BAVA Gallery Cooperative

A new retail art gallery has opened its doors in Green Bay’s Broadway District.

BAVA Gallery Cooperative, located at 413 Dousman St., aims to connect artists with buyers, collectors and the community by providing a collaborative space for displaying and selling their work.

“We are hoping that people are not only going to come in and browse to look at the artwork, but also that they’re going to find gifts for friends and family and for themselves,” said Kathy Esch, board member at BAVA Gallery Cooperative.

“About a year ago, there were four of us who are all ceramicists who know each other from the NWTC Artisan Center and we started talking about bringing something like this to the Green Bay community,” Esch said.

BAVA Gallery Cooperative offers community members an opportunity to view and shop the works of several local artists.

“Green Bay has very unique and broad talents here,” Esch said. “They’ll want to come back to see the artwork, to see the district and to see Green Bay in a different light. They’ll think, ‘Oh, maybe I don’t have to take a drive up to Sturgeon Bay or Fish Creek today. I can stay in Green Bay and find some really unique pieces here.’... With the exception of The Art Garage, there’s really nothing like this here.”

BAVA Gallery is a cooperative, meaning all the artists on display are also involved in running the gallery.

“We wanted to start a cooperative where we could connect local artists to the market and to the community,” Esch said. “It’s all run, managed and funded by the artists that are here showcasing their work in the gallery.”

BAVA Gallery Cooperative received a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Committee in March to pay for their professional expenses to get started, but it is the artist members that keep the gallery going.

“We’re all owners of this business,” Esch said. “Everyone that is a member right now is also an owner. There’s an initial investment that they’ve given financially and there’s also an investment of time as we’re each staffing the gallery during open hours. In addition to that we have committees from curation to membership to financials to operations, so we’re all split up in terms of running the business here. It’s a really great opportunity for young artists who may not have the means to go out and start something on their own.”

BAVA Gallery Cooperative currently has 13 member artists, but Esch said she hopes to see that number grow to 20 and beyond.

More information about BAVA Gallery Cooperative, including how to become a member and details about upcoming exhibits, can be found at bavagallerygb.com.