When you open your gallery — or if it’s already open — contact local community news outlets and tell them about it. They love to do upbeat feature pieces about things that bring communities together, and it should help get you started with a bang.
Find local art-related Facebook groups and announce it there.
Reach out to art teachers in local schools. Many will consider creating art for your gallery a good student assignment.
Some operators organize art events for the neighborhood. Set up a tent, provide art supplies and beverages, and people will come and have fun creating beauty together.
Definitely be online. Most FLAGs are on Instagram, but anyway be on some social media people in your vicinity can follow to see what comes in to your gallery. It encourages participation to regularly post photos of people’s work and credit the artist.
Choosing a name and social media identity for your gallery
Many people name their gallery after the city it’s in. I think this is a missed opportunity. Give your gallery a name that’s unique and personally meaningful, and people will laugh and see it as more of a fun project that they want to get involved in.
Besides, even if it might be the only FLAG in your municipality now, it probably won’t always be so. Be specific rather than grandiose — this is a neighborhood community project and it’s personal, so let people know you through the theme and name you choose.
A few of the more personalized or notable names in our database:
- The Licky Lab and Alpaca Gallery
- Laura’s Nest
- Bea’s Art Hive
- Lilacs and Lavender
- The Museum of Unremarkable Objects
- Lucky Troll
- Open Sky
- Pigs Tail Farm
Having selected a memorable name with personal meaning, make use of that in your social media account. I do recommend having a separate account for the gallery that you don’t use for your personal or business posts, with an ID that’s not too generic. An account ID that starts with “flag” or “freelittleart” will help people find you online.
When you post in this account, include the tags #freelittleartgallery and also a tag or two for your location, e.g. #petalumaca and #petalumacaart — whatever hashtags seem to be popular in your area for arts-related posts. Some people set up a hashtag specifically for their gallery, but this shouldn’t be necessary if your account is completely about the gallery — people can follow or “like” the account rather than following the hashtag. It’s better if they follow the account because their acquaintances can see they did that, so they might discover you that way.