G-Sync – You Get What You Pay For

"Artists need to be paid for what they create." When Jeff Meeuwsen uttered that simple nine-word phrase last week at the 10th annual Live Coverage fundraiser, the crowd roared with approval -- and opened their wallets.

When it was over, the auction of art works at Live Coverage brought in a handsome sum for the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts, an important source of revenue as the UICA prepares for its move to new quarters at the intersection of Division and Fulton streets. And as executive director of the UICA, Meeuwsen was visibly pleased by the response to his call to action.

It served as a reminder to me that many causes -- environmental, educational, social -- need advocates at some time or another. And in that vein, we have a growing number of advocates that want to see artists secure full rate for their works in West Michigan.

By the nature of his profession, Meeuwsen is a likely advocate for the arts.
Others are not so obvious.  For instance, ArtPeers is a newly formed group that is also addressing Meeuwsen's challenge.

ArtPeers made a bit of a splash last year in our community with its "eventcentric" mission of expanding the boundaries of ArtPrize to include the Easttown area, but it is its revitalized and ambitious agenda for this year that deserves particular attention.

To help protect the value of artists' work, ArtPeers hopes to secure grants as a recognized 501(c)(3) organization. And ArtPeers also hopes to secure a legacy for our area by creating a Wikipedia-like catalog of the living and past local artists and their works.


These are ambitious goals, but with the right balance of programming, an electronic toolbox and artist education, ArtPeers might just just be able to pull it off.

Be sure to check out ArtPeers' fundraising event held at Wealthy Theatre on April 14. (see G-Sync's event listing for details.)

The Future Needs All of Us (to support local artists)

Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
          

Email:  [email protected]
Twitter Feed: @TommyGSync

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Photo of Tommy and his Fifth Third Bank / Whitecaps Snuggie provide by Brian Kelly


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