While participating in the Affordable Art Fair panel on Saturday ("The Art of Collecting"), I mentioned that art benefits are a good way to start buying works at relatively low prices. I forgot to mention all of the ones I love, so I'm listing them here since I suspect some people at the event will check out bloggy now.

Momenta Art - This one has the most interesting format. You buy a ticket ($175 last year), and you get one work of art. When your number is drawn, you get your choice of the available works that remain. If you're first, you get your pick of the entire selection -- such as a Kiki Smith print.

Dumbo Arts Center - We first discovered a number of artists at their benefits, and the prices are among the lowest of any silent auction benefits. The next one will be Saturday, December 10th, with previews beginning on December 3rd.

White Box - This non-profit never shies away from political and controversial work, and is another good benefit for art at very reasonable prices.

White Columns - This is one of the oldest and best known benefits (and non-profits). The prices have crept up in recent years, so you need a bit more money to participate in this one than you do for the others.

Artists Space - Their "Night of 1,000 Drawings" event, with $5 admission, and prices from $30-50 depending on size, is a great way to take home art at very low prices, and to take a chance on some unknowns.

A number of smaller organizations, such as Groundswell Mural Project also have art benefits, so watch for those too.

I'm sure I've left off some others, but this is a start for those looking to get started collecting via benefits. Feel free to add more in the comments.

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Updated

The Kitchen wrote to me to tell me they have a big art benefit coming up on November 16th in their space. It's not cheap to get in ($150), but the list of works is impressive, including a John Bock collage from 1999.

More updates

The Postcards from the Edge benefit at Visual AIDS is always a good one to attend.

Little Red Schoolhouse has amazing art benefits every year. Go here for information on the one coming up soon in February 2006.

Detail of installation of C-Prints at Oliver Kamm, April 2004

Check out Edward Winkleman's artist of the week post (done while we were in Berlin) on Joe Ovelman.

For more on Joe, visit his web site, or use the search on this blog and James's.

[photo by James Wagner]

Don't forget to come see us tomorrow on the panel at the Affordable Art Fair.

The details I posted earlier are here.

Here is a fun article on wine made from grape vines grown in parks in Berlin.

We only have one computer on the trip, and James is a slow blogger, so I'm not posting much right now. Go read him instead.

View from the roof of the Bundestag / Reichstag of a conference room at the top of the Jakob Kaiser Haus.

The metallic arched dome in the back is the top of Frank Gehry's DZ Bank building on Pariser Platz.

We spotted this near our apartment two nights ago. He appears to be lifting his... whatever you call that thing. The bottom was torn off, so maybe someone edited it after it was put up. At least they didn't destroy the whole thing.

I took this in the waiting room of the government building where we witnessed the wedding of our friend Dan to his German boyfriend Adrian. I'm sure the man who officiated does dinner theater on weekends. The room laughed through the entire ceremony.

Bats are so romantic, aren't they? The images are displayed upside down, so that the bats seem to be standing but are actually hanging from branches.

I only know the two people on the right -- the fabulous Ricky and Uta.

Sorry for the lack of posting. Too busy seeing stuff to write about it, as we're only home long enough to sleep.

From today:

Installation view of Fraktale IV at the Palast der Republik.

Yesterday we lucked into joining a group visiting the Hoffman Collection. Not only was the art impressive, it is in one of the most perfect apartments in Berlin - room after room in the Hackesher Höfe.

In Germany, the entrance to the Reichstag (parliament/legislature) building is right there on a street, where taxis and bicycles ride by (but no private cars), and regular people can walk right up and say hello to the top leaders walking out to their black chauffured cars.

Reichtag eastern entrance

Reichstag eastern entrance, with a line visible where the Berlin Wall once stood. The Marie Elizabeth Lüders Haus is in the background.

The British are a bit more paranoid. Their embassy is on a public street, but it is closed to all vehicular traffic, with police and barricades at either end of the block.

British Embassy in Berlin

Jennifer Dalton, Contemporary Art According to Jen, 2002, Powerpoint presentation in 32 slides

One of my favorite conceptual artists working in New York now is Jennifer Dalton. Ed Winkleman has a post with her request for visual artists to fill out an anonymous survey on how they live. If you are an artist, head on over.

My favorite shows in Williamsburg right now:

Ryan Wolfe, Sketch of a Field of Grass at Dam Stuhltrager, which presents technology imitating nature in a beautiful way,

plus, two group shows by the same curator -- Elena Sorokina:

Siemon Allen, Cards (detail)

Enemy Image at Momenta

and

Russian Redux #1 at Schroeder Romero

Harriet Miers and George Bush, still from an AP video

For a couple of minutes, I had a post up about Harriet Miers, the new Supreme Court nominee, being a board member of Exodus Ministries. According to Law Dork, via Wonkette, this is not the "Freedom from homosexuality through the healing power of Jesus Christ" organization, but a Dallas based-organization which "seeks to encourage ex-offenders, to reunite them with their families, and to empower them to become self-sustaining, productive, Christ-centered members of society." No word yet on what they do with non-Christian ex-cons.

Still, this is one of the least qualified people I have seen in a while being nominated. The employment section of the Washington Post story is pretty underwhelming:

Experience: 2004-present, White House counsel; 2003-2004, White House deputy chief of staff for policy; 2001-2003, White House staff secretary; 1995-2001, chairwoman, Texas Lottery Commission; 1972-2000, private law practice; 1992, president, Dallas Bar Association; 1989-1991, member, Dallas City Council; 1985, president, Dallas Bar Association.

According to Atrios, even some right-wingers thing she's a joke.

James heard about the nomination today and said, "She can't possibly get approved." My response was, "Justice Thomas. There is nothing you can't get on the Supreme Court these days."

The lovely and talented Janet Phelps has asked us to be part of a panel on collecting at the Affordable Art Fair on October 29th. Here is the info I have from her:

The panelists are as follows:

Jeremy Adams, Gallery Director, Cue Art Foundation
Joshua Mack, New American Paintings
Stacey Gershon, Curator, JP Morgan Chase Art Collection
James Wagner and Barry Hoggard, collectors, write separate art-related blogs and together maintain an online visual arts calendar.
Robert Goff or Cassie Rosenthal, Directors, Goff Rosenthal

We don't know yet which of the Goff Rosenthal people will attend.

This panel of collectors, dealers, business men and women, artists, curators, advisors and critics will discuss collecting and how their careers and career choices relate to the way they collect, what they collect and how they collect. The panelists will try to put a human face to the often overwhelming prospect of collecting. Moderated by Franklin Sirmans, Curator and Writer; with Jeremy Adams, Director of Cue Art Foundation; Joshua Mack of New American Painting; Stacey Gershon, Curator at JPMorgan Chase; James Wagner and Barry Hogard, Collectors, Activists, and Critics; and Robert Goff or Cassie Rosenthal, Co-Directors of Goff Rosenthal.

Details for the where and when:
The Art of Collecting: 2:30 on Saturday October 29th at Pier 92. It will last about 1 1/2 to 2 hours tops.