My Saturday: Gallery Sitting and Art Making(and fun)

Photo by Michelle Barnett

I am not a ‘sitter’. By that I mean, I don’t like to sit for long periods of time. Physically, mentally and creatively, I just like to be moving. I walk everyday, do yoga, stand while I hand build and most of my best ideas come to me while I’m moving around or leaning against my favorite tree. 

As an Art On Broadway artist, I staff the gallery once a month. This is called ‘gallery sitting’ and today was my day. Gallery sitting turned into gallery standing, gallery creating, gallery selling and gallery meeting and greeting.

Gallery standing. 

When I arrive in the morning, the first thing I always do is housekeeping. I sweep the floor inside, entry way and sidewalk in front of the gallery. Then I dust the shelves, cubbies, pedestals, glass art, ceramic art, wood pieces. I wipe the finger prints off the door, clean the glass desk and water the plants. 

Photo by Michelle Barnett

Then I look around and see what needs ‘fluffing’. This is a term another artist uses to describe moving things around in a space. We have wonderful art and artists who work to set up displays but as she explained to me, moving even great displays around creates energy. That energy attracts people to look and see and buy the art. So I fluff. 

Gallery creating. 

This week I worked in my studio hand building new vases and jars. I love making. What I don’t love is waiting. Clay is a unique medium that requires you to work quickly and slowly and patiently. Clay has to sit but not too long. 

I made the body of these jars on Thursday, then they sat. Next lids need to be cut, tops and sculptural elements need to be added. Depending on the weather, the sitting time is anywhere from a day to a week. Summertime means the jars needed attention by Saturday at the latest. 

So I packed them up and took them to the gallery with me. 

Gallery selling, meeting and greeting.

I had very few visitors in the morning, but after I set up my workspace and starting working people walked in instead of walking by. They came in and looked all around the gallery. Some were interested in what I was doing. Some were not. But they all had more interested looks on their faces, asked more questions about the art and artists in the gallery. 

Happily, I did sell art. It wasn’t mine, instead it was a piece by one of our newest artists. I made the sale, wrapped it up and found a new piece to hang in the empty space which required a little more fluffing to make it all look good again. 

Standing and working on my jars, fluffing the art and cleaning all sent out good energy. That energy brought people in to look, talk and take home something beautiful. Gallery sitting, standing and art making made for a fun day. 

Gallery Sitting

Today, I’m gallery sitting. Which means, I am the cleaner, curator, sales person for this gallery today. A little before 11 am, I unlock the door, turn off the alarm and turn on the lights.  The street outside is eerily quiet. 

I don’t like sitting still. And it’s very quiet in here, I put in a cd of soft instrumental music. I get up and dust. Kill spiders and other bugs. Clean handprints off the front door. Water the plants. And wait.

Around 11:30 cars and people showed up hurrying past the gallery, down the street to the sub shop to pick up their lunch orders. Some nod through the windows. Some peek at the displays. Some are just too busy looking at their phones. 

I wonder why they don’t come inside? Are they afraid? Do they think if they come in, they’ll have to buy? I prop the door open, to see if that’s more inviting.  

A woman peers in the window, smiles and nudges her husband to take a look, too. It happens to be a little sculpture of mine. Ok. I may be breaking some gallery rule but I get bold and go outside to say hello. Yes, I tell them the piece they are looking at is mine. I tell them I’m glad they like it and there are many more wonderful pieces inside.

They walk away. 

Surprise! A few minutes later, they come back and buy the piece! I’m so glad because they love it and it made them both smile. As I pack up their purchase, I tell them about all the new art coming in September including my new Party Animals.

Then another couple strolls by, the woman admires a painting in the window. She comes in. As we walk around the gallery, I point out the art by the painter that attracted her attention in the window as well as another artist that caught her eye. 

Many times over the years, I’ve talked more about an event, other artists or other work.  And I did that today, too. I showed the work of the other artists in the gallery because I genuinely love the work in here. As the people oohed at the glass, paintings, wood, jewelry or pastels, I did too.

But to approach people I don’t know, to step up, say hello and talk about my work, and show pictures of my new work is different. I answered their questions about how I got started in art, why clay and how I go about making my work which is, honestly, still a mystery to me.

I admit, I thought gallery sitting would be boring. It was exactly the opposite. 

It was enriching and enlightening. It gave me a chance to ‘come out’ as an artist and share a  little of my solitary studio self with others. 

But most important, it made me happy that what I do makes other people happy, too.