Curating Your Thoughts

Collecting is, in many ways, a form of editing. There is so much art produced and exhibited that to begin to form a collection, you need to make choices and sift through the wealth of visual-arts production.

One of the best ways to begin is by asking precise questions. Is there a medium—video, photography, drawing, sculpture, or painting—to which you’re particularly drawn? Are you into new genres and mixed-media? What’s your budget and spending limit? How much room do you have to exhibit the work?

Once you’ve narrowed the scope, take the time to study your own tastes and proclivi-ties, and look, look, and look some more. Do your research as if you were your own personal curator. If you love works on paper, you might investigate the difference between intaglio process prints and aquatints. You might look more closely at drawings to discover new techniques in pencil, charcoal, chalk, ink, or collage. Photography becomes a more complex medium with its many processes such as calotyping, etching, and photogravure. While exploring, you’ll discover new works and directions to go in. Most important, trust and have faith in your own artistic likes and dislikes—you are collecting for yourself, after all.