Many people regularly visit museums and galleries. Once there they look, observe, take in, and think about the pieces before them. And then they depart and the artworks that moved them stay.
But there's another dimension to loving art: collection. Personally collecting pieces that thrill, which can be done on just about any budget. The idea that art-collecting is only for a few people is a notion gallery owner Jennifer Schwartz is determined to upend. And she's got quite the tool in her arsenal: a 1977 VW Bus that doubles as an art gallery.
Ms. Schwartz and "Lady Blue" -- that's the name of her dream machine, which a Kickstarter campaign funded -- are heading out on a national art tour called Crusade for Art. An early stop? Venice on Saturday, April 6. Head for 1337 Abbot Kinney Boulevard and you'll see the blue VW.
And inside the bus? Photographs aplenty, but here's the twist: If a visitor to the mobile art gallery takes a shine to a photo, the photo is theirs, with no money required.
An important aim for Crusade for Art? To make people first-time collectors. To give them an easy and enjoyable way to plug into an art piece outside of the traditional gallery setting. And to perhaps set more people on the road to collecting original works.
For more information on Ms. Schwartz's crusade, her trusty gallery-on-wheels, how you can help, and where the program heads after LA, visit Crusade for Art.
