A new generation of art lovers explains the allure of collecting — and how you might get started. (Read our story on the overall trend here.)
Lindsay Lewis
Age: 35.
How she got started: "In college we would exchange pieces with each other in our studio classes, and talked a lot about investing in individual artists and supporting them."
Who she collects: Local artists — Alec Soth, Ruben Nusz, Eileen Cohen — and a handful of ceramists from Northern Clay Center. "Work I get excited about."
Favorite piece: Soth's photograph "Angela, Los Angeles" (above) has "a lot of meaning for me. He was a really important person in my development as an artist. Many of the things we talked about have stayed with me."
Rob and Jori Sherer
Ages: 40 and 33.
How they got started: Rob began acquiring work on a modest level as his career in the arts took him from Chicago to California to Minneapolis. "We started collecting together about five years ago," Jori said. "We both feel it's important to have meaningful engagement with art."
Who they collect: Emerging artists almost exclusively, and a few in depth, including Erica Baum, April Street, Sam McKinniss and Richard Tinkler.
Favorite piece: "Our first current favorite is an untitled felt work by William J. O'Brien, a Chicago-based artist. Our second is by Sam McKinniss, a New York-based painter [above]. It depicts an image of the aurora borealis at Voyageurs National Park from the Instagram account of the U.S. Department of the Interior."
Masami Kawazato and Aaron Merrill
Ages: 40 and 42.
How they got started: "It was a continuation of asking collectors to open their homes when I was working at the Walker," Kawazato said. "I started to think: What could that mean outside of a museum? What could that mean for me? ... Then the art slowly started accumulating."
Who they collect: Minneapolis artists, generally ones connected with smaller nonprofit galleries: SooVAC, Midway, Highpoint.
Favorite piece: "Untitled" by Andrea Carlson (above). "It was one of the first 'real original' artworks we bought, in 2006. I had started volunteering at SooVAC and Andrea had a solo show. I liked it right away; it reminded me of my grandma."
Greg and Kate Sicher
Ages: 33 and 39.
How they got started: Through Kate's work at Walker Art Center and her involvement with its Collectors' Council. The couple want to support local artists, and to make their home "our place as opposed to a place with furniture."
Who they collect: They focus mostly on Minnesota artists, including Greg Gossel, Drew Peterson, Jennifer Davis, Amy Rice and David Rathman.
Favorite piece: Seattle artist Jennifer Chadwick's painting "Three Sisters" (2017), displayed above with the Sichers and their children, Lewis and Emmie.
