Hi, I’m Mel Barrett. I founded a woman-owned art gallery and artist management company known as Visual Culture Arts (VCA). VCA is the manifestation of my life long passion for supporting the arts and artists. I work every day to help talented artists succeed.

I am currently working with three unique and talented artists, Beau Bernier Frank, Vakseen, and Robert Nelson, to get their art represented at the prestigious Aqua Art Miami art fair. This will be VCA's first fair, and while being accepted into Aqua Art Miami was an accomplishment in itself, now we need to raise $15,000 in order to get these talented artists’ works to Miami so their art can be exposed to art lovers and art buyers from around the world. 

With a little support from you, these innovative, up and coming artists will have a chance to explode into the mainstream art scene and make their mark on the world. Please help us get these artists’ unique works to Miami with a donation toward our $15,000 goal.

We need to raise at least $10,000 by August 31st to secure our position with Aqua Art Miami. Your donation at any level will help us get there! We have incentives for donors starting at $10. Scroll to the bottom for more about donor incentives.

In order to receive a donor reward, please click here and fill out the required form. 


About the Featured Artists:

Beau Bernier Frank: 

Beau Bernier Frank is a 26-year-old French-American surrealist painter. Beau's paintings convey a feeling of wanderlust, all while staying true to his taste for simplicity, sophisticated style, limitless traveling, and creative thinking. The self-taught artist has exhibited across the United States and around the globe including exhibitions with Visual Culture Arts in Los Angeles, CA, Spoke Art in New York, NY, the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel, CA and 19 Karen Gallery in Mermaid Beach, Australia.

Vakseen:

Vakseen, a self-taught artist based in Los Angeles, draws inspiration from society's fascination with beauty in popular culture. His gallant paintings are a celebration of women, beauty, duality, insecurity and self-preservation. Although his work mimics collage or mixed-media, each piece is meticulously hand-painted to blur the boundaries between perception and reality.
 Vakseen has exhibited in numerous museum and gallery exhibitions such as the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art in Brownsville, TX, the Ontario Museum of History & Art in Ontario, CA, and La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. 

Robert Nelson:

Robert Nelson combines elements of pop culture, history, and technology in order to create a dialogue about the cyclic and dichotomous tendencies of society. He studied Graphic Design and Multimedia Design at Platt College in San Diego, and after working as a Graphic Designer for 15 years, Nelson shifted to acrylic paint and graphite as his medium of choice. Robert Nelson has exhibited with Jonathan Levine Projects in Jersey City, NJ, the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, CA, and Visual Culture Arts in Los Angeles, CA. 

Why These Artists:

About Visual Culture Arts:
Visual Culture Arts (VCA) is an online art gallery and artist management company operating in Los Angeles, California. VCA helps individuals, from collectors to artists, navigate through the art world. VCA can help build an art collection, promote artwork to galleries and museums, curate an exhibition, coordinate an event, provide marketing and development services, and so much more.

Contact Information:
www.visualculturearts.com
[email redacted]

IG @visualculture_arts
FB @visualculturearts

About Aqua Art Miami:
Aqua Art Miami has become the premier destination for prominent collectors and art aficionados to procure works by young, emerging and mid-career artists. Throughout the years, Aqua Art Miami has continued to solidify itself as a completely unique art fair, consistently staying true to its signature relaxed yet energetic vibe.

Aqua’s unique environment has become a favorite gathering spot for collectors, curators and art lovers to discover fresh talent and acquire new works while exchanging cultural ideas and forming meaningful connections. The 2018 edition featured 52 international exhibitors showcasing fresh new works, and set in the intimate exhibition rooms that open into a beautiful courtyard, all within a classic South Beach hotel.

Donor Levels and Rewards:
In order to receive a donor reward, please click here and fill out the required form. 

★ Shooting Star: Donor Referrals

・The donor who brings in the most donor referrals will receive 1 limited edition Today's the Day I Realize tote bag by Vakseen.

・In order for a referral to be counted, the donor must leave a comment with the name of the person who referred them.

★ Little Star: $10 - $50

・The first 10 donors at this level will receive 1 limited edition Vanity Pop custom art button by Vakseen.

★ Shining Star: $100 - $500 

・Two donors at this level will be randomly selected to receive one of the following: 1 limited edition (25) signed 16 in x 20 in. print of Got Lost by Beau B. Frank (or)  1 limited edition Gold Lives Inside You throw pillow by Vakseen.

・The first 50 donors at this level will receive 1 complimentary General Admission ticket (admits 2 guests) to Aqua Art Miami.

・The first 10 donors at this level will receive 1 limited edition Vanity Pop custom art button by Vakseen.

★ Golden Star: $1,000 - $5,000

・Three donors at this level will be randomly selected to receive one of the following: 1 limited edition (25) signed 16 x 16 in. giclee of The Fruits of Love by Vakseen (or) 1 limited edition (50) signed 12 x 12 in. giclee by Vakseen  (various titles available) (or) 1 limited edition (25) signed 16 in x 20 in. print of Got Lost by Beau B. Frank.

・The first 30 donors at this level will receive a complimentary VIP pass (admits 2 guests) to Aqua Art Miami.  

・The first 5 donors at this level will receive 1 limited edition Vanity Pop custom art button by Vakseen.

★ Super Star: $10,000+

・One donor at this level will be randomly selected to receive 1 limited edition (50) signed and framed 12 x 12 in. giclee by Vakseen  (various titles available).

・The first 10 donors at this level will receive 2 complimentary VIP passes (each pass admits 2 guests) to Aqua Art Miami.

・All donors at this level will receive a complimentary exhibition catalog.


THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION!

*In order to receive a donor reward, please click here and fill out the required form. 

*All donors will have their name featured in the exhibition catalog if VCA participates in the fair.

*General Admission Tickets and VIP passes will only be granted if VCA participates in the fair.

*Donor Rewards will only be sent to donors in the United States.