In the last few months it has been brought to Ringelstetter’s attention that the art community has experienced some major changes. Creatives are flocking to the Dakotas and southern states like Texas and Florida because states known for the arts, like New York and California, have shut everything down, making it next to impossible to make a living as an artist there, similar to what Ringelstetter has been experiencing in Wisconsin. Show after show had been cancelled or rolled back and he was feeling defeated. Winter was setting in and starting to wear heavily on the psyche, and Ringelstetter was dreaming of warmer days filled with beaches and painting when his approval for the Tallahassee show came through and, much to his surprise, shortly after he received a notice about qualification for a PPP that could help him get there.
He submitted his application and waited patiently for weeks until he received another email alerting him that he had only one more week to meet to submit his application. Having already done this, he placed a call to find that somehow his application had slipped through the cracks and while they had his app in hand, it had not been properly submitted yet. One might typically find this frustrating, had the terms of the PPP not changed the day before, now granting Ringelstetter three times his initial benefit. Blown away by these circumstances but eternally grateful, the artist started making plans to head south and get his art back on the map.
Through his connections he was able to set up a show at the Monster Factory where they brought in a DJ and set up a tiki bar to welcome him back. While he was there he got to see first hand just how much things had changed for the art world. With so many business types flocking to Miami the art community is relocating to Saint Petersburg, (i.e., millionaires are being pushed out by billionaires) creating a brand new avenue of opportunities for artists of all kinds. But of course, a move this big comes with it’s own challenges and learning experiences for the working artist. Ringelstetter was quoted saying, “Everything I know about the art hustle has flip-flopped- it’s a whole new game out here.”
The Midwest used to be a hotspot for art but with the state of things life as we know it in the art world is changing. It’s an interesting time to be alive, and if you’re a creative our hearts go out to you. We know that this time has altered a lot, but it won’t kill the industry – we must simply adapt and evolve with the times and through the right lens, it looks like the world could be tipping in our favor.
Darienne Keniece