TheBurg

28 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 10.20 B read gets stale. Relationships can become boring. Even home décor has a shelf life. at's why Dustin Taylor, who works in technical sales for Microsoft but is a recreational real estate investor in his off-hours, decided he needed something different to keep one of his Midtown Harrisburg Airbnbs fresh. Inspiration came just a block away when he walked into Little Amps at Green and Muench streets. While waiting, he was drawn to the local artwork for sale on the walls of the coffee shop. It was a "eureka" moment. "I thought, 'I can do that,'" he said. "ere's got to be plenty of local artists looking for places to exhibit their stuff." Taylor continued to ponder the idea. "Traveling, your spirits are elevated because you're traveling, and you're more open to seeing things like artwork," he said. "You might think, 'I might like to buy that.'" He contacted several arts organizations before the Susquehanna Art Museum put him in touch with its director of exhibitions, Lauren Nye, who is also a freelance art consultant, to help find artists and curate their work at his Delaware Street Airbnb. Taylor asked Nye to put together work by 12 local artists for the first exhibition at his Airbnb. ey are thinking of rotating artwork every six months. "So many artists responded positively saying, 'I have so much work sitting around'—about 30 to 50 artists," Nye said. "I told them this is sort of an experiment." Artists were eager to help prove the hypothesis. "When Lauren invited me to participate, I was immediately enthusiastic," said Gail Coleman of Mechanicsburg. "It is important to be open to new and creative ways to exhibit visual art. e idea that original local art can be an attraction to potential Airbnb visitors makes so much sense." After selecting the pieces, Nye writes a label to describe the art and the artist, how they're connected locally, artists' websites, the cost of the work and shipping information. "It's a little bit like an integrated gallery experience," she said. She hangs the pieces and handles sales, if any guests request to buy the art. COMFY, CLEAN, ARTY Dustin Taylor elevates his Airbnb with a curated, rotating collection of local art. BY DEBORAH E. LYNCH

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