The recession brings practicality out in artists too. Several of Suzanne’s artist colleagues have taken jobs at Starbucks in their forties—for the health insurance. “The ones who are going to be okay are the ones who are not too proud,” says Suzanne.
For a bigger picture view, I spoke to Sarah Jane Bruce, an art consultant at Soho Myriad, a company that serves the hospitality industry as well as private clientele. Sarah Jane has noticed a sharp decline in the spending of her personal clients since September of 2008, but it took a while for her to feel the full extent of the downturn. “It seemed to happen much more slowly at Soho Myriad. I think this has a lot to do with the long lead time on large hospitality projects. By the time the recession hit, many large scale projects were already in full swing, and it was too late to pull funding or stop construction. It took another three to four months before my corporate projects started to go on hold.”

Despite the negative effects on her business, Sarah Jane also sees plenty of opportunity: “Collectors have the luxury of taking time to make decisions about acquisitions, and dealers are more willing to spend time with perspective buyers. There is also much more room for negotiation in the price of a work—discounts are much easier to come by.” Despite it being a buyer’s market, she sees benefits for artists too, commenting, “If anything, I think that the recession has strengthened many artists’ resolve and commitment to their work. I think that it has freed many of them from the constraints of the market and allowed them to return to their own creative vision for inspiration.”

After hearing from a cross-section of established art-scene citizens, I decided to solicit the opinion of a newcomer. It is often said the best time to be in school is during a recession, but I wondered whether the cold hard light of the “real world” had penetrated even the comforting bubble of art school. Steve Guerra is a Toy Design major at Otis College of Art and Design, and only one year away from graduation. I asked if he was nervous about the job search he would be facing in 2010, but Steve seemed cool, “Actually, I’m not really worried, because Otis is really good like that. I mean, you get connected with internships and potential employers pretty much right away.” With internships at Mattel and Funrise Toy Corp, I can see why he feels confident. Unlike many fellow students who see art school as a way to put off the dreaded future of working, Steve took a lot of classes at the Santa Monica College before applying to Otis to figure out what area of art was right for him. Once he realized he could combine his love of sculpture and drawing with his natural sense of whimsy, toy design was a natural fit. Steve also considered the fact that toys are recession-proof, with demand for entertainment often climbing during periods of economic downturn. “I know I’m always going to have a job because of the industry I’ve chosen, so I’m pretty excited about graduating and the future.”

For supposedly-brooding artists, I found myself encountering so much Hope and “Yes We Can”-ism that I momentarily lost bearings and thought I’d stumbled into an Obama ad. But this optimism was no mere cliché. These people are literally betting their futures on art.

So how soon will things turn around? Sarah Jane guesses 6 months, Suzanne no more than a year. Yossi cocks a wry brow: “Tomorrow,” he says with a smile.

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Forth Writer