Introducing 20x200: Art for Everyone

I've been alluding to an exciting new project for a while now, and it's time to let the cat out of the bag. 20x200 is the new jen bekman project and I can't wait to bust the doors open on it. If you're a subscriber to GOOD Magazine, you've probably already gotten wind of it. I wrote a column in their upcoming May/June issue about buying affordable art online; a lot of the sites I mention there were my inspiration for this project and 20x200 is mentioned briefly too.

I've been open for over four years now, and by artworld standards, the work at my gallery is really affordable. By real world standards, a lot of people who come through the jb want to buy art, but a $2000 (or a $1000, or even a $500) photo is beyond their means. I've been puzzling over how to create a way to make great art available at affordable prices and 20x200 is my solution.

The concept is simple: Prints in limited editions of 200, for $20 each. We'll introduce two new editions a week: a photo one day and a fine art reproduction on another. These prints will be high quality work done by great artists. You'll be able to sign up for a membership, buy gift certificates and have opportunities to buy larger pieces at affordable prices too.

The inspiration for this came from a lot of different places, but I had my total "a-hah!" moment when Amy Ross told me about Tiny Showcase. The duo that runs it is all heart - they are artists themselves, and it's obvious that they get real joy from supporting emerging artists and bringing art to a broad audience.

I've been working with some great people to make 20x200 happen. The fact that Raul Gutierrez has been with me from square one gives me enormous confidence that the idea is sound and full of potential. Like me, Raul has an interactive background, but he's always been a photographer. His skills and insight are a perfect complement to mine, and he's an amazing partner. I've also had the great fortune to collaborate with Little Jacket, a terrific design firm that I became familiar with lo those many years ago when I was writing Unbeige.

They've kept themselves on my radar via mailings that were always inventive and eye-catching, so they were the first people I thought of when I decided to move forward with this. I want it to be like your birthday + Christmas + high school graduation all wrapped up in one every time you get your 20x200 art in the mail. The Little Jacket guys are helping make this happen by designing a site and packaging that are going to knock your socks off.

There are other people working on this too, and I'll introduce them all in good time. Right now we're still in private beta, but if you want, please go to 20x200.com and sign up for our mailing list. We'll keep you posted and give you a chance to sign up for our public beta that will open in a few weeks.

Comments

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Great idea! Can't wait to see the public beta.

Posted by: kathryn | 04/09/2007 at 08:00 PM

Yay! Just signed up! This is going to be awesome, good for you for getting it started.

Posted by: lia | 04/09/2007 at 08:00 PM

great idea. i like we heart prints.

Posted by: john | 04/09/2007 at 08:00 PM

Great idea. I love affordable art, I think there should be lots more original, handmade work and less Ikea/Target beige blah in the world.

Is the art from 20X200 strictly from Hey Hot Shot/Bekman represented artists, or will you be opening up the doors to more artists to participate in the project?

Posted by: dalton | 04/10/2007 at 08:00 PM

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! I am pretty amped up about the whole thing.

My submission policy for photography will remain the same: I only review work via HHS! and will continue to do it that way, which means I am going to stick with jb/HHS! photographers for the most part. (Though you're sure to see some surprising big names in the mix as well.)

As far as painting/drawing/illustration goes, I'm going to prioritize jb artists, of course, but that will only go so far. I am in the process of reaching out to artists I'm interested in working with and also trying to sort out how to evaluate submissions.

Posted by: Jen Bekman | 04/10/2007 at 08:00 PM