Twenty five years and two expansions later, Dakota Art is the the go-to art supply store in Whatcom County, Washington. Entirely staffed by artists, they offer classes and workshops in a classroom space and curate monthly exhibits, with the goal of showcasing local artists and bringing something unique to their community each month. We spoke to manager Alan Weydert about how the gallery functions in relation to the store.
The Role of The Gallery
When Dakota Art moved to their new location five years ago, there was an additional space adjacent to the store floor. With a few renovations (installing gallery lighting, drywalling the brick wall, replacing the old carpeting with a new floor), they transformed the industrial space into a fine art gallery with monthly exhibits, typically featuring two to three artists.
For the staff, the gallery functions more as a community service. The team hangs the artwork for each exhibit free of charge, though for larger group shows they will charge per artist to cover those costs. “Frankly, we are renting the whole building,” Alan says. “We have the space, and we’ve gone into it knowing it’s not a money maker.” And there is freedom in this realization, because it allows staff to fill the space with whatever they like. Their goal is to find artists whose work “plays well together,” art that connects visitors to something unexpected and inspiring, something they couldn’t see anywhere else in Bellingham.
Monthly Curated Exhibits
Each month the group show typically features artwork that contrasts, creates a more holistic experience for the visitor or even ties into a larger event in town. For instance, in May of this year, Allied Arts, an art advocacy group that organizes art programs led by local artists for local public schools, hosted a Children’s Art Walk. Businesses throughout the downtown area of Bellingham partner with a classroom to showcase children’s artwork in the windows. Dakota Art wanted to do something extra to honor the art walk—they already had signed up to put kids art in the window, and the gallery offered an opportunity to expand upon the town’s celebration of children and art.
The exhibit, titled The Light Fantastic, featured artists “using wildly different approaches… speaking to both childhood and parenthood, seeking shared experiences and dancing through them…including tactile and interactive pieces to foster a more engaging and fantastic experience for people of all ages and backgrounds.”
Illustrations by Keith Negley, ceramics by Cary Lane, a painting by Cara Jaye and painting by Christian Smith.
Featured artists included Keith Negley, a local artist who illustrates children’s books and whose work has been featured by major publications like The New Yorker, as well as Christian Smith, who does a lot of puppeteering. Smith exhibited a story that centers around a large puppet with a scroll hanging next to it which had a short story done in a “Mad Libs” style. Staff printed out versions of the story for visitors to fill out and leave with the gallery. She later incorporated these into shows that she did at local schools. Cara Jaye, an artist who teaches painting and drawing at Western Washington University, created an interactive series with her daughter. The show also incorporated three dimensional work by Cary Lane, whose whimsical ceramic pieces tied in nicely with the theme.
Families enjoying the The Light Fantastic
Alan and his team went in an intentional, creative direction with the gallery, inspired by the idea of the children’s walk, using the gallery as a vehicle for broadening the conversation about kids, art, childhood and imagination. How did the show come together so well? Research. “We actually reached out to these people,” Alan tells me, his enthusiasm coming through. He actually prefers to install the work—but whenever there are slower moments on the floor, staff take a moment to brainstorm and work on the next exhibit.
Annual Community Show
Dakota Art’s current show has brought in a lot of people who might not normally shop there. Their 5th annual 6” x 6” show features a total of 360 pieces! Open to anyone, the show encourages artists of all levels to submit up to three pieces of their work. “It’s not judged or juried. We ask that people respect the one rule: the size,” Alan says.
Pieces made by kids, first-timers and professionals span the 46 foot gallery wall, hung alphabetically by first name. The show invigorates the community and inspires people to contribute. “You’ll have a four-year-old’s crayon thing next to a beautifully painted bell pepper,” Alan says. The 6” x 6” show doubles as a fundraiser. Pieces are priced at $25 each and proceeds go to Allied Arts, the non-profit who ran the Children’s Art Walk.
Create a System, Get on the Map
Over the years interest in the gallery has grown, especially from creative people in the community. “We get a lot of people asking, when can I show in your gallery?” Alan says. But there is limited time, and lots of effort goes into curating a show. The gallery is also unstaffed, meaning there is no point person to handle inquiries. “We want it to be a community gallery, but there are also a lot of other venues in town —art pop ups, restaurants, cafes, where people can show their work,” Alan says. The team now has a handout in the store that points people to a submission form, which helps them focus on their goals for the gallery: prioritizing up and coming artists and featuring shows that exhibit work that people might not usually see in their town, like the exhibit exploring childhood and parenthood.
It’s important to note that the gallery doesn’t always function in concert with the store. For instance, while they are on the map for the Bellingham’s monthly gallery walk, they no longer open the shop along with the gallery: the extra staffing doesn’t really make sense, Alan points out. People aren’t there to shop, they’re out there to look at art and go out to dinner. But because Dakota Art already pays a small fee to be on the map for the city’s gallery walk, so their shop logo and a small blurb about their business lands them on maps for other events in the community as well.
Just last month, their mark on the map came in handy: a downtown trick or treat trail drove newcomers to the store. “They aren’t shopping,” Alan admits, “but the nice thing about it, it draws a lot of people downtown who might not normally come.” A staff member sits outside handing out candy, families peek inside the store and “it clicks.”
Is It Worth It?
Many visitors who shop in the store stop into the gallery, and vice versa, Alan says. And while most of the clientele who go into the gallery are customers, sometimes the artists showing in the gallery bring in their own community, widening the reach of the shop. But in the end, it’s not really about the sales associated with the gallery. “It’s a goodwill thing, a community thing,” Alan explains. “It brings people in; we hope that it’s helping sales out in the store, but we’re not doing it to make money.”
Three Takeaways
- Start small. If you are just starting a gallery, turning your classroom space into a gallery, or trying to start an annual tradition, start small. Whether it’s the size of the artwork (3 inches, like Arlene’s!), or frequency (once a year like Pygmalion’s Annual Show inspired by a specific Gamblin custom color), an achievable goal or a specific guideline will build on itself over the years, resulting in something remarkable like ARTiculation’s Sketchbook show or The Paint Spot’s Big Big Portrait Show!
- Become a downtown destination. Does your town or city have monthly, weekly or seasonal events that small businesses can participate in? Find out, contact the organizers and get on their map; a small annual fee is worth the visibility.
- Harness staff interest. Alan genuinely looks forward to installing artwork. His staff like to brainstorm, especially on a slow day on the floor. Allow for these moments of creativity. It may feel counter-intuitive to focus on something during a slow moment that won’t bring in sales immediately—but if you have been with us for the long haul on this gallery tour, you’ll know by now that galleries bring people in, empower your staff and grow your business.
Onward!
Our gallery tour continues.We are heading back home for a pit stop where the MacPherson’s office is located in Emeryville, CA. We’ll kick off the New Year with a trip back down south where the gallery walk began last year (oh hey Carter Sexton, how are ya?). We’ll be visiting Visual Art Supply, a niche gallery and art supply store in the city of angels.
Does your store have a gallery? Did you recently have an exhibit you’d like to share with us? Did you start one recently? Are you thinking of starting a gallery? Share your store – talk to your Account Manager about the Art Dog Gallery Walk or reach to the Art Dog team directly at artdogblog (@) macphersonart.com.
