ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

They say that Jessica Simpson might be bad for Tony Romo’s game, but is she good for selling art? Survey says: yes! I viewed the announcements for Gallery1988’s Pete Wentz/Travis McCoy show with the typical snarkiness and skepticism one reserves for things like this (and the musical oeuvre of Billy Bob Thornton), but gallery co-owner Jensen’s blog post (following last night’s opening of Without You I’m Just Me) has me re-thinking some things.

This isn’t just a picture of Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson shopping at Kidrobot. It’s not even just a picture of Pete and Travis sagging some designer Kidrobot pajamas. It’s bigger. You see, while (one-time Kaws collaborator) John Mayer, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson and the trying-so-hard-it-hurts-to-look-at-them lads of Good Charlotte are used to getting lots of press, artists in our scene aren’t always afforded the same luxury. So, while it might seem unseemly at first, on second look, consider the usefulness of said celebrities. They brought people from outside our little toy culture bubble, which in turn exposed more folks to cool art and by extension got artists like  Greg “Craola” Simkins, Luke Chueh and Buff Monster some new exposure (beyond the toy blogosphere). The increased press means more visitors to the gallery, more money for the artists, and then, by extension, more toys for us.

Or in Jensen’s words: “This press has ALREADY proven to force new fans onto these artists, as well as drive new people into the gallery, dozens per hour. People who NEVER would have heard about or know how cool these artists are. And in turn, this show made a handful of buyers and artists call and email me and say, “You know, I wasn’t expecting to like Pete and Travis’s art, but I really do!” So maybe we both have different audiences that just need to know each other exist and aren’t douchebags. Right, John Mayer?”

Oh snap. Next up: the Gossip Girl group art show. Pictures via Gallery1988 and Friends or Enemies.