Art Center Sarasota Empowers Artists with Launch of “artsite”

Art Center Sarasota recently launched a new online sales gallery called “artsite.” According to Lisa Berger, the organization’s executive director, the site provides a national platform for area artists who have participated in exhibits at Art Center Sarasota. artsite connects these area talents with potential collectors, gallerists, interior designers and patrons from around the country. Currently, sale of art is limited to buyers in the United States, but the site can be viewed worldwide.

Danielle Dygert, exhibitions and marketing coordinator and the site’s creator, notes that Art Center Sarasota’s online presence is already strong. Its website currently attracts more than 2,000 new visitors a month and is growing.

“More than 75 percent of our online audience is comprised of new users who find the site when searching for ‘art in Sarasota,’” says Dygert. “That’s clearly a potentially lucrative market for artsite artists.”

“We want to put Sarasota on the map as a destination for the visual arts in an emerging digital market that transcends borders,” says Dygert. “Showcasing our outstanding regional artists to a national and international audience is the best way to create that awareness.”

Dygert explains that the qualifications for maintaining a standard of excellence on artsite are very clear. “artsite only represents those artists who have exhibited in Art Center Sarasota’s juried or curated exhibitions within the last two years and have been approved by the artsite review committee. This process ensures that the work meets our standards of quality and professionalism.” Dygert adds that artsite will showcase emerging and established visual artists who have a complete series of work and a distinctive style. These artists must be regionally based, and actively participate in the area’s arts scene.

How does it work?

According to Dygert, artsite displays six images at a time for each participating artist in their own personal gallery. The selection will change every three months, allowing artists to display their latest creations. Artists pay an annual fee of $100 for ACS members or $175 for non-members for administrative and hosting expenses.

Dygert adds that this new initiative recognizes that “consumers do a majority of their shopping online—so why not buy original art? We’re reaching out to artists who want to branch out beyond our region. artsite will make that possible.”

Art Center Sarasota is located at 707 N. Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota. For more information, call 941-365-2032 or visit www.artsarasota.org.