The story below is from our September/October 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
The co-op is Roanoke’s oldest continuously-operated fine arts gallery and is run solely by artists.
Courtesy of Market Gallery
Last year, Market Gallery participated in “Gallery Grids,” an exhibition sponsored by the Downtown Roanoke Arts Collective. Each small painting in the gallery’s grid fit their postcard theme.
When Ann Glover and a group of fellow artists embarked on the mission to create a new art collective in the early 2000s, they had two main objectives.
Courtesy of Market Gallery
Market Gallery offers various classes and workshops that members of the community are welcome to attend.
“We wanted to create an artist-run space [where] we had control over the work that was shown and have an opportunity for ourselves to show work,” says Glover. “We also wanted to be able to return as much of the sale to the artists [as possible] so we established a 20% to the gallery, 80% to the artist [system].”
Fast forward 20 years and Market Gallery has remained true to their founding goals. Since its conception, the gallery has accepted artists with a broad range of skill levels, from those with extensive exhibition records to folks new to artmaking and showing. For people like Gina Louthian-Stanley, Market Gallery’s continued support of young creators has always been a huge draw. “I was so inspired as a young, developing artist by the work I would view there,” she says. Gina’s been a member of the gallery for 12 years now.
They’ve also experienced a lot of growth recently. In 2019, Market Gallery moved into their current building on Campbell Avenue. Their member-artists have worked hard to turn it into the contemporary space of their dreams which has opened many new doors for the gallery, including extra room for exhibiting more artwork and sculptures. Another exciting development is being able to host classes, workshops and events, like their upcoming grid show, which all members of the community are welcome to participate in.
But Cathryn Hankla, co-president of the co-op, says that Market Gallery is so much more than just a place to view and purchase artwork. “Our art space is about relationships – friendships forged among artists who are members of the gallery, the gallery’s relationship to the community at large and our individual artists’ relationships with casual visitors and collectors who visit us.”
To learn more about Market Gallery and their upcoming events, exhibitions and more, visit their website, marketgalleryroanoke.com.
The story above is from our September/October 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!