For just over a year, local artists Jennifer Steck, Rebecca Berman, and Jennifer Yoswa have been quietly working to change the landscape of artist-collector interaction—Now it’s time for their debut as Artburst Studios.What began as a casual painting session between friends quickly blossomed into an innovative and immersive online experience called Artburst Studios. The digital art gallery takes an artist-centric approach to buying, selling, and showing artwork. The studio will host its first virtual show beginning this upcoming Thursday, February 23, until Saturday, February 25. But don’t be fooled by the short resume; this show is no beta-test or minimal viable production. The virtual, boutique-style show will feature over 250 different, original pieces from 23 local and international artists. The platform offers artists a place to share their stories, processes, studios, and, of course, their work. The hope is to provide a gallery space for collectors and artists to create more meaningful and authentic connections. “We all shared the same passion to make it happen,” says Steck. “There have been challenges along the way, but as a team, I’ve never worked with a team of people like this… You know, if you have the right people at the table, who are willing to be honest… It’s just believing that you can carry something big off”And carry it off they have. The show will feature work across a diversity of mediums, themes, and styles; however, the show isn’t just about selling one-of-a-kind pieces. The creators have worked hard to ensure that their platform showcases the artists as much as the pieces themselves.“In the simplest of terms Artburst Studios is a website; but, it’s so much more than that,” states Berman. “It’s there to highlight the artists and to promote that connection between the artist and the collectors.” From the carefully crafted user experience to quirky artist bios, the trio has put in thousands of hours carving out a space for collectors and fellow artists to develop personal relationships that go beyond the canvas.
How Artburst Studios Began
As the story goes, it was only their second time meeting as a group of friends for a casual painting session. Jennifer Steck, who has been lovingly nicknamed “Captain,” arrived equipped with a vision and a spreadsheet. Both Yoswa and Berman readily jumped on board. Having collectively shown in over 60 juried exhibits, Steck, Berman, and Yoswa are more than familiar with how showings generally go–a mixed bag of excitement, fear, and abject vulnerability. They began to ponder how this experience could be different—how it could empower the artist beyond the price tag.“What would we want if an artist approached us?” asks Yoswa.” We want support. We want a beautiful platform. We want great art communication. We want to know more artists.” So, they used this to guide them as they built Artburst Studios. From their sleek branding to their website flow, their virtual platform is a pedestal for not only the artwork, but also the artists. In alignment with their mission, they even coached artists on how to market themselves leading up to the event.“We started to think about who we are, where we come from, and what we’d been doing.” says Yoswa. “We thought, let’s create something that serves ourselves and artists at the same time, and our collectors.”The trio quickly found that their diverse professional backgrounds gave them a well-rounded breadth of skills. This, and their common desire to serve the community that has served them, lead to the advent of Artburst Studios. They overcame late nights, technology, and even the intimidation of meeting their heroes.“When we were recruiting artists, we didn’t go for the easiest people,” laughs Berman. “We were like, ‘Oh, who’s your hero?’ Then we’re like, ‘We’re gonna ask them to be in the show.’”Moreover, they did most of their recruitment before they even had their website up and running, something the three recognize as a huge leap of faith for both their featured artists and themselves. Together, they set their sights high, lifted each other up through the challenges, and celebrated their milestones. “I know, after my years of experience—not just in law enforcement or in government, but also as an artist—when the doors open, that means that you’re on the right track,” says Steck.With their first show just on the horizon, the three are taking time to appreciate their hard work, but also keeping an eye on the future. “It was a concept and an idea that’s been a lot of work,” reflects Steck. “What’s beautiful is that we all shared the same passion to make it happen…we believe in it.” Artburst Studios is planning to have two more shows in the upcoming year, one in late July and one in October. From there, they are hopeful that the studio will continue to be a place to build connections.“A big part of everything we do is about fostering connection and providing spaces for connection and bringing people together,” says Berman. “We’re behind our artists helping them up”If you’re an artist and would like to be featured in either of the upcoming shows, you can apply on the Artburst Studio website. Photo courtesy of Artburst Studios
By Haley Birt
