This publication zooms in on a particular mode of organizing: on the ‘Artist-run Democracy’. It does so by examining the workings of 126, an Artist-run gallery* in Galway, Ireland, as a benchmark. 126 is particular in the way the board is conceived, how the program is decided upon, how directors change every two year, 'serving as volunteers'**, and more. This model is borrowed from Scottish initiatives, started a decades earlier. Unique to 126 is its remote positioning to the global art market. Close but not closed, they have sustained their project for more than 15 years. This book explores the grounds for this mode of organizing within the self-organized culture of the art sector, and may serve as inspiration and discussion for those committed to organising in the visual arts and beyond.
* the word gallery is both a pragmatic and a subversive term to these type of places.
Eamon O'Kane artwork featured on pp. 86-87
ISBN: 978-94-93148-73-4