Press Release
WINDOWS TO THE DIVINE® LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
IN RESPONSE TO EXPLODING GLOBAL ART MARKET,
MAKING FINE ART ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE
Website features searchable database of works from top contemporary masters and emerging painters, educational resources and event information.
April 1, 2015 – Denver – Windows to the Divine®, a Denver-based foundation that encourages and fosters patronage and philanthropy through the arts, has launched a new website designed to attract art lovers and collectors from all walks of life to become patrons of the arts and learn about art collecting.
The new website is both educational and experiential, with features that include a blog by artists and art experts and a growing library of educational resources, including videos of live artist demonstrations. Art history and art market presentation videos will be added to the library, designed for both new and established collectors. The website includes vivid images of hundreds of works by today’s well-known artists who have exhibited with Windows to the Divine® or will be featured in the upcoming Renaissance of Realism exhibition, November 13 through December 5 at Gallery 1261 in Denver.
The Windows to the Divine® website will be the home of Collectors for Connoisseurship, a new national art network coming in fall 2015 for collectors and artists interested in creating and connecting with a new art community. Network members will be able to engage and interact through an online forum, special events and national symposiums. In conjunction with the Renaissance of Realism exhibition, Collectors for Connoisseurship will host its first National Symposium on November 13 at the Denver Art Museum. The Renaissance of Realism symposium will feature curator presentations and panel discussions with artists, collectors and experts from the art world about the past and future of realism and the global art market.
Windows to the Divine’s® online educational resources are designed to encourage visitors to understand the importance of not only viewing art in museums and public spaces, but collecting art for their own personal spaces, thereby supporting the vocation of living artists today.
“At the core of our foundation and the idea behind this website is the belief that artists have a singular calling to bring beauty and good into the world,” said Shannon Robinson, one of the founders of the Colorado Dominican Foundation and Windows to the Divine®. “Our hope is that this website will invite art lovers from around the globe to come together in community to become connoisseurs and patrons of the arts.”
“We want to capitalize on this historic opportunity to encourage a love for art and artists while using the proceeds of our art sales for societal good.”
By hosting art exhibitions, providing education programs for collectors and connecting the community of artists and art lovers through its new website, Windows to the Divine® promotes patronage of the arts and philanthropy that directly supports living artists and serves those in need.
Unlike other arts organizations, Windows to the Divine® has a dual mission. The foundation promotes and practices philanthropy by supporting the Dominicans in Denver, whose work serving the poor and elderly is supported by the proceeds from Windows to the Divine® art sales and events.
Recent news about the global art market supports the foundation’s decision to expand its mission and reach. Global art sales last year reached an all-time high, beating the last record high set in 2007. For the first time, art sales around the world totaled a record €51 billion ($61 billion), according to The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) 2015 Art Market Report. Most of the art sales in 2014 took place in the US (39 percent), China (22 percent) and the UK (22 percent). The exploding global art market combined with the power of the Internet has created an unprecedented marketplace where diverse art is accessible to more collectors and potential collectors than ever before.
“We want to capitalize on this historic opportunity to encourage a love for art and artists while using the proceeds of our art sales for societal good,” said Robinson. “Art is transformative and feeds the soul, and this is not an exclusive privilege for the wealthy. At Windows to the Divine® we invite everyone to become a collector, regardless of their financial means, because in this global market there is affordable art for everyone.”
Visit windowstothedivine.org to learn about collecting and the upcoming Windows to the Divine® exhibition, view the works of some of the country’s best living artists, read our blog, make a donation to support the Dominicans and stay up-to-date about the upcoming Collectors for Connoisseurship art network. For more information email [email protected] or call (303) 679-1365.
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Media Contact:
Shannon Robinson
(303) 679-1365
