Collectives offer members space and support

One way for visual artists to sell their work is to ally with a private gallery that promises to take care of everything, including finding buyers — at commissions that can exceed 50 percent. 

Another is an artist-run space, also known as a collective or co-op, such as the Beacon Artist Union (BAU) and Super Secret Projects in Beacon or the Buster Levi Gallery in Cold Spring. 

Although these partnerships require dues to pay the rent, and volunteers to watch the store, a co-op provides exhibit space and support that might not otherwise be available. 

Each of the members at Buster Levi, which operates a gallery at 121 Main St., is given space for a month-long exhibit every two years, says Ada Pilar Cruz, a sculptor who helped establish the gallery in 2010. During the winter, other artists are invited to exhibit or the gallery hosts group shows.

Established 20 years go by seven artists, the Beacon Artist Union gallery at 506 Main St. now typically has 12 to 15 members, says Eileen Sackman, who recently stepped down after a five-year term as president. 

Super Secret Projects, which opened in January 2023, displays member works and monthly shows in a cozy room tucked in the back of Hyperbole, a fashion and accessory shop at 484 Main St. in Beacon. It hangs on by a shoestring, says Diana Vidal, who co-directs Super Secret with Allegra Jordan. Before the launch, they held a fundraiser at Happy Valley Arcade Bar. 

Artist-run spaces emerged in New York City during the 1950s and became more common in the 1990s after the DIY (do-it-yourself) punk music ethos spread to the art world.

Co-ops charge far less commission than private galleries: it’s 20 percent for BAU members, 10 percent at Buster Levi and artists at Super Secret Projects keep 100 percent. But members are expected to contribute their labor and talents, like tending the website, updating social media, writing press releases, hanging shows and keeping the gallery open for visitors. It’s also nice when artists show up at openings to support their peers, says Pilar Cruz.

Buster Levi, named for director Martee Levi’s dog, benefits from her leadership and desire to take on responsibilities such as paying the bills and ensuring professional hangings.

For BAU artists, duties rotate. At Super Secret Projects, members often pitch in with bartering arrangements. “It’s a lot of backend work, but we complement each other’s strengths,” says Vidal. “It’s a good thing that Allegra’s OK with finance because that is not me.”

In the early 2010s, more young collectors began buying directly from artists, fueling the growth of artist-run galleries, according to the Journal for Art Market Studies. Like any commodity, it notes, those buyers flipped works as prices rose.

But a focus on lucre comes with its own price; Levi says her outlook on visual art has become “less and less positive” over the past 40 years. “Art can be anything these days,” she says. “You can put dog shit on a plate and call it art. It should be about joy, aesthetics and a spiritual path.” 

Galleries require cooperation to thrive, so having the right chemistry among members is important. Gallery 66 NY, founded in 2012 in Cold Spring, lasted only five years. “People didn’t help out, they couldn’t agree on how to run it, and after their lease came up, they moved on,” recalls Pilar Cruz. 

By contrast, Buster Levi has been a pillar of stability for 14 years, although Levi worries that rising rents will imperil the gallery.

Teaming up with BeaconArts allows Jordan and Vidal to take advantage of that organization’s nonprofit status and apply for grants.

“In the Beacon art community, everyone wants to help,” says Vidal. “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when people cooperate.”