Ways to See More Art for Free
Looking for artistic inspiration or something new to do? Here are some tips on seeking out and enjoying more art where you are, both locally and right from home too.
Local art gallery
If you’ve never searched online for art galleries in your city, this is a chance to see what you find. It’s as simple as: what are the art galleries near me? These places typically offer more than just a gallery space. Art resources, community exhibits, and art classes can be available too.
Art galleries have openings at the start of their latest exhibits. Most of these social events are open to the public and free to attend, and are a great way to meet the creators of the work in person.
Art shows and festivals near you
Art shows and art festivals are another way to network and meet the person behind the art. There are many different types of art shows, specific to crafts, photography, or all kinds of makers. A lot of these shows bring in both traveling artists and local talent. All different art mediums are in one convenient location. Frequently, these events are also free to attend and have other attractions like live music, food, and other activities.
Local coffee shop, store, or restaurant
Have a local place you love the aesthetic of? Many small businesses decorate with art pieces, or have local artists work on display and for sale. It never hurts to ask next time you stop by, where a certain art or design piece is from.
Public Art
Sculptures and murals can be found anywhere in your city. Parks and nearby universities are good starting points for public art installations. Many times if you look up this subject online with a particular place, there’s walking tours information, as well as info for the locations of the art pieces and the artist(s) who created the work. Try searching public art walking tours near you. Next time you're out, look around, you might see something new.
Online Art Gallery Shows
Virtual and solely online art shows also exist to view art. Artsy.net has a whole explore page under their ‘Shows’ tab that has hundreds of online art gallery shows and museum exhibitions from various international locations. The art is clearly captured and the website lets you select and zoom in to see further details for any piece that catches your eye.
Online Museum Collections
Art and cultural museums worldwide have been cataloging and uploading images of their galleries’ permanent collections online to allow people worldwide to view their artworks. Many museum websites have these art images accessible under the page navigation related to art or the online collection. So, discover a new museum or look up what you’ve heard of, and check to see what they have available on their website.
Google’s Arts and Culture website is another option. It has various partners from around the world, where they have their own exhibition page for these online museum collections. Simply click on a collection that interests you and spend time exploring, easily shifting through various art exhibitions available all in one place.
Online University Collections
In addition to museums, universities have also been cataloging their art and related archival media to be available online to the public. If you have a known university in mind, visit its website and search for its art collection or museum info. ‘University online art collections’ is another option for the search engine. Here are a few I discovered when writing this post:
There’s lots of art around and ways to experience art without spending money, you just have to know where and how to look for it. Whether you want to discover more art or learn to appreciate it more, these options are a good place to start and can help you to keep creating.