Comments on: What is your opinion of co-op galleries?

By: Alyson Stanfield

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 16:01:25 +0000

I hope the running of the gallery is ironed out soon for you, Dolly. Unfortunately, I think it’s difficult to “fix” a broken co-op gallery. Hard to change hearts and minds.

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By: Dolly Lott

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 03:49:00 +0000

Very true. Currently I am with a co op gallery as an associate artist and to be honest though I have had some positive outcome with my art sales it could be ran and managed to be so much more successful for all the artists both owners and associates.

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By: Sari Grove

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:06:09 +0000

In reply to Gerald Hubert.

I should add that what I have noticed over the years is that if you want to get something done right, then do it yourself…What I mean by that is if you want to sell your works of art, say in a co-op gallery, then it is imperative that you stand there for a shift or more, & that is when you will sell YOUR art…If you show in a co-op, then whoever is manning the gallery that day is not necessarily going to push your work…Often, they will be pushing their own, which is fair…The times that I sold in a co-op were the times that I was there…If you’re not there, it sits…Which is why I think even in regular galleries, your work can sit…People really like to talk to the artist & there are details that only an artist will know…One of the best times for me was way at the beginning when I had my own studio & did my own shows & sold directly…When you are in control of everything, there is nobody to blame or credit but yourself…The gallery illusion puts that into the hands of others…Others who do not care as much about you as you do…

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By: Gerald Hubert

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:46:19 +0000

If it’s between $50 to $150 a month and you can go month-to-month, it’s worth a try, especially if you are like most of us and cannot get a gallery to show your work for free. They are usually flexible because one of the founding members may be willing to sit out a few months to save the money if they can’t sell their own work so easily lately. It took me months to sell anything where I was. I finally realized I needed to do smaller paintings with lower prices. Most of the other paintings I saw there were still there a year later. Another artist rented out a whole wall for his enormous paintings of flowers and after just one month he pulled out. At the time I thought that was impatient but there’s nothing wrong with testing things out if you can. Try whatever you can with minimal commitment and cost. You never know. Someone with a booth at a very popular local salvage yard/antique complex has had four of my paintings there for several months and not one has sold. Meanwhile, my barber has sold two of the four or five paintings he’s shown in his shop for me. Of course, neither are charging me anything, so there’s nothing to lose. If I’d been paying the woman with the booth $50 a month, I probably would have pulled out by now.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 06:29:08 +0000

In reply to Jennifer French.

Jennifer: Long meetings are awful to endure. You need someone to take charge with an agenda and another person with a timer. There has to be a time limit on meeting length. You can lose good members if the meetings continue to drag on.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 06:27:39 +0000

In reply to Jennifer French.

Congratulations on the success of Backstreet Gallery, Jennifer! Sounds like you all wrote the book on a successful co-op.

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By: Jennifer French

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:17:53 +0000

Karen Nichols. Hey Karen.. small world! We're members of Backstreet Gallery together and yes.. .we do have much fun and we are very successful. The only thing I don't like about it is our 2-3 hour meetings every month. I think they've gotten out of hand. I don't like meetings and to have to sit for 2-3 hours is misery, especially when it's every month. Ugh. I do like the opportunity we have as a 'whole' to sell so much art. Since I've been a member of Backstreet Gallery, I have sold well over a hundred paintings and at least a thousand of my Gull's First Impression cards. What are those you might ask? I've always gotten a kick out of watching sea gulls and it’s fun to have these sassy and sociable creatures come ashore and give us a bird’s eye view of human’s nature. One thing about being in a co-op and selling constantly - it motivates and encourages us to hustle our bustle and keep producing... it makes us stretch that's for sure and course there's stress if you allow that to seep in.]]>

By: Jennifer French

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:08:07 +0000

I started an artist co-op in our small coastal/river town of Florence, Oregon, almost 8 years ago.. .and we just keep growing and prospering all the time. We started off in 2005 in an old 5-room house off the beaten path, thus the name Backstreet Gallery. In 2009 we needed more elbow room and wanted a better location and were able to move to Bay Street in Old Town Florence.. the most visited street in town. The Siuslaw River runs right through our town and we have a beautiful view of the river, fishing boats, crab pots, and sea gulls everywhere. Since we’ve moved to our current location we haven’t had to market as much because people from all over the world walk right by our storefront and they’re always looking for LOCAL ART. We have 24 member artists, all living in Florence. This month, we’ve closed down and are moving next door to a place that is double in size.. room for classrooms, room for more member artists, room for monthly receptions with food, wine & live music – all complimentary. Our co-op runs like a well-oiled machine now – a big part of it is our board members (selected each year) and everyone is required to serve on 1-2 committees which keeps our co-op running in harmony. There’s nothing better than a co-op. So many galleries have closed down, not being able to meet the economic crunch – we just keep thriving. All kinds of media, artists inspire, motivate one another. We are consistently open every day of the week – consistency is key. We expect that our co-op will be around for many many years to come. It’s been fun for me to watch our co-op grow through the growing pains, evolve and become well-known up and down the Oregon coast, throughout Oregon and country-wide. Hope you all will visit Backstreet Gallery the next time you’re visiting the Oregon coast… you won’t be sorry. Full of light, color, joy, and excellent art!!

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By: Rhonda Peters

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:32:12 +0000

I helped start Gallery 49 Artist Co-op and my experience is that on the good side, it creates an artist community that helps keep you focused on being creative. We have some artist studios that are used regularly which helps to create the community and friendship. On the down side not many of the artists have business or retail experience and when you have a lot of members running the business it takes longer to make and implement decisions.

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By: Paul Noot

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 04:07:25 +0000

What kinds of committees should a co-op have for it’s members?
What do you do if members are not pulling their weight in the co-op?
Should there be at least one member in charge of business decisions?
Any other helpful advice?

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