our story
carter Considine and Lily Konkoly are fascinated by the art market and the market's lack of accessibility for teen artists, particularly those of color. Having attended multiple teen art shows and local art festivals, they observed teen artists spend considerable time crafting impressive new works, only to underprice these pieces because they didn't feel welcomed or valued in the art community.
Today's youth, particularly those underrepresented, are less likely to have participated in the arts over the preceding 12 months than other demographics. Even with today's movement towards equity and racial inclusion, a disproportionately high 73.6% of the total artist population is still white. More troubling, today, half of U.S. museum exhibitions are focused on only 4% of contemporary artists. So, it is no surprise that a lower percentage of today's youth visit art galleries due to "threshold fear," the concept that people avoid places where they feel uncomfortable.
It was then that carter and Lily realized the need for an online vehicle where people their age could both share their art and appreciate the art of others, a place that lacked any "threshold fear." From their respective entrepreneurship passion, museum studies of decolonization, funding Justice Murals, art clubs, and Sotheby's art business class, they built Teen Art Market as an online platform for middle school through college students to sell their art to a broader audience of buyers.