I grew up in a small town in Germany, which I left to be able to study art.
Meanwhile I am living in Berlin, but I return to my rural origin for an exhibition
around every two years.
The collectors of my work are by half from rural and half from urban areas
In rural areas the relationshhip a sponsor has to the community is very important.
Example:
a foundation of a German public bank when they are to buy artwork for branches
in the rural areas, they directly address artists who are now living and working outside but were born in the area they are buying artwork for.
In my experience rural people rather buy artwork when they personally know the artist.
They buy artwork to decorate their home with it and choose more conventional traditional work.
Urbanites seem more often than rurals to consider art to be an investment and
are more liberal towards new art forms.
Rurals are more shy to discuss the work with the artist whereas the urbanites like to meet the artist personally in front of their work to find out more about her or him
and to discuss the artwork and express their own thoughts about it.
Rurals lack the experience to be confronted with new art forms and seem not as open towards them. They don’t seem to miss that experience and don’t see the
need that new art forms should develop and their artists be sustained.
I feel urbanites do more like to be challenged and experience something new
and therefore are more willing to support contemporary artists.
This experience I had with journalists who are writing for suburban small town newspapers and their collegues in the urban areas as well as with art viewers.
Of course there are also exceptions to be found but this is my general experience.
I agree with your words that urbanites “also need to be more aware of the crucial role they play in sustaining the art community whose products and productions they enjoy.”
Almuth Baumfalk,
pandabird at gmx dot net