The Camano Art Association (CAA) is launching an #artisindustry campaign to promote its upcoming “CAA Premier Collection” showcasing over forty CAA artists on Saturday, November 2nd.
Sunnyshore Studio’s Artistic Director, Jason Dorsey, thinks the concept of art as industry is great. He says,
“Artists are often viewed as romantics, out of touch with the nitty gritty of the ‘real world.’ The fact is, that artists are much more like blue collar workers than most people think. We work with our hands. Our tools are brushes and chisels and lathes and looms. The mediums we work with are from the stuff of this earth: paper and pigments, metal and wood, glass and fire. Artists are like blue collar workers in that most of us are just scraping to get by.”
“There’s another way that art is Camano’s industry.” Jason continues. “There’s a growing understanding that art is a powerful economic engine. Lots of articles are being written about that. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/nea-arts-economic-study-1484587 It is definitely a real economic engine in the Stanwood-Camano region.”
“Years ago, logging was the big economic driver on Camano, then people tried to make it on small farms. Then it was recreation with 15 (or so) resorts where people came to fish and play. When my dad moved to Camano Island in 1969, he may have been the only artist besides my great-grandmother, Fanny Y. Cory who was still producing her daily newspaper cartoon strip. My dad was definitely a blue collar artist, an artist of the people.”
“Now we have over 100 artists in the CAA, and there are many other artists who are not part of our organization. CAA’s annual Studio Tour brings in over 400K in art sales. Add to this all the art sold by individual artists throughout the year, the classes and workshops, and entrepreneurial ventures like my brother Jed Dorsey’s Acrylic University https://www.acrylicuniversity.com and the picture of art adding real economic value to our region emerges.”
Meet some of the artists who will be participating in the upcoming CAA Premier Collection show.
