The pandemic crisis has forced most local art galleries to shift online, and while itB次元官网网址檚 not the same experience, itB次元官网网址檚 all they can do until itB次元官网网址檚 safe for patrons to browse the storefronts again.
The Avenue Art Gallery in Oak Bay is still showing paintings by appointment but only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The gallery is otherwise open for phone sales from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and online.
B次元官网网址淲e canB次元官网网址檛 allow clients in so we are meeting them at the door, but everything in the gallery is actually on the website,B次元官网网址� said owner Heather Wheeler. B次元官网网址淥ur artists are continuing to deliver and ship new work to the gallery which we will be sharing on our website and via our semi-monthly newsletters and on social media.B次元官网网址�
Sales have dropped to about 10 per cent since the recent call for non-essential businesses to close in an attempt to flatten the curve and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Wheeler said.
B次元官网网址淔or us, what it is like now is the same for everyone,B次元官网网址� Wheeler said. B次元官网网址淲e are dealing with the shock of the situation and the knowledge this will be going on for longer than at first thought, not a two-week thing.B次元官网网址�
The good news for The Avenue and other galleries is theyB次元官网网址檝e maintained a business presence through their website and the advent of e-commerce programs for small business.
B次元官网网址淲e have had people taking advantage of online sales and we hand over the product at the door,B次元官网网址� Wheeler said. B次元官网网址淲e do book appointments to come in, one person at a time.B次元官网网址�
Other galleries are in a similar situation.
Madrona Gallery on View Street downtown is also open by appointment only and available daily by email or phone to assist with acquisitions and answer questions. Madrona is now featuring the Miller Collection, a selection of Inuit art carvings collected over the span of 30 years by the Miller family of Vancouver, including such artists as Pauta Saila.
Other galleries are looking to innovate, such as the Gage GalleryB次元官网网址檚 community project B次元官网网址淐hallenge Crisis with Creativity.B次元官网网址�
The gallery is inviting members of the community to draw, paint, doodle, sculpt or write a poem at home about what they are experiencing during the social isolation period of COVID-19.
Everybody is welcome to contribute, said Gage member Gabriella Hirt.
B次元官网网址淭ake a photo of your creation and send it to us. If you wish, provide a short description of your work. Invite your kids to participate. Our weekly prompt will help you get inspired.B次元官网网址�
Send contributions to Ashley Riddett, a University of Victoria Art History and Visual Studies graduate student who is leading the project. B次元官网网址�
Entries will be published on the Gage Gallery website and social media sites, and when B次元官网网址渢hisB次元官网网址� is all over, the collective is planning to compile selected submissions into a community art book.
It will show, and tell, the visual story of how people in Oak Bay and Victoria all have been coping, thriving and surviving during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Send a photo of your creation to Riddett at riddettgreen@gmail.com.
