![]() “He had a dog called Snipe, who travelled with him everywhere and was his close companion,” Collins says. ![]() Photo: Richard Schmidt Collection, David Hockney Foundationĭuring research work for the exhibition, information was discovered about the dog that belonged to one of the Wallace Collection founders, Richard Wallace. It could even work in a mall.David Hockney's Dog Painting 41 (1995) © David Hockney. “I’ve never seen anything like it-it’s artwork for the masses. But there are places where it could work-in the right situation it could work,” Melman said. “I think it’s not a broad-based project-it couldn’t work, say, in New York City where there are galleries everywhere. He declined to name the person or potential location. “I’ve recommended him and the concept to someone I think could help him pull it off,” Melman said. Richard Melman, founder and chairman of Lettuce Entertain You, thinks Perticone’s idea could work in the right circumstances. The company, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, was founded in 1971 and has restaurants in a variety of locations in Chicago, the Midwest and the Southwest. “The key to making the model work is the parties,” he said.Ī Chicago-based company with 31 themed-restaurant chains has been buying odds and ends from Perticone to outfit its various venues. In other cities, if the project was done without borrowing, a new gallery could become self-sufficient relatively quickly. ![]() The problem is, he borrowed about $2 million for the gallery, and payments eat into revenues. The gallery looks for donors, grants and benefactors at every turn.Īrtisan Works, which costs some $2,000 a day to operate, could be completely self-supporting, Perticone said. The $5 admission fee to visit Artisan Works brings in very little income overall, Perticone said. ![]() Revenues come from member dues, parties and the sale or rental of the artworks. On the main floor is the center showroom filled with Elizabeth Collection works-everything from oil paintings to giant staplers. The upper floor houses the studios, with a walkway called Boulevard Geribaldi. Artisan Works has a 30-seat screening theater, a rooftop garden, a Japanese dining room, a Victorian dining room and a Frank Lloyd Wright tribute room. The event spaces are eclectic, to say the least. Meanwhile Artisan Works books parties, weddings and other events, which brings in cash for the non-profit and more visitors to the gallery. The space allows visitors to watch the artists as they work, giving them more public visibility than they might get otherwise. The artists pay a fee for their studio space. The Elizabeth Collection then either sells or rents the works out to hotels, businesses or private collectors. When a piece sells, most of the money goes to the artist with a small percentage plowed into the non-profit. Most art galleries get 50 percent of the price paid for an artist’s work, Perticone said.Īrtisan Works, through the for-profit Elizabeth Collection, buys the artists’ works on time, paying them a monthly stipend for ownership. The site houses artist studios, art for sale and a variety of theme rooms for parties. “If we can make it happen here, it can happen anywhere.”Īt nearly 12 years old, Artisan Works has morphed from a gallery of Perticone’s art collection and a place for his artist friends to hang out to a non-profit art enterprise, with a for-profit arm. “This is a museum of the people,” Perticone said. The new gallery then would become part of a network of Artisan Works sites that would share artworks, creating a larger market for the artists. ![]() Perticone has begun to discuss the idea with others outside the area but admits the second Artisan Works may be a couple of years away. But interested parties need to find a donated building and a patron to cover the $3 million to $5 million in costs. Perticone and his colleagues are willing to help other cities create their own Artisan Works and have it running in a year. Louis Perticone, founder of Artisan Works, the 40,000-square-foot non-profit art gallery/living museum/party house on Blossom Road, wants to take his concept on the road and sell it. ![]()
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