In the two-and-a-half years that I’ve been writing about art in Tampa Bay and getting to know people in the community, I’ve heard enough word-of-mouth about what a lousy market this is for fine art– and particularly, for contemporary art at a price point above about $300– that it would seem like things couldn’t possibly get worse. Well, enter today’s economy.

Last week, I started asking around to gauge just how bad things are (though I assumed at least one person would surprise the hell out of me and announce that their business was booming) and what, if anything, people are doing about it.

Florida Craftsmen executive director Maria Emilia sent back an inspiring response about how the St. Petersburg non-profit has changed some parameters of their upcoming fair CraftArt– including staging it outside the gallery rather than paying $9,000 to rent the Coliseum– to make the event economically sustainable. They’ll also be marketing the event as a “buy Florida” opportunity for consumers who might be thinking harder about how and where to spend their shrinking disposable income.

One of Emilia’s comments has stuck in my mind more firmly than the others: namely, that upper income buyers are still reaching out to make high price point purchases; it’s the middle income buyers who aren’t snapping up lower price point objects like they used to. (Read more of her comments in this brief article in Creative Loafing.)

For a completely different perspective (I thought), I called Pam Moody, who recently opened a gallery devoted to local artists in East Tampa. Called Creative Native Gallery, it occupies a 1940s bungalow on Falkenburg Road and houses offerings by 17 artists who work in a variety of media, from clay to glass to painting.

But Moody shared much the same story, reporting that while an established collector of her work had recently made a major purchase without batting an eyelash, most visitors to the 6-month old space are generous with compliments but not with cash.

“It’s just very difficult right now to drum up interest in anything that’s not a necessity,” she said.

Aside from hoping that the holiday spirit will soon kick in, Moody is emphasizing opportunities for visitors to meet the artist and connect on a personal level– hoping that an interest in collecting their work will follow. (See the listing of her event Friday night in Weekend Roundup.)

As I continue checking in with Bay area galleries and arts organizations, I’ll post more here. It’s not earth-shattering news that the economy spells trouble for the arts. What I’m most curious about is what strategies people are adopting in response (e.g., Florida Craftsmen’s plan to offer more professional development workshops for artists), both to help artists and to shore up their own business.

If you’re in the same boat, what are you doing?