Why I Chose to Open an Art Gallery

Shan Bryan-Hanson Studio + Gallery opened in May 2024 and serves as my studio and a gallery for my work.

The Sturgeon Bay Art Crawl (which opens tomorrow) has me reflecting on why I opened this gallery. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but in one of those abstract, dreamy kind of ways. Nice in theory, but hard to actually picture happening in reality.

Changing life circumstances in 2024 found me reflecting on what was next for me professionally. A door was opened and I decided to give this a go.

Things fell into place quite nicely. I found the beautiful space that houses my gallery rather easily and it was available exactly when I needed it.

I’ve had a very three-dimensional career in art, teaching art, curating an academic gallery, and working as an artist. But all my work experience has been in academic or non-profit art spaces. Running a business was (and still feels) new to me.

One of the greatest challenges so far has been trying to balance what I want for my art and the space, my aesthetic vision, with what works from a more practical business point of view. For better or worse, I almost always go with my aesthetic vision and hope that collectors who share a similar aesthetic sensibility continue to discover the gallery.

I’m quite certain my strategy goes against most business advice. In fact, it’s not really even a strategy. It’s mainly just a desire to make visually and conceptually compelling works of art and share them in beautiful ways.

As I think about it, that’s why I decided to open a gallery. To create a place for art and beauty. A place that is light-filled and peaceful and considered. A place that feels restorative on those days when the world is too much with us.