Road to Red Dot

Hey, I'm Shay!

I'm a visual artist specializing in acrylic on canvas paintings. I create art that spans various styles, mediums, and subject matter and right now I am raising funds to take my art to be displayed as part of the Red Dot Miami this December 2024.

(From here it gets lengthy but bare with me-it'll make sense!)

Red Dot Miami is a contemporary art fair hosted every year during Miami Art Week. It acts as an opportunity for artist to expand their reach and connect with collectors and buyers that they may not have otherwise reached on their own. Red Dot Miami is a gallery-only art fair, which means that only artists associated or represented by galleries are able to display in the show.

How did I get an invite as a non-gallery artist? Well, one day while I was randomly looking for art show opportunities I applied to an artist call for an exhibit in the summer at an art gallery in New York called Agora Gallery-I got in! After looking more closely at the dates and looking at contractual obligations that I have with other art related things I figured I wouldn't be able to make it to the show in the summer. So, I went onto the website for Agora gallery and was just doing research about them and found out they display in Red Dot Miami-they choose artists to display there.

Fast forward a little and I decide to set up a call with the Director of Agora Gallery to ask her if my acceptance into Agora Gallery's summer exhibit would be something that could transfer over into acceptance for displaying at Red Dot Miami through them and she said YES! I went into the call with no expectations and thought "the worst she can say is no", but she was really nice about it! We talked a little about my work and contractual obligations to a local museum in my area for traveling art activities being the reason behind my acceptance transfer. During that call I found out she has a daughter named Shay-spelled exactly like mine-and that she's from Memphis, so she was familiar with a lot of things I mentioned during the call!

All that being said, I am excited, happy, and grateful for the opportunity to display in such a show. Red Dot Miami is a pretty big deal in the contemporary art ecosystem. Miami art week as a whole is a pretty amazing opportunity to expand ones reach in their work as an artist...it's right up there with Art Basel Miami, if you're familiar with that. Art Basel Miami is also part of Miami art week. Read more about these art shows here: https://agifineart.com/advice/miami-art-week-why-its-important-and-why-you-should-be-there/

To reach the goals that I have for my art career is directly related to the connections and exposure that I have for my work. I don't believe in being a starving artist-I believe that artists can support themselves from their art but only if they are able to get it in front of enough of the right people.

As an artist in Northwest Arkansas, my ultimate aim in my art career is to be able to fully support myself by producing and selling art via my website. I believe it is very possible and can be done by not only developing my reputation within my area but outside of my area as well. I want to develop relationships with collectors who have a deep love and appreciation for art and believe that in attending art fair such as Red Dot, I can achieve what I want to achieve.

This type of art fair will do wonders for getting the exposure I need in being an emerging artist. Additionally, this type of art fair will expand my network by allowing me to begin cultivating relationships with major art collectors and curators across the country. The scale of Miami Art Week and the types of opportunities that comes from these types of art fairs is tremendous!

Here's where this Gofundme comes in. These fairs are not cheap. With my gofundme goal, I aim to pay for the fee for my wall of about 4-6ft for displaying work. The cost for the wall/displaying will be around $4,650 which will include the following:

The remaining amount of my total goal will go toward traveling expenses to get there and back, lodging, and extras such as preparing business cards before the fair, getting prints of my work made, and other booth related expenses related to my art such as framing and print sleeves.

I am forever grateful for you taking the time to read this far and know that even if you can't donate directly at this very moment, word of mouth and sharing this campaign does wonders! I also have plans to look for grants and apply to a grant for artists in my region to help out with these costs.

Additionally, support looks like purchasing art from my website, artgirlshay.com (I offer payment plans AND afterpay to make buying easier), or donating via Cashapp at $artgirlshay.

To view more of my work and keep up with my artistry follow me on social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok) @artgirlshay.

If you have any questions please contact me!