Upklose combines all of the qualities of a real-life curator into a high-quality app.

With Upklose, users can browse original artwork, contact featured artists and virtually place art on their walls to see how it will look before purchasing.

“We wanted users to have a way to search criteria (price, medium, size, genre, etc.) and to be able to use the tool to see what a piece would look like in a space, whether that’s an office, gallery or home,” said Doug Dushan, co-founder of Upklose.

Starting local and establishing credibility

Co-founder Jake Wiechman explained that one of the first issues the team ran into was getting artists to want to put their work on the platform. To solve this problem, Dushan explained that the team is starting local and solidifying their base of artists within the Omaha area first.

“One of the most popular questions artists ask about is what other artists are already using the platform,” Dushan said. “They’re really concerned about the caliber of art that is already established.”

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Dushan explained that once they have a base of quality content, they will concentrate more on taking the app outside Omaha to reach even more artists looking to sell their work.

Upklose also recently announced that they will be partnering with Modern Arts Midtown, an art gallery in Omaha, in order to bring a much bigger pool of artists to the platform. With that addition, the app will host nearly 50 (mostly local) artists.

Sticking to quality over quantity

Dushan explained that there are similar apps to Upklose such as Vango; however, Upklose wants to be different by capitalizing on the quality of art, rather than allowing any artist to display their work.

Upklose hasn’t attempted to fundraise at this point. However, the two said that they would be interested if they found the right investor. One of the major concerns Dushan has with fundraising is if an investor wanted to move too fast too quickly.

“Putting tons of artists on Upklose would establish short-term growth, but our long-term goal of having this product associated with quality would be jeopardized.”

Looking forward

When asked about the big vision for Upklose, Dushan said, “A number of years from now, I want a business traveler coming to Omaha, Kansas City, Los Angeles or New York to be able to visit Upklose and see the best art available in that market.”

Upklose is now available as a free app for the iPad. iPhone and Android versions will be coming within the next few months.

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Melanie Lucks is an intern for Silicon Prairie News and AIM Careerlink.