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RE: Looking at Art: How We Assign Different Priorities to Different Parts of Life
@sizzlingmonkeys, yes it seems to be that way, at least to some degree. Very close by our gallery we have a shop that specializes in handmade woodworks... some of these pieces are definitely "art." I think because (for example) most people have tried their hand at carpentry at some time, they can better relate to the work involved. With painting it's sometimes a little different... we're more likely to hear "OH, my kid could do that!"
Hi reddragonfly, yes, I can see how paintings can be harder to sell than woodworks. Have you thought of pairing research on priming with selling the artwork? For example, I have a little rock that I call my gratitude rock. It's just a normal rock that my kids and I found at the beach, and we call it our gratitude rock because whenever we see it, it reminds us to think of something that we are grateful for.
Likewise, perhaps the art pieces have special meanings that a potential buyer might like to be reminded of - for example, whenever they look at a particular piece of art, they are reminded to be kind to themselves or they are reminded of the kindness they have observed in others, or perhaps the painting inspires hope. I guess my point is that the paintings probably already have meanings or stir up feelings in the viewers, but they don't see the value of owning the painting and having daily reminders of these meanings and feelings.
There has actually been research done that show the effects of priming (basically exposure to something changes our subsequent thinking and behavior). For example, one study showed that when shoppers heard French music, they bought more French wine and when they heard German music, they bought more German wine, so there's good reason to extrapolate that when people see a painting they associate with hope, they will feel more hopeful and so on. Perhaps reminding potential buyers of the ability of the painting to provide them with daily inspiration will help make the intangible value of the painting more tangible. Good luck with your art gallery!
Thanks for the feedback @sizzlingmonkeys!
We do-- to some degree-- use priming as part of sales, and we also don't "sell" people things, we "tell stories" about artists and their work. The outcomes are fairly evident... the artists with the more interesting stories with fairly broad appeal are also the ones whose work we most often sell.
Part of what we deal with is also generational change... how people incorporate art into their lives. Writing a new piece about that... try to get it done today. In a broad sense... among Baby Boomers and older, art was more something you "had;" among younger generations it is more something you "experience."
Interesting insight about the generational difference in how art is valued! Yes, I think people are very interested in stories and human connections - so I guess the artists can develop their unique stories!
Looking forward to reading your upcoming post!