Being A “Patron Of The Arts” In The Digital Age

The way we support artists has changed since the time of lords and Queens — in some ways, it’s never been easier.

This piece originally appeared on The Fem Word

In the so-called olden days - when bearded men wearing flowing tunics created statues of not-so-bearded men wearing nothing at all - artists had patrons.

These were wealthy people who regularly commissioned artists out of admiration for their work. It was expected that the aristocracy of any given nation perform this role, as it was a source of cultural pride and a guarantee that these nobles would be immortalized through the art of masters.

These patrons were not merely occasional buyers of paintings, but rather sustained supporters who provided significant sums of money to those who created all forms of artistic work. Patrons were the people artists catered to, as these supporters would order personalized art that suited their own wants and needs.

Whether you were a poet, a portraitist, an architect, a muralist, or any other kind of creator, patronage used to…