- Words by Joanna Pan
There's An App For That: Ngozy Art Collective
We’d all prefer to relax, eat, entertain, and work in environments that are invigorating, not just functional. To this end, visual art works wonders. It converts our residences into homes, workspaces into inspirational cocoons, and coffee-klatch gatherings into talked-up events.
Purchasing the same poster-stock art prints that preside over elevator bays and doctors' waiting rooms around the country is a spirit-leeching, soulless chore. The flip-side is investing in original, one-of-a-kind artwork from creators we adore: as life-affirming and rewarding as the former is deflating.
But for most of us, the sticker-shock of browsing original works at Art Basel, Sotheby’s, or blue-chip gallery sales is both prohibitive and trauma-inducing. And as the street-art / graffiti aficionados the SOLD readers are, what hope do those high-profile venues give us of finding art we'll treasure at a cost we can swing?
ngozy site screenshots of spray-on-canvas pieces for sale by
Crash, Daze, and others at Ngozy's launch event, August 25th
Introducing... the Ngozy Art Collective, an online platform for art buyers and art creators alike. Visit ngozy.com or download its free app (iOs, Android).
The site's creators -- graffiti artist Gabriel "SADE" Fantauzzi, art pioneer John “Crash” Matos, and Wallworks Gallery co-owner Robert Kantor -- endow Ngozy with decades-upon-decades of artistic legacy and business acumen.
Ngozy.com allows prospective buyers to shop stunning works of original art online by creative luminaries like Crash, Nick Walker, Daze, and others at an accommodating range of price-points!
"We've set the bar high for ourselves," says SADE.
Registration is fast, non-intrusive, and FREE. I logged onto ngozy.com and was navigating comfortably inside of two minutes. Prospective buyers will find searches to be fun and intuitive: filter by artist, price, surface, or medium. Site visitors may even browse by color to ensure all purchasing options visually complement their walls, furniture, or bedding.
For prospective art sellers, ngozy.com 's unique draw is twofold: 1) Anyone can use the site to submit artwork for sale. 2) The faster artists sell their pieces via the site, the greater the payoff (for more on that, scroll down).
As Ngozy Art Collective is brand new, SOLD was eager to learn much more. Once again, SADE held forth on the Collective and its founders' intent:
Ngozy Art Collective Managing Partner SADE. Partially shown, his 2017 acrylic-on-canvas work "Camo"
Joanna Pan: What gave rise to the Ngozy Art Collective?
SADE: From the initial idea, it took 3 years to bring it where it is today. The original idea was totally different, and started with me and a friend. It was going to be an interactive platform exclusively for a particular genre. Then in 2017, what started as a conversation about organization within our art culture and event planning on a Facebook thread between John [John "Crash" Matos] and myself became the three partners at a table discussing how we would make the Ngozy Art Collective a necessary asset to artists.
JP: I understand that Ngozy Art Collective, via its website and app, is a tool for both prospective art buyers and art sellers. What is the founders' vision for ngozy.com artists?
SADE: For the artist, our goal is to extend the commercial, creative reach amongst others in relationships with sponsors. The idea is to make art financially accessible to everyone, while also facilitating artists' ability to sell and promote their art on an elevated, scalable platform, albeit in a focused, curated environment.
JP: On ngozy.com, the more quickly an artist's piece sells, the greater his/her profit. How does that work, exactly?
SADE: Our selling model is unique in that it lends itself to our social age, encouraging artists to see their artwork sell as fast as possible for their greatest benefit.
Fee Structure Once Artwork is Posted and Only If Sale Is Made:
Day 1 to 15: Artist 90/10 Ngozy before shipping and insurance is calculated = 15 business days of active rotation advertisement.
Day 16 to 30: Artist 75/25 Ngozy before shipping and insurance is calculated = 30 business days of active rotation advertisement.
Day 31 to 60: Artist 70/30 Ngozy before shipping and insurance is calculated = 60 business days of active rotation advertisement.
Day 61 to 120: Artist 65/35 Ngozy before shipping and insurance is calculated = 12- business days of active rotation advertisement.
Day 121 to 150 or until artist requests art to be removed: Artist 60/40 Ngozy before shipping and insurance
is calculated = active rotation advertisement until sold."
The artist may choose to remove their submissions by written request to Ngozy. Once the request is received, the artwork will no longer be available for sale. The image of the artwork and the artist's information will remain on Ngozy unless the artist requests that the image be removed or we choose to deactivate.
When a submission is removed by the artist, the artist must wait a period of 120 business days to resubmit the same submission. Otherwise, artists can submit art or products that have not been previously submitted for review and sale at any time.
JP: Anyone can submit work for sale on ngozy.com, right? They don't need to be invited or have their work pre-screened?
SADE: Anyone can register, set up an account, and submit work on the website ngozy.com or on the apps available for Android and iPhone. They can also submit blogs and post events.
screenshots of pieces for sale at ngozy.com
JP: What types of people make ideal ngozy.com site visitors and Ngozy app users?
SADE: Our specific targets are the art lovers comprised of the passionate watcher, the intuitive consumer, the culture lover, and the prepared artist. The art lover mindset spans a broad range of people, from the affluent who have become rich and famous by creating the rules to everyday, classic-minded individuals around the world that have a cultured appreciation for art.
JP: I loved Ngozy's launch celebration and live-painting exhibition at The Point's Riverside Campus. What other Ngozy events are on the horizon?
SADE: We were very proud [of that 8/25 event], and received high marks from all that attended. Currently, we're in discussion with Danny Peralta, Director of The Point CDC, for another "Cultural Happening"-styled event, possibly in the same location. We are also looking ahead to the next year, and thinking about potentially creating a series of events combining other artistic disciplines of culture.
JP: I understand the word 'ngozi' (with an 'i') means 'blessing' in the language of the Igbo people of Nigeria, and that word was the inspiration for Ngozy Art Collective. How has the concept of "blessing" trickled down into the spirit of the Collective and the way its partners conduct business?
SADE: We're very new, and it remains to be seen whether we will be successful in carrying out our mission as we plan to. Ultimately, we would like to see categorization and labels dropped, and a more universal understanding, market acceptance, and investment-worthy engagement with our cultural art form that for many has its origins in traditional graffiti. If we're able to accomplish that goal, that would be a blessing for our cultural art forms.
JP: How would you categorize the works for purchase on ngozy.com? Would you say they are "graffiti" or "street art" or "urban art," etc?
SADE: It can be perceived that our preferred content has an “urban” flair deeply rooted in the foundations of the graffiti art that has come from the streets. But we hope to be able to be a strong catalyst in changing perceptions and to move our expressions of art away from type casting labels. We find labels to be limiting when it’s time to evolve beyond a specific category and blinding to genuine appreciation and reverence. The ngozy art collective is just that, we’re a collective…if it’s not all of us it’s not a true collective!
JP: What else would you like SOLD readers to know about ngozy.com and the Ngozy Art Collective?
SADE: We would like buyers, art creators, and sellers to know that our mission is to fuel and ignite the collective desire to see, feel, and quench the need to celebrate life, by providing a highly curated opportunity to experience and capture a piece of life as art. The Ngozy idea is about fostering a desirable unity, positive collaboration, education, trade and exchange between the artistic community, other commercial entities, and the public. We aim to make the art experience financially accessible to everyone and to facilitate artists' ability to sell and promote their art on a focused, scalable level.
Visit ngozy.com or download the Ngozy app today!
