Local gallery owner and arts enthusiast Trey Brennen has spent years cultivating the arts scene in greater Phoenix. As a board member of Scottsdale Arts and co-founder of Scottsdale Art Week, Brennen has helped to bring visibility to the array of artwork available in the Valley. Now, one of his passion projects is bridging the gap between artists and consumers. Artisor is a website that allows artists to track their sales data and sell their artwork in a structured platform—a digital gallery, if you will. Buyers then have the ability to research and compare data before making purchases. And if you need a little expert advice before committing to an artwork purchase? Brennen has also partnered with Scottsdale Community Bank in its innovative new art advisory service. He is one of two experts available to provide consultation services to clients interested in acquiring art. Initial consults are gratis, and Brennan can provide insight, valuation and sale access.  

We chatted with Brennen to learn more about Artisor and his new consultation service with the bank.  

Tell us about how Artisor came about. 

Artisor has occupied space inside my brain for many years. The concept was fairly simple and was easy to envision being successful long-term. The premise was to create a platform that allows the artist, collector or gallery to sell artwork in a transparent way. It has been a daydream of mine, as naive as it may be, to create an ecosystem that allows an artist’s work and their sales data to be discoverable by all and free to view.  

How does the Artisor website benefit both artists and patrons? 

Artists can become a member for $9.99 a month and upload as many pieces as they want.  The platform provides payment processing and records of sales data, and also allows the artist to host their own seven-day auctions. In addition to this, artists will be able to pay for their own professional websites in conjunction with Artisor’s amenities.  

It shifts the artist from being dependent on the market to having agency within it. Traditionally, the artist has a fragmented relationship within the industry. These relationships consist of galleries and intermediaries where price history, visibility and collector relationships are elusive for the artist. With Artisor, pricing history, demand signals and buyer behavior become viable and useful for the professional artist. It supports artists in building a sustainable career arc through documented, trackable and consistent data conveying to the viewer. 

Patrons will benefit from the platform in several ways. First, they can sell pieces from their own collections under the profile of the original artist. Second, a patron can use Artisor as a research tool when looking to buy artwork and comparing sales data for the purchase they are considering.  

Where Artisor is disrupting the industry is allowing all viewers to see the sales data for free.   

You’re also collaborating with Scottsdale Community Bank to provide art advisory services. Can you expand on this program as well? What was the genesis of it? 

Scottsdale Community Bank is a wonderful local institution. My role is to help their clientele navigate the art world. My gallery is located in Old Town and has been here for more than 27 years. It and Scottsdale Art Week have afforded me a lot of knowledge in and around the industry. These services I provide involve discreet strategic guidance to collectors, investors and institutions seeking to acquire and/or manage their positions within the art world. Clarity and trust are key, like all ventures, but paramount when navigating acquisitions of fine art. 

What makes you passionate about supporting the arts community in Arizona?   

It is no secret that Arizona is heavily supported by tourism. The constant influx of new patrons and the opportunity to share something unique or profound in the arts is very impactful to these viewers and to myself. The experience of someone uncovering a new artist, subject, style or inspiration is alluring for the cultural addict like myself. My role in Arizona as either board of trustee at Scottsdale Arts, founder of T.H. Brennen Fine Art, co-founder of Scottsdale Art Week, or founder of Artisor is simply to enhance the cultural footprint this great state provides. In all of these current roles, the arts act like a counterbalance to speed. Art slows people down. It asks for attention, contemplation and presence—qualities that are increasingly rare in today’s complex world.