How It Works by Austin Kleon

Happy 2011, friends! It's Sara on this first day back in the new year. We're all well-rested, full of resolutions and good intentions to be better, nicer, smarter, healthier, happier, etc, etc. In the spirit of hitting reset on January 1st, we're going back to the beginning—to the ABCs and 123s of how 20x200 works. Because, every day that we bring you new work, we're doing so in efforts to support you, the collector, as well as the artists we work with. As Jen, 20x200's founder and CEO, said a little while ago: "I started 20x200 with two core goals in mind: I want everyone to collect art, and I want enable an economy that allows more artists to make a living by making work."

Consider this a primer if you are new to 20x200, and a refresher if you've been with us all along. This is how it works (all the cartwheels we do for you):

WHAT'S THIS NEWSLETTER ALL ABOUT?
This is where we present new art to you. Right here! In this very newsletter! It's exciting stuff in your inbox, every Tuesday and Wednesday, and sometimes more often. As a regular reader, you get first dibs (and sometimes, with fast-selling editions, the only dibs) on new prints. You also get the lowdown on why we like a particular work or artist and why we think you might like it too. If, by chance, you don't like what you see that day, you'll find a whole bunch of prints to browse in our archives. It's all part of the process—as you refine your taste, seeing art that you don't like is as important as seeing art you do like. If you really have no idea where, why or how to begin, Jen gives some tips in this interview in Theme Magazine with Sarah and Marc Schiller of The Wooster Collective. But, if it's love at first sight, don't hesitate, snap that print up. Seriously.

WHAT'S THE RUSH? YOU HAVE A LOT OF PRINTS. WON'T THEY ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE?
Nope. Every image that you see on 20x200 is released in a limited edition. This means that, for example, in an edition of 200 8"x10" prints, only 200 8"x10" prints will be sold. Ever. When you see "SOLD OUT" on an edition page, it doesn't mean "out of stock"—sorry folks, those prints aren't coming back. Every print is accompanied by an artist-signed and numbered certificate that guarantees that the artist approved the edition and that only that number of prints was produced. So, if you see something you like, just get it, and save yourself the heartache.

By traditional, old-school gallery measures, an edition of 200 to 500 prints is a large edition. Two things about that: one, on average (ballpark figures) A LOT more people see and buy prints on 20x200 than happen to walk through a gallery* on a regular basis. And two: offering larger editions allows us to keep our prints, especially the smaller sizes, affordable.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE PRINTS?
Affordable, yes, but cheap our prints are not. We work with amazing printers—the same ones who produce prints for our gallery and museum exhibitions—to create our editions. The artist is involved every step of the way as we proof and print the image. To proof, we make a test print (and often, multiple test prints) and tweak and edit until the test is exactly as the artist would like the edition to be, paying close attention to the colors, the contrast, the texture, all the details! Most of the prints you see on 20x200 are archival pigment prints on 100% cotton rag paper but some are silkscreens, printed on mylar, letterpress, digital or analog c-prints, or colored by hand. Regardless of the process, every print is made with care, inspected, and thoughtfully packaged so that you receive a beautiful object, along with information about the artist and the work.

WHERE DO YOU FIND ALL THIS ART?
We scour art fairs, the internet, books, magazines, galleries and museum shows to find all kinds of great artists creating art today. We're always looking, and we try our best to look at everything that gets sent our way. The Hey, Hot Shot! competition is the only way we review photography submissions, and we get lots of great ones—much of the photography you see here was discovered by our esteemed panel.

While many of our artists already have well-established careers, and show their work at museums and galleries all over the world, we pride ourselves on representing artists at every stage of their careers. Whether they're under-the-radar or legendary, our artists are the best and the brightest.

SO, I'M A COLLECTOR, HUH?
You, yes you! are supporting all these artists. Once you've bought just one print, you're a collector. You've acquired something that directly supports the livelihood of an artist, so not only are you a collector, but you're a patron. Now, it's time to actually live with art. We do offer a few prints framed and ready to hang, and you'll likely see more of those in the near future. But, if you must, or if you prefer, to mat and frame works on your own, I have two things to help you: watch this video and then, download the framing guide for your print (you'll see a green link in the lower, right-hand corner of the edition page).

So, I'll let you get on your way now but if there are questions you'd still like to know the answers to, send us an email at collector@20x200.com and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Jen will be here tomorrow with the very first edition of 2011.

* Yes, we have a gallery, too! Jen Bekman Gallery is located at 6 Spring Street, on New York's Lower East Side. Jen opened it in 2003 with the goal of creating a warm, welcoming environment for collectors and artists. It was there that she found the inspiration to create 20x200, and its programs remain intertwined with what we do here to this day. Be sure to pop in if you're in the area: there's lots of great art to see and buy there. One thing to keep in mind is that we don't maintain stock of 20x200 prints there; those are carefully packaged and shipped straight to you.