Detroit art collector Kim Trent credits her high school teacher with setting her on the path of collecting original works of art. As any good teacher would, the educator took interest in Trent’s overall development and encouraged her to make sound investments that would appreciate in value. Now the think tank executive collects abstract paintings by African American artists and has acquired a number works on her visits to southern Africa. Her collection boasts original art from David Driskell, Richard Mayhew, Donald Calloway and Senghor Reid. –roz edward
How did you get immersed in art collecting?
I’ve always loved art and it was in my system even in high school. Later I got to know some of the [art] dealers in [Detroit] and I am also on the board of the Friends of African American Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. That gives me a lot of exposure to a lot of nationally known African American artists. .. I have always had the bug, but at the beginning I was a little intimidated about the process of buying art. I’ve always trusted my intuition about what was good, but as a beginning collector you sometimes wonder about weather it is significant or will grow in value.
Why do you collect art?
I am inspired by beauty and I like a piece that makes me think. Like any collector I like to buy art that I think at some point will appreciate … but that is not foremost in my mind. I am not at a point that I can make the kind of major upfront investment that it takes to get a six-figure return. … I am really about supporting black cultural institutions and establishments. … And I really want my son to grow up surrounded by the music, and the art, and the culture.I want him to know about how African Americans have contributed to the nation and the world.
Is Detroit fertile grounds for the arts and black artists in Detroit?
There are a lot of people in town who have fairly well know collections. We even have a sense of competition occurring between collectors now. Then there are a lot of artists here that have followings. … So essentially it is fertile for both artists and collectors.
Do you have a favorite piece?
That’s like Sophie’s Choice. But I do have a David Driskell piece that I really like. It was the first time I spent four figures for a piece of art and I thought ‘OK, I am really a collector now.’
