Greg Metz, Visual Arts Professor, Curator, and Gallery Director weighs in on the Art of RYHO20:
“First I would like to say that in general I have an aversion to artists giving their work away for auctions for variety of reasons as I believe vendors should find donors to sponsor artists’ works so then the donors can contribute those works since artist are not always in a financial position to give their work away for free. That said- I believe this is one auction that defies my criteria for this – especially the amazing artists on this list – a great many of them I know as they are first and foremost gifted humanitarians who have personally experienced, witnessed and understand the hardships endured and associated with making the cultural and societal transitions from one dynamic situation to another-evidence through their works and actions.
Knowing this line up as I do – these proven artists and their works are all worthy investments not only for the execution of their craft, but for the heart-beat of shared experience spliced into the works through personal narratives, imaginative- magical interpretations, poetic compilations of beauty and hardship, emotional turpitude and reflections of both memorable and challenging times. These all can now be passed on to others as reminders of their own contributions to support HRI who has dedicated in its mission to offer relief and hope to those in otherwise daunting crisis situations.
Most all of these artist are professionally known commodities with collected credentials! I have curated many (15 ) of these artists into exhibitions over the years. Collectors will all tell you that first and foremost their criteria for collecting comes from the heart- that is investing in those works which speak to them, that they find inspiration in and are visually allured or intrigued by whether its aesthetically, the narrative or the artist story and identity and then to niche works they relate to-I know this as I do seminars with collectors, critics, gallerists, and artists on the valuing and collecting of works of art. I hope that those who win these works will also get to learn about and know these artists as they all have impacting stories of their own and have contributed in so many diverse ways to the North Texas and beyond Art Scene. These artists are not just artists but dedicated advocates of cultural and humanitarian enlightenment. Their circles are wide as multi-dimensional influencers. So-Beautiful, inspirational people and their works emphasize these expressed points of light!” (October, 2020)
Stories from the HeART: Rock Your HeART Out 2020 is a free, online event that is scheduled for Saturday, 10/17/20. For more information: rockyourheartout.org
