Why Supporting Emerging Artists Matters More Than Ever

Every established artist was once an unknown one, and the support they received early on often made all the difference. Backing emerging artists is one of the most rewarding things a lover of art can do.

The art we travel to see and queue for was, at some point, made by someone at the very start of their career, unsure whether the work would find an audience at all. Nicole Junkermann has always believed that the health of the arts depends on how well we look after artists in those early years, and that supporting them has never been easier or more worthwhile than it is today. This piece sets out why the case feels so urgent and so hopeful at once, and how anyone, on any budget, can play a part.

Who we mean by an emerging artist

An emerging artist is simply one near the beginning: a recent graduate, a self taught maker finding their voice, someone whose work is strong but not yet widely known. Nicole Junkermann is careful not to make it sound romantic. The early years are exciting, but they are also the hardest, when talent is real and recognition is not yet, and when a little encouragement counts for a great deal. These are the artists whose studios fill the quieter corners of every city, and whose first shows hang in the smaller rooms that reward the curious visitor.

Why the early years matter most

The reason support matters so much at this stage is straightforward. An artist needs time, materials and a room to work in before the work can mature, and those things are rarely easy to come by at the start. A single early sale, a first exhibition, a word of genuine interest: each can be the difference between carrying on and quietly giving up. Nicole Junkermann finds it moving to think how many careers we now celebrate turned on some small kindness at exactly the right moment. To support an artist early is to invest in the years of work that follow, and in the pleasure that work will one day give to others.

Simple ways to lend your support

The good news is that helping emerging artists asks for enthusiasm far more than for a large budget. Nicole Junkermann keeps a short mental list of the easiest ways in:

Visit the degree shows and open studios, where new work is shown at its most affordable and its makers are glad to talk.
Buy something small and honest: a print, a drawing, a photograph you genuinely love, rather than a name you have been told to want.
Follow the artists whose work stays with you, and turn up for their next show.
Tell other people. A recommendation to a friend can matter as much as a purchase.
Support the smaller spaces and art schools that give new work its first walls, simply by going through their doors.

Buying is only one kind of help

It is easy to assume that supporting artists means collecting, but Nicole Junkermann is quick to widen the picture. Buying directly from a living maker is a real and lasting help, and the piece on how to start an art collection describes how modestly that can begin. Yet attention itself is a form of support. An audience that shows up, looks closely and takes new work seriously creates the very conditions in which artists can flourish. The welcome that runs through the guide for newcomers to contemporary art is part of this too: the more generously we all look, the more room there is for new voices to be heard.

What the supporter receives in return

Support of this kind is far from one sided, and that is part of its quiet joy. To follow an artist from an early, uncertain show through the slow deepening of their work is one of the richest pleasures art offers, a relationship that grows over years rather than a single transaction. Nicole Junkermann treasures the sense of having been there early, of watching a sensibility find itself. A modest piece bought at the start, lived with daily and loved, can mean more than a far costlier work acquired once a reputation is safely made. The supporter gains a companion, and a story.

The public spaces that nurture new talent

Individuals are only part of the picture. The schools, the small galleries and the public institutions that give young artists their first opportunities do work that benefits everyone, often with very little fanfare. A first commission, a place in a group show, a residency that offers a few months of time and space: these quiet acts of faith shape the art of the future. Nicole Junkermann believes that valuing these spaces, and simply using them, is one of the surest ways a wider public can help the next generation come through.

A bright outlook worth backing

For all the talk of how hard the early years are, the outlook has rarely been brighter. New work is everywhere, audiences are curious and generous, and the paths by which a young artist can reach people have never been more open. Nicole Junkermann takes real optimism from this, and the invitation is a simple one: go and meet the art being made right now, and back the people making it, in whatever way suits you. For more of the thinking behind these notes, the profile of Nicole Junkermann brings the threads together, and the notes on this site continue the conversation.

Every career we now celebrate turned on some small kindness at exactly the right moment. To support an artist early is to invest in all the work that follows.

Frequently asked questions about supporting emerging artists

Who counts as an emerging artist?

Nicole Junkermann describes an emerging artist as someone near the beginning of their career: a recent graduate or self taught maker whose work is strong but not yet widely known, and for whom a little early encouragement counts for a great deal.

How can I support emerging artists on a small budget?

Nicole Junkermann suggests visiting degree shows and open studios, buying a small piece you genuinely love such as a print or drawing, following artists whose work stays with you, and simply telling other people about them.

Does supporting artists mean I have to buy their work?

No. Nicole Junkermann is clear that buying is only one kind of help. Turning up, looking closely and taking new work seriously creates the very conditions in which artists can flourish.