The Cheaper Show: Less Dollars, More Sense
I was able to drop by The Cheaper Show Saturday night after Pink Martini's show at Orpheum Theatre. While I only caught the last twenty minutes of the show, I was extremely glad I was able to see what it was all about.
The Cheaper Show is a single-night exhibit (in it's eight year) that featured 300 pieces of art for a set price of $200.00 each. The idea behind it is straightforward: accessibility. Inexpensive prices enable more people to afford high-quality art. To add to this, newer artists are given a rare (equal) presentation alongside more established peers. An international array of 150 artists from many mediums were featured in the event. It was cool to see Basco Five's work back in town!
The Cheaper Show No.8 took place at the old Storyeum. I never went to the actual Storyeum, but the venue fit the exhibit well. I really enjoyed the evening and took note of some great artists. DJ Rico Uno played some cool mixes and the place was packed with funky people.
I really like what the organizers of the exhibit are doing and am already anticipating The Cheaper Show No.9. They say it best: "Buy Art Not Cocaine".
The Cheaper Show No.8 took place on June 21, 2008 at the old storyeum building in Gastown.









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I'm going to be the 'Debbie Downer' on this parade.
I've read several reviews about The Cheaper Show and I am wondering if we were at the same event.
There were MAYBE a dozen pieces of artwork that deserved a showing. The rest reminded me of elementary school drawing abilities.
Um, since when are dead skinned animals art? ...Remind anyone else of that 'Starving Dog' exibit everyone hates?! How about someone's old smelly t-shirt, complete with pit stains, stretched across a canvas? How about a photo of a woman's genitalia paired with muffy the cat. Can you say 'josey grossy' ?!
But say that is your taste... $24 000 worth sold that evening. Although, I don't know how anything got sold. People had to wait an hour and a half in the purchase line-up. Poor ventilation of the venue caused the temperature to rise significantly. I went in search of water, only to find another looooong line-up.
I left disappointed.