Wyn Geleynse_Wide.jpg
A second-floor video installation by Ontario artist Wyn Geleynse, "More Than Meets the Eye," is attracting attention for the TrépanierBaer gallery in Calgary.

How Commercial Galleries are Weathering the Pandemic

Western Canadian art dealers adopt creative marketing to remain relevant in a tough market.

by

Look up, waaay up … to the second-floor windows of the Calgary building that houses the TrépanierBaer gallery. If you've passed by recently between sunset and 2:00 a.m., you may have noticed a video installation of a large pair of eyes that look out over the street, courtesy of Ontario artist Wyn Geleynse. 

Part of efforts to stay relevant during the coronavirus pandemic, the installation has attracted attention, as have other displays in the gallery's ground floor windows – particularly Toronto artist James Carl’s black-and-white line drawings of a roll of toilet paper and men’s underwear. 

The tongue-in-cheek display – which refers to the consumer run on toilet paper and the luxury of lounging about casually at home, even while you're working – is one of many strategies art dealers have embraced in their search for new ways of doing business in a tough market.

While TrépanierBaer is making use of its prominent corner in Calgary’s city centre, other commercial galleries have explored virtual approaches, reaching out with online exhibitions, studio tours and artist talks, as well as other promotional strategies. 

How many of these new approaches will continue as dealers start to reopen their premises? That's still an open question that, like so much in this crisis, probably depends on what happens next. But the feedback has been positive, so perhaps this creative marketing will turn out to be one of the pandemic’s silver linings.

Some galleries have focused on price discounts. Calgary’s Webster Galleries, for instance, began featuring an online a “painting of the day” on April 1 at a discount of up to 20 per cent, with permission from the artist. Owner Paula Cook emails an image of the featured work to her 3,000-plus mailing list with a bargain price that's available only for 24 hours.  

Cook wasn’t sure patrons would appreciate her daily email, but some have told her it’s the best part of their day. To her surprise, about 65 per cent of the works have sold, including one snapped up in just 12 minutes. 

She’s debating whether to continue with a “painting of the day” or perhaps move to a “painting of the week” as the pandemic lockdown eases.

Meanwhile, Julie Walsh at Soul Gallery in Winnipeg, offered 15 per cent off all art for Mother’s Day and sold eight pieces, with another four sales pending. She says she wants to do more such promotions. 

Gibson Fine Art in Calgary had a Mother’s Day art auction with all proceeds going to the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. The gallery says it raised more than $7,000 for the shelter and has extended its efforts by donating a further 10 per cent of all sales in May. 

Many galleries have been posting online exhibitions with prices clearly indicated, something not always done in the past. For instance, Gina Fafard, co-owner of the Slate Fine Art Gallery in Regina, has organized two online exhibitions during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Bead Speak 2.0 and Russell Yuristy each give a view of the gallery space and allow people to move around and then zoom in on specific works for a closer look. A click on an image takes you to the artist’s page, with more images and information. 

Fafard says the virtual tours have attracted attention from buyers beyond Regina, with four times more people opening those emails compared to her regular exhibition notices. 

In Vancouver, Mark Reddekopp and his partners at Gallery Jones have posted artist videos by Vancouver artists Ross Penhall and Birthe Piontek on the gallery’s website. Both, Reddekopp says, have generated sales. Two more videos are planned – Vancouver’s Paul Morstad and Ontario artist Jay Dart. He thinks the popularity of online exhibitions is probably partly due to people being stuck at home with little to do.  

In Edmonton, the Peter Robertson Gallery has reopened. Owner Peter Robertson says he remains focused on working with individual clients to buy and sell art, normally 80 per cent of his business.

The real test, he says, will be what happens over the summer. About half his sales are to clients outside the province, so he has been offering free shipping and handling as an enticement.  

Back in Calgary, the Jarvis Hall Gallery’s website features Calgary artist Mark Dicey’s exhibition, Rhythm Section. It not only lets you see Dicey’s art installed in the gallery, but also the curatorial statement and a digital image of each painting. Shannon Norberg, the gallery’s director, says the “extraordinary” response has included voice messages, emails and comments on the gallery's social media feeds. 

Ian Loch, the owner of the Loch Gallery in Calgary, says his core clients often buy art without visiting in person. He emails photos of pieces they might like and if they are interested in something, he delivers it to their home for a week or two, with no commitment to buy. 

He says his clients have more time these days to view, read and think about art. Some have decided to sell something, while others want to buy something new. Both create welcome business. The last two months haven’t been the best, Loch says, but nor have they been the worst. 

Deborah Herringer, of the Herringer Kiss Gallery, has missed personal interactions with clients, but  says she's optimistic about the future. She reopened this week and has been offering visitors a free Katie Ohe poster print, while supplies last.

Herringer has been organizing fun things to keep her 3,000-plus clients engaged, including an “inisolation” page on the gallery’s website with free downloadable art that has helped keep her artists top of mind. ■ 

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