Art (Collecting) School

The new year always brings new resolutions. Some of the most popular, according to USA.gov, are to pay off debt, save money, drink less, and quit smoking. But maybe you had something more fun in mind. For example, to start an art collection. If that's the case, you're in luck. Spring semester is starting at universities across the country, and some are offering courses that will give the novice a quick schooling in how to amass a trove of fine art. Figure Painting will give you a rundown in a series of posts this month.

What: An Insider's Look at Emerging Art and Artists
Where: New York University
When: Four sessions, Starting February 21st
Cost: $275.00

If you're interested in building a collection of bright young things, you many want to sign up for this course and have an art adviser, herself, give you the scoop on emerging artists, gallery districts, and markets. Renée Vara is not only an Adjusnct Professor at NYU, but also has her own advisory firm, sits on the board of the Appraiser's Association of America, and is a former Executive Member for the Young Collector's Group at the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Over the course of about two weeks (this is a crash course), she'll cover the migration patterns of the art world (Soho to Chelsea to the Lower East Side) and discuss up-and-coming artists (those, she'll select when she knows what's on the line-up at various galleries for February and March). As for the demographic: "My students are a wide variety — art professionals to new collectors, very new to the field to seasoned, and from ages of 21 to retirees who are interested in the subject matter," Vara says.

Sign up for An Insider's Look at Emerging Art and Artists here.