I'm Meg and I'm a Gallery Director and Developer
Describe your job
A day in the life of Meg. All a bit hectic and unscheduled but that’s half the fun of running your own gallery space.
I work through lists of different things such as; making social media content, liaising with artists, networking with arts organisations and press, installing exhibitions, researching for new ones, finding artists and supporting artists in their show development, promoting our space, seeking opportunities and so much more. I meet and talk to so many new people through the gallery and I absolutely love it. People really are amazing.
What are the most important skills you need to do your job?
Sociability, friendliness, and authenticity.
I’ve found that navigating the art world is so driven by who you know, and everyone wants to get to know you, so try to find the confidence to speak to people whenever you can, you never know what opportunities you could create together.
I left school and...
Did a Foundation Year at Royal Drawing School (defo look into this as a post-school option – it’s free for under 19s and a lot of schools won’t tell you that as they want to get everyone into uni straight away for their stats!!). Then I went up to Uni of Leeds to study BA History of Art.
Since then, I realised that sometimes the best decision is to create your own opportunities, particularly within the creative industries as it can be tricky to break into. So, I set up my own gallery space. It’s completely free to exhibit in, providing artists with a chance to exhibit, a need that I felt wasn’t being met.
I’m most proud of...
Our Winter Sculpture Park (WSP32) in 2020. During the pandemic, when there was no art to see, we opened a large-scale 32 artist outdoor group show at Gallery No.32. We kept art going and it was so well received.
Before I started my career, I wish I knew…
Don’t wait for someone to find you, find them.
A mistake I made which you can avoid repeating is...
Listen to your gut. Don’t let other people’s opinions change the route you’re on, follow what you know is right for you.
So, what’s next?
We have some big plans and collaborations set for 2021. And I can’t wait.
Here's my:
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