ArtBook takes up space at last

ArtBook is small @ 5” x 5.” At 250 sq. ft., their new office at 1761 N. Warren Ave. is also small. It’s north of Brady, and as you drive north on Warren, look to your left for a corner property, a lovely Victorian two story; ArtBook is on the first floor and they’ll be needing larger signage.

But 41-year-old owner Carrie Ann Seymour has big plans for the office. Opening January 6, walls will be hung with art from the likes of the Martini Girls, including Debbie Callahan (who was on the JS Christmas day 2011 cover), plus William Zuback, Christopher McIntyre, Jessica Z. Schafer, and others.

“We’re going to cover every inch with arty goodness, maybe even the windows,” she says. With a yearly budget of $100,000, ArtBook relies on advertising revenue and “the kindness of strangers.” The artists exhibiting in the office donate $50 each, which helps cover the rent, and Seymour doesn’t take a commission on work that sells. It’s all about networking. Scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours.

She describes herself as a country girl through and through, having lived in North Lake and Waukesha County. A working musician since her late teens, most notably with Small Hours, a band which received a cover story in the Shepherd Express in 1991, she toured solo too, selling her CDs out of her book bag. Seymour hoes her own row.

I queried her about who she perceives as her competitors in the crowded publishing field, and she was honest in her take about the chase for advertising revenue. Her generous side told me that she believes most of the readers enjoy having a variety of print materials available. She selects images for ArtBook (with some exceptions, she’s not a big fan of landscapes and pots of flowers) by eyeballing techniques, styles and form. Both judge and jury, she’s attracted to images that curl her toes and hopefully those of her readers.

James Kloiber, a well known local artist who has cycled through both the Shepherd Express and INFO magazine is her Creative Director. “I’m trying hard to pay myself and everyone involved, on some level or another,” she says. Now that her living room is no longer her office, she says they’re upping circulation to 20K. A special Winter edition will include artists from around the U.S. and the world, but other issues will focus on local talent.

Did I mention how many hats Seymour wears: published poet, reader of tarot cards, and an artist, who sells about 5-10 pieces of her personal work each year. On January 23, she’ll read at Linnemans, but meantime, in between time, the mom to two is planning on shaping an experiential HooDoo art installation in the corner of her new digs.

As the former publisher/editor of an art magazine, I know what a tough row publishing can be. In the decades since I was in that business, everything has changed. Everyone is an artist and anyone can be an art critic/blogger. That said, I’m pleased there are still stalwarts out there who are willing to risk it all for art.

“Art is becoming hot again,” Seymour says. “If I have to take a hit financially, that’s what I do.” Hope burns eternal.