Our partner for the Bridgeman Studio Award 2018 is Affordable Art Fair in London and New York. We thought we would tell you more about them, and why they are one of the most important champions of upcoming and contemporary artists around today…
A bit of history…
Affordable Art Fair was founded in 1999 by Will Ramsay as an alternative to the traditional gallery scene.
The first Affordable Art Fair took place in October 1999, at Battersea Park – where it is still held today. Over 10,000 visitors attended the first event, and its success prompted a second fair to be organised in Battersea and another one Bristol that same year.
In 2002 AAF New York was launched, and in 2007 they expanded all over Europe starting with Amsterdam. Now there are Affordable Art Fair’s all over the world, including London, Bristol, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Hamburg, Stockholm, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. They employ around 70 full time staff, and have offices in every city in which a fair is held.
Visitors to the Battersea Autumn and Spring Fairs are now in excess of 22,500 per fair, and around 17,500 in New York.
Affordable Art Fair New York, 2017
Their ethos…
Affordable Art Fair was conceived as an alternative to the intimidating and exclusive world of contemporary art. Its aim is to attract art lovers from all walks of life who may not necessarily fit in to the traditional “art-buyer” mold. The fairs are created to have a welcoming and unintimidating atmosphere, and a price ceiling of £5,000 / $6,000 means that the artwork is accessible to all.
Affordable Art Fairs also run talks, programmes and artist-led workshops, and art-based activities for children, as well as selling artworks.
The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea
Charitable work…
Affordable Art Fair have donated over £1 million to worthwhile causes since 1999. In 2016, the company unified its approach to charitable work by ensuring every fair worked with an Art Therapy charity. As well as donating money the events provide a platform in which charities can raise awareness of their activities, fundraise and connect with new supporters. They have worked with a number of charities including The Sovereign Art Foundation and North London Hospice.
Affordable Art Fair and the BSA’18…
Our partnership with the Affordable Art Fair continues a legacy of previous competitions where the Bridgeman Studio Award worked with prestigious brands such as HarperCollins and the Wilderness Festival. Winners of the Bridgeman Studio Award have come from all over the world including Japan, Holland, Germany, and England, whilst entries for the competition have been entered from over 100 countries. Many of the artists who enter the Bridgeman Studio Award have also gone on to have successful careers in licensing with Bridgeman Studio, the contemporary art platform for new and emerging artists.
This year’s prize: £1,500 / $2,000 cash commission for the design of a tote bag, to be sold at Affordable Art Fair worldwide, plus £4,000 / $5,500 worth of exhibition space showcasing the artists’ work at the New York and London Affordable Art Fairs.
A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the tote bags will go to art therapy charities, which is why the theme Art in Mind has been chosen for this year’s competition.
To find out more about this year’s theme and how to enter go to www.enterbsa.com
Affordable Art Fair New York, 2017
Sponsors for the BSA’18…
We are excited to have some of the biggest names in the art world as sponsors of this year’s BSA. Creative Review is the go-to publication for any one involved in the creative industries, and Cass Art is one of the most well respected art suppliers in the UK.
The Artists’ Collecting Society (ACS) is the Sister company to Bridgeman Images and is a not-for-profit, Community Interest Company dedicated to the collection of the Artist’s Resale Rights (ARR) and copyright on behalf of artists and artists’ estates in both the UK and the EU. ACS is proud to represent well known artists such as the Lucien Freud and Barbara Hepworth Estates, Paula Rego & Frank Auerbach, and emerging artists.
There will be more written on our wonderful sponsors, so watch this space…
Read more…
Win A Prize Worth £5,500: The Bridgeman Studio Award 2018 Has Launched!