I’ve been working on a project related to why we become collectors. Certain interconnected things happen during this process. Having been through this, even though it was back in 1986, I still remember each development unfolding as clearly as if it took place yesterday.
Collector passion begins between a human being and an object or group of objects. I call this a first phase (a pun on the name of a period when antique Navajo weavings were first made.) The focus of the collector passion – a state of intense consumer desire – is on that object. For me, it was an Indian-made ring. Others make the discovery that their passion flares for a katsina carving, a clay pot, a piece of intricate beading, etc. Yes, we are talking about an inanimate object, something created.
During the Scottsdale Art Walk before the Heard Guild Fair, I learned about a new initiative. Some members of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association (IACA) had set up a table to advertise, among other things, that the IACA has created a Collector’s Guild that permits members to attend the bi-annual IACA wholesale shows’ Collector’s Market. After some questioning, I learned that this Market was added onto the two Collector’s Markets, as a means of allowing collectors to view and purchase arts made by IACA members. (Up until now, these shows — which are usually held in Albuquerque and Mesa — had been restricted to wholesalers only.) Proceeds from this new Collector’s Guild will aid the IACA Artist of the Year program.
I have always been tantalized by the arts shown in ads for the IACA wholesale shows; now, there seems to be an opportunity to buy directly from the artists while perusing the latest trends. Check this out at the IACA website; individual membership is $50 annually. It looks as though longtime collectors like me have two new Indian arts show opportunities…
