The traditional art gallery model that has served plein air painters, mixed media artists, and fine art photographers for generations still reigns supreme in Maine; but change is in the wind.
A newly launched NFT collection on Foundation named “Dreary Immaculate: Coastal Maine” by Eric J. Taubert, an artist and photographer with deep ties to the Ogunquit art scene, hints at where the future of art is heading.
“I’ll be the first to acknowledge,” states Taubert, “that there will always be a meaningful place for the local brick and mortar art gallery, especially in Maine. For many people, the physical process of seeing, discovering, and purchasing art in a traditional gallery setting is the only experience in which they are interested. It’s what they know. It’s time honored. It’s familiar.”
“The Ogunquit Art Colony exerted a powerful influence on my development as an artist,” continues Taubert. “For almost a decade, I lived in the historic Thompson Farmhouse (1750) located just outside of Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine. I’m also a juried member-artist of the Ogunquit Art Association/Barn Gallery – Maine’s original artists’ group (established in 1928).”
“Many collectors of my Maine-based work,” states Taubert. “and many of my fellow Maine-area artists, are very used to operating within a classic, rigid, and formal art world structure. Maine tends to be a place where change is slowly integrated. That’s part of what makes Maine a magical place. That’s also part of what drives me to bring my traditional Maine artwork into these new formats, onto these new platforms, and in front of the new audiences gathered there. I love the contrast that exists between ‘what we’ve always done’ and ‘what the future holds’.”
Ogunquit Art Colony arrives into the NFT-Era
“We may be in the early days,” shares Taubert, “but there is a growing digital movement wherein artists and collectors of all ages are embracing compelling technological advancements which I believe are certain to have enriching, positive, and enduring impacts on the way art is created, appreciated, collected, and experienced.”
“Even right now, ” states Taubert, “the creators and collectors of NFTs inhabit something that is still almost like an underground art scene. The majority of traditional collectors and artists haven’t dabbled in the NFT market yet; it remains, for the present moment, a space primarily characterized by early adopters. These early days are quickly coming to a close. Everyday there is more technology. More advancements. More investments. More adoption. More utility. More value propositions. More intuitive user interfaces. It’s exciting to be alive during this era, to witness these changes, to be a small part of these changes.”
“It may take a little while longer for the collectors of my work to more fully embrace the NFT and digital art spaces,” states Taubert, “but I plan on continuing to offer my work there moving forward. I plan on finding ways to reward any early collectors who follow me there. And maybe I’ll make some new friends along the way.”
(NOTE: An alternate version of this interview/essay was originally published in Maine Art Scene)
