Young artists, plus young collec­tors, plus newly established gal­leries and the love of art equal the cultural phenomenon sweep­ing the Chelsea art district, as thirty-something art enthusiasts flock to galleries. Has the art world spawned a new generation of young, hip, savvy art aficiona­dos who are destined to become tomorrow’s well informed art col­lectors?
The Chelsea art community is boasting of the new involvement with the thirty-some­thing crowd. Texting your friends about the newest opening and exhibition is easy. With new artists and emerging galleries experimenting with various concepts and ideas, the diversity of Chelsea has now ca­tered to this new audience and market giv­ing new energy and vitality to art spaces for creativity.
Melissa Sarti, a 32-year-old graduate student from Hunter College stands on the corner of West 25th and 10th Ave. text
messaging a friend about an art exhibition this Thursday night. “Hey Carl, meet me at 6:30 at White Box,” she wrote. “There’s an awesome installation I want to see and some friends I want you to meet.”
The Chelsea corner where she stands seems to be a remote one with a taxi stand, a gas station and a crumbling warehouse just below an old, elevated railroad line. But she stands on the edge of the Chel­sea art world, the largest museum-like space of contemporary art in the world. The sidewalk crowd builds as she walks toward the gallery spaces. She passes a large glass gallery window and moves closer to get a better glimpse of the huge space within an old brick factory. Melissa peers through the window. She sees them, clutching glasses of champagne and wine, as the crowd of young guests inside mar­vel at a new contemporary painting.
From Manhattan to Queens, the young trendsetters are coming out in droves, and not just for the wine. Last month at a re­ception at Agora Gallery Mary Ellen Hen­derson and Daniel Cavazos interviewed and photographed some of the hipsters that
frequent the gallery. “I like to know what’s going on in the galleries in the neighbor­hood. It’s kind of like for business and pleasure” answers Christina Freeman, a photographer, when asked why she made a point to come to the reception. “We’re artists by nature; some of us are fashion designers, so we have an interest in art. We can truly appreciate it”.
Erin Walker and Bren frequent the galler­ies on a regular basis, so what keeps them coming back? “It’s a good chance for us to catch up with each other, and also look for inspiration”. However, The Chelsea galleries are not just for those looking to enhance their knowledge of up-and-com­ing design trends in the contemporary art world. “I like to be able to come out on the weekends, and be able to go from gallery to gallery to gallery. Make an afternoon of it and go to brunch. Get a group of friends together to do something more interesting and define my own taste in art”, offered Jennifer Grace, a publishing assistant from Wired Magazine.