Nuria Madrenas

Embarking on the journey of art collecting can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience, especially for beginners. The uncertainty of where to start, the fear of judgment, and the complexity of the art world can often deter us from pursuing getting started. We built Cohart to help make art collecting feel much more personal, accessible, and meaningful, so people around the world can confidently showcase the art they love in their homes.

Our core belief at Cohart is that every consumer is their own curator. We firmly believe that art should be for everyone, and anyone who owns or aspires to own art should confidently embrace the title of a collector. To bring this vision to life, we have crafted a product experience that scales art collecting for the masses. By working closely with art newcomers from all walks of life, we gained valuable insights into their needs, preferences, and struggles. This enabled us to build an experience that meets them where they are today, guiding them through the process with ease and understanding.

Since our launch, Cohart has experienced early success and garnered widespread interest. In just 18 months, we have achieved over $1.5 million in sales, with 80% of our buyers being millennials. These numbers reflect not only the growing demand for accessible art collecting but also the effectiveness of our approach in resonating with a new generation of art enthusiasts. By sharing the stories of our buyers, we aim to humanize the art collecting experience, making it as natural and enjoyable as shopping for a new pair of shoes. 

These are some of their stories.

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## Cohart Collector Profile: Lauren A.

Lauren didn’t have an art background at all when she started with Cohart. Aside from one art history class in college, Lauren has never considered herself to be a “creative”. She works in politics and government, and she’s motivated to impact change. But, like most of us, Lauren is keen on making her house feel like home. She cares about interior design, and how her space looks and feels. Lauren is currently in the process of figuring out her style, and her combined style with her fiancé (ahem, if you’ve been there, you know that’s a challenge in and of itself).

We chatted with Lauren about the woes and wonders of art collecting, how she landed on her first piece from Cohart, and her advice to anyone else interested in doing the same thing. 

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##### What is challenging about art today?

I would say there are two things. 1) it's intimidating to figure out your personal style - even to go to a museum and figure out what you like and don't like. And 2) Prices are the biggest barrier. What is widely available and what you’re pushed as a 20-something tends to be quite cookie-cutter. And it's easy to fall into something cheaper, albeit ubiquitous, especially with a lack of knowledge and lack of time. I don't feel like fine art is pushed towards me. And as a result, I don’t have enough information on where to look or what to buy.

##### How would you describe your experience finding art with Cohart?

>I was really interested in the idea that I could have a personal experience when finding art.

I don't have enough confidence in myself to go online and know what is high quality, what's worth the price, or what's cool or stylish. I liked the fact that working with Cohart was personal. We looked at, I don’t know, maybe 50 - 100 pieces of art by 50+ different artists. Eventually, we landed on a triptych by Liza Giles.

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##### How do you describe your artistic style now that you've worked with Cohart?

I was interested in pieces that were comforting and felt homey. I probably don't have the right verbiage art-wise. It is probably considered to be more contemporary - a bit more graphic vs. photography. I like the triptych because it felt very whole. I like conversational pieces. I'm still kind of working out my style. I don't know if I'll have a singular style, but I know that I should purchase things that make me feel something. I was able to get to a place where I was really excited about something, versus that passive consumption of what is pushed towards me.

>I don't know if I'll have a singular style, but I know that I should purchase things that make me feel something.

##### How did hearing the stories impact your relationship with the artist and the artwork itself?

I’ve never had an experience with acquiring art that even led me to read an artist’s bio, let alone learn intimate stories about them and their work. Knowing who they were, the fact that a woman painted the piece, and seeing the breadth of her work was really helpful. 

I think I went clicks-deeper than I ever have in the past. It never occurred to me to research the "why" behind the piece, so it was exciting to go down that road for the first time. I'm also excited by the fact that I know where I'm putting my money towards. It's a reminder to be thoughtful in who you are supporting.

##### Why were you looking to collect art in this instance? To anchor your space, reflect your values, inject personality, is it a means to an end for filling a blank wall, etc.?

In a way, it was relationship-oriented. My fiancé and I have been together for 7 years, but this was our first exercise merging our styles and choosing something together, so it makes it doubly meaningful.

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##### What advice would you give to friends looking to find art they love via Cohart?

Really take the time to explore. You don't know what you like. People are busy and don't have the time to research and experience. Avoid the haste of "I just need to get things on my wall". Even if you're somebody who historically felt like art wasn't a part of your life, take the time to see how things make you feel.

Also, everyone was so helpful at Cohart. It felt very white glove and personal and easy. I think I probably have more confidence that I could do this again and continue building our collection.

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Wondering how to start collecting art? Interested in starting (or continuing) your art-collecting journey?

#### To explore thousands of artists and artworks online, [download the Cohart beta on iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cohart-discover-art-together/id1554034352). Stay tuned for our launch this fall!

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Lauren started on her journey with Cohart with little experience with art but ended up commissioning a lasting work of art she can love forever.

Collector Profile: Lauren

Collector Profile: Lauren

Lisa Giles' Triptych

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