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Our director, Debra Marcoux, recently paid a visit to several of the galleries in our neighborhood to check out their current shows. Here's what's not to be missed in the current crop of Chelsea exhibits.

Every week, we'll be your guide as you navigate the world of buying art in our series, The Collector. 

There's a lingo to learn when it comes to the art market. Before you begin on your journey to find the perfect piece of art, familiarize yourself with these common terms to ensure that you know exactly what you're looking at and (let's face it) whether or not you're getting ripped off. 

Kathryn Markel takes a moment to reflect on her favorite painters and what they say about her. 

The more you look at art the more you understand yourself.  For example, I rarely respond to art with harsh gesture and color.  It feels angry to me. But, others might appreciate the same anger I see and find it liberating, Where I may see the painting's energy as enervating, they could see it as exciting.

I've never cared for surrealism either.  My brother used to recite his dreams at the breakfast table and, although I loved him, I hated to hear about his dreams.  Surrealism reminds me of those arbitrary stories.

The fact is that, our reactions  to everything in life are colored by our individual histories and physiology.  There is always a dance between the stimulus and the stimulated. I rarely analyze why I like or dislike a dress, a taste, a person, or a wallpaper.   But I always think about what it is in my personality that makes me react in a particular way to a piece of art.

Kathryn Markel doesn't take too kindly to the contemporary art market. "A while ago, I realized that my antipathy to the art market - not the art world, which I love, but the art market - began because I started in the business in the early 70s. At the time, there was no art market. Artists were making art that they never thought they would sell. Sol LeWitt made art from instructions, Michael Heizer made earthworks. Artists weren't thinking about the art market. They just wanted the approval of their peers." The scene was democratic and focused on community and exploration. Many artists were making prints for the first time, even using the Xerox machine as a tool for distribution. With personal photography being more accessible, the art world was documented and shared. In this new, acutely political world, art was going to be for everybody.

But, that couldn't last long. Slowly, those artists whose works allegedly couldn't be sold began to get attention and the relentless commodification  of art began.

Every week, we'll be your guide as you navigate the world of buying art in our series, The Collector. 

If you're an intelligent, affluent, sophisticated consumer just starting to dip your toes into the world of art, the contemporary art market can seem overwhelming and intimidating. How do you know what you like? Where do you find it? Is the value good? Don't succumb to being so cautious that you adorn your exquisitely decorated home with your college posters and impulse buys you find in souvenir shops on vacation. Take some time to learn about art, what you like, and what you're looking for before you dive in. Here are the three first steps to take for buying original art: