How Manifest supports itself..

As I mentioned in my last post, Manifest is a not-for-profit art gallery. Officially, it is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization. Many people don't know exactly what that means, so we tell them that it's the same type of organization as the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Zoo.

Since Manifest doesn't rely on sales, it must support itself in other ways. Private donations cover a lot of Manifest's operating costs. Becoming a member is one way that many people choose to donate. By becoming a member, people pledge to donate a certain amount of money and they also receive some perks for their donations such as a Manifest T-shirt, complimentary catalogs, and special invitations to events for members only. Also, people can and do choose to make donations without such premiums.

Because we're a non-profit, we can also apply for grants that help fund our programs. In some other larger arts organizations, there may be one person in the development department who is exclusively responsible for grant writing. From what I understand, it can be a very tedious job. Manifest, however, is a small organization so we don't have a specified development department or grant writer. We also have sponsors such as The Ohio Arts Council and The Fine Arts Fund. These organizations and others like it believe in investing in the Arts and have chosen to invest in Manifest.

Although we don't rely on sales, we do take a small commission (30 percent) when we sell artwork. Other galleries that are more focused on retail may take as much as 40 or 50%. We also take profits from the sale of catalogs and our other publications.

Being a non-profit does make fundraising very important for Manifest, but it also gives us some freedoms that we wouldn't have if we relied exclusively on retail sales.

Manifest's Impact

This week, I did some reflecting on Manifest's impact and how it has been able to set itself apart from other galleries since it opened six years ago. Although I still wish to get some input from my supervisor, Tim, I would like to go ahead and write some of the things I came up with that makes Manifest Gallery unique.

First of all, I think the three facets of Manifest (the gallery space, drawing studio, and publications) certainly help to distinguish Manifest from other galleries. The fact that we have the drawing studio and various publications in addition to the gallery space really makes Manifest unique.

Many other galleries are open very rarely, or even by appointment only. Manifest is open five days a week, which encourages people to visit regularly and provides more opportunities for the public to view the work we have on display. In this way, Manifest is much more accessible and available to the public.

It is also worth noting that Manifest is a non-profit organization. Because we don't rely on retail sales visitors don't feel pressured to buy and instead are free to simply enjoy the artwork. This coupled with the hours we are open to the public, I think, makes a visit to Manifest gallery more like visiting a museum in a smaller, more intimate setting. Like a museum, Manifest’s purpose is more didactic in nature rather than focused on retail and profits.

Manifest likes to consider itself and has marketed itself as “a neighborhood gallery for the world.” The international aspect is another unique feature of Manifest. It is not uncommon to have artists from other countries submit work to show at Manifest. Having an international dialogue in Cincinnati, Ohio is a real asset to the community, and I think Manifest as definitely helped to bring that to the city.

Perhaps the most important thing to talk about when discussing Manifest’s impact is the high quality that is so important to us here. We hold a very high standard for the quality of work that we exhibit. The use of a blind jury allows us to maintain that high standard. At other galleries, an artist may get a solo show just because he or she knows the gallery owner. We don’t show such favoritism or do favors and therefore, each exhibition has only the highest quality of work. We also bring this idea of high quality to the publications we produce and distribute. In talking to visitors of the gallery, they are always quite impressed with the quality of work we have in every exhibit.

Now that I have come up with some initial ideas based on my experiences here so far, I will be talking to Tim to gain further insight into Manifest’s impact.

The Ebb and Flow

I've been at Manifest for four weeks now and am really becoming comfortable with how things are done here. I'm also beginning to get an idea of the cycle that occurs here at Manifest. During the two weeks or so that we transition from one show to the next, my duties include packing and unpacking art work, patching and painting walls, and thoroughly cleaning the gallery spaces and office area in preparation for the opening. During the four weeks when the show is up, my responsibilities shift to keeping Manifest tidy and orderly and talking to guests when they come to the gallery which I really enjoy.

In a typical week, I work Thursdays and Saturdays. Thursdays tend to be a little quieter than Saturdays so it is a good time to work on any special assignments I have and to do some cleaning where it's necessary. Saturdays are usually a more high-traffic day at the gallery, which I like. I’m not sure yet how much the weather affects attendance, but I might find out today; the weather has been pretty awful so far, although it might clear up some later.

Most Saturdays I work with Bruno, another intern, and we love talking to the guests about their reaction to the exhibit, what their favorite pieces are, if they visit Manifest often, etc. Bruno has been here quite a bit longer than I have, and he says that many people come in so frequently during the course of a show, that you begin to build relationships with them and get to know them and their tastes. These "regulars" are usually art enthusiasts, and their visits and our conversation together opens up an ongoing discourse that continues week to week.

My Miami instructor who is helping me get the most learning experience out of this internship posed a question on my last blog post about the impact Manifest has been able to make in the past 6 years since it was founded. How has it marketed itself and distinguished itself from other galleries? I already have some ideas about this, but in the next few weeks I will be thinking more about it and talking to my site supervisor, Tim, to gain more insight.

Jury selections and curation

This week I have had the opportunity to see how submissions are processed and how the components of the final exhibit are chosen. On Thursday, we looked at all the entries for the next group show, and Tim talked to us about how the works are whittled down to the final exhibit. In looking at the entries, I was amazed at the variety and sheer number of the submissions. A jury, made up of different people such as the curator, experienced senior interns, board members, local artists, and art professors from the area, rates each work on a scale from 1 to 5. From those scores, the jury chooses about 4o pieces, although this number varies depending on the size of the show and the total number of applicants. The curator will receive the pieces that the jury chooses and start to design the exhibition. Sometimes the curator does take the liberty to go back into the pool of work that the jury did not choose and pick something so that the show works well. The designing of the exhibit is kind of like writing a paper. It starts with a first draft but there are many revisions before the final show is constructed.

I also worked this week on processing submissions for a solo show we have coming up in the future. My job was to make folders for each of the artists that applied, to enter their digital images, and to organize their proposals, resumes, and other information. Because I had plenty of time to complete the task, I was able to look at all the artwork. After looking at all the work, I'm very excited to see what the jury ultimately chooses how it is all put together by the curator for both the group and solo shows.