Jen, My point in asking you to enlarge this post was to enlarge the context for not only the subject but for the short quote you attribute to me which, in excerpted form, sounds very snide.

The point is that very few dealers in Seattle offer to these collectors what it is they hope to collect. The Trues buy locally, one presumes that some of Paul Allen's collection is locally purchased but that's an unknown quantity. There are other very smart contemporary collectors who make a huge difference locally for the galleries and our artists.

The other point is that the ArtNews 200 list is wildly inaccurate. Deeper research, and less flattery, would reveal a number of collectors who are under the radar. For years there were local collectors mentioned in the ArtNews 200 who had stopped collecting long ago, or whose children were now purchasing more avidly than their parents. Other collectors locally who have bought significantly for years never get mentioned. I can think of several.

Anyway, the sense that ArtNews makes gods and goddesses out of collectors by naming them in this list is not a real reflection of buying power or potential.

And, locally, while we are happy for the broad arts patronage provided by these collectors, it isn't something that trickles down to local dealers and local artists to any great extent, some exceptions noted.

The conversation in which this happened was a forum moderated by you about regional artists and the regional community and by your title "Local is the New Conceptual: Seattle art in the Public Sphere."

The comments addressed questions about how globally relevant the collecting, creating and dealing communities in Seattle are perceived to be in the eyes of the Powers that Be.

Greg Kucera