How It All Works
Hello wonderful artists and makers!
Welcome to the OT Circus! We have a unique unique gallery model that differs from the traditional, because, well, WE ARE DIFFERENT! We are heading into another year in terms of stages of our growth and potential, and we have reached our GOAL of becoming a destination in downtown ABQ for cool, eclectic, art, events, community, and comradery!
In 2018, We were voted BEST GALLERY in the ALIBI by our community, and are SO thankful for that! With that being said, ALL OF OUR SHOWS ARE POP UPS/ONE OFFS! We do not host exhibits to run for longer periods of time right now because: We don’t have regular hours. Why? So that we can host our therapeutic programs ☺ (The “OT” in “OT Circus” stands for Occupational Therapy.
In 2019, we had been nominated for, and won, a CREATIVE BRAVOS AWARD through the City of Albuquerque in recognition of all of our contributions to the downtown ABQ creative community! We are honored and humbled.
If you are an artist, or collective that wants to book a pop up show with us:
Fees + Commissions: Our fees for a pop up show is $60 for up to 2 artists, and then $10 for each additional artist in the show. (this is a guarantee for the gallery, and for the marketing we do with physical flyers and social media marketing that includes creating a fb event for your show) This fee is due (take out “in cash”) when we hang your show! You will pay the gallery a 15% commission on SOLD art. You provide any refreshments you want to serve your guests. We will provide water and ice, and have cups, napkins, etc. We also love to raffle off art and prints! We encourage you to donate an item or two for a raffle. You get 100% of raffle money.
We do a large chunk of social media promotion for shows, as well as submit all of our events to the Alibi, and ABQ Journal Calendar of Events. We also email a list of growing contacts about our events. We do our best to help with refreshments as well, by providing food and/or beverage vendors.
If we take payments for art, artist will receive a check at the end of the month minus our 15% commission. Artists are welcome to take payments for their work, and give us 15% of their sales within 7 days of the show.
Hello! This doc contains info for our monthly, seasonal artist markets. These events are to be held every second Saturday from April through October. This document contains all the information/FAQs for the event:
- What is the cost to participate as an artist/vendor? How do I pay to reserve space? - The booth fee is $25. That gives you an OUTDOOR space in out large side lot. You can have up to a 10’ x 10’ space. This is the standard tent/canopy size. YES! YOU MAY SHARE your space with another artist or artists!
- Does the gallery take payments for your art? - No. Artists, crafters, and vendors are responsible for collecting their payments with whatever method they are comfortable with. The gallery does not take a commission for market sales. *** I do recommend that if you have not already done so, that you get a credit card reader and/or PayPal account for receiving payment. Most people do not carry cash these days. Yet, some do! SO BRING CHANGE! A credit card swiper to plug into your smartphone from squareup.com is free. Setting up a PayPal account is also FREE. You DO need a bank account to begin acquiring both methods of electronic payment.
- Does the gallery provide displays, chairs, tables, etc? - No. You are responsible for all your displays. We do not require a tent or canopy, but do recommend you getting one if you are going to participate in art markets throughout the year.
- Will there be food? – We do try to have food and coffee, and more often than not, there will be one present ;) There are also a few coffee shops in the area, and some restaurants close by. We recommend you bring a snack and a cool beverage if you feel the need.
- What are the hours of the event? - The market will start at 9 am and end at 1pm. - YOU will arrive between 7:30 and 8:30am to set up. PLEASE do not arrive later than 8:30. You will break down at 1pm.
- Parking? - There is quite a bit of free street parking in the area. However, some IS metered so bring change just in case. There are spaces numbered 1-12 behind us (between 7th & 8th on Copper Ave) Those spaces cost $1.25 for the entire day. You must bring it in exact change, as you will put the cash in the slot corresponding to your space.