See the city's art for free with 'Artwell Guide'
NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's often said the best things in life are free, and in the case of the city's thriving art scene, this happens to be true -- but you have to know where to go.
And the website artwellguide.com, run by Ariel Meyerowitz and her husband David Weller, shows you how to look at great art free of charge.
Meyerowitz comes by her expertise honestly because she grew up going to galleries with her famous dad. Joel Meyerowitz, who is one of the world's great photographers.
"I always saw him with a camera," she said. "He never left the house without a camera, so he was always taking pictures."
His daughter was willing to pose for him, but she didn't want to follow in his footsteps or stand in his shadow.
"Ariel, I saw early on, as an independent mind who would find and make her own way," Joel Meyerowitz said.
Today, Ariel Meyerowitz is an advisor who counsels art collectors on what to buy at galleries like Sikkema Jenkins in Chelsea.
Her philosophy is simple.
"I tell my clients to always buy what they love," she said.
Many of her clients are wealthy, but you don't have to be rich to get the benefit of her expertise. Just log on to the website artwellguide.com to find lists of exhibitions and galleries all over New York City.
"It's a very un-intimidating way to approach a gallery and see what they have on view," she said.
At Sikkema Jenkins, she showed us an exhibit featuring the work of Vic Muniz, a masterful Brazilian contemporary artist. The show, like dozens of others across the city, is free.
"There's absolutely no obligation to buy anything once you cross the threshold of the gallery door," she said.
Her daughter Sadie often accompanies her, just as she once went to galleries with her dad.
"The more you look at art, the more comfortable you become understanding what you like and what you don't like, and you can move from there" she said. "Go with an open mind and an open heart."
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