I began the day opening up...routine is as follows- lights, heating, cash up is checked from the night before, the card stands and browser are set outside and appropriate gallery music turned on.
We began by pricing Angela's new stock, a wedding set of jewellery consisiting of a tiara, necklace, and two sets of earings. After the labels were added she let me arrange the set in the cabinet upstairs, i shuffled her other items around to create the display.
Angela has a degree in Science Teaching, her practise as a beaded jeweller began just as a hobby but has developed into a fully fledged business in whihc she sells her work through many forms and has been involved in the running of the gallery since the idea first came about. The uniqueness of the jewellery and the unusual process used, creates a gap in the market, forming a certain demand. Each piece is unique and guarenteed to be different each time- purposefully accidental.
Her business provides many services including specially commisioned pieces for weddings, bespoke jewellery pieces, a restringing service, workshops, parties etc
In the afternoon Angela began work on a knitted wire piece...a commision for a bracelet. It was interesting to see the demonstration of her process- threading various beads onto a reel of wire and knitting with wire as if it were wool.
It takes her an average of 3 days to complete a knitted tiara with beaded detail. Angela works by experiementation, using various beads and wires whilst trying out different techniques, in order to create new lines. There is no limit as to what can be knitted and has recently begun creating masquarade masks using the knitted wire method and bouques for weddings.
The gallery has strict regulatoins in place which prevents artists from introducing a new range, if its too similar to any exhisting artists work at the gallery. Angela is also a keen photographer but with members already specialising in the subject it isnt possible for her to sell her photographs within the gallery. A good way of giving each member individuality at the gallery and equal opportunities to sell work.
I learnt of the different types of members the gallery has-
Guest members- Just dispay their work in the gallery, have an upfront payment but do not have a monthly fee or spend any time at the gallery.
Associate members- pay more commision, yet still have a say in how the gallery is run. They still pay a monthly fee and upfront payment on joining, but dont spend days manning the gallery.
A monthly meeting occurs for all members to discuss the general running of the gallery, display changes, open days etc
Angela introduced me to a couple of groups that may prove useful if i were to go about setting up my own business-
WIRE- Women In Rural Enterprise
Is a support network which provides advice on setting up/ running your own business rather than funding. With a cost of £60 per year, Angela feels this is worth while as it opens doors for newly established businesses. Providing workshops, talks with guest speakers and meetings held by members each month. Their aim being to help members work towards where they want to be- i feel this could be quite beneficial in the future and may look into it further.
Princes Trust
A enterprise i already knew of but provides funding for young people setting up their own business, helps create a good business plan providing better opportunities.
Pinterest- A media designed as an inspiration board for artists to display their work and add images to a board for inspiration, an effective way of sharing ideas with other creatives.
Another effective way of selling artwork is through craft fayres she attends- not always profitable or about selling any work but a useful way of people getting to know the artist, a kind of personal touch which encourages sales. Attending the fayres often results in future commissions for Angela, but also spreads word about her practise. She also mentioned Twitter as a key tool to raising awareness of her business and getting herself recognised as an Jeweller/maker.
She explained in more detail about the process of letting out the exhibition space to local artists, each month artists are approached or request to display their work in the gallery space on the first floor. There is no selection process involved, which Angela agrees with as local artists are supported and given the opportunity to present their work in a gallery. Next month Textile artist Katherine Keatley exhibits.
I also completed a sale during the day, once the process of recording them etc was explained- the item was recorded on the stock sheet of whichever particular artist, as they dont have a computer system installed everything is done the original way...the date sold, item ref no. quantity and price is all recorded. Reciepts are all kept from the day and added up at closing, each member has a stock sheet with coded items, price, description and so forth to keep track of the stock in the gallery.
The gallery is set out as one and intended for people to browse but often work is bought be customers..i found that mostly the sold items were cards, which are a popular and less pricy option. Most of the members in the cooperative added a new line in greetings cards, be it prints of artwork etc as other artists seemed to do well from them, especially in this particular industry.
I spent the second half of the afternoon cleaning one of the display cabinets- part of the upkeeping within the gallery, this gave me a chance to look at Angelas pieces more closely and appreciate how beautifully detailed they are, each unique and surprisingly not as delicate as they appear. I then rearranged her pieces back in the cabinet for display.
No comments:
Post a Comment