Called Culture Place (no relation to your beloved CultureMap), the site went live July 9. It's a natural extension of the first-ever online Dallas Art Fair, which resulted in nearly $3 million in sales for participating galleries over 10 days last spring, organizers say.

 

The goal is to support smaller, local galleries across the region that could benefit from more financial help and year-round visibility.

 

“Culture Place will enable dealers to connect with our audience of collectors on an ongoing basis, to engage more deeply in conversations about art in today’s world, and to facilitate the sale of art when the opportunity for physical engagement has evaporated," says John Sughrue, Culture Place founder and Dallas Art Fair chairman, in a release. "We have cultivated meaningful relationships and friendships with our gallerists over the past dozen years and we aim to continue to help them showcase their artists’ work to the world."

 

The marketplace will predominantly focus on Texas galleries, but will also welcome galleries and programming from neighboring states, they say. Weekly artist studio visits, conversations, and other online programming will enhance the site, and galleries will be able to refresh their artworks every 60 days.

 

Collectors can easily search for art by gallery, artist, and title, and then make their purchase securely through the Culture Place site. Artworks are shipped to buyers.

 

“Culture Place is an ongoing digital exchange to promote a cultural lifestyle," says Kelly Cornell, director of both Culture Place and Dallas Art Fair, in the release. "We will continue our mission to connect our audience to a curated offering while highlighting the best of our region."

 

As of launch time, the participating galleries are:

Bill Arning Exhibitions (Houston)
David Shelton Gallery (Houston)
Inman Gallery (Houston)
McClain Gallery (Houston)
Moody Gallery (Houston)
Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art (Houston)
Laura Rathe Fine Art (Dallas/Houston)
12.26 (Dallas)
Conduit Gallery (Dallas)
Cris Worley Fine Arts (Dallas)
Dirty Dark Place (Austin)
Erin Cluley Gallery (Dallas)
Galleri Urbane (Dallas)
Holly Johnson Gallery (Dallas)
Liliana Bloch Gallery (Dallas)
Ruiz-Healy Art (San Antonio)
Sean Horton (presents) (Dallas)
Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden (Dallas)
William Campbell Contemporary Art (Fort Worth)