11 Reasons You Should Support Art Galleries

Mark Harris

1. They are generally free.
2. You will enrich your own cultural awareness.
3. It can be inspirational.
4. It's educational.
4.1 You can learn something about yourself, about an artist, about an art style, about your likes/dislikes.
5. It is good for the local economy ( Not directly because of sales necessarily, you go away and tell 5 people that there was an exhibition that you enjoyed then they may visit and then tell 5 more people of course one those people may well buy something.)
5.1 Looking at art is thirsty work, visitors will need to be fed and watered at local establishments.
6.Your support could even be the difference between a gallery staying open or closing down due to lack of interest. Artists, you can really help out here.
7. It can brighten up even the dullest of days.
8. Your positive feedback in a visitors book could spur an artist to create even better works.
9. You might unblock your own creative channels.
10. Discover new artists.
11. Take time out from your day to just look at something beautiful and sometimes ugly. But it is still 'you' time.

I was going to do a list of 10 but the thing is that I like to be different so it is 11 technically it could be 13 but i just like the number 11.

We are entering a use it lose it time. Many galleries are closing in the recession, obviously because sales are down and the advent of so much being done online. If you want to see small independently run galleries in your cities, towns and villages. You know what to do. Go and see what's on. You do not have to buy, but you could help to spread the word about what you have seen.