Ordinarily, the opening of summer is synonymous with art strolls and artist receptions at galleries all over the Island. But while the wine will not flow at exhibit openings this summer, galleries are looking at creative ways to stay open, both online and in person.
The most futuristic new approach can be seen on the Field Gallery website, fieldgallery.com, where views from a 3-D camera allow users to move around the exhibits, zoom in on artworks and read their labels.
Chris Morse, co-owner with his wife Sheila of the Field and Granary galleries in West Tisbury and North Water Gallery in Edgartown, said this technology is rolling out to all three websites, with fresh views posted every time a new show is installed.
“This is a fabulous platform,” Mr. Morse said. “The whole gallery can really be expressed visually.”
For those who prefer a direct experience, the galleries themselves are open daily, and offer concierge service for customers who would rather view the art in their homes. “We have a van that allows us to transport a volume of art, and we do it with all the care and concern that’s appropriate at this time,” Mr. Morse said. Louisa Gould, who represents dozens of artists at Louisa Gould Gallery in Vineyard Haven, also is posting art shows on her website, while welcoming customers to her 2,000-square-foot Main street showroom.
“I’m lucky in the respect that I have a lot of space,” said Ms. Gould, her N95 mask in place as she greeted a group of visitors Tuesday afternoon.
“I can have up to 15 people,” she said. That’s more than the gallery normally saw at one time, pre-pandemic, she added. Before the pandemic shutdown began on the Island in mid-March, painter Colin Ruel was planning a grand opening for his Ruel Gallery in Menemsha, where he intended to show his work daily in the former Harbor Craft Shop, owned by his grandmother, Roberta Morgan. Instead, Mr. Ruel has been opening his gallery by appointment only. Beginning in July, he said, regular hours will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5 p.m.
“It seems safer to condense it like this,” he said. “I’m taking it slower than other people.”
In addition to his own paintings, the Ruel Gallery carries jewelry by Mr. Ruel’s wife, Nettie Kent, along with his grandmother’s beach plum jelly.
“She’s still making it, and she enjoys it,” Mr. Ruel said.
At their Alison Shaw Gallery in the Oak Bluffs Arts District, photographer Alison Shaw and her partner Sue Dawson have invested in a massive flat-screen monitor for the main wall facing the entrance.
“We’re going to have an iPad available for customers to peruse the images while standing in front of the main wall,” Ms. Shaw said.
Sanitized between uses, the tablet will allow for safe browsing through full-sized images on the screen. “We’ll be able to use it in our teaching programs in the winter,” added Ms. Shaw, who with Ms. Dawson offers intensive photography mentorships in the off-season.
This summer, their gallery will be open only by appointment, which could be as simple as calling from the sidewalk outside, Ms. Shaw said. Arts District neighbor Galaxy Gallery, a nonprofit cooperative of artists from the Martha’s Vineyard Center for the Visual Arts, also is installing a screen and tablet system, Ms. Shaw said.
But the monthly Arts District strolls are off this year, as are the weekly concerts outside Eisenhauer Gallery in Edgartown, multi-artist space now open daily.
The galleries themselves, however, have weathered the pandemic shutdown with fewer ill effects than retailers of goods that are generally handled before purchase. Artists and owners said they are still making sales, both online and in person.
“We’ve had enough encouraging activity this season that we’re going to be fine,” Mr. Morse said.
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