The New Age of Art Collecting

Summer 2013 Feature in Amelie G Style Magazine

Community Supported Art by Pelican Bomb was originally founded as The Drop and was featured in the Amelie G Style Magazine.

The Drop: The New Age of Art Collecting

Amelie G Style MAgazine | by Rebekah Cobar

Art collectors: foreign, socially superior, and filthy rich. Most people think that art collectors are people who will spend millions upon millions of dollars on a painting to hang in their mansion. But what if I told you you could be an art collector without being a billionaire? A new organization based out of new Orleans makes this possible: THE DROP.

THE DROP is a bi-monthly art subscription program started by the nonprofit organization Pelican Bomb. Amanda Brinkman and Cameron Shaw, two women who have been successful in the professional world of visual arts, decided to use their experience and knowledge to create THE DROP.

While working in New Orleans, Brinkman and shaw both saw the challenges that artists were facing, particularly when it came to financing their work, finding steady income, and meeting new collectors. after a year of studying and trying different ideas, THE DROP was born. The mission of THE DROP is to help make new Orleans a viable and supportive place for artists to live and work, while employing all of the creative businesses based in the city. The success that THE DROP has had and will continue to enjoy is because of its support of the community. since the program is a self-sustaining model, it can only exist if people buy the artwork—funds generated go back into the program, ensuring that another round of artists can be paid to create work.

So here is how it all works: every two months, THE DROP hires three new Orleans-based artists to each create 100 works. the works are organized into 150 subscriptions that can be sold locally and nationally. There are three levels of subscriptions—the first includes one artwork for $80, the second includes two artworks for $150, and the third includes all three works for $200. The next time you are thinking of a gift for someone, instead of a movie or magazine subscription, throw them a curveball and give them a subscription to THE DROP! it makes art collecting fun, easy, and, most importantly, affordable!

For more information, visit THE DROP website at www.thedropnola.com