Baer's Complete Reveal, 12-15-2025
Snapped and had to whip out a solution for San Diego's visual art woes
This newsletter is a little late...
I have been considering the Museum based system of raising money for themselves through their guilds and I think a group of us need to start a 401 (c)3 with a paid director that is separate but amicable to the museums. OMA has taken it about as far as they can and SDMA is for some reason out of touch. Here is kind of a quick off the cuff proposal...
I think we have a chance to end the dystopian reality of current life for San Diego visual creators. I have been a member of two museum affiliated art guilds. Both Guilds are income sources for their respective museums. Funds are raised for the Museums in two ways:
1. Guild members are required to pay for a museum membership and then for a Guild membership (SDMA's fees are becoming exorbitant).
2. The guilds volunteers find show locations in the San Diego region and then charge members additional money to submit for jurying into these member only shows.
Money raised from these shows go to their sponsoring museums. The public pays for nothing and artwork sales from these shows is nominal to non-existent. In other words the galleries and artists get no financial renumerations (for the most part).
The two museums are different in that OMA does much more to promote the local art scene than SDMA. Both are using their artists as forced volunteers tied to their need to show and by having member only show venues. Neither museum purchases local art, sponsor artists, or reimburse artists who do show. It is as if the Globe was giving free shows and running things with volunteer actors.
This is just a quick sketch. Feel free to erase any lines that are wrong. Even so, the actual picture is much darker and incompases things well beyond the museums and the artists involved with them. We have talented volunteers who have dedicated their lives to the San Diego art scene. What they need is an organization that enables them as opposed to hobbles and milks them. To that end I would like artists and patrons to divert some of their income to an independent non-profit art guild with a paid director and a small staff that enables artists and also sponsors regular paying events.
As a volunteer director of ArtGymSD I was able to enable weekly presentations by artists. I know how to design things that will give San Diego events on a weekly basis as opposed to an annual basis. I could be the director for a limited run, if necessary, but I do believe one of the many very capable (and younger) people currently active in San Diego's art scene would be better.
Can you help, do you have friends that would help? Imagine a mostly self-supporting visual art scene in the greater San Diego region to match the regions other mostly self-supporting high art and entertainment scenes. The Guild would be San Diego's regional visual arts spotlight and enabler.
Your thoughts?
Earlier post on this:
Richard Baer ChauDavis
I have been very busy in the online world of Wicked Island (available through steam). I am working up to writing an article that involves all sorts of human insights and deep thoughts... still not there but soon. I was distracted by an attempt to steal my personal information by at least 2 people, one acting as a Wells Fargo employee and another imitating a FBI agent... even stole an actual agents name. I have also been resculpting my backyard to create a fire pit that Maria can put clay in. Pictures latter.
Here are some pretty pictures:
Next time!
Richard
#artguild, #sandiegoart, #images, #artimages
