Fiercely Curious: local art ecommerce community hosts first pop-up show

Since launching in March, Fiercely Curious, a website for local artists to sell their work, has added six new artists and all were on display at its first pop-up show aimed at spurring interest in its platform and community. Equal parts exhibition and launch party, the goal of the show was twofold: drive awareness and sell art.

With a packed house Friday evening at Gowanus church-turned-art gallery St. Lydia’s and foot traffic Saturday, FC sold two pieces–one each from Ai Campbell and Ian Trask–for undisclosed amounts.

“We couldn’t have asked for more. We were humbled and amazed at how much support we received from artists, friends and local businesses,” said cofounder Tom Critchlow.

The model is an interesting one, aimed at widening the reach of the traditional art gallery with a web audience. Its success may largely rely on how big and generous a community it can build.

Cameron Welch, a painter who recently moved to Brooklyn from Chicago, came away impressed. He expressed interest in the FC model, noting its balance between the heavily commercialized gallery world and a barebones Do-It-Yourself approach.

“It offers opportunity and exposure artists otherwise wouldn’t have,” he said.

Featured artists like Boerum Hill-based Peter Trieber Jr. were also pleased. Trieber, whose work uses found materials from wood to handwritten letters, says the FC platform hasn’t yielded sales, but is a great new way to showcase his work. He also looks forward to collaborating with other artists on the platform, a priority for the founders that will drive future efforts in Brooklyn.

“We’re working closely with some of our artists to explore building larger, custom installations,” said Critchlow. One example he offered was a reclaimed-electronics piece. The hope is for Trieber and Ian Trask, who also works with found materials, to collaborate with an e-waste warehouse in Gowanus and use scrap electronics for a piece that might be an attractive addition to the office of a local startup or tech company.

Currently, FC is in talks with places like Grand Central Tech and Techspace about original works and a rental program that includes fresh art every few months.

“We suggested quarterly rotations of curated art to keep things fresh for those who work there,” said Prezkop. “A business isn’t buying a piece because they are personally attached to it, they are buying it to make their space look interesting, beautiful, colorful and inspiring.”

Both Critchlow and Przekop see natural affinities between the tech and artistic communities beyond the commercial element. They believe tech can think more about sustainability, locally-made products and reclaimed materials while artists can can get more ambitious both with the mediums they use and how their work is displayed.  Each community of smart, creative minds has something to offer the other, they said.

A half dozen new artists are said to be joining the site soon and Fiercely Curios has another pop-up show in the works.