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    Collective Soul
Sawmill River Arts Gallery
Crafts an Effective Business
Framework
BY MARK MORRIS
The artists at Sawmill River Arts Gallery in Montague have taken a creative approach — not just to their art, but to how they run their business.
Organized as an artist collective 12 years ago, Sawmill River Arts consists of 15 member artists who run the business and 22 guest artists who display their work on consignment. The distinction between the two is significant. While guest artists share 40% to 50% of their sales with the gallery, member artists make a deeper commitment and receive a larger return.
Each member artist contributes to the rent and agrees to staff the gallery at least three times a month. Members also agree to serve on committees such as finance, marketing, and others that contribute to running the business. In return for their investment in time and exper- tise, each member artist enjoys a permanent space in the gallery and receives 100% of the sales when someone buys their work.
“All the tasks that one business owner might do, we have 15 people able to do these things,” said Hannah Staiger, a member artist and owner of La Boa Brava jewelry studio. “The gallery is our space that we own and operate together. We all have keys to the front door.”
As part of the creative process, artists tend to work alone for long periods of time. Staiger said being a member artist is a welcome oppor- tunity to occasionally get out of her home basement studio and experi- ence life not covered in dust and dirt from making jewelry.
“I get to put on nice clothes and come here to talk with customers and my co-workers,” she said, adding that having member artists also serve as the staff gives the gallery a unique positioning. “When you walk through our door, you interact with the artists who made the work that’s in the gallery. Staffing this way allows us to collectively maintain the store and provide a vital resource for all the members, as well as the 22 other local artists who sell their work here.”
To keep things running, the cooperative holds monthly meetings, but for the daily concerns that come up, email is the main communication tool.
“It can be a challenge to get consensus from 15 people via email to
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Hannah Staiger displays her jewelry at the Sawmill River Arts Gallery.
 

















































































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