{"id":3880,"date":"2024-09-06T15:21:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T15:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affordableartfair.com\/exhibit-with-us\/exhibitor-resources\/established-gallery-on-their-fellowship-program-experience\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T09:18:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T09:18:43","slug":"established-gallery-on-their-fellowship-program-experience","status":"publish","type":"exhibitor-hub","link":"https:\/\/affordableartfair.com\/de\/exhibit-with-us\/exhibitor-resources\/established-gallery-on-their-fellowship-program-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Established Gallery on Their Fellowship Program Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new initiative pioneered by New York Fair Director Erin Schuppert, our Fellowship Program<\/a> invites Greater New York arts organizations to submit a curatorial proposal to participate as an exhibitor in a dedicated booth at Affordable Art Fair New York. In Fall 2022, the program\u2019s inaugural year, we were excited to welcome Brooklyn-based Established Gallery<\/a> to become our first ever Fellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Fellowship Program serves as a business incubator for emerging creatives, providing the underwriting, coaching, and direction in support of their long-term success. Since Established Gallery\u2019s pioneering participation, we wanted to check-in with how the resources, platform and community-building provided by the program has altered their business\u2019 approach to art fairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, get to know Johnny Thornton, Established Gallery\u2019s joint Owner\/Director, and hear all about their experience of New York\u2019s Fellowship Program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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First of all, could you tell us a little about your gallery?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Me and my wife Hally took over as co-owners of Established Gallery in 2022, but before that I had been Head Curator\/Gallery Director for a previous two years. We only show Brooklyn-based artists, which is cemented further in my work with Arts Gowanus, a non-profit arts organization I run that aims to support, promote, and advocate for my local arts community. We\u2019re all about the neighbourhood factor, with community building at the heart. This focus has meant we\u2019ve been able to build a community around us at Established Gallery, with lots of visitors becoming both friends and avid art collectors. It makes the area around our gallery feel like a separate, small town where everyone knows everyone. This fits really well with our ethos to show only joyful art that acts as a catalyst to building a stronger community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After taking over the gallery, we renovated the space and refined our artist list to exclusively Brooklyn artists. We\u2019re in a really nice corner of the neighbourhood \u2013 it\u2019s a great location with plenty of walk-by traffic. In confliction with most gallery businesses, we don\u2019t represent artists in the traditional way. This sense of ownership would be at odds with my work in the non-profit sector. The way we do it, by giving the artists we show freedom, is more productive for making meaningful relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Has this sense of community changed, or expanded, since your first presentation at Affordable Art Fair?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Starting to present at art fairs has broadened our audience as a gallery in a very positive way. Each artist we\u2019ve shown has built up their own specific audience who are now motivated, from both NYC and the rest of the world, to support their career. That might be in person, or via our mailing list. They ask questions about the artists, and exhibiting at art fairs has been an amazing way to keep building that audience base and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve found that, now, when we have an exhibition with one artist, people will come from all over the city after originally discovering their work at Affordable Art Fair.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Could you walk us through your first experience at an art fair through our Fellowship Program?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Erin approached us with the opportunity to pilot the fellowship we were beyond thrilled and honoured that she chose us! As soon as our initial meeting was over, there was a lot of jumping up and down with excitement. We had so much drive to get behind this program, and now we\u2019ve done four fairs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me and my wife had talked about exhibiting at a fair before we were selected as Fellows, but with a brick-and-mortar gallery, we were worried about the overhead. Still, it was on our radar for the future. So, the Fellowship Program was a huge opportunity for us, as well as the artists we work with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The first fair, Affordable Art Fair Fall 2022, had such a great roster. Erin and the team guided us through the process and we learned so much, particularly the importance of meticulous notetaking, how best to talk to visitors, and essential curation tips. Every fair, we become more streamlined. We\u2019ve been blown away by the response to our artists, and now we\u2019re in a position to have a lot of fun with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fellowship Program includes post-fair debriefs with Erin. I remember we told her two standout things which had taken us aback during our first presentation. Firstly, how quickly you have to take down visitor\u2019s information. Secondly, how to sell best for the style of our individual gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen I approached people as a salesman, it didn\u2019t work as well as when I approached people as a fanboy of our artists.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m not a salesman by nature, so by letting instinct win and engaging in meaningful conversation, we were able to showcase our authentic style. Really, the art sells itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And what do you feel you\u2019ve managed to achieve through the program? What\u2019s the biggest win you\u2019ve gotten out of it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just like the Affordable Art Fair team, we do things that make us happy. We veer away from the negative and see art not just as a commodity, but much, much more. Focusing on the meaningful aspect of art is something that we share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNot only are Erin and the Affordable Art Fair team the most open and generous, but they\u2019re also so knowledgeable. They\u2019re just cool to work with.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What the Fellowship did for our gallery has just been huge. It has helped speed up the progress of our business. Where it might\u2019ve taken us years to get to the stage where we\u2019d feel comfortable biting the overhead bullet, the profit we\u2019ve been able to make has helped keep our brick-and-mortar doors open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe plan to keep exhibiting now that we\u2019ve graduated.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The fair has allowed our artists to make money and allows us to stay open. Our brick-and-mortar space is essential to the core values of Established Galley; I love places where people can gather and see art. It\u2019s all about community and building a collector base. Our audience broadens significantly each fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve also found our art buyers through the Fellowship Program, mainly a demographic of young collectors often looking for their first piece. We\u2019ve loved fostering this because it builds a connection to our gallery and our artists, and that\u2019s been a really a positive thing. We\u2019ve also learnt to curate with our buyers, and attracting new buyers, in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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