''TradeArt'' was an

underground art Underground art is any form of art that operates outside of conventional norms in the art world, part of underground culture. This can include essentially any genre of art that is not popular in the art world, including visionary art and street a ...

magazine first published by TradeArt Incorporated in March 1999. TradeArt began in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC just as artists were demanding more arts coverage in mainstream newspapers. With ''

The Washington Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the Washington ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday Star ...

'' out of publication, a public not yet won over by ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

'', and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' offering mainly snippets of national news, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' was the area's leading news source. Artists had to compete for limited coverage of the arts and cultural events.

Free creative expression

TradeArt allowed artists to design their own news source. It was based on

sourcebook A sourcebook is a collection of writings on a subject that is intended to be a basic introduction to the topic presented. Academic use In American universities, a sourcebook, either a standard one or a custom collection, may function as a supplem ...

advertising, a tool of the trade for commercial illustrators, photographers and designers offering creative services to

advertising agencies An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generally ...

, design studios, and

publishing companies Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

. Unlike sourcebooks, TradeArt mainly targeted classically trained artists. Poets, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians and actors were encouraged to express their arts ideas without the judgment of

art critics An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

and without

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

.
With its barter ads allowing artists with limited financial resources to acquire products without exchanging money, its no-holds-barred

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, suc ...

content, and its free diffusion in public spaces, it was an irreverent voice in the conservative political capital. The ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' quickly hailed it as a "chance for artists to showcase and

barter In trade, barter (derived from ''baretor'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists distingu ...

their work." News about the bimonthly

art magazine An art magazine is a publication whose main topic is art. They can be in print form, online, or both and may be aimed at different audiences, including galleries, buyers, amateur or professional artists and the general public. Art magazines can be ...

spread across the nation. The Fort Wayne ''

Journal Gazette ''The Journal Gazette'' is the morning newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It publishes seven days a week, and contends for circulation and advertising in a 15-county area. History ''The Journal Gazette'' traces its origins to 1863 when ''The For ...

'' noted that "''TradeArt'' opens doors for artists." Other newspapers focused their

headlines The headline or heading is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th centur ...

on ''TradeArt's'' barter ads, which allowed artists to trade art for professional services.

From underground to overseas

In 2000, ''TradeArt'''s publisher reorganized as a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Publication was interrupted between 2001 and 2004, when the public

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

led artists on an international solidarity project with children. In 2005, TradeArt Incorporated transferred the publication rights to TradeArt Abroad, an international association established in France in 2004. TradeArt Abroad aimed to extend TradeArt to artists in countries where poverty is an issue. The international recreated ''TradeArt, The voice of the international artist community'' as a bilingual quarterly. The bilingual version, edited in English and French, was published in Paris in January 2007. With a seed grant from the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

, its first objective was to open doors for artists affected by the persistent socioeconomic crises in France.UNESCO Culture Sectio

Retrieved August 27, 2008. Association TradeArt Abroad relinquished the publication rights to TradeArt Incorporated in 2008.

References

{{Reflist Visual arts magazines published in the United States Bimonthly magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1999 Magazines published in Washington, D.C. 1999 establishments in the United States