Buying artwork is cheaper — excuse us, more budget-friendly — at an early point in the artist's career. And it's hard to discover a promising artist much earlier than when that person is still in art school. Each May and December, Kansas City Art Institute students turn their classrooms and studios into gallery spaces, displaying their handiwork from the past semester and selling it at very reasonable prices. Whipping out your checkbook here is a win-win: You get something you want to display, and a young artist gets a little something to help pay the rent or buy supplies for the next project. And who knows? If the artist you've just patronized turns out to be the next big thing, there may be a big score ahead for you on the secondary auction market.
