Art in Time of Transition -- by, Jeff Gelblum

As we enter the new decade of the new millenium, I find that these are wonderfully experimental times for the fine arts. Indeed, such a project as an on-line ARTKABINETT social network geared primarily toward art collecting, could never have taken hold a few years ago, when folks were all buying stuff like crazy without pause or reflection. At that time, exploding stock markets, inflated real estate values, the strong dollar, low interest rates, and crass consumerism converted fine art into nothing more than a commodity -- not unlike corn or wheat as transacted in the Chicago pit exchanges. Buy a Warhol today, and sell it to someone richer tomorrow, was a commonly chanted mantra. Not too different from folks purchasing expensive homes on interest-only mortages, hoping that equity would rise infinitely, whereby they could extract un-earned cash via "equity loans" or pass off to another buyer at a profit. People did not need to interact as collectors because everyone was buying and selling everything without need of critique, price conscience, or consensus. Well...things have certainly changed! Since the "crisis" whereby American real estate, various currencies, and the world equity markets have crashed over the past two years; and unemployment has skyrocketed, folks truly need to get together. Artists need to create "schools" of consensus and direction -- much like occurred in Berlin, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, and New York in the early to mid-20th century. Artists in proximity of thought can create a new virtual economy of idea trading, technical advancement, and commercial enterprise. The modern internet is an ideal platform for these exhanges which occurred in previous times in Montparnasse or 9th Street, NYC. Today those types of spontaneous and simultaneous interactions can occur electronically in Sydney, New Delhi, and Montana. Similarly, collectors -- via our type of online social network -- can now interface to offer immediate support, defense, rejection or endorsement of emerging artistic concepts and representations. Utilyzing the ARTKABINETT platform model, collectors can now "collectively" weigh in on any and all matters impacting the fine arts. In fact, the traditional "salon" of olden days whereby folks sat around for hours over meals, endless coffee, and cigarettes can now occur 24/7 with the click of a mouse. Of course...nothing beats an invite to an artsy coffee klatch. However, on-line interactions and contact with a world of fine art collectors from a Mississippi Starbucks isn't so bad either.