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Maryland Printmakers
THE WASHINGTON
PRINTMAKERS GALLERY:
A COOPERATIVE ART GALLERY
By Carolyn Pomponio
(Archived article
from September 2000 - click
here for current articles)
The Washington Printmakers Gallery (WPG) is located in the Dupont Circle gallery neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1985 by a group of local printmakers who had the vision and energy to put together a gallery which has become a stunning example of how a cooperative art gallery, using a clear-cut protocol and sound methodology, can be a major player in a city's art scene. WPG is not only an attractive and successful forum for its artists, but also emphasizes the fact that a cooperative gallery can be an easily attainable and healthy alternative to the more fiscally risk-plagued commercial galleries. Based on sound economic principles, the Washington Printmakers Gallery is a balanced, economically conservative, artistically liberal, small business focused on the dissemination of information about the history and future of the original print and the display and sale of its members' artwork. Several arts organizations existed in Washington, D.C. in the 1970's and 1980's that were well known for their exhibit opportunities, as well as for their energy, vision, and high standards. One of these was the Washington Women's Art Center, which served not only as a gallery, but also as a meeting place for both established and aspiring artists of both genders. WWAC's group of printmakers met monthly to critique their work, compare techniques, share resources, and entertain guest speakers in the art and print world. This group became the nucleus of the WPG.
From the time the WWAC printmakers vocalized their desire for a gallery of their own, to the signing of the first lease, the process of putting the gallery together took approximately two years. We started with a phone survey asking artists to consider a commitment that would result in the signing of a gallery/artist contract, paying an initial fee plus monthly dues, and continuing to print a very professional body of work. We wanted absolute, ultimate control of the gallery and across-the-board exposure of our artwork. This is still today's policy - each artist hangs one new framed print a month, and is represented by many prints in the bins and flat-files. We set our own sales prices, developed a commission structure, and established monthly dues. We created presentation guidelines and parameters for bin and flat-file work, and decided on gallery business hours. We elected officers and created a small board of directors to run the gallery, established committees to handle operations and tapped a fellow member as our first gallery director. We developed a membership program, put together a "buddy system" to welcome new members, and turned membership meeting minutes into a newsletter. We set up gallery sitting procedures, solo show and exhibitions schedules, advertising policy, and marketing strategies. We recruited talent where we needed it - in bookkeeping, law, real estate, design, carpentry, and marketing. And during the entire process, we rejoiced in our accomplishments, and gave each other many pats on the back.
We opened our gallery in a first floor townhouse space on Jefferson Place, just south of Dupont Circle - two good-sized rooms and a small kitchen totaling about 900 square feet, with a lovely multi-paned window overlooking the tree-lined street, and a do-able rent. By May 1985 we had 28 committed members, had incorporated, completed our by-laws, signed a one-year lease, bought insurance, hung a sign, and opened our door. We had taken our idea and we had run with it, turning an exciting concept into reality. Jefferson Place lasted 18 months. When we lost our lease, we started anew.
Next, there was R Street - intimate (small and low-ceilinged), charming (an old English basement), and damp. It had termites, almost no air-conditioning, and a testy landlord. But it also had two rooms and a hall (about 800 square feet), a terrific location, and although small, actually worked well for prints. We hired our first employee/director to manage the day-to-day operations and proceeded to increase our membership to 35. We became increasingly demanding regarding standards for portfolio review and the jurying-in process. We developed a waiting list of interested artists and began to enjoy the local press' favorable reviews. We became part of the 25-gallery Dupont Circle Galleries Consortium, advertising together and sharing First Friday open houses each month.
But, of course, in art, as in life, the road to success can be bumpy. In addition to the physical problems of our R Street space, we soon became acutely aware that a cooperative, by its very nature, makes managing difficult. If we hadn't known it before, we quickly realized that a cooperative governs by committee. To alleviate the problem of too many points-of-view on any given subject, we vested the five-member board of directors with as much power as possible. The heavier issues regarding financial, economic or fiscal decisions are relegated to the treasurer, a finance committee, and the board. Less volatile issues are turned over to the membership and to established committees. Through monthly board and membership meetings, problems and issues are addressed and expeditiously resolved. Policy is redesigned and revised depending on need, and procedures are streamlined as we go.
To help the management effort, we have developed a communications system through e-mail, phone, and fax that keeps the board and members in touch. The monthly newsletter publishes gallery sitting and exhibition schedules. Members also have direct access to board ombudspersons, and are represented on our Website at www.washingtonprintmakers.com.
Today WPG is celebrating yet another new space. In January 1999 we moved to 1732 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., around the corner from our R Street space, still in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, still a part of the Dupont Circle Galleries Consortium. We now have over 1,000 square feet of space, with an office, storage, and beautiful natural light. There is a lovely Greek restaurant on the first floor, which displays our work and caters our receptions. Our 35 very accomplished artists print the gamut - from the most traditional to the edge of the envelope, including etchings, aquatints, drypoints, lithographs, collagraphs, serigraphs, mezzotints, monoprints, monotypes, woodcuts, linocuts, emulsion transfers, and computer generated work. The artists routinely hold workshops, demonstrations, talks, and poetry readings. Because of these outreach activities, the added exposure from being on a main thoroughfare, our extensive Web presence, and a very skilled gallery director, our client base has increased and our sales are soaring.
Cooperative galleries are an excellent alternative to commercial galleries. If properly structured, a cooperative gallery can offer its members the depth and breadth of exposure that a commercial gallery cannot. By their very nature, commercial galleries tend to focus on one artist, or a select few at a time. Aside from the solo artist's work, other artists represented by the commercial gallery have a limited amount of work on hand. In addition, commercial galleries run the risk of folding in economic "down" times. Whereas the cooperative gallery, because of the way its finances are structured, can survive even the direst recessions.
Carolyn Pomponio is a Maryland artist/printmaker and a founding member of the Washington Printmakers Gallery. Her prints are in private and corporate collections worldwide, including many U.S. Embassies, the National Museum for Women in the Arts, and the Library of Congress.