The Caribbean region is awash with art and artists. Sadly, most them have little or no visibility beyond their home country, and struggle to make a living solely from their art. Sade Barrow-Browne is the Founder of FineArt.gy, an online art gallery that is showcasing the work of Guyana’s artists and creatives. In our conversation with Sade, she discusses, among other things: the impetus behind creating FineArt.gy; how the platform is leveraging technology; the challenges of building an online art platform; and whether FineArt.gy intends to get into the NFT space in the future.
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Art and artists are rarely featured on ICT Pulse. To some degree, there is still a wide chasm between art and technology, but increasingly, a complementary and symbiotic relationship has been developing between the two. Art can leverage technology, in terms of providing new media, and facilitating reach into new markets and new modes of trade transactions, such as via nonfungible tokens (NFTs), to name some benefits. Similarly, technology can be enhanced by art, especially in terms of the look and feel of products, and is an important contributor to the user experience.
Although the role that art plays in our lives as individuals and in countries is beyond dispute, for the most part, the value of that art is not reflected in the commercial success of Caribbean artists and creatives – or at the very least, their ability to make living solely from their art. The reasons for their financial difficulties tend to be varied, but would include, the limited marketing and promotion of art in the region, and the lower value – in terms of price – that is placed on art in most Caribbean countries.
For this the last episode in our examination of technology-based social enterprises, that is, tech businesses that have social impact among their core objectives, we will be highlighting FineArt.gy, an online art gallery that seeks to showcase the works of Guyana’s painters, photographers, sculptors and digital artists. FineArt.gy was launched in late October, and so is still coming stream: adding new artists and collections to the mix, along with new website features.
Introducing our guest
Sade Barrow-Browne, is a Graphic Artist and the Founder of FineArt.gy in Guyana. With around 15 years of experience in designing, she is keen to high-calibre work, in terms of quality and design.
Born and raised in Guyana, South America, Sade began her journey with visual arts, and more so ceramics, at Burrows School of Arts. She went on to enjoy a career in graphic design, and eventually became Creative Director and one of three partners at IntellectStorm, a software and creative designing company in Guyana.
One of Sade’s career goals is to incorporate digital art and skills with ICT, in developing the business community and Guyana at large. Personally and professionally, she encourages young girls and women to consider careers in ICT, since the demand for skilled workers in the ICT field is high, and needs to be diversified to combat gender stereotypes. She also continues to foster her dream of creating a specially formulated platform for the realization of artistry on a larger scale.
Insights into our conversation
Generally, art and artists are not considered very highly in the region, and as stated earlier, they tend to be challenged in trying to eke out a living as independent or freelance artists. Having said this, art, in all its form, are a critical aspect of culture, and thus our identity as being a national of a particular country. Unfortunately, in the Caribbean region, as much as we might value our culture, appreciate art, and even hold them up as national treasures or national brands, to a considerable degree, the artists may not benefit financially, relative to the scale and/or impact of their work.
It is in this regard that Sade’s effort to create an online gallery for Guyanese artists and creatives is really commendable, as It has the potential to open the Guyana art scene to a global market of art lovers. Ultimately, it is hoped that FineArt.gy will be successful, and could serve as a model for the art and creative communities in other Caribbean countries.
Below are key questions that were posed to Sade during our conversation:
- Tell us a bit of your story, and what drove you to set up FineArt.gy?
- What is problem FineArt.gy hopes to solve, and what are the services it offers?
- Do you think of FineArt.gy as a social enterprise? What is the social good or social impact FineArt.gy is pursuing?
- Has FineArt.gy been established as a commercial business or a non-profit?
- How do you balance the social impact versus the sustainability/profitability imperatives you might have for FineArt.gy?
- How is FineArt.gy leveraging technology?
- How has been the response of the environment to FineArt.gy so far?
- What are some of the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) or markers of success that are important to FineArt.gy?
- What successes has FineArt.gy been able to realise to date?
- Where would you like to see FineArt.gy in the next 3 to 5 years?
- Do you envisage FineArt.gy participating in the NFT (nonfungible tokens) space?
- What has been the biggest lesson you have had to learn in starting FineArt.gy?
- What is the best piece of advice you would give a tech start-up that wants to start a social enterprise?
We would love to hear from you!
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Select links
Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:
Image credits: S Barrow-Browne; codiferous (Wunderstock); Kevin_Snyman (Pixabay); Dan Sloan (flickr)
Music credit: Ray Holman
Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez
