What type of art are you looking for?

Gallery5 is interested in a wide variety of art, in all mediums. The common thread that we look for is art that helps us fulfill our mission of engaging local communities, while being accessible to buyers across income levels.

We welcome art from artists at all stages of their careers - we’re just looking for great work.

As a mission-driven non-profit, we are also looking for work that aligns with principles of environmental, economic, and social justice. We love art that helps us sustain and build relationships with other non-profits in our area - from animal rescue organizations like Sanctuary Rescue, to environmental stewards like the James River Association, to critical community services like Richmond Public Schools. We often partner with these other organizations and share a percentage of our monthly bar proceeds, so having artwork that speaks to their missions can be a great way to connect to shared goals.

Do you accept proposals for group shows?

We’re happy to consider proposals for group shows, and curators are welcome to include their own art in a group show proposal. We are interested in group shows that align with our mission to engage communities through the arts. If work will be for sale, we also prioritize shows that include work at a variety of price points in order to ensure we can keep our commitment to making art accessible to the community.

Do you accept proposals for solo shows?

Artists are welcome to submit proposals for shows, including solo shows, though we are currently prioritizing group shows. A proposal for a solo show may introduce us to your work as an artist, and get you on our radar for an upcoming group show.

Is there any type of art exhibit you won’t or can’t accept?

While we would love to be able to welcome every type of show, we are currently not well-equipped to accept large installations that would significantly impact our floor space. We often have crowds in the building for musical performances, and we accept reservations and rentals for special events that require the majority of our floor space to be accessible. We also have limited space for free standing fragile work, such as ceramics that need to sit on pedestals out in the open. We do have a nook space (dimensions below) that can be closed off and is a great option for displaying ceramics and other work that needs a little protection.

We also currently cannot accept art from out of town artists who would need to ship work to the gallery, or have work shipped back to them - all work for display at the gallery must be able to be dropped off and picked up (though you may use a local contact to handle this for you).

How far in advance do you schedule shows?

The themes for our shows are usually set 6 months to a year in advance, but since many of our shows are group shows, (and often all media shows), the artists for each show are are often selected 3-6 months prior, based on fit with the shows themes.

What are the dimensions of the gallery?

The gallery walls are the following dimensions:

- XX x XX
- XX x XX
- X x X
- XX x XX
- an enclosable lighted nook is XX x X x X

You offer space rentals - can I rent the gallery to show my own art?

We do not offer the ability to rent the wall space in the gallery. The art exhibition curated by Gallery5 stays on the walls and is part of the unique atmosphere provided by a private event at Gallery5.

Our rentals and reservations are priced by the hour or day. If you are interested in renting the space to show your work, you are welcome to set up work on easels or some other portable method of display.

Is the gallery ADA accessible?

Yes! The gallery is accessible from the street level.

When do exhibits open? When do they come down?

Exhibits open to the public on the first Friday of every month at 5pm, with an invitation only soft opening the Thursday prior. The show comes down on the last Sunday of the month, with the last Saturday of the month typically being the last day it’s on display.

What is the commission on sales taken by the gallery?

The gallery does a 70% artist / 30% gallery split on all sales.

I am exhibiting artist - what is the deadline for getting my artwork info to the gallery?

We would like art info (name, title, size, medium, price) at least a week before drop off so that we can produce labels, and get artwork entered into our POS system to make sales easy.

I am an exhibiting artist - when can I drop off art and pick up unsold art?

Drop off for the upcoming First Friday show will be coordinated by your gallery contact or curator, and is typically the Monday before First Friday, from 4:30-7pm. Pick up for the show coming down is at the same time.

I can’t pick up my unsold art at the scheduled time - how long can the gallery hold on to it for me?

The gallery can only hold work for a maximum of two weeks after the scheduled pick up date. You should contact your curator or gallery contact to schedule an alternate pick up time as soon as possible. A storage fee will be assessed for every day art is held after 2 weeks.

The gallery contact noted that art must be “ready to hang” - what does that entail?

“Ready to hang” art applies to work intended to be displayed on the wall (this isn’t applicable to freestanding sculpture or dimensional work intended to be shown on a pedestal or shelf). At its most basic, “ready to hang” means that the work must be able to hang on the wall when you drop it off. The gallery cannot be responsible for applying hanging hardware to your art - we don’t want to alter it in any way without your permission - this includes tape or any adhesive hanging methods, which can damage unframed works on paper.

Examples of typical hanging hardware or ready to hang art would be:
Screw eyes with a wire across the back, a saw tooth hanger, a commercially produced frame (i.e. from Target or Michaels) that will have metal/plastic loops or notches built into it, or a framed panel or stretched canvas that can sit on two or more nails on the wall.

I bought art - when can I come pick it up?

You should receive an email from the gallery towards the end of the month that you purchased art, giving you a couple of options for a time to come pick up your art. If you do not see an email from us, please check your spam folder (or promotions tab in gmail).

Currently, the best times to pick up art are Mondays from 4:30-7pm, and Wednesdays from 12-5pm.

Even though we are open most Friday and Saturday nights for events, we do not recommend that you pick up your art during these events. Our event staff are usually busy with the door and the bar and are not easily able to step away to retrieve artwork from storage. Additionally, events can be very crowded and may not be ideal for trying to transport art.

I want to buy art but I am not in the Richmond area - can you ship it?

All artwork at Gallery5 is available for pickup only. Unfortunately, we are not currently equipped to ship artwork, but if you are out of town and have a local contact, we are happy to coordinate with you to arrange for someone else to pick up work for you.