Gallery Blog #8 Toucan Gallery

Functional considerations:

• Has traffic flow been planned for in the gallery space?

Pretty well thought out so that people can functionally walk through the gallery and see everything

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• How has the space been designed to serve multiple purposes (frame shop; openings; boutique, etc.)? Do you see any potential problems with traffic flow or the exhibition of artworks? If so, what are they?

The frame shop has been placed at the back of the gallery, while they teacher lessons downstairs and the gallery exhibits its art in the front which is put out so that there is art on all the walls and in the center of the floor but still enough room for a large number of people to flow in and out of the gallery nicely.

Formal considerations:

• Describe the typographic aesthetics: evaluate its effectiveness. How do the choices of fonts, etc. on the signs and signage complement or detract from the artwork?

There wasn't really any signs the only signs that were on the artworks where price tags and they were small and subtle enough as to not be distracting but big enough so that if you wanted to buy the piece you could easily locate the price.

• Is there visual unity of elements/components within the displays in the gallery space and within the window displays? Explain why or why not?
  Is there a clear information hierarchy throughout? If so, how is this achieved?

Visual unity in a window display is a  question difficult question for me because window displays usually need to be enticing to typical, everyday viewers on the street walking by. so on that type of rating scale of unity then, yeas I thought the window display was very successful. it didn't look like a normal gallery in fact I almost walked right past it. it looked more like an antique window display which is found more drawing. 

• Does the gallery seem to have a visual style? If so, describe it. Is it appropriate to the type of gallery this is? Why or why not?

Yes and even the owner sort of stated that they try to stick to a type of art that they know will sell in Billings, MT. which honestly makes sense but is kind of a let down because a lot of us don't just make typical everyday Montana stuff that most people here would like.

Conceptual considerations:

• Describe the overall message of the gallery (as you understand it) in one sentence. You may wish to refer to the gallery website.

The gallery is trying to be outside of the box which is working for Montana but not typically everywhere else.

• Does the organization of the work in the gallery have a linear sequence (a beginning and ending point), or is it a fluid sequence (the visitor can start at any point in the exhibit and move to any other point?)?

Its more of a fluid sequence, which I prefer, manly because I get sidetracked easily if I see something interesting out of the corner of my eye while looking at something.

• Is the type of sequence effective? If not, how would you improve it?

I think its very effective for a commercial gallery where the galleries main motive is to sell artwork and not to show an artists collective pieces.

Visitor observations:

• What do you believe would be the most and least popular aspects of this gallery space for visitors under the age of 25?

I think commercial galleries would actually be very popular with a audience under the age of 25 because it recreates the feeling of shopping but just more so for art rather than for clothing or for technology or whatever it is teens shop for now and days. I think the least popular aspect might be the frame shop only because it can be intimidating for those who have not made very professional pieces of art work.

• What are the most and least popular aspects of this gallery for visitors over the age of 25?

Same as before but just backwards I find that as a person gets older that framing aspect gets less intimidating an more thrilling and it becomes the shopping that becomes more or less unpopular.

• Can visitors share their experiences of the art with others, or are they designed to be individual artistic experiences? Explain.

I think in a commercial gallery if is very easy to share experiences with others because a commercial gallery is nowhere near like a formal gallery where the setting feels crowded, overwhelming, and typically chaotic

• If you could change one thing in this gallery space, what would it be? Why?

I would add more photography, while the Toucan gallery display many different mediums of art it was very very difficult to find any photography and that might just be coming from the fact that I am a photographer myself but I also like to see it in galleries, knowing that it is doing well as a medium of art.