General Questions
Why are you a non profit?
Being a nonprofit allows us to focus on our core goals of making art accessible to the Williamsport community, and providing opportunities for local and regional artists, without being entirely dependent on sales. This means we’re able to take a 30% commission on art sales instead of the industry standard 50%. Additionally, non-profit status gives us funding for community events such as the CMY5K Run for Art and Art Fair.
Do you need any help?
We can always use volunteers! If you’d like to help, please join our volunteer mailing list, and we’ll keep you in the loop. Thank you!
How is art priced?
Pricing art is hard, and is often a collaborative effort between the artist and the gallery. The price of a piece has to cover not only the time it takes the artist to create it, but also their cost of living, supplies such as paint or canvas, framing costs, transportation to and from the gallery, and the expenses of the gallery such as rent, electricity, staff, and so on.
How does a Gallery make money?
Commercial galleries make money almost entirely through commission on art sales. As a nonprofit, we’re not dependent entirely on commissions, but they are still an important contributor to keeping the lights on. We also receive funding through grants, donations, entry fees to the annual juried show, and fundraisers throughout the year.
How do you plan your shows?
Every year we hold a themed juried show in the summer, which means we accept entries from artists all over the world and exhibit the best entries as chosen by a jury of local artists and members of the community. The top artist is then awarded a solo show at the gallery the following year. The remaining six shows are curated by our staff, or artists who have presented a compelling concept for a group exhibition and take the lead coordinating the artists.
What happens at an opening?
On the opening night of a show the gallery stays open late, and the artist or artists in the show are usually in attendance. This is a great opportunity for the public to speak with the artists about their work, and for the artist to connect with the community. Sometimes there will be an additional event, such as an artist talk or presentation.
I know someone who is an artist. You should show their work!
Every year we have a juried exhibition with an open call for artists, with a top prize that includes a solo show the following year. We are very active in the local arts community of Williamsport, and look for artists who are also actively supporting the arts and arts events in our region. Artists are also able to submit artwork for review here.
What is the role of the Gallery?
The gallery has several roles. The most obvious one is providing and maintaining the physical space where art is shown, but there are many less obvious, and equally important responsibilities that fall to the gallery. The gallery aids in pricing decisions, promotion in print and online, coordinating artists for group shows, arranging and hanging exhibitions, packaging and shipping artwork, maintaining artist profiles on our website, and handling all financial transactions.
Why is framing so expensive?
Custom framing has a wide range of options, and pricing has an equally wide range depending on which options you choose and the size of the piece being framed. All the materials we use are archival, which means they won’t degrade the object being framed over time, and all our glass is UV protecting. Additionally, our framing experts work with you to choose just the right mattes and mouldings to make your piece look its best, and assemble everything by hand at our location.