ABOUT ARTSUITE
Artsuite is an online platform and art marketplace that’s all about creating connections — connecting artists with collectors, galleries with communities, advocates and activists with impactful causes and events. Most importantly, it’s about helping YOU connect with art that moves you and artists who will inspire you.
The most effective way to support working artists is to share their art and encourage the world to invest in their work. When Artsuite's founders came to that conclusion, they resolved to use their new platform to simplify the process of acquiring art and make the experience personalized and rewarding, for seasoned collectors and first-time buyers alike. After all, no one should miss out on the joy of living with art.
By organizing virtual exhibitions and unexpected collaborations, activating non-traditional spaces, offering art advising services and sharing the stories of artists and collectors from around the world, the Artsuite team is exploring creative ways to make art collecting feel accessible and exciting.
THE FOUNDERS
ALLEN THOMAS
Wilson, NC
Allen Thomas thinks of his need to collect certain works of art as a compulsion, one he’d like to spread generously, to as many people as possible. Fueled by his love of art and fascination with talented artists, over the past three decades he has built one of North Carolina’s largest privately held art collections. In addition to major solo collection shows at the North Carolina Museum of Art, CAM Raleigh, Turchin in Boone, Taubman in Roanoke, SECCA in Winston-Salem, Barton College, Wilson Arts Center and the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, he has donated over 100 works to permanent institutional collections. It all began rather accidentally. When his urge to create failed to yield any promising results in his undergrad art classes, he started spending most of his class time talking with the more gifted students and began asking if he could purchase their work. Building on those first acquisitions — a handful of them are still on the wall to this day — Allen expanded his collection by visiting small galleries in New York City, and in 1993 began to shift its focus to contemporary photography following a pivotal trip to New Orleans. He’d wandered into a French Quarter gallery dedicated solely to photography and became mesmerized by the images all around him. After more than three hours with the gallery owner who answered all his questions and made a very convincing case for photography as a legitimate art form, Allen left with an armful of images and a new passion and direction for his collection. Today, while photography is still a strong presence in his home, his focus now includes all forms of contemporary expression.
New artist inquiries or questions about any of our artists or artworks? Email me - ALLEN@ARTSUITE.COM.
If you find a piece of art that speaks to you, that moves you, that makes you circle back to look at it again – just get it.
MARJORIE HODGES
Raleigh, NC
If you’re looking for insider info on the contemporary art market, Marjorie Hodges is a good place to start. A long-time museum professional and community leader, Marjorie has advocated for emerging contemporary artists by curating and facilitating significant exhibitions for Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum, Flanders Gallery and the North Carolina Museum of Art. She helped secure significant public art installations and acquisitions for the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park and continues to support public art initiatives. Today, she works as an independent art consultant, serving as an advisor for both private collectors and corporate collection projects, including Capitol Broadcasting Company, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Red Hat, Kane Realty Group and more. At the heart of her efforts is a deep passion for arts and culture and a commitment to support charitable organizations including Dix Park, NC Museum of Art, CAM Raleigh, Frankie Lemmon Foundation, Art of Cool Project and more. Working to highlight the power of art to heal not just our souls but our communities, Marjorie also aims to make Artsuite a true catalyst for arts commerce and creative prosperity, in part by adding more voices to the conversation. “Allen and I want to invite ideas and participation from artists, designers, creatives, collectors and newcomers,” she explains. “By listening and sharing these stories and developing engaging content and programming for the Artsuite community, our goal is to help more people discover the joys of living with art — whether it’s at a museum, private gallery, studio, or in your own home.”
Advisory opportunities, collaboration ideas or new projects? I’d love to hear from you - MARJORIE@ARTSUITE.COM.
Artists are terrific storytellers. The perspectives expressed through contemporary art reflect today’s culture and are incredibly valuable to society.