Today we’d like to introduce you to Ed Dixon.
Hi Ed, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The art gallery was created from a desire to see the artwork that specifically interested me in a space that was comfortable and inviting everyone. That desire turned into a quest to create that space myself. Without any real experience in the art business, I could have told myself I wasn’t up to the challenge. I wasn’t willing to just let the idea go, however, and didn’t allow myself to be talked out of it, not even due to my own thoughts or concerns.
In 2016, the journey began in earnest, and by early 2017 I had secured a lease on 1400 sqft space that was ready for me to renovate and turn into my art gallery. In September of that year, the gallery opened with mostly my own art on the walls with a few pieces on consignment from local artists. That was the beginning, and now the art comes from not only local artists but artists from countries all over the world, including Germany, Cuba, Liberia, United Kingdom, Canada, Iran, New Zealand, and more. The gallery’s mission was always to be an inviting space, and in keeping with that mission hosted several types of private and public events that also included groups of teen and senior citizen organizations, giving them a chance to experience art with no expectations or judgment.
The gallery hit its stride in January 2020 with recognition and consistent sales, but all that was interrupted by forced closures and social distancing requirements caused by the Corona Virus pandemic. The lease for the gallery was up that June, and at that time, it made no sense to continue operating in a space that size. Wanting to stay downtown, I eventually moved the gallery to a smaller space inside the Talbott Tower, which helped maintain a physical space for local customers to see the art and pick up items ordered online. The space served the gallery well for 2 years as the disruption caused by the pandemic slowly started to subside.
After another search for space, I settled on another downtown location slighter larger than the original space. The grand re-opening of the gallery happened in August of 2022 with a ribbon-cutting, and a diverse group of mostly local artists, which was quickly followed in September by the We’re Doing It ALL Wrong® – 2nd Annual Art Exhibition.
Support from family, friends, and community members from inside and outside the Dayton area has been key to the gallery surviving the roughest times of the pandemic, as many art galleries were not able to stay in business. The remaining months of 2022 and the early part of 2023 will be about regaining the momentum lost after January 2020, but the gallery is in a great location and space with the support to do just that.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Additional challenges came in the from inexperience in the art business and mostly having to learn as I went along. There’s also an assumption many times that because I’m African American that the gallery is an African American Art Gallery which is only true in ownership status but not in art representation. Ironically, because of the open calls for art that I have, sometimes I never know the race, religion, or gender of many of the artists that have been displayed in the gallery.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Edward A. Dixon Gallery?
It is a commercial art gallery that deals in consigned artwork by artists local, nationally, and internationally. The gallery has an annual show entitled We’re Doing It ALL Wrong® which is a very socially conscious art exhibition. The exhibition receives entries from all over the world and is currently in its second year.
The gallery has also hosted many other exhibitions, including for the now late Beatles animator Ron Campbell.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Starting out in any business is not supposed to be easy. So, prepare yourself for failures, hard times, and difficult decisions but always have the confidence that overcoming those obstacles will lead to the success for which you have put in the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: shop.eadgallery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eadgallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eadgallery12
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/eadgallery
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKNMrYbxQ-zSy5ro02-51Gg
Image Credits
Edward A. Dixon Gallery
