Traveling Art Galleries
Theres one trend thats been popular for art galleries that one would have thought would have gone by the wayside with the advent of the internet, and thats the traveling art gallery. On the contrary, they are still going strong.
These mobile art galleries have for years traveled around the country setting up shop in colleges and universities, festivals, community centers and hotels for short periods of time. Generally, their shows last a couple of days and over a weekend to get maximum traffic. These shows usually present prints and multiple editions but some also sell paintings. The benefit for the art dealer is that he gets new customers each week who are motivated to buy because they cant come back in a week after thinking about something they saw. The shows appeal to the community as something special to do and it is a fun afternoon walking the aisles of the shows. For the venue who permits the sale to take place, theres usually a rental fees and if a charity has sponsored the show,
they make money too. Rarely does one find truly high end art at these shows. Both the pricing and the quality are mid to low level but that doesnt make them any lesser if a person likes what they buy. For an art dealer who cant afford a gallery space or just likes being on the road, it is a very good solution. In some ways, this whole idea stems back to the traveling salesmen of yesteryear who would arrive in town and sell their wares. This is just an updated version of the same concept.
The next time one of these shows is in your town, stop by. Theres usually no admission charge, and you never know what you might find that you want to take home with you.
