Pan American Art Projects Courts Young Collectors With Summer Fortnight Deal

Outside an otherwise nondescript building in Little River is a large red neon sign that reads, "Here." It’s on the exterior of the Pan American Art Projects (PAAP) gallery, and here, indeed, is where you’ll want to go this month if you’re an art lover hoping to build out — or start — your own collection.

Inspired by the Old English term, PAAP is hosting a Summer Fortnight Offerings event that will last, as the name implies, exactly fourteen nights. The gallery says novice collectors will find "quality art at beginning collector prices."

For two weeks this month, the space will remain open daily and offer special pricing on 200-plus artworks by more than 50 artists. Collectors can expect discounts of up to 50 percent off traditional gallery prices, with rates ranging from $90 to $30,000. PAAP has provided a complete list of available works and prices.

"In the summer, you always wonder what you are going to do," says owner and president Robert Borlenghi. "Many galleries close up and go on vacation. It’s a slow time of the year, so you don’t really offer an artist a show in the summer."

Instead, the gallery decided to parse through its nearly 3,000 pieces of fine art and select a few hundred to offer at a discount to encourage budding collectors. Paintings, drawings, photography, and sculptures will be available for purchase throughout the gallery’s two exhibition spaces. Nearly half the works on display have not been exhibited in the gallery in many years, so it will also be an opportunity to see new pieces from the collection.

"We chose pieces that we feel have a universal appeal; that don’t require too much thinking," Borlenghi says. "There are some fine pieces—there’s no question about that."

Borlenghi opened PAAP in 2001 in Dallas and relocated to Miami in 2006. Today, he continues his mission of supporting Caribbean and Latin American artists. The gallery’s two most recent shows, which came down August 2, were a solo showcase of artist León Ferrari's work and a group exhibition, "The New Gold Rush," exploring the allure of gold.

Borlenghi remembers being a young collector himself. He started out collecting stamps as a young child, but his appreciation for fine art grew over time.

"Collecting was something that always attracted me, and it was natural to expand from stamps to something more serious, something more individual and more private. Stamps are editions of thousands, but art is unique. And that quality is what attracted me," says the gallery owner. He laughs as he recalls the first two paintings on which he spent money. "The third one was good, though."

PAAP works with social clubs like Base and Parlor to attract potential buyers. The platforms often host unique gallery and art studio visits for members, who may later become collectors.

Last month, Parlor hosted a members-only viewing of the current exhibitions at PAAP. Young art collector Shablé Harris was in attendance. Her fiery red hair was braided in an updo, and she wore a long tulle skirt and embellished top as she studied the work on display.

Harris says she's looking forward to PAAP’s Summer Fortnight Offerings, adding events like these help art-lovers navigate the shaky waters of the fine art world. "I feel like that bridges the gap for a lot of artists and people who want to collect art, but there’s always this brick price tag that deters them. Doing something like this will really help."

A software engineer by day, Harris has been building her art collection for more than five years. She began by collecting and commissioning work from her artist friends.

"For me, it’s always been about, 'how can I help bring you to the next level by way of supporting the arts?'" Harris says.

Borlenghi recommends that anyone interested in art simply start a conversation. "The best thing anyone can do when they visit a gallery is to talk to the people who work there," he says. "Ask questions. Get educated. In other words, participate."

PAAP's Summer Fortnight. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily August 10 to 24 at Pan American Art Projects, 274 NE 67th St., Miami; 305-751-2550; panamericanart.com.