We had the good fortune of connecting with Good Mother Gallery and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Good Mother Gallery, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We started Good Mother Gallery in 2014 in Downtown Oakland to provide a space for young emerging artists to showcase their work in a gallery setting. A lot of the time it can be complicated for new artists to navigate the gallery world. Finding a space that will take a chance on their work even if they don’t necessarily have a lot of previous gallery experience can be especially difficult. We wanted to give our friends and community the opportunity to learn about how galleries work and what goes into putting together an exhibition. From there we started hosting monthly exhibitions showing hundreds of emerging artists through the years that have gone on to do some amazing things! In 2022 we decided to expand after 8 years in Oakland, opening up our 2nd location in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles. Now that we have a new, bigger space, we’re able to host more artists and showcase larger bodies of work along with hosting community events.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Good Mother Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that was founded in 2014 in the Bay Area, California. The gallery’s mission is to showcase local and international emerging artists and promote public interest in the arts. One of the things that sets Good Mother Gallery apart from others is its commitment to community engagement through art. The gallery hosts monthly art exhibitions and community events, providing a welcoming space for artists and art enthusiasts. In November 2022 we opened our second location in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles.

Like any business, we have faced many challenges along the way. The art industry can be competitive and challenging, but we’re always committed to showcasing emerging artists and engaging the community which has helped us stand out. Some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way are the importance of staying true to their mission, building strong relationships with artists and the community, and continuously adapting to changes in the industry.

We’re very excited to continue our mission here in Los Angeles and can’t wait to show everyone what great exhibitions and events we have planned for the next coming years.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since our life revolves around art we would of course take our friends on a tour of LA’s best museums, galleries and art attractions. We would first start off in Chinatown to explore shops, restaurants and the gallery scene there. We would then do a tour of Downtown, swing by the Wolves bar to enjoy a cocktail and check out the amazing stained glass and architecture. If it’s the weekend we’d tour some of our favorite nearby galleries to check out opening shows including Superchief Gallery, Tlaloc Studios and Thinkspace Gallery. Visiting artists studios is a great way to introduce friends to the local art scene. Downtown has an immense amount of artists studio buildings including Mohilef Studios & Shit Art Club. We’d then wrap up the evening at one of our go-to bar’s like Cole’s. And if we want to keep the party going we’d run on down to Spanky’s, an after hours in West Hollywood, to give our guests the full LA experience,

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We definitely want to shoutout the local arts community in Los Angeles for all their support in welcoming us to the city. We have a great community of artists, patrons and art lovers that come out to our monthly exhibitions that really are the support that helps further artists careers and keep our dream of supporting the emerging art scene going.

Website: goodmothergallery.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodmothergallery/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodmothergallery/

Image Credits
Photos provided by Good Mother Gallery, Emilie Terese & Meriem Dehbi Talbot

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