On the 31st of July the Glasgow Gallery of Photography will once again welcome visitors through its doors to look at the work of local and international photographers.
We are filled will joy and apprehension as we enter the next phase of re-opening and we don’t really know what to expect but we are just glad to be opening again after what has been a very difficult 4 months for not just us but for everyone around the world.
We are in a very privileged position that we are able to do this while others around the world are still struggling and we recognise this as an international gallery we have participants from America, South America and South Asia, places that are currently still struggling with the pandemic.
Before we closed we had two open submissions. For “The power of Colour” and “Seascape” exhibitions, When the pandemic hit we were right in the middle of these submission windows and as a result we had to slam the brakes on both of them until we knew when we could reopen our doors, once we knew a general date when we could get things moving again we restarted the submission process and began gathering participation fees again, However we have yet to receive any contact from over 20 submitters despite multiple emails.
Now again we realise the current global crisis takes priority over everything else of course we do, and we understand folk can no longer take part in the exhibition, and we fully understand that, at no point when anyone’s images are selected for exhibition are the obliged to take part, especially now when everyone is effected by global events that have hit us all financially.
However we have asked repeatedly from the very beginning that if anyone can’t or no longer wishes to take part in an exhibition to please let us know, and yet every open call for exhibition on average results in between 5 and 15 “no shows” or folk who just decide they don’t want to take part and so ignore our email.
This may not seem like a big deal, however it can and has had dramatic financial implications for us. The gallery itself has limited wall space, we know how many images we can display in the gallery, every time a photographers work is selected it means that another photographer may be missing out on the opportunity, it also means for everyone who ignores our email we lose much needed cash flow, cash flow that keeps the gallery in existence, we are a non profit remember. All we ask is a quick email saying “sorry, cant take part” There will be no follow up questions or hard sells. We just need to know how many images we are getting printed and what our income for the month is going to be so we can decide on exhibition budgets, cover rent and wages, printing costs etc.
From September 19 to March 20 we estimate to have lost at least £3000 to £7000 in “no shows” That could potentially be a wage for a part time member of staff or Greater exhibition quality, better frames, better prints, bigger premises, etc. We do not charge our exhibition fee’s upfront because we do not think its fare, however given the current climate and the huge financial hit the gallery has taken from covid-19 the possibility of us either taking fee’s upfront or raising fees is very real. The importance of a simple email is the difference between the gallery existing or not existing and it is everyone else who suffers as a result.
So if you have entered an exhibition with us and haven’t heard anything, please go check your junk folder and if you have not heard from us please contact us atglasgowgalleryofphotography@gmail.com
Thank you and see you soon.
Comments