To Yuko Nogami Taylor, 10 is the ideal number: not too many artists struggling for attention, and not too few paying the bills.
As a founding member of the 5 Points Gallery in downtown Durham, Taylor has been there since the beginning. She was there when they had 12 artists, and she was there when they had eight.
Known for its local art and diverse, contemporary collection, 5 Points Gallery is also an artistic cooperative made up of 10 local artists. Without a gallerist or manager to rely on, each artist must be more than just a creator. The artists have become financial planners, marketers, designers, and salespeople.
When they consider new artists, they’re looking for “superpower people,” Taylor said.
Need to build a table? They have a furniture maker. Need a marketer? Resident artist Jenny Blazing, who specializes in acrylic paintings and collage paintings, can do that, too. Need someone to manage the books? Taylor has a background in finance.
“Everybody has a job,” Taylor said.
What is now 5 Points Gallery began in 2013 as Pleiades Gallery, a nonprofit artist-activist space that often highlighted local social justice work. In 2019, the organization split into two separate entities. Pleiades Arts maintained its nonprofit status and moved into a Durham Arts Council building, seeking to advance grassroots programming.
In 2019, 5 Points Gallery was born as a for-profit fine arts gallery, located in the former Pleiades Gallery space.
“The gallery doesn’t make money, artists make money,” Taylor said.
To keep the place running, every artist pays rent, which collectively covers the gallery’s lease, said Teddy Devereux, another founding member. Artists also contribute roughly 18% commission from each sale to a shared pool that covers utilities and day-to-day expenses. In total, the gallery costs about $6,000 a month to operate.
Early on, 5 Points Gallery featured 15 artists. At the time, having more members helped distribute the financial burden of rent and expenses. But Taylor found that too many artists created other challenges.
For starters, being part of an artistic cooperative requires trust. Each artist works two to three shifts a month at the gallery. When artist Kerry Burch staffed the space last Thursday evening, she was responsible for selling not only her own work, but that of the other nine artists.
Burch spoke easily about each artist’s work. One of her favorite pieces was by Anne Heartt Gregory. She studied it closely, trying to understand how Gregory created such distinct shapes in her paintings.
“Maybe she might be dabbing and then painting over it,” Burch said. “The black element in her work can be very powerful.”
Artists in the collective must also be willing to share the spotlight. Each month, one artist is featured in the front gallery space, with the order determined by a drawing from a hat, Taylor said. Jim McKeon, a Five Points member known among the group for his handiwork, rearranges the gallery each month and installs the featured exhibit.
When McKeon and fellow artist Todd Levins reorganize the space, artists must trust his vision — even if it means their work is moved out of a prime location.
“Nobody is going to say, ‘you have to hang this one in the most visible place,’” Taylor said. “We love each other, we treat each other like a family. I have never seen anything like that before.”
Located on Main Street in downtown Durham, 5 Points Gallery benefits from the high-traffic, highly sought-after area. As of April, only three other first-floor storefronts on Main Street were available for lease, according to the commercial real estate site LoopNet. Positioned near restaurants including Pizzeria Toro and M Pocha, the gallery often draws in passersby waiting for a table. Its storefront features bright lighting and large glass windows; its door is left open during busy hours to attract patrons.
“We get a great location in terms of being next to the pizza place,” Burch said. “We do catch a lot of people that are walking around looking for something to eat or waiting for their reservation.”
On a typical weekend, the gallery sells two to three pieces, Burch said.
“I do usually sell some art, but I’m not making much more than I pay in rent,” Devereux said.
While the cooperative benefits from not paying a third-party gallery owner, most of its artists rely on outside income. Many are retired or supported by a spouse or other employment.
“It’s a very expensive hobby,” Devereux said.
Devereux, a glassmaker, retired from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and has been working with glass for 30 years. She now relies on her pension, allowing her to pursue art without financial pressure.
Similarly, Burch retired from the federal Environmental Protection Agency after 21 years. She began painting seven or eight years ago but only started pursuing it full-time after retiring last March.
In the fall, the gallery added its newest member, Todd Levins. With Levins, the gallery sits at 10 artists, which, to Taylor, is just right.
Above: Artist Kerry Burch staffed the desk on a recent Thursday night at 5 Points Gallery. Photo by Jothi Gupta — The 9th Street Journal
Jothi Gupta
