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Matthew Burrows in front of one of his In and Through paintings

Artist’s response to Covid-19 goes viral

An appeal to promote buying art direct from the artist that began in Hastings four weeks ago has gone global. At a time when exhibitions have been cancelled and galleries closed, #artistsupportpledge is bringing income to artists who are struggling as the result of the global pandemic. Meet artist Matthew Burrows who created the hashtag which gives creatives a new way to sell their work.

One of the In and Through artworks that Matthew has sold through the #artistsupportpledge movement

On the 16th March, as a result of hearing that several forthcoming exhibitions of his work had been cancelled because of Covid-19, Matthew Burrows went for a run and started to think how he could ensure an alternative route to income without the essential ‘shop window’ that galleries provide.

He developed the concept of a “Gift Economy” – a way of selling which starts with the premise that you must be generous in how you engage with others. He decided that he would post some of his artworks for sale at a below market price of £200. He also pledged that if and when he earned £1,000 from sales, he would spend £200 on buying work from another artist – so the investment that others had made in him would be passed on to support other artists who were also struggling to earn a living. That night, whilst sitting on the sofa watching TV, Matthew posted his first print to Instagram using the #artistsupportpledge hashtag.

Linements, 2020, Matthew Burrows – a large format oil painting by the artist

The next morning, Matthew awoke to find that he had already sold two prints and two other artists had taken up the hashtag for some of their own small artworks. Over the next couple of days, the #artistsupportpledge hashtag went viral and Matthew’s phone started pinging notifications from Instagram at the rate of one a second.

Participating is simple: artists and makers post their images using the hashtag #artistsupportpledge to Instagram and other social media platforms, including details of the artwork and price (no more than £200 or equivalent). If people are interested in buying, they contact the artist directly. The only interface between the artist and the buyer is the postman!

Below are comments from two of the other artists who have benefitted from #artistsupportpledge:

“Thank you for creating this and supporting artists and inspiring everyone, it’s just brilliant. I’ve had the most amazing week and have been overwhelmed by the love and support from people. I’ve reached the pledge target twice with sales, I’m about to pledge again and buy my second piece from a fellow artist, I love this bit the most! Art is definitely supplying some joy in these dark times.” 

“I’m self employed and can’t get benefits because I’m technically still a student (doing corrections on a PhD with no funding and now no job). The money from the pledge will help a lot and although it’s a stop gap, it will allow me to breath and consider my options. I also bought a friend’s artwork today, a friend with kids and a mortgage. He was also appreciative.”

To find out more about the project and how to participate either as an artist or an art buyer, visit the FAQ page on Matthew’s website.
You can also see Matthew’s artwork on his Instagram feed.
There is an excellent audio interview with Matthew on Gita Joshi’s The Curator’s Salon website.

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Posted 21:20 Wednesday, Apr 15, 2020 In: Covid-19

Also in: Covid-19

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