Article: Art colllecting for beginners Getting in the right frame of mind; Acquire slowly while gaining a perspective Here are several tips for novice art collectors from Bruce W. Pepich, director of the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine. Realize that you will grow and learn as you collect. Expect that you may edit, trade, give away or change your collecting focus. Learn about caring and proper storage. Remember that we do not own anything: We're merely caretakers for the next generation. Don't fret if you can't afford established areas such as works by nationally known artists. Forge your own territory. It's fine to purchase paperweights until you can afford glass sculpture, or mass-produced decorative ceramics until you can afford studio ceramics. One develops an eye from such activities. Watch for sales at university art departments, artists' guilds or community art studios. You may be able to acquire a handmade, studio-produced object at the same price as a decorative collectible. Also, you may be selecting something by an important future figure in your field of specialization. Don't be afraid of combining works from different disciplines: i.e., antique and contemporary quilts.

As the U.S. becomes wealthier and more culturally aware, art collecting is becoming a viable hobby for more and more people. But how does one get started as a collector? And, having started, how does one go about assembling a consistent, coherent body of work?

In preparation for this story, collectors, dealers, curators and museum officials were interviewed by Journal Sentinel art critic James Auer. The advice they gave is aimed particularly at the beginning collector, but also might help more experienced art hobbyists.

In the interest of brevity, specific topics have been distilled into the question-and-answer format. For that reason, particular responses have not been attributed to the ...

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