Love at First Sight

Josh and Tran Wills love their art collection. And the accumulation of works, picked up over the past ten years, is worth far more to the local fashion-forward couple than its collective monetary value. “They are almost like tattoos for us,” notes Tran, each piece with its own unique story or memory. At first, she says, they bartered with artist friends or bought small pieces at shows around town. Some works were gifts. “We try to buy a piece from each artist when we go to shows, even if it’s only something for $5. And when we travel, instead of buying clothing or souvenirs, we have a budget for art.” It helps, too, that Tran and Josh share an affinity for funky, design-savvy and lowbrow art: “We try to look for something unique, or we buy pieces from upcoming artists. Whatever catches our eye.”

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• Tran Wills
• Noah Price

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Though the two were reluctant when Noah Price of Crema Coffee House asked them to let him show their collection in the shop’s gallery, they relented — for a reason. “Noah wanted others to see how they could have a collection like this, too,” Tran explains. If she and Josh did it, on a budget and out of love, why can’t others do it, too?

See The Private Collection of Josh + Tran Wills tonight at 6 p.m.at Crema, 2862 Larimer Street (just down the street from their own Super Ordinary Gallery); Tran promises a presentation with “cheesy art-museum elements.” For interactivity’s sake, artists are invited to take their chances and bring a piece of work to swap during the event. Get details at http://cremacoffeehouse.net.
Sat., May 14, 6 p.m., 2011