Paducah Arts Alliance is sponsoring the 7th Annual Affordable Art Show tonight at the Yeiser Art Center in downtown Paducah from 5 to 8 p.m. On Sounds Good, Tracy Ross speaks with Jessica Perkins and Rosemarie Steele about why the show is a win/win for both local artists and community members interested in their work.
The Affordable Art Show began as an initiative by Paducah's Main Street program in 2009, to help people feel like the arts were accessible after hearing feedback from the community about how while they loved the arts they weren't going to galleries to make a purchase.
So the organization decided to create a non-threatening or intimidating environment where people can look at work by many local artists at the same time. Nothing in this show is priced over $500 and many items can be found in the$50 to $100 range (also many items like jewelry, pottery and scarves are in the under $50 range).
They found people are much more comfortable buying art this way and make more connections with the artists, maybe then feeling more inclined to visit a gallery later in the year. This even also benefits local artists because they get a high percentage of what they sell and what's left over goes to support the Paducah Arts Alliance.
