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Artist Resource, an Internet community for local artists
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by Laura Lengyel, San Francisco Observer

Artist Resource is a free on-line service for artists and writers that functions like an electronic bulletin board, accessed anytime at http://www.artistresource.org. It is an active information exchange where anyone can find current exhibits, invitations to receptions, job postings, art classes, studio rentals, competitions, featured artists, poetry, artist's stories, and forum discussions.

Li Gardiner created the site in 1997 site to help fellow artists. An artist and teacher, Li hoped to liven up the dismal isolation among Bay Area artists through her extensive Internet and computer skills. Her impression of San Francisco from 1968 was of a "revolutionary, creative environment" after a 2-week stay in the Haight as a young teen. But when she moved here from New York City in 1986, she found a more violent and harsher atmosphere in the once reputed liberal and easy city. The lack of public support for visual artists was a disappointment. "The treatment of artists is shameful and I am embarrassed by the city. If artists don’t do something, no one will. San Francisco is tourist-oriented, and not a fertile, supportive environment for creative activity. The artists feel a lack of worth, insignificance and insecurity."

Her web site started as an experiment in uniting local artists through their computers, with no user fees. So far, no comparable regional web sites exist that offer similar services, making Artist Resource unique in the vast Internet world. Most networks and large group sites offer online artists 'gallery' or display pages. National art organizations offer informational sites, but are often restricted to paid members or specific to one art form.

She says, “I've received letters from artists in New York, Boston and Miami inquiring about similar sites in their areas, but I haven't found them yet. I asked the artists to write back if they found something good.”

She continues, "Artist Resource is completely out of my head. The closest model for a specific part of the site was the Pleiades Women's Forums, which made me realize how useful forums could be, and inspired me to set up the forum pages. My division of information is based on a newsletter I used to publish for San Francisco Women Artists, which had separate areas for shows, classifieds, news, places to hang work, resources."

After 2 years, Artist Resource now gets 25,000 visitors a month, resulting in an average of 120,000 'page hits,’ the number of times different pages were accessed. Visitors are often newcomers to the area. The "Job Listings" section gets the most hits. The dramatic jump in the number of visitors to the site clearly demonstrates a need for community support for artists. Overwhelmed by the site’s success, Li is actively seeking help from webby-savvy artists and writers.

From her experience as a member and board member of non-profits, Li observes that most local organizations struggle from week to week. She created her online support system out of empathy with other artists who are under-served by the non-profits. She feels that her concept can provide better services and real help on a personal level. She envisions Artist Resource as more enduring, offering more services with less overhead than other groups.

Maintaining the web site requires more than 20 hours per week. Li gets some volunteer help but no financial support for basic costs of $1200 a year out-of-pocket. For now, she has "virtually" set aside her fine art endeavors and imaginative paintings to develop this project. She supports herself and Artist Resource by teaching desktop publishing software and color prepress at the Center for Electronic Arts and SF State University, in addition to operating a home-based graphic design business. She hopes to acquire fiscal sponsorship from a local art organization, which would give Artist Resource the non-profit status needed for grant support. "For now," she says, "my rewards are the letters of thanks I receive, and pride in creating something worthwhile."

August, 1999

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Webmistress: Li Gardiner  ArtistEye@artistresource.org