own a private collection yet. It’s also something that’s really important to your local community as a whole.

Local artists add more than just pretty pictures to your community so it’s important to continue supporting them. Many artists have a true passion for making their own communities a better place to live through their artwork. Not supporting their efforts can hurt their attempts to make things better for your own life. 

If you’ve never considered doing more to support artists around you now is the time to learn about what you can do personally. You can find ways to support artists that work for you, but doing more for your local art community in any manner is always a step forward. No one ever regrets being more supportive of artists. It’s always a great thing for you and for the artists you support. 

Why Do Local Artists Matter So Much?

Artists are some of the most passionate people you’ll ever meet. They are the people that want to make your community proud. Their work is deeply personal to them and they want to make sure it matters when it’s done. Artists in your local community are going to be the ones using their artwork to affect change in your area the most. 

Local artists are the ones who are teaching your children about art in school. They’re the ones spending time working with patients in healthcare settings using art therapy to help a patient recover from all kinds of things. They’re the artists that inspire your local businesses to think outside of the box for ways to increase their profits. 

Local artists matter because your community does better with them around. If artists didn’t put their heart into their community you would be lacking a lot of things you currently love about where you live. They matter because they care and they want to continue making things better in your area.

If you’ve ever been particularly proud to show off your town, especially specific areas of your town, there’s a good chance the local art community has had a lot to do with that. Many communities use local artists to create sculpture gardens and other various town attractions that make your day to day scenery more intriguing. 

Supporting local artists means you’re saying the art programs for your children matter to you. You’re saying that the art therapy being used to improve lives is important. You’re saying you believe the arts truly are improving the way you live your life. 

How Can You Support Your Local Artists?

Supporting your local artists doesn’t have to be a complicated or financially out of reach effort. There are plenty of things you can do to make a difference in your local art community even if you don’t want to collect art for yourself yet. Finding ways that work for you is the key to making sure your support matters. 

How you choose to help your local community is a personal decision but there are some ideas you can use that might have a bigger effect than you think. Sometimes it just takes a minute to think about how even things that seem too small to matter really do have an effect.

To support your local artists you can do things like:

Sharing Their Work On Social Media:

Social media is where a lot of artists rely on getting word of mouth style advertising more than they ever have before. If you see art in your area that you love don’t hesitate to share it online. Tell people where it’s at in your town and who created the artwork you’re currently loving. 

You can also follow your local artists on their social media pages. If they share an image you love, feel free to share that post with your friends. It’s another way to use the same general idea to support your local artists. Social media is extremely powerful when you use it well, and supporting your local art community is a great way to use it very well.

Going To Local Events:

These events can be anything from a gallery showing to a vendor style fair. The point is just to make sure you’re present for the events you’re interested in. Events that aren’t well attended may not be repeated ever again, so it really does make a difference to just be there. If you feel like you want to buy something that’s great but just being at the event makes a bigger difference than you might currently realize.

Shopping Locally For Art First:

If you do have a need arise where you want to buy some art, like decorating a new home, think about your local community before hopping online to shop instead. A lot of local artists would love the chance to create something for you specifically or show you their work and see what you love. 

Sometimes it’s easy to forget about local communities when shopping online is so convenient and readily available at your fingertips. Instead of logging on right away, think about what artwork you’ve seen around town. Your favorite pieces of artwork around your community can guide you to which artists you should look to first. 

If you don’t have a favorite local artist that’s fine too. Think about asking some local galleries or shops that sell artwork for ideas on local artists that would suit your style. Just the mindset of thinking locally first can really change your approach to where you go for art purchases in the future. 

What Should You Take Away From This?

Supporting your local art community is important. There are things local artists do you that you may not even be aware of right now. Being more involved in supporting your local art community can show you what the artists near you are really accomplishing. 

Remember, no amount of time you put in is ever going to be a mistake when it comes to supporting the artists in your town. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Enjoy the experience, it’s going to be amazing.

Source: MAC Art Galleries