Our journey to an artist membership network
Show of hands 🙋♀️🙋♂️ do you know the story arc of our online platform?
We’ve had quite the journey to get here.
Hi, it’s Kat, one of the two founders of PARADICE PALASE.
We’ve welcomed many new faces to our community recently, so I thought I’d take this chance to re-emphasize the purpose of, well, all of *this* - and why I believe so much in the membership model we’ve created.
⏳TLDR
My co-founder Lauren and I set out with two goals when we started PARADICE PALASE:
#1: To see more public interest in art and expanded private collecting within the primary market.
#2: To create a clear path for navigating a career as an artist.
As artists ourselves, we were each a bit lost after graduating college with BFAs. Struggling is an understatement.
When the universe brought us together in 2016, we shared our stories of those struggles. Then, we were inspired to team up and fix the problems.
💖 We wanted to influence more art lovers to buy original artwork by contemporary artists.
🧙♂️ We wanted to demystify building a visual arts career.
👀 Overall, we wanted to pull back the curtain on the art world.
In 2017, PARADICE PALASE was born as a curatorial project in Brooklyn, NY. Over the course of our faceted early years, our model transformed from
crowdfunding ➡ to shop concept ➡ to programming hybrid ➡ to a sort of kitchen sink era
Alas, changing an entire ecosystem can take time!
Along those early years, the primary focus of our business shifted from the 1st goal to the 2nd. Et voila! The membership network was born.
Well, then came the surveys.
Then came the branding re-designs and structural upgrades.
& a few other important checkpoints.
Now, today, our membership is an open enrollment digital site to access and share knowledge, resources, feedback and social time; by artists and for artists.
💞Our founding, a [art] love story
6 years ago, we founded PARADICE PALASE on the desire to break down barriers. We asked ourselves - how can we shift the structure of the artist career path in the contemporary art world?
➡ We wanted to see patronage and collectorship expanded and we wanted to see broader and more effective paths to success for artists of any practice.
➡ We sought to move beyond the polarizing models that make up a staggering majority of art businesses.
➡ Simply put - we wanted to build something more inclusive and accessible.
The financial and career success of artists has historically been attributed to an elite circle of patrons and institutions.
So, how could we create support systems for the varied practices of artists starting at the ground level?
Our first answer - crowdfunding!
In 2017-2018, we launched crowdfund campaigns alongside 6 inaugural group exhibitions at our Brooklyn, NY project space.
We made available
Artist-produced objects and small works to compliment the larger “studio” artworks on display
In-house collectible “merch” like logo hats, pins, and koozies
With the goals of
getting everyday people involved in the production of exhibitions
appealing to a variety of patron incomes
guaranteeing pay to both the artists and the gallery (ourselves)
Without realizing it yet, we were planting the seeds for the “shared pot” mentality that encompasses our membership today.
🐬The fast-slow pivot
We soon recognized the loyal community growing through this alternative, participatory effort.
Over the next few years, we tested through various ideas surrounding alternative support structures until the membership model was revealed.
If museums can do it, why can’t we do it too?
Our membership was first presented as communal patronage in all facets of our ongoing curatorial program, that any art lover could join.
As we continued to evolve however, we noticed one important thing - more and more artists were joining to uplift their peers and in seeking a community that felt supportive of their creative needs.
🏁The problem, solved
Until recently, our projects focused solely on artists & patrons in the NYC metro area.
In 2021 that all changed.
We officially pivoted to an online operation to better serve our growing cohort of members beyond our home turf.
And the move to online was due in large part to the global pandemic.
The success of that move (a bizarre and humble truth to admit)
revealed the deep need for sustained connection with each other, wherever we may be.
Almost overnight, our updated mission was clear -
create an accessible place to share knowledge, resources, feedback and social time; by artists and for artists.
⚡Your network is your power
Today, the PARADICE PALASE membership is a network of like-minded artists all working towards their studio and career goals, together.
Since our pivot and rebrand, we have welcomed nearly 175 emerging artists to our private members site.
If you juggle multiple jobs and/or projects, if you’re working toward a solo show, if you want to do more residencies, if you have a public art project in mind;
if you’re a parent, if you teach multiple classes, if you live in a small town in Alaska, or one neighborhood over from us in Brooklyn.
Whether you’re looking for a few tips or a robust way to learn and evolve with peers, we are here to offer resources and community no matter where you are in the U.S., or what your schedule may be.
Since 2020, other digital memberships for artists have been born. Some are simple, some are ultra structured, and some drive specific goals.
And we couldn’t be more thrilled about that!
The more information and tools artists have to reach success, the better.
We think we can support you no matter what you may be looking for, at whatever place you may be in your career.
If you’re an artist, we can help make the path to your success more accessible and transparent.
Are we the right membership for you?
I think so. See you on the interwaves 🌊
xo, Kat