Twenty is an achievement for any gallery, but one that’s actively supporting artists and creating new generations of them is something quite special.
Dot-art started in 2006, as a membership organisation, putting the needs of their artists first. That might be sales, it might be income streams, and it might just be studio provision. But they make change.
Since founding, they’ve directly supported 600 artists in Merseyside, and helped 2300 artists sell work, some for the first time. All would probably all jump to celebrate the impact dot-art has had on their lives.
To celebrate their impact over two wonderful decades, dot-art are hosting two exhibitions. One at their Queen Avenue gallery, and at their exhibition space at INNsiDE. Both celebrate that achievement through the artists they’ve worked with, but it’s the smaller show in their home gallery that speaks most holistically of what they do: make buying art normal.
OK, so you should absolutely be buying the big stuff. It changes your life, and impacts you on a day to day basis. But the little stuff; the editions; the 20x20cm canvases, all for sale for anyone’s impulse budget, they do that too. And for someone who doesn’t buy art routinely, that’s a way in. It’s a way to support artists and the art world.
For twenty years, they’ve been facilitating that, through exhibitions, markets, Liverpool Art Fair, etc. If you’ve ever bought from them, you’ve contributed to an ecosystem.
When they opened their Queen Avenue gallery space in 2016, marking their 10th birthday, I wrote about how significant it would be to artists (their members and others) to have access to this provision. Since then, they’ve extended their studio provision and focussed their production skills on huge public projects, including the incredible Flower Street murals.
Ten years from now, I’d like to look back on this and be surprised again by how they’ve instigated change for artists. But for now, just go and celebrate the monumental achievement of 20 years of powerful advocacy and support.
—
20×20 is open at dot-art Gallery until 2nd April. TWENTY is open in their 1st floor exhibition space at INNSiDE by Melia.
Words, Patrick Kirk-Smith
