BETA APPLICATION AND FAQ.
A FEW WORDS BEFORE YOU BEGIN.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
→ Hello. Welcome to Kunsthalle's Private Beta Application. If you're reading this, we've either approached you directly, or you've found us through a friend or close colleague. Whatever your route, we're delighted you're here.
Before you continue, we want to emphasize that Kunsthalle is in private beta through 2025, and we're only approving a select number of applicants during this crucial developmental phase. To develop a culture that's durable at scale, we need to ensure the right people are coming in at the start. So we ask that you consider the following factors (seven in total) to help you better determine whether joining is right for you:
I. THIS DOES COST MONEY.
Kunsthalle is not cheap. Current access is priced at $1,750 per year, plus a $450 one-time initiation fee. For some, this might feel quite steep. If you're accepted, the intent is to make it feel as though you've been undercharged.
II. THERE ARE CONDITIONS FOR ART MARKET PROFESSIONALS.
We are building Kunsthalle with our members to be distinct from today's art world. This is a collective effort that requires fresh thinking and original perspectives that aren’t grounded in art-market convention. During our private beta, we’re prioritizing people not connected to the industry. Art market professionals are most certainly encouraged to apply; however, there are conditions. We will offer less than five industry invites per entry window, you'll be admitted on the values expressed in your application (not your credentials), and you will not be eligible to attend our idea generation group sessions. For all other benefits and events, you will have open access.
III. KUNSTHALLE IS DIGITAL-FIRST, AND THERE IS NO CLUBHOUSE.
Our main access point will initially live on Slack. We're building around ritual, culture, and connection first, real estate second. Culture is portable, properties are not. There exist a variety of promising use-case scenarios under this configuration, of course, but as a member you should, for instance, be able to instantly tap into an exclusive social calendar at home and in your travels –– at the bare minimum. Real estate will eventually come, but without a pre-existing culture, clubhouses will serve as soulless spaces without purpose.
IV. POLITICS AND IDEOLOGY ARE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.We enjoy art for art's sake –– not for the political rhetoric that might accompany a work today. Kunsthalle takes an apolitical stance: if subject matter is identity-driven, activist, or politically-postmodern, our default is to discreetly avoid it here. We understand this policy will not be for everyone. If this is your preferred way of approaching art, Kunsthalle may not be the best environment for you.
V. YOU WILL JOIN WITH A GROUP, NOT BY YOURSELF.
We have predetermined entry windows for new members. In other words, you won't be admitted instantly –– but you also won't be joining just by yourself. As a new member, you're assigned an entry date and grouped with all other new members for that window. We do not want you joining alone. So you'll have people alongside you going through the same process at the same time.
VI. WE ARE NOT ART AUTHORITIES.
We don't claim to be experts or scholars. We are not schooled in art, and have no background in it. We simply know what we like, and are building a formal social structure around this sphere of interest. Afraid you don't have the 'correct' art knowledge? Don't worry. We see that as an enormous advantage. We seek people who are confident in their own taste, and guided by their own instincts first –– not by what might be celebrated within the industry.
VII. KUNSTHALLE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
Kunsthalle is world-building effort being undertaken jointly with our members. We're reasonably relaxed about the potential outcomes, but very invested in the collective process and journey it takes to achieve them. Ultimately, we favor progress over perfection. By the end of 2025 we intend to emerge with something wholly original in approach, function, behavior, and values to what currently exists in the art landscape. A grand task, but with the right people, we believe this is absolutely achievable.
Still there? Bodes well. You'll find additional membership details and the application ahead.