How to Start an Art Gallery

Instructions

• 1

  Before you decide that it is time for you to launch your dream business, sit down and analyse the market situation regarding the sale and purchase of art work. This is not the kind of business that you can just begin and expect profit coming your way, you have to be sure that art is appreciated in and around the location of your business.
• 2

  Take advice from artists and gallery owners, who will be your eyes and ears before you launch your gallery. Use the information from them to make an outline of the objectives and development plans for your business.
• 3

  Now you need to sit down and make an analysis of the amount of money that you will have to invest initially. The rent and renovation of the place should be your main concern here. Remember an art gallery relies on visuals so you cannot avoid spending on the decoration work of the gallery before putting the actual art work on display.
• 4

  Now location hunting should be the next step. Choose a location which is visible, easy to find, and able to house several art collections. Apart from art work, it has to be big enough to accommodate a large number of people who will come to see the art work. If it gets crowded and suffocated rest assured your business will burn right down to the ground in a matter of weeks.
• 5

  Leave the managerial work to the professionals and hire a qualified curator or a manager, who you will have to put in charge of selecting art work for your gallery. You will also have to hire a receptionist to help with the scheduling, telephones and paperwork.
• 6

  Once you acquired a place and the staff to launch the gallery it is time to invite artists to display their work. A new art gallery will face difficulties in wooing artists, since renowned ones prefer to get their work displayed in galleries which are successful. You will do better to ask new and struggling artists to get their work on display in your gallery as they are usually waiting for their big break.
• 7

  Give a big launch party for your gallery, the more people hear about it the better. Advertise and promote so that people know there is a new gallery in town. This will play a big role in getting your gallery some business with more artists reaching out.