Throughout the years, I’ve had so many people ask me, “How did you come up with Art Comes Alive? No one in the industry does anything like it!”

The idea came to me in 2009 while I was sitting in a banquet hall at an awards ceremony honoring local businesses. As I watched business after business receive recognition, I found myself wondering: Why aren’t artists celebrated in a big way, too?

Those who know me know that I’ve built my business around relationships, connections, and bringing people together. So, between bites of the same rubber chicken everyone seemed to serve (ugh!), I had an idea: What if we created an event that didn’t just showcase artists, but truly celebrated them and connected them with the people who could help move their careers forward?

And that’s how Art Comes Alive was born.

I decided to create an event that would do more than recognize incredible artists. I wanted to connect them with galleries, collectors, and real opportunities that could help move their careers forward.

That first year, we awarded $90,000. Seventeen years later, ACA has grown into our signature event of the year. We are proud to award artists with nearly half a million dollars in awards including gallery representation, purchase awrds, publication opportunites, SmartSell memberships and much more!