...the Small Business Development Center at PSU sponsored a seminar entitled “Art as a Business.” It was presented by Marc Willson, an operations expert who had counseled over 1200 retailers and developed this particular seminar specifically for artists. He offered advice on everything from business structures to blogs, but his overwhelming recommendation for business success as an artist was to work cooperatively.
That was at the end of October 2015, and shortly after, local artists Sylvia Shirley, Sue Horner, Ruth Miller, and I began meeting regularly with the intention of establishing a cooperative gallery here in Pittsburg. Each of us had experience in operating our own small businesses as working artists and were excited about the possibilities of joining forces with other local artists. We established a model based on Wilson’s advice, as well as our own research into the structure and operations of several existing artist co-ops of varying sizes throughout the country.
Then we fell in love with a building. Our passion grew. We held an informational meeting at the Pittsburg Public Library near the end of February 2016. It was well attended, and several of those artists were soon juried in and paid their initial membership fees. Word spread, and other area artists joined the effort. John Kutz and his crew have since been working tirelessly to get the new gallery space at 620 North Broadway ready to open its doors during the first Pittsburg Artwalk of the season on Friday, April 22nd.
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