Artists Wanted Crowdsources New Arts Stars
Turnstyle on Monday, Jun. 18th
It isn’t the first site that’s tried to create a dynamic online platform for non-traditional artists. It is the first that brings their works to Times Square.
The Times reporting today on ArtistsWanted.org, which bought some of New York’s highest value billboard space to showcase an original multimedia piece that won an online contest decided by users of its site.
Artists Wanted is drawing investment from the backers of bit.ly, Vimeo, and Foursquare.
In its venture-financed expansion, Artists Wanted, which now has a staff of 14, plans to run four competitions a year, letting the site’s community pick the best contenders in art, photography, fashion and more but retaining the right to name the winner (as it did for Times Square). Its business plan is a mix of free and paid services, allowing users to post their work free but charging for deeper usage — $25 to get your portfolio on the home page during a contest, say, or perks like after-party tickets.
Part of what differentiates Artists Wanted from sites like art.sy is its focus on unknown artists, rather than fine arts luminaries.
