At Darling we always champion female entrepreneurs. Having started Darling on Kickstarter, I always keep my eye on crowdfund projects that are worthy of note. Spacey is one that you have to check out and support—quality art prints at affordable prices with collections released quarterly by contemporary emerging artists—founded by a fantastic and creative woman, Kate Hoffman, who is a part of the Darling community. Read on to hear what drove her to start Spacey and how it stands apart in the market.
Have you ever felt intimidated shopping for art? I have.
I recently moved into a new home, and I couldn’t wait to bring my new space to life with art. I envisioned the art buying experience to be cool, creative, and inspiring, but I was soon met with the reality of an overwhelming and uninspiring process. I started my search by browsing galleries across Los Angeles. But the stark white walls, concrete floors, formidable desk attendants, and “NO TOUCHING” plaques had me feeling unwelcome at best.
So, I decided to look online, hoping it would be a more welcoming environment. The joke was on me. I found myself sifting through thousands of works, numerous framing, printing, and sizing options, cluttered among antiques, stationary, home goods and more. Talk about an anxiety-inducing shopping experience!
I realized there had to be a better way. I have a degree in both Fine Art and Art History, have worked and exhibited in galleries, and come from a family of artists, and I still felt so disconnected from the art buying experience.
This frustration became my inspiration for a new kind of art gallery. It’s called Spacey.
CURATED COLLECTIONS
Spacey is a highly-curated online art gallery designed for the modern shopper. We feature exclusive, limited-edition prints of artwork by emerging contemporary artists, starting at just $95. The experience is wrapped-up in a stylish, intuitive and thoughtful shopping experience.
PERSONAL STORIES, STYLISH AESTHETICS
Our seasonal art collections are themed around what’s happening in popular culture today, so by collecting with Spacey, you bring visualized moments of your life into your home. And our cohesive color palettes help you expand your gallery walls with complimentary Spacey prints from one season to the next.
QUALITY PRINTS, AFFORDABLE PRICES
Spacey provides a transparent value proposition by pricing works based on the cost of production, so your artwork can only grow in value…it’s investing made easy. And, all artwork featured on Spacey is sold in three consistent sizes and styles, making our product offering crystal clear. We feature 20 original works of art; 50 print editions per work (on archival quality paper); 3 classic print sizes (11×14”, 16×20”, 24×36”); and 3 frame styles (black, white, and natural wood).
ARTIST COLLABORATIONS
Unlike other art marketplaces, when working with Spacey, Artists get to do what they love—create artwork—and leave the rest to us. Spacey prints, frames, and packages all artwork creating a consistent experience for our artists and customers. Plus, Spacey is the only online art market offering artists a front and back-end fee, because we believe artists should be fairly compensated for their work.
CROWDFUND
Spacey is crowdfunding through a business registry to provide our supporters complete transparency into how we’re using each and every contribution (think, a wedding registry for a start-up)! If you’re interested in joining the crowdfund, click HERE. As a “thank you,” you will receive an exclusive ‘Family & Friends’ discount of up to 40% off on your first purchase.
Let’s get Spacey!
All images provided by Spacey.
1 comment
I’m skeptical of Spacey. I think there are far more exciting and interesting ways to look at and buy art. Go to a gallery near where you live. Chances are they will be warm and friendly but not overbearing. Gagosian one of the most elite galleries in the world is warm and friendly, it can be particularly hard to judge people by appearances these days, especially when young tech millionaires wear jeans and t-shirts. I remember watching a late night talk show where the head of Christies Contemporary, a distinguished man who was incredibly knowledgeable about contemporary art ,said some of his best clients look like homeless people. I’ve seen it before collectors are often hoaders and care about absolutely nothing else other than the art they’re collecting, often chasing after the unknown masterpiece that eludes them.
The arrogant disdainful gallery is a myth. Go into a gallery that shows young artists or emerging artists and buy something unique and individual. The dealer will be happy to work with you and often flexible. With young artists and works on paper you can buy something inexpensively even $200-$500 from an up and coming gallery. Take the chance and you will most likely begin a relationship with the art dealer and even the artist. It’s not really about money but more about people who are interested in and care about art.