Recent explosions in real estate, coupled with the rise of SoWa, have consolidated much of the commercial galleries in urban Boston to two neighborhoods, while outer areas and suburbs may support one or two galleries at best. Overall, there are not really any surprises in the general make-up of the scene. It means a clear vision on the gallery walls, but also a potential for small circles of artists to gain influence in sectors of the scene. The impact of this is clear, as it means that a single face and curatorial voice represent the gallery to the public. Of 13 respondants, only 3 reported a paid staff larger than a single employee (for an average of 1.5 employees per gallery). When looking at the make-up of the galleries, the number of staff also factors into their impact and presence. Weighed against 5 respondants whose galleries have existed for 7 years or longer, while only 2 have been in their current location for that time, and we see clear evidence of the real estate explosion of the past 5 years. The high rents of desireable areas, and the recent rise in commercial gallery activity, account for much of this short-term occupancy. When Judi Rotenberg Gallery's 20+ years are factored in, the average time most galleries have spent in their current location drops to 2.2 years. Considering the major uprooting of many galleries into the SoWa complex a few years back, this is not surprising. On average, galleries have been open about 6 years, but only in their current location 3.5 years. Nearly 2/3 of our respondants were from that area, although suburban-Boston made a strong showing, with Brookline, Lawrence, Somerville and Salem all checking in. The first two unsurprising facts about our commercial galleries are that many of them have been uprooted and that most of them are now in the South End/SoWa district. To paraphrase the president : "The State of the Arts in Boston is Strong!" Below is a breakdown of our survey results, along with thoughts and analysis.
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