Community Supported Art:
A Collaboration of Artist and Collector

- Prospectus -

Farmers are not the only ones planting seeds and planning their fall harvests!  I, too, am planning a yield of my own - another crop of vibrant landscape paintings that will be “ripe for the picking” in late fall of this year.

In May of 2008, I will travel across the ocean to paint on the island of Hydra, one of the Saronic islands of Greece.  The Greek islands are renowned for their stark and mystical beauty, their sapphire blue waters and sharp contrast between land, sky and sea. I will be using oil on canvas as my medium which some of you who are already my collectors know is a departure from my work in pastel, so this will be an adventure for everyone!

In my artist’s bio, you will read of the developments in my career over the years and on my website, you will see a wide selection of my landscapes and still lifes (among other works as well). Though my art sells at a premium, I still wish to offer my work at affordable prices to special friends, acquaintances and collectors. To this end, I have devised an exciting, unorthodox and economical way for you to acquire one or more original works of art that I will create this spring.

This concept, called “Community Supported Art” (CSArt), pools the resources of a group of collectors to enable the artist to produce a body of work during a projected period. It is inspired by the model of Community Supported Agriculture where consumers buy shares in the beginning of the growing season to cover the farmer's start-up costs, in exchange for which the shareholder receives a season's worth of fresh, healthy produce. Participants in CSArt will receive original art at less than half gallery prices. The price per painting reflects the total budget divided by the number of participants needed for the venture, plus a modest stipend for the artist.

Though it has some resemblance to commissioning a work of art, the CSArt approach offers participants the added satisfaction of playing a more integral role in the creation of the art while acquiring it at way-below-gallery prices. Some of the subjects I plan to paint are Hydra’s lively seaport and fishing boats, remote monasteries, arid island landscape set against the deep blue waters of the Aegean, the whitewashed buildings and narrow staircases, and the brightly colored shutters and doorways framed by lush flora.

Each CSArt participant will receive one original oil painting per order. You may reserve more than one painting if you wish (please indicate the number of paintings you wish to reserve on the attached form). Upon my return, you will be sent color reproductions of all the pieces so that you may indicate your preferences. 

Through your participation in this project, you will be joining a growing group of pioneering individuals to share a role that is normally reserved for art patrons who are in a position to subsidize such ventures single-handedly. My landscapes are memoirs of my relationship with a given place and reflect my joy in being surrounded by so much beauty. As a participant, you will be collaborating in bringing forth the spiritual correlate of what the farmer provides for the body - artwork that is food for the Soul.

With these benefits in mind, I invite you to participate in my 7th Community Supported Art project. To do so please give me your instructions on this form.

— Angela Manno, 2008