Where Class meets Crass
A recent stroll through the art district brought me to one of my favorite galleries. I was walking around the gallery when I saw the gallery manager and she informed me that this space previously used for exhibition was being turned into a viewing room. A viewing room is a more intimate type of showroom where potential buyers can sit and the gallery staff bring in pieces buyers want to see. There is a full portfolio of the work available and the space is a bit more intimate.
(Note: I'm usually very good at including names of galleries or artists when documenting my travels. I'm not including the gallery name here because what follows wasn't seen by the gallery owner at the time of my viewing, only created by the gallery manager. If I find things don't change I'll be more than happy to print the name of the gallery I'm talking about so you can add it to the "Don't let this happen to you" category of your personal archives.)
The gallery manager was trying to come up with a hanging system that is easy to change out the pieces. Buyers may want to view more than one piece and having the capability to change out the pieces is an important feature in this room. At the time of my visit the gallery manager was using a piece of heavy gauge wire to hang the art held up by what looked like two push pins. I was astonished. I even mentioned that it look a bit raw. That's when the gallery manager explained to me that they were going for a more industrial feel.
I offered my advice, recommending a metal curtain rod and the work could be hung by clip rings from the rod. As I thought further there are lots of materials at the home improvement store that could be used for hanging like plumbers pipe and fittings, all giving an industrial feel. Use of the wire looked like a kindergarten experiment gone bad. If I were spending thousands of dollars on a work of art I would hope that when showing it to me it would be suspended by more than a flimsy wire and two clips.
My hope is that when the owner saw the attempt at creating a hanging system that she utilized her wisdom to steer the project in another direction. Only time will tell.
Still catching my breath...
Greg Katz
helping artists create successful and sustainable art businesses
(Note: I'm usually very good at including names of galleries or artists when documenting my travels. I'm not including the gallery name here because what follows wasn't seen by the gallery owner at the time of my viewing, only created by the gallery manager. If I find things don't change I'll be more than happy to print the name of the gallery I'm talking about so you can add it to the "Don't let this happen to you" category of your personal archives.)
The gallery manager was trying to come up with a hanging system that is easy to change out the pieces. Buyers may want to view more than one piece and having the capability to change out the pieces is an important feature in this room. At the time of my visit the gallery manager was using a piece of heavy gauge wire to hang the art held up by what looked like two push pins. I was astonished. I even mentioned that it look a bit raw. That's when the gallery manager explained to me that they were going for a more industrial feel.
I offered my advice, recommending a metal curtain rod and the work could be hung by clip rings from the rod. As I thought further there are lots of materials at the home improvement store that could be used for hanging like plumbers pipe and fittings, all giving an industrial feel. Use of the wire looked like a kindergarten experiment gone bad. If I were spending thousands of dollars on a work of art I would hope that when showing it to me it would be suspended by more than a flimsy wire and two clips.
My hope is that when the owner saw the attempt at creating a hanging system that she utilized her wisdom to steer the project in another direction. Only time will tell.
Still catching my breath...
Greg Katz
helping artists create successful and sustainable art businesses
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