Searching for a special gift for Mother’s Day? Check out intern Regan Dykes’s article on the unique artwork for sale in the ACWL-Nuveen retail gallery and how your purchases benefit the broader community.
Upon entering the retail gallery space at the ACWL-Nuveen Center, the first thing you will notice is the sheer amount of tantalizing artwork just waiting to be discovered. There are forty-five West Michigan artists displaying and selling a wide range of artwork from handmade jewelry and cards to pottery, ceramics, and glasswork. There is also beautifully crafted woodwork and the more traditional 2D wall art including drawing, painting, and photography. The subject matter of the art is as varied as the mediums used to create it. All of the pieces in the retail gallery made by the ACWL-Nuveen Artist Members are one of a kind and sell at a very affordable price point to appeal to community members and tourists visiting the White Lake area.
Like a traditional commercial gallery, the artists represented pay a percentage of their sales to the ACWL-Nuveen. Members take home 70% of the sale price of their piece, and the remaining 30% commission goes back to the ACWL-Nuveen to be used towards future programming. This programming includes youth and adult art and music classes, multiple yearly art exhibitions, the annual Free Summer Concert Series and oversight and maintenance of sculptures along the Art Walk. In order to show and sell in the gallery, an artist must first respond to an open artist call. Once the artists have submitted examples of their artwork, the ACWL-Nuveen Gallery Committee reviews the submissions and invites artists to join based on the needs of the gallery and the quality of the artwork submitted. Once accepted the artist is asked to pay an annual fee of $65, with benefits that include a 10% discount on any purchases or classes, a once a year Meet and Greet with the public, and the gallery representation and sales by ACWL-Nuveen staff. This representation includes a prime physical downtown Whitehall location to display and sell artwork, a presence on the ACWL-Nuveen website, and someone who can answer guests’ questions about the artwork or connect them to the artist. In 2022 alone, the gallery sold just shy of $13,000 in Artist Member work! After the deduction of the gallery’s commission, that works out to just over $9000 paid to local artists, and the remaining $4,000 goes right back into affordable and accessible arts programming for the local community - It really does pay to “shop small”!
If you are looking to purchase a beautiful piece of art, a gift for a friend or loved one, you need look no further than the ACWL-Nuveen Center’s retail gallery. In doing so, you will be the proud owner of a great piece of art, help to financially support a local artist, and contribute to the funding of arts programming right here in your community! The gallery is located at 106 E. Colby downtown Whitehall and is open to the public Tuesday – Friday 11:00am – 5:30pm and Saturday 11:00am – 3:00pm. Any questions please call 231-893-2524 or check out the website -https://www.artswhitelake.org/
Written by Regan Dykes, ACWL-Nuveen Intern
Comments