Art Collecting on Time or Loan

Of course I collect art, I work at a museum. I've seen a rise in something lately that puts more art into homes. One is 'permanent loan' that comes with documents and gets art out of closets and from under the beds of some artists. This coming week, I am going to get a chance to look at some work of Mark Steven Greenfield with the possibility of that permanent loan thing, that's permanent until the artist wants it back or you decide you might want to pay for it. The other is that more artists are taking the risk of giving art to someone with a promise to pay. Recently, I was admiring a Teresa Tolliver seated porcelain woman in a luscious green that a friend has and mentioned it to Teresa. She said, "Well, I'll make you one." I thought that would be amazing but doubted that I could afford it. She said, "Oh you can pay me on time." I jumped at the idea. She brought my lovely large woman seated in blue to me over the weekend. I placed her in my living room and am sitting and watching her now as she stares up at the nightsky, head tilted at an angle that is pleasing. "Teresa in Blue" is naked and her body does much of the same thing my body does when seated, sort of relaxes. She is wide bottomed and small breasted, how could I not love her? So now, thanks to the generosity of the artist, I will own her in full by Black History Month next year. That is such great news for Ruth Adkins Robinson