Invisible Dog Gallery Offers Board For Bucks

An example of one of Invisible Dog's apartments being offered in its Kickstarter campaign.

A three night getaway! Mingle with real life New York artists! Good for you or your out-of-town friends!

The Invisible Dog Art Center has created a Kickstarter campaign to support its upcoming 6th season that includes perks, like being able to stay in one of the gallery-owned Cobble Hill studio apartments for different lengths of time depending on how much you donate. According to the campaign, donors can either donate $800 for a three night stay or $2,000 for a seven night “residence,” complete with croissants from a local bakery. This is the second year the gallery has initiated the fundraiser, and two people are already on board.

“A 3-night-getaway in one of our studio apartments. Mingle with our artists, and see a more intimate side of the work we do. You can use this stay for yourself or for your out-of-town guests. Plus: your name on the donor wall + a Tattly™ featuring Risa or Lucien + your name on our Thank You page!,” writes Lucien Zayan & Risa Shoup on the gallery’s Kickstarter page.

It sounds, perhaps, more like a travel brochure offering an exotic experience rather than a donor campaign for an upcoming art season. But, in keeping with current art-world trends, the emphasis seems to be on packaging that is aimed to sell an experience instead of simply appreciating the art work or supporting the cause. Well, it is all for a good cause; the Center boasts an excellent stage for performances, plus an exhibition center for experimental works; and Cobble Hill, of course, is a beautiful neighborhood with a Trader Joe’s right down the street.

Considering the gallery already rents out its apartments at $1,000 a week, or $28,000 a month, the perk of donating $800 for a three night stay sounds less like a new or unique opportunity and more like just a thank-you for donating. But the campaign has already met its goal of $25,000, with nine more days left to donate. The proceeds are going towards funding Invisible Dog’s exhibitions and performances for the upcoming season, as well as a refurbishment of its gallery space.

As the Kickstarter announces, “We are redesigning the interior, and we have commissioned longtime artist-in-residence, Mac Premo (whose work we exhibited last spring), to create a special installation for our new facade. Our front door will no longer just be an entryway to art—it will be a work of art!”

On-top of the page is a well-known John Cage quote, “I can’t understand how people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” Promoting old ideas as new is not a new idea.

 

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