WEDNESDAY, may 30, 2018
THE COMET
19
monica miller: 8 questions with a gallery director
BY RON EVANS
M
onica Miller has worked with arts organizations for over 15 years in fundraising, grants management and professional development for artists. She is currently the director at Gallery One in Ellensburg. We asked her 8 Questions. How did you first get involved with Gallery One? My husband and I were dating and though I lived in Seattle, I thought I’d get to know the place by volunteering on the events committee. I’ve always loved a good party, and after 10 years I still do. How do you find art and artists for your exhibits? Whenever I’m traveling, I make it a point to stop in galleries, museums, or art spaces wherever I go. Serving on the State Arts Commission has given me a great opportunity to check out new communities. Facebook and
Instagram have also been really good for staying connected with artists from outside of Ellensburg. What are you looking for in artists/ work to be featured at the gallery? I strive to exhibit a range of mediums, materials and voices. I try to not focus on what I’m attracted to personally. I also aim to integrate local artists with regional artists and emerging and professional artists into the same exhibits to set up a dialogue between the work and the artists equally. Craftsmanship and the artist’s voice are also important to me. An artist can be unique but if the piece feels unfinished somehow, I question their commitment. I have found art galleries are not necessarily the first thing on people’s’ minds when it comes to an enlightened evening out. What are some of the challenges you face in terms of getting people excited
about coming to see art? Our number one key to success has been that we put people first and we use art to introduce people to each other to create connections to one another and therefore create a community. For example, our Pecha Kucha events share people’s ideas, our First Friday events are a way to connect the artist to the community and our workshops try to encourage socializing as part of the classes. If people learn something about art or are inspired by a piece, YAY!
Bringing in the actual artwork, unannounced, is the most awkward thing for me. Have you found any consistent challenges with dealing with artists? No, they are all rare, exotic, unique, special flowers.
What are you most excited about concerning the future of Gallery One? The children! No, really, I am loving the inter-generational groups coming in and experiencing the place and Any advice on how fledgling artists I have to give a shout out to parents who make art important to their lives. can go about approaching galleries We’ve been able to take our programs for representation? to schools this year which I really Take decent images of your work and put them on a website. Send us the link enjoy. Every day is different here so I and a nice note about why we would be encourage people to stop in and see a great spot for you to show your work. what’s new! C What’s a common mistake artists make when approaching a gallery?
Stay up to speed on future Gallery One exhibits and events by visiting them on Facebook or online at gallery-one.org.