State Of The Art

In this episode, host Ethan Appleby pulls together some of the best sound bites from 2017 and then gives his thoughts on trends from 2017 and what to expect in 2018.

Robert is one of the most revered authorities on art & tech. Verisart is a company that uses blockchain technology to certify and verify artworks online, allowing buyers to access the provenance of a piece and artists to ensure the security of their work. Ethan talks to Robert about how Verisart uses the bitcoin blockchain to tell the history of a work and where it’s been why blockchain is the best way to ensure an artwork’s authenticityAnd how he sees the role of technology in shaping the future of the art market About Verisart Verisart employs decentralized technologies to help artists certify, document, and enliven their artworks in a vibrant online community of collectors, galleries and dealers. Find out more at verisart.com or follow them on twitter @verisart About Robert Norton Robert Norton has spent 20 years working in ecommerce, business development and Internet startups. I enjoy building business from the ground, finding new opportunities and creating new consumer experiences. He was the CEO and Founder of Saatchi Art and Sedition prior to starting Verisart.  Before that he was at King.com Follow Robert on Twitter @verisart - About Vango -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, on Twitter @vangoart and visit www.vangoart.co

Vida is a San Francisco-based brand connecting artists with the means of production in order to create clothing and accessories adorned with the artists’ original designs. Vida CEO and Founder Umaimah Mendhro sat down with Ethan for this week’s episode to talk about using tech to disrupt the status quo, the importance of creating sustainable systems for business, fashion, and art, and the need for beautiful design. -About Vida- Vida is an online shop that allows artists to create fashion and accessories with their original designs. With over 490,000 original designs, Vida manufactures artwork-adorned pieces on demand.  CEO Umaimah Mendhro founded Vida in order to create a sustainable system for affordable fashion that benefits the textile producers, the artists, and the global environment.The production teams, often in traditionally underprivileged regions, receive literacy training, and artists are able to see their works reach a broad global audience. Find your unique accessory or that perfect last-minute gift at Vida -About Umaimah Mendhro- Umaimah Mendhro is founder of both Vida and The Dreamfly. Both of her efforts are global initiatives that connect and empower communities all over the world. A graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Business School, Umaimah grew up in rural Pakistan and originally wanted to study art. She has channeled her education and this affinity into   Find Umaimah on Twitter - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co

State of the Art interviewed “The Art World’s Patron Satan” this week, provocative art collector Stefan Simchowitz. His style of “art flipping” goes against the establishment grain, and uses tech to disrupt the art market. In this week’s episode, Stefan and Ethan discuss what artists really need, how he’s disrupting the art establishment, and the “myth of the connoisseur.” -About Stefan Simchowitz- Stefan Simchowitz is a Los Angeles-based art collector, curator and mentor for emerging artists. He has garnered a controversial reputation for both supporting and creating markets for new artists, and for exploiting and then abandoning these same artists, all while causing turmoil in the established art market. He founded Simco’s Club, a membership subscription program for discovering and investing in emerging art. He has been featured by publications including the New York Times, artnet, and Vanity Fair. Follow Stefan on Twitter @simcosclub and on instagram @stefansimchowitz and at Simco’s Club. - About Vango Studio -  Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co . Tags: #stefansimochowitz #simcosclub #simco #art #artandtech #sanfrancisco #fineart #gallery #artgallery #emergingart #sota #stateoftheart #screen #rotate #smartgallery #curate #collector #gallerist #patron #contemporary #contemporaryart #artmarket #artmarketplace

State of the Art interviewed “The Art World’s Patron Satan” this week, provocative art collector Stefan Simchowitz. His style of “art flipping” goes against the establishment grain, and uses tech to disrupt the art market. In this week’s episode, Stefan and Ethan discuss what artists really need, how he’s disrupting the art establishment, and the “myth of the connoisseur.” -About Stefan Simchowitz- Stefan Simchowitz is a Los Angeles-based art collector, curator and mentor for emerging artists. He has garnered a controversial reputation for both supporting and creating markets for new artists, and for exploiting and then abandoning these same artists, all while causing turmoil in the established art market. He founded Simco’s Club, a membership subscription program for discovering and investing in emerging art. He has been featured by publications including the New York Times, artnet, and Vanity Fair. Follow Stefan on Twitter @simcosclub and on instagram @stefansimchowitz and at Simco’s Club. - About Vango Studio -  Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co .

In 2014, Andrew Herman co-founded the mobile app French Girls. As the name of the app may reveal, Andrew doesn’t take himself too seriously, but is serious about the app’s ability to introduce users to art appreciation and original art. In this week’s episode, Ethan discusses the process of making the French Girls app, the path to purchasing art, the cultural shifts needed to make art as popular as music, and the importance of not taking all art too seriously with French Girls’ Andrew Herman.   -About Andrew Herman- Andrew Herman is co-founder of the mobile app French Girls. Now located in San Francisco, Andrew was a mechanical engineer by training from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He grew up an avid guitar enthusiast and closet art fan.  In 2014, he launched Easyl, a marketplace for original art which then transpired into French girls, an app that enables users to discover and create digital art inspired by photos from the community. He is now responsible for technical oversight of the app. Find Andrew on Twitter and Instagram.   -About French Girls- Inspired by the famous Titanic line, “draw me like one of your French girls,” French Girls is a mobile app that allows anybody to transform their selfie into an original work of art. Heralded as the next Snapchat, French Girls allows users to commission artists to create works of art based on the photos they upload, and provides a unique introduction art appreciation and to the world of original art.   Draw like a French Girl at their website and on the App Store - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co

Ethan Appleby sites down with Susan Tynan, founder and CEO of Framebridge, to delve into the custom framing industry. Framebridge saves time and their technology allows customers to personalize their framing experience. What people chose to frame reveals what they care about keeping and displaying, and in this way Framebridge is able to see cultural shifts as they occur. In this episode, State of the Art hears about why when launching a framing company Susan felt she had to go big from the beginning, how the definition of art is changing, and what advice her multifaceted experience enables her to give to burgeoning entrepreneurs. -About Framebridge- Framebridge is taking over the custom framing industry.  CEO and Founder Susan Tynan founded Framebridge in 2014 after experiencing personal frustration with framing several prints, and has since grown Framebridge to over 150 employees between their office in Georgetown and two production facilities. Built to save both time and expense, while providing a custom, personal experience, Framebridge combines the best of the online and offline framing experience. Find out more about framing your artwork at Framebridge.    -About Susan Tynan- CEO Susan Tynan founded Frambridge in 2014 after being dissatisfied with her own custom framing experience. After receiving her MBA from Harvard, Susan worked with Accenture, Living Social, TaxiMagic, and the White House under President Obama. Her multifaceted career has been characterized by inspiring resilience and self-confidence. She has been featured in publications including Business Insider and Forbes. Check out Susan Tynan on Twitter @susanrtynan    - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co . Tags: #custom #frame #framebridge #susantynan #framing #art #sota #stateoftheart #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #startup #artandtech #personalize #tech

Ethan met with COO Elisabeth Mouchy of Daylighted to learn how this fellow San Francisco startup is combining art and tech. Driven by the principle that art should be everywhere, Daylighted created SmartGallery, a technology that uses a screen that rotates selected artworks from an unlimited and ever-evolving gallery drawn from Daylighted’s partnerships with galleries and other art platforms. In this episode, -About Daylighted- Daylighted is an online fine art gallery founded in 2013 by Elisabeth Mouchy and Alex Cammarano and headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Driven by the principle that art should be everywhere, Daylighted created SmartGallery, a technology that uses a screen that rotates selected artworks from an unlimited and ever-evolving gallery. The artwork is pulled from partnerships with galleries, museums, local artists, and other areas of the art ecosystem. Find out more on Daylighted’s website and on Twitter @BeDaylighted. -About Elisabeth Mouchy- Daylighted Cofounder and COO Elisabeth Mouchy holds a Master of Science from ESSEC in her native France. With a focus on design and experience with international marketing and web strategy, Elisabeth seeks to bring art into people’s everyday worlds by blending it with cutting-edge technology. Follow Elisabeth on Twitter @emouchy. - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co .

Entering a museum, you’re often offered a clunky audio guide. Cuseum is a museum engagement platform that is transforming this awkward experience into a mobile app you can access and personalize on your phone. Founded in 2014 by CEO Brendan Ciecko, Cuseum has been featured by platforms including The New York Times and The Boston Globe. Cuseum has been hailed as the future of museums, and is now in over 100 cultural institutions worldwide. Discover more about the future of museums at Cuseum. -About Brendan Ciecko - Brendan Ciecko is founder and CEO of Cuseum. A self-described hipster, art-lover, and museum techie, Brendan brought his design expertise and business acumen to bear on the project of transforming the way we engage with museums. Cited as one of America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs, Brendan has worked on numerous entrepreneurial projects including Ten Minute Media and serves on committees of several art institutions, namely the Boston Museum of Fine Art and Boston Center for the Arts. Follow Brendan on Twitter @brendanciecko and instagram @brendanciecko and on his personal website, http://www.brendanciecko.com. - About Vango Studio -  Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co

State of the Art interviewed contemporary millennial artist Shane Miller to learn more about the favorite social media platform for contemporary artists: Instagram. Shane has become one of the best-selling artists on Instagram, and the epitomizes the ways that artists all over are leveraging social media platforms to grow and develop their art business. Sites like Instagram enable artists to make direct and instantaneous connections to art lovers and potential collectors, and have completely changed the game when it comes to selling art. Ethan talked to Shane about the future of social media platforms, the changing art world and how a musician has become one of the bestselling artists on Instagram. About Shane: Shane Miller is a contemporary encaustic painter located in Nashville, Tennessee. Originally from Maryland, Shane has experimented with music and art to develop his artistic practice. With a previous career in physical therapy, Shane has dedicated himself to his art full-time since 2014. Shane has spent most days in his studio experimenting with new techniques and artistic visions, developing his complex process of layering oil and wax to create haunting landscapes. He is represented by Bennett Gallery, Mary Martin Gallery, and Beacon Estate, but now sells 40% of his art on Instagram, and has been featured by sites such as Forbes. Learn more about Shane Miller on his Instagram @shane.artistry and website https://www.shaneartistry.com - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co .

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Artfinder CEO Jonas Almgren. Artfinder is an online art marketplace, but it’s not to be confused with an Ebay-style shopping experience. In fact, it’s far more the Tinder of the art world. This week we dig into the future of online art sales, how artificial intelligence could be your art advisor, and how Artfinder is more of a dating site than an Ebay-style marketplace. -About Artfinder- Used by over 850,000 artists and collectors, Artfinder is an online art marketplace that enables artists to sell their original work directly to collectors. Artfinder is an international platform, with artists from over 100 countries. The platform’s mission is simple: to allow artists to make a living from their art, and to allow art lovers to enjoy works in their home according to their budget. Whether you’re buying or selling, you can find artfinder on their website https://www.artfinder.com/ and on Twitter @artfinder and Instagram @artfinder_com -About Jonas Almgren- CEO Jonas Almgren has been at the helm of Artfinder since 2012. A serial entrepreneur, he previously worked in Silicon Valley helping to scale and grow companies such as Epiphany. He is a passionate runner and art lover. Originally from Stockholm, he is now based in Cambridge, UK. Find Jonas Almgren on Twitter @JonasAlmgren - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co

In this episode, Ethan talks to Shanna Tellerman, Founder & CEO of Modsy. Modsy is a culmination of Shanna’s background in art, design and technology: Using 3D and augmented reality (AR) renders of spaces, Modsy allows people to visualize design ideas in their own home. Ethan and Shanna talk about how she came up with the idea for Modsy, why diversity in tech is so important, and how visualization technologies open possibilities for the art & design space.   - About Modsy- At Modsy, 3D and AR technology is used to unlock the potential of visualization. Modsy allows people to visualize how things look in their own home, helping them to make design decisions while simultaneously broadening their understanding of design through stylistic recommendations.   Follow Modsy on Instagram @modsydesign and on Twitter @modsy, and visit www.modsy.com.   - About Shanna- Having graduated with a degree in Fine Arts and later becoming Partner at GV,  Shanna Tellerman is now the Founder and CEO at Modsy. At Modsy, Shanna combines her  passion for design with technology, allowing people to visualise design ideas in their own home by offering 3D and augmented reality (AR)  renders of spaces. Follow Shanna on Twitter @ShannaWP. - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co .

In this episode, we get past the velvet rope into the world of art auctions. As the software that’s taking auction houses online, Invaluable is white-labelling the biggest auction houses in the world. We speak with Invaluable CEO Rob Weisberg to find out how data is changing the game for new buyers, auctions growing exponentially, and being scared but doing it anyway. - About Invaluable- Recently called "one of the fastest growing e-commerce sites in the art world" by Blouin ArtInfo, Invaluable is the world's leading online marketplace for fine art, antiques and collectibles. Headquartered in Boston, Invaluable launched their online bidding platform in 2009 and has since gained over $10 billion in listed items, partnerships auction houses, and an international presence. - About Rob Weisberg- CEO Rob Weisberg has been at the helm of Invaluable since 2012. After revolutionizing the e-commerce of Domino’s pizza and Zipcar, award-winning entrepreneur Rob turned to Invaluable as a new challenge. With a focus on internet technology experience and consumer marketing, he has overseen the company’s rebranding and move toward increased online bidding. - About Vango Studio -  Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co .

In this episode, Ethan talks to Vladimir Vukicevic, co-founder of Meural. Described as the ‘Netflix for Art’, Meural is a beautiful digital canvas that allows you to access thousands of works ranging from pieces by local emerging artists to the masters, to any images you may want to upload. Ethan and Vlad talk about the differences between innovation in music and art, how Meural functions as a ‘gateway drug’ to buying art, and views on the future of galleries and the traditional art world. - About Meural- Founded in 2014, Meural has revolutionized what it means to purchase and own a piece of art. Developing a digital canvas that blends hardware, firmware, and software, Meural allows you to access thousands of works and display them in lifelike, textured forms. For those who might hesitate before committing to a single piece of art, or others with constantly changing tastes, Meural is a solution that enables you to experience new works of art in your own home at any given moment. Follow Meural on Instagram and Twitter @meetmeural, and visit www.meural.com . - About Vlad- Previously the co-founder of RocketHub Inc and a Management consultant at PA consulting group, Vlad co-founded Meural in 2014. In addition, Vlad is known as someone who comes up with some of the best analogies out there. Follow Vlad on Twitter @vukicevic. - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co .

In this episode, Ethan talks to Matty Mo, AKA The Most Famous Artist. If you spend any time at all on social media, you’ve probably seen one of his many creations. He’s done the ‘most instagrammable wall’, launched the ‘Museum of Fake Art’ and went viral for a project that involved him dragging a clear duffel bag filled with a million dollars of cash through an art fair. Ethan and Matty talk about how he became The Most Famous Artist, what it means for tech to ‘democratize’ the art world, and the ways in which social media has changed what it means to be an artist. - About Matty Mo / TMFA- Matty Mo, a tech entrepreneur turned artist, explores how branding and social media can influence and transform someone’s perception of an individual as an artist. As TMFA, Mo creates street art according to social media trends, and had collaborated with LA Magazine, Amazon, and CBS Television Studios. Follow Matty on Instagram @themostfamousartist, and visit www.themostfamousartist.com  . - About Vango Studio -   Vango Studio makes the entrepreneurial side of being an artist easy and efficient, saving artists an average of 4 hours per week. In addition to powering artists with an award winning marketplace, we offer artists the ability to create their own website with little to no maintenance, distribute work across platforms, and access detailed insights about their collectors and what is selling across platforms. Follow Vango on Instagram @vango and @art, and visit www.vangoart.co .