If you’re an art enthusiast, you might be tempted to set up your own art gallery to showcase your collections.
Curating a selection of art could bring enjoyment and wonder to many people who share an appreciation for your hobbies. It will also enable you to bring publicity to local artists and enable them to gain some much needed exposure.
If you want to start up your own art gallery, here are our five top tips for success.
1. Create Your Aesthetic
Art galleries are known for having very particular aesthetics, and modern galleries are often very minimalist and neutral, with pale walls and spotlights to showcase the artists’ work.
However, if you want to add a pop of colour, why not jazz up your walls with some decorative panels from companies like Lawcris? This will allow you to manufacture a clean cut aesthetic that still captures a modern look whilst remaining easy to clean and sanitise.
Lawcris panels are also famously robust and high quality, meaning that your gallery will look brand new for years to come.
2. Define Your Layout
Every art gallery’s layout is different, but ensuring that you maintain an open and accessible layout for wheelchair users and prams is essential.
You might want to adopt a layout that is doorless, meaning that transitioning between each installation is quick and hassle free. It’s also better for managing crowdflow between exhibitions.
3. Diversify Your Income
As an art gallery, your income is likely to fluctuate depending on seasonality, and funding. Therefore, diversifying your income is a step towards being more financially stable.
You can achieve this by selling art, or prints of your exhibitions, hosting workshops and classes in specialist rooms with local artists, or you could even rent out rooms in your gallery for local events, weddings or corporate meetings.
For booking your rooms, you could use booking software like Square to organise bookings for your events, workshops and meetings.
This would stabilise your income whilst bringing publicity and awareness to your gallery.
4. Publicise Your Gallery
Online marketing is essential for your success as a local gallery, and will allow you to draw in a higher amount of customers.
To enhance your online marketing, build a high quality website and social media pages. These should be a hub of information to help customers to find where you’re located, as well as events and exhibitions you offer.
You could also advertise by more traditional means in local newspapers, in community groups on Facebook and on noticeboards.
5. Have a Gift Shop
Your gift shop could hold a special place in a customer’s heart for capturing a piece of art that took their fancy and taking it home to their family.
By selling printed art on mugs, canvases, clothes and keyrings, you allow customers the novelty of remembering their experience with you. Additionally, other gift shop items like books and novelty items can make excellent gifts for loved ones.
Placing your gift shop on the way out of the gallery allows customers to walk through it on their way to leave, increasing the likelihood that they will buy something on their departure.
Do you have any ideas for building your own art gallery? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!