Collecting art as a college student

“You want me to buy art while in college? Do you know how expensive that is?” is a question I often get when I tell people to start an art collection now. However, as a broke college student myself, it really is not that expensive. You simply have to go to the right place, which is why as your trusty guide to everything art related, I am here to help.

The easiest way to get nice, inexpensive art is from local artists. I usually get all of my artwork from flea markets, more specifically indie flea markets. In fact, in the past four years, I’ve collected about 20 pieces, most are intriguing portraits of people, sculptures, pieces of nature, and more.

An indie flea market is like most flea markets, however, it has more of a “hipster” vibe to it. These markets host vendors that vary from local artists, thrift curators, boutiques, food

trucks, and more; the one I always go to is the Tampa Indie Flea and St. Pete Indie Flea. All the vendors at the market are sweet and if you like what they sell, they usually tell you other markets they will be attending, as well as their social media handles.

This allows you to network, make new friends, go to more events, and buy more art. In a lot of ways, I actually made best friends through collecting art from the flea markets. If you live around the Tampa/St. Pete area, I definitely recommend checking it out. The cost of the art pieces usually ranges from $3 to $50. The average price for a reasonably sized piece at the flea market is $20.

Similar to going to an indie flea market, art walks are also a great way to collect art from local artists. I’ve only been to the Jacksonville Art Walk but I know they have them in other larger cities, such as Los Angeles. In a sense, an art walk consists of vendors lined up on both sides of a street and goes for a couple of blocks. In a way, it’s just like the indie market, but instead of vendors being there, it focuses primarily on artists, whether it be painters, craft makers, homemade jewelers, sketch artists, etc. The prices for some pieces can be a little more expensive depending on how intricate the artwork is, however, most of the art is reasonably priced. Also, if you’re like me you can talk your way out of the price. I befriended this one vendor and joked with him, I ended up leaving with one of his favorite framed pieces for only $10, it was originally $25.

Personally, I would categorize art walks and indie flea markets essentially as pop-up markets, which is where college students can find all their art needs. The idea of creating an art collection is possible even if you don’t have a lot of money. Starting an art collection definitely has its perks other than transforming your dorm room into your humble abode. You will be helping small local businesses, which in return helps your community’s economy. If you take anything from this, it should be that collecting art presents an opportunity to find ways to express yourself through pieces that move you.