Listening to the market; and the willingness to take a chance and learn more about the thing you are naturally interested in, has resulted in a new business celebrating a successful first year of operation in Walcha this week.
The Walcha Gallery of Art opened on a Friday night in July 2009 with a celebrity guest, a full house and plenty of sales; and business has remained steady throughout its first year of operation according to proprietor Carley McLaren.
“I was inspired to open the gallery because of the many outstanding local artists in our community,” Ms McLaren said.
“We own the Walcha Guesthouse upstairs and visitors were always asking us why there was no gallery to complement the Open Air Gallery. There seemed to be an expectation from tourists passing through town that Walcha would have an indoor gallery as well as the sculpture trail.”
A self taught art appreciator, Ms McLaren said the first year of running an art gallery has been an enjoyable challenge.
“I didn’t formally study art and have never been involved in the ‘arts’ before now, so I have had to do a lot of research and reading to get up to speed with the art world and gallery industry,” said Ms McLaren.
“I have been extremely lucky with the support I have had from our local artistic community. Their knowledge and help has been invaluable and without it, and their contacts, the gallery would not exist.”
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