So you want to collect art?

Me lost in the Kerry James Marshall exhibit, The Histories, in London earlier this month (shot sneakily my friend, Elena). This exhibit moved me to tears.

If you’ve been here for a minute, you’ve watched LOTA shapeshift in real time from rabbit holes on Instagram to artist interviews, in-person events, building an AI art tool, advising collectors one-on-one.

The through line has stayed the same - discover new voices in emerging art, get the context behind the stories that shape them, and belong to a community redefining the art world. That’s why I’m excited to introduce Collector’s Circle.

Collector’s Circle is a subscription tier for LOTA. It’s how you build taste and buy art with confidence. Without doomscrolling on Instagram, second-guessing every decision, or trying to decode the art world alone (although yes, I’ll decode it with you).

The through line has stayed the same - discover new voices in emerging art, get the context behind the stories that shape them, and belong to a community redefining the art world.

I’m in galleries, watching what’s making me feel something, what’s loud, what’s moving, and what’s just good marketing. I’m also paying attention to spaces around the world, and the artists I find through LOTA’s orbit. Collector’s Circle is where I share the signal and make sense of the art world so you can find what you love.

Collector’s Circle is $8/month (and through the end of February it’s $6 as an early access thank-you). You’ll get two subscriber-only posts a month, a subscriber chat for questions + finds, and a $20 credit toward your first 1:1 consult. I’ll still be publishing two free posts a month here, too.

February Preview: LA Art Week

Portrait of Mamadou Gueye by Kehinde Wiley at Robert Projects’ Frieze Booth last year

Next month is extra special because it is also Art Week in LA. Fairs like Frieze, Felix, Post Art Fair, and more mean the signal-to-noise ratio gets… chaotic.

Here’s what’s coming for subscribers:

• Market Notes: how to buy art without panic—what actually matters (artist path, value, condition, documentation, the small details people skip)

• What to Buy at LA Art Week: my picks, pricing context, and exactly where to go

If you’ve ever wanted an extra eye and sounding board, without the gatekeeping, this is the month to start.

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In general, here’s what to expect as a subscriber

Monthly “Available Now” Art

Untitled, 2025, from Rakesh Patel’s exhibit, Sacred Cipher, at Iram Art Gallery in Ahmedabad. His practice spans across drawing and sculpture, focused on rewriting the norms for what symbols can mean across time and space.

Every month I’ll share 3-7 works you can purchase now (like Rakesh Patel’s work above that I saw in India last month), usually in the $500–$6k range with occasional higher pieces when something feels truly worth stretching for.

You’ll get:

• why this artist / why this piece / why now

• the price + how to purchase

• direct links with more details, so it’s not just inspiration that leads you to a Pinterest board

This is for the person who wants help deciding, not more tabs open to “follow-up later'“.

Market Notes + Data

Once a month we’ll demystify the parts of the art world that make people hesitate:

• how galleries actually work (and how to approach them)

• whether prints/editions can be a smart place to start

• buying abroad: tariffs, shipping, condition, documentation

Behind-the-Scenes Access

Studio visit in Todos Santos Gallery last year

This is one biggest differences between how people collected ten years ago vs. how people collect now: today’s collector wants to meet the artists they’re supporting. Getting to know the artist matters as much as the rest.

Depending on what’s happening, this might look like:

• studio visits / new bodies of work

• pop-ups and small shows worth seeing

• editions + first access to limited drops

Community

There will be a subscriber chat to drop questions and share finds—a place to learn and get unstuck.

If you do want deeper help on a specific purchase, that’s where a 1:1 consult or advisory work comes in. As a subscriber you’ll get a members-only code to unlock a $20 discount toward your first consult (usually $99 for an hour).

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“Deep Down I’m Really Shallow” from the Penguin series by Harland Miller at Whitecube in London

My obsession throughout my career has always been access (and pretty things). I was shaped by that internet-era dream of democratizing access—radical transparency, the rise of DTC, the idea that you shouldn’t need insider connections to get context.

My obsession throughout my career has always been access (and pretty things). I was shaped by that internet-era dream of democratizing access—radical transparency, the rise of DTC, the idea that you shouldn’t need insider connections to get context. And we’ve also seen where that story can go sideways: flattened culture, the same “taste” copy-pasted into a single beige fantasy, the same concept stores, the same products, everywhere.

The goal of LOTA has always been to pull up marginalized, emerging voices in art so our stories are told, celebrated, and carried forward, so more people get to thrive and there are more paths to access.

Collector’s Circle is me trying to counter all of that in the way I actually know how - slower buying, deeper context, and designing spaces that feel like us. Not for performance, not for likes, but for slow mornings with coffee and a book, for spontaneous dance parties, for tears, for laughter, and for memories.

And especially with the heaviness of right now, I know all of this can feel frivolous. I still think there has to be space for both: the world as it is, and the world we’re trying to make.