Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Moore Bailey.
Hi Ann, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
While earning my MBA, we were challenged to pick one company and have all the elements of the MBA program connect to that company – the company you worked for, a fictitious company, or maybe a start up. I was the only one in the program who chose a start up. I had always wanted to know more about the art business, so an art gallery seemed the prefect choice. I then spent the next 22 months learning about and studying the art gallery business. My husband and I married during my MBA studies, and we opened our gallery on graduation day. Our first clients were my MBA classmates and their families. We have been in business for fifteen years and have expanded our spaces to include blacksmithing, welding, print techniques, painting and offer art ‘play dates’ on a monthly basis for artists to create and share together.
Our name – Ann Art Gallery – was devised by adding an ‘N’ to my MBA topic of an art gallery…and it mimics my first name!
We have promoted and sold art for artists throughout the Southeast, exhibited and sold in shows and installations, and have built a clientele around creating custom work and one of a kind art.
Our gallery is considered a cottage industry, as our spaces are located on our property. We live on a family compound, with multiple acres and buildings. We are open to the pubic the last full weekend of each month, offering creative spaces and unique art for sale. Our goal is to provide encouragement and creativity in a friendly environment, offering teaching, learning and encouragement to everyone who enters.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a learning road. Creating art is one thing, selling it to the public is another thing entirely. We learned very quickly the behind the scenes work, equipment and sales techniques to stay in business. We found a great CPA and early on set parameters around what we would or would not do. For example, how far would we travel for a show? What kind of art would we carry, and what art would we refer to other galleries? We learned how to create the best client experience around custom work AND how to deliver more than the client expected. The key is asking good questions upfront, being willing to level set with small or large budgets, AND to be sure to be able to deliver on what was promised.
The COVID years prevented us from selling to the public, so we buckled down and spent the time blogging, honing our craft and creating new work. As a result, our blog and sales have increased immensely AND we have followers around the globe. We are currently working on a book that is a direct result of an art journal created during COVID.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a calligrapher who utilizes handmade papers, gel prints and other paper/print techniques in my work. I have a very graphic and contemporary style, and love the power that color and texture bring to the words I utilize. I am known for colorful, inventive and energetic works that utilize inspirational words, quotes and sayings to inspire and make people think.
My goal when I first begin selling my work was to have one of my pieces bought by a complete stranger for hundreds of dollars. In my first show I sold a very large piece to a young woman who cam back three times to my booth. Her Mom was with her and as she stood in front of the piece for the third time, her Mom whispered in my ear that her daughter had saved funds she received as a gifts for five years until she found the exact piece she wanted I her new home. That young woman bought the large piece, and it was validation for me that complete strangers would indeed buy my art.
What sets me apart for others is my ability to take words, color and imagination together to bring inspiration to life, all of which makes people think. My blog features my art (annartgallery.blog) and has followers from across the globe.
What are your plans for the future?
In the future we will be offering welding and black smithing lessons, more play dates AND are branching out into expanding our blog into multiple book topics. Eventually we will offer journaling classes on real life relationships and emotional topics to allow people to process their life and thoughts in a tangible way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://annartgallery.com
- Instagram: annartgallery.ga
- Facebook: Ann Moore Bailey
- LinkedIn: Ann Moore Bailey
- Other: Facebook : Ann Art Gallery
Image Credits
Photos taken by Ann Moore Bailey
