We the Village Artisans, believing in the power of art to ennoble and enrich the lives of all people, determine to encourage and support the arts in whatever way we can in the community of Garden, MI, and in the region of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The Garden Gallery is open from the last Thursday of May through the last day of September.
ABOUT THE GARDEN GALLERY
The Garden Gallery was established by the founders of The Village Artisans and incorporated as a for-profit organization so all local artists could have a place to show and sell their work.
Artists interested in showing and selling their work at the Garden Gallery must be at least a part-time resident of the Upper Peninsula. Many of the artists who display their work at the gallery reside on the Garden Peninsula. Artwork is reviewed by the Garden Gallery Board of Directors through a standard jury process. The Garden Gallery current Board of Directors includes: Tana Leckson, Sandee Uecke, Steve Uecke, Maryann LeBresh, Mindy Asp, and Patty Thennes.
The Garden Gallery is managed by a group of volunteers and rents retail space from the Village Artisans. Artists pay a consignment fee that allows the gallery to pay its portion of the building’s utilities, insurance, and operations. As a small gallery, we average about 45 artists each year with few artists who volunteer to staff the gallery.
Artist consignment fees are 35% for non-volunteers, 20% for artists who volunteer a minimum of four days, and 10% for artists who volunteer a minimum of eight days. The gallery manager is also a volunteer position and appointed by The Village Artisan Board of Directors.
Our goal each year is to raise enough money to buy supplies, pay the bills, and prepare for the following year. There have been some years where we didn't have the money to start up in the spring so the Village Artisans helped us out...one of their missions of promoting the arts.
