About ETChster
When founder Eddie Davis finally settled down (after years of living abroad) back in Atlanta, United States, he had a place to display the original art of generations of his ancestors. When his first child was on the way, he wanted a way to capture pictures and preserve the stories of those pieces, so he could pass them to his daughter and make them available to future descendants.
At the same time, he took an interest in the local art scene, especially the artists behind the many murals in the neighborhoods around his home.
When he tried to figure out how to purchase art from them, he quickly realized that fine artists struggled mightily with basic digital marketing and were losing so many sales because of it:
- 95% of artist websites were broken (many in multiple ways)
- Lots of artists were trying to build an art business in the middle of all the racket on one of Mark Zuckerberg’s social media properties (Instagram monetizing artist content by selling shoes, shampoo, etc. ads)
- It was almost impossible to get an understanding of most of the artist’s stories, backgrounds, inspirations, etc.
- There was no way to see what current, for-sale art was available, where to see it, or how to purchase it
And he could tell from meeting artists and working with local non-profits, that artists fundamentally had a profound sales and marketing problem that kept them from being able to build a sustainable art business.
As a software entrepreneur, he diagnosed the issue as incredible buyer “friction.” For someone like him to actually find and buy the art from many local artists, he would need to play detective, and like so many busy professionals, and parents, he simply did not have the time.
So ETChster was born as a nights and weekends project in 2018 as first a personal art catalog that he used to document his collection and then quickly, he added a connected, maintenance-free website for artists, a public database of original art, and many other tools to strip out the friction from the art scene that was like an anchor around the neck of so many would-be art entrepreneurs.
Original Art’s Permanent Home
Fast forward and ETChster is backed by a passionate team that wanted to build a service that would still be providing value 100s of years from now.
The team takes pride in ensuring that the amazing creators of the world more consistently get the recognition they deserve on an ongoing basis.
The platform’s most basic reason for existence is to maintain permanent connections between fine art and each piece’s stories, no matter where it goes or how much time has passed.
We’re amazingly lucky to have a global user base of remarkable people who etch meaningful and unique art for both personal and public benefit.
We’re Excited by Connections
- When we provide the web presence and art business training that connects contemporary artists to their first collectors and growing fan base.
- When we provide the answer to a search by someone seeking to know who created a piece of public art.
- When we show the public where to find the best artwork in their communities.
- When we make life easier for the curators of amazing museums that inspire and educate.
- When we provide a permanent place in history for creators and their creations.
We’re also excited by the generosity of our users, whose feedback helps us improve and expand ETChster.
Where to Find Us
Our cloud platform powers artists, galleries, museums, collections, and more in 180 countries and counting from our home base in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Our Thanks Go Out To:
- To our team, who worked overtime to bring the initial platform to market.
- To our families, whose patience let us pursue our passion.
- To our amazing advisors, who kept us pointed in the right direction.
- To our early users, who suffered through early design flaws and were generous with their feedback.
If you’d like to touch base with our team, you’ll find a feedback form in the app or you’re welcome to reach out to us directly.
Meet Your Community Manager, Stef Symeonides
Stef is an artist and technologist who splits her time between Cyprus and the UK.
She loves meeting our community members and hearing their ideas on how ETChster can help artists and art collectors with both software and education.
Reach out to her via her ETChster profile.
StEF’s PROFILE