We are a non-profit, tax-exempt gallery, located in Omaha’s historic Old Market area. We strive for personal artistic growth and professionalism in presentation. We are dedicated to exhibiting quality art on a year-round basis.The co-op is an artist run gallery. Artists volunteer time to staff the gallery and operate all aspects of the business. There are no gallery commissions. Sales go directly to the artist. We also offer the unique opportunity for you to actually meet the creator of the art, because the person at the desk is one of the artists.
Artist run galleries are a great place to make a purchase with investment potential. The artist is allowed the spontaneity to show exciting new work and the freedom to price at their own discretion. It’s fair game to check the artist’s resume before you purchase. This will show you the artist’s professional accomplishments and help you feel comfortable with a purchase.
Sales are made at the gallery on behalf of fellow members. We also accept credit cards (a small charge is taken). Our yearly sales are approximately $60,000 with an average of 20,000 annual visitors. In addition, artists frequently accept commissions from gallery visitors (which are not accounted for in the above numbers).
Continuous media exposure is our marketing goal. Our publicity committee markets the gallery as a whole; individual artists pay for their own show fliers and mailings. Our direct mailing list goes out monthly to our most interested and supportive patrons. Community outreach programs help bring new people into our Gallery and expose the community to art; these include working with civic groups, schools and various organizations.
We have 32-34 members who are selected by jury (once per year). We keep a balance of two-dimensional and three-dimensional artists who work in a variety of mediums. Most are seasoned artists with impressive resumes. Some are new talents with bright futures. Most artists also show in nationwide shows, art fairs, and in commercial galleries on a local and national level.
On a regular basis, each artist shows approximately 3-5 pieces. More pieces are shown in the artist’s biography book (by the coffee table and chairs). Once a year, each artist will be “featured” with 2 or 3 other members. Pick up a calendar for our Feature Show listing. We also hold an all-member holiday show.
New art every month. The gallery changes completely every month. Feature shows are in the front third of the gallery, which still leaves plenty of space for the other members’ work. Each artist changes out his/her work at the beginning of every month, so come in frequently to see what’s new!
If you are looking for a piece you have seen in the past, please ask the artist-on-duty for information. We can probably help you figure out who created the piece and call them. Unless it has sold, the artist would be happy to bring it in. It is not an unusual request, nor an obligation to purchase.
We are also very proud of our community involvement. We sponsor exhibits through the public schools which showcase the talents of children and teenagers. In addition, we have a “Visiting Artist Program” which places an artist in a local school, or organization, for the day. As individuals, and as a group, we participate in community fund-raisers and share our experience in the art world (judging art contests, hosting art tours).
This version of the website has been designed for mobile devices. Please visit the site on your desktop, or laptop, device for additional information about membership, membership applications, event planning, our Emerging Artist Program, and the High School Art Wall.
If you fall in love with something in the gallery but don’t live around here, don’t worry. Depending upon the type of artwork (painting, sculpture, glass etc.), we have lots of creative ways to get it to you safely. Each artist arranges their own shipping, so have the artist-on-duty call that person to find out how they would go about shipping and approximately how much it would cost.
First Saturday show openings are an excuse for a party. To kick off our Feature Shows, we hold fun show openings on the first Saturday of each month, 7-10pm.
Dress Code: Anything goes, wear whatever you want. We’re very casual.
Invitation: Not required. Come, bring friends. There’s no cover charge. If you would like to receive information for future shows, please complete the mailing list request form at the front desk, or join our email list to help the environment & cut costs. Just send a blank email to ACGomahaneb@yahoo.com with "ACG mailing" as the subject.
Food, Drink & Music: It’s always free, every month. Consider it a cheap date.
Knowledge Level: None required. Your opinion counts.
Questions: Please ask! Artists love to tell you about their work. All questions are good questions.