Types Of Art Galleries
As it stands, there are about 9 different types of art galleries which are a combination of commercial, private and public galleries. Some of them are exhibited free of charge while some other exhibitions come with price tags. Almost all types of art galleries on sale have commissions assigned to them which range between 10 to 60 percent. The following are the different types of art galleries available.
Institutional galleries
These types of art galleries are always funded by local councils, universities, or the state government. There are both temporary and permanent exhibitions available in an institutional art gallery. They are set up for different purposes and are called by different names: galleries, collections, institutional galleries, or museums. Depending on the funding organization, some of the institutional galleries can be very small while some can be very large. Those that are large are fully staffed with gallery attendants and professional curators because they receive funding and do not base their expenses on sales made. Some of these types of art galleries are totally free while very few others require entry fee.
Art Dealers
These are those that are involved in the business of buying and selling art works to individuals and organizations. They may collect artworks from artists and sell to collectors or link them to organizations that require their services. People who operate these types of art galleries are in business so most of their exhibitions are auctioned.
Commercial galleries
Just like the galleries for art dealers, these types of art galleries are for temporary exhibitions and do not have permanent stock of arts. Artworks are exhibited and subsequently sold to interested persons.
Most of the consignments in a commercial gallery are collected from artists and exhibited on their behalf. Usually, they employ few staff and charge fees on sales made.
Rental spaces
These are one of the most common types of art galleries. They are art galleries rented to an artist for exhibitions. The artists rent the galleries to exhibit to the public or certain people. They are then returned after the exhibition.
Artist Run Initiatives (ARI)
These types of art galleries are quite similar to rental spaces but they are run by more than one artist. Sometimes they are made of an association of artists to promote their artworks. These people sometimes receive government support for their exhibitions. Both artist run initiatives and rental spaces perform similar functions as the commercial galleries and sometimes it is difficult to differentiate them. Also, there are some commercial and institutional galleries that run space exhibitions.
Studio Galleries
Some galleries are particularly exhibited and attached to studio of the artist who has such consignments. The Krista Stewart gallery is a perfect example of these types of art galleries.
Craft/Gift Shops
These ones function both as art gallery and exhibition shops for other artistic decorations. Art collectibles, magazines, t-shirts, and other art decorations can be seen in an art craft/gift shop.
Non-Gallery Exhibition Spaces
There are other places that have been used temporarily for art exhibitions. They include vitrines in public libraries, private houses, furniture shops, laneways, and shops.
