Thank you for your interest in DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery & Gifts. This information is for professional artists who are interested in becoming active members of our gallery under one of our three Membership Tiers. Memberships are open to professional artists and fine-crafts persons living and working in southwest Florida and surrounding areas. Our gallery is artist-operated and focuses on the quality of artworks, unique inventory, and exquisite presentations.

How this gallery works

This gallery is a member/cooperative space. Every member artist is involved in the day-to-day operations of the gallery from press, marketing, hanging, painting, replacing bulbs, gardening, dusting, cleaning, etc. What makes this gallery look amazingly attractive and most of all, successful, is the hard work, creativity, teamwork and resilience of every member. Active participation by all members is essential to the daily operations and sustainability of our gallery. Under two of our Membership Tiers. artists are required to work in the gallery and promote theirs and other artists’ works accordingly.

The current available Membership Tiers are:

Tier 1 – The Tier 1 membership consists of artists who do not work at the gallery but wish to sell their works and be represented. These artists will pay a full monthly membership fee of $100, with a payable commission of 80% from their sales.

Tier 2 – The Tier 2 membership consists of artists who will work the gallery a minimum of 2 days per month, will pay no monthly membership fee, with a payable commission of 60% from their sales.

Tier 3 – The Tier 3 membership is for artists that will work the gallery a minimum of 4 days a month, pay no membership fee with a payable commission of 80% from their sales.

All Tiers have an inventory and size limit on two-dimensional artworks consisting of 10 pieces, not exceeding 36 inches on any side. The inventory should be maintained by the artists, replacing pieces as they sell.

NOTE: Payment of the Tier 1 membership is due every first day of the month. Commission checks are paid to artists during the first week of the month, after all accounting for the prior month is completed. For example, items sold in the month of August are paid to the artist on the first week of September.

Currently, there is no inventory limit on three-dimensional inventory, such as pottery, jewelry, fine crafts, etc.

All Tiers must sign up and actively participate in (at least) one of our committees. All members, regardless of the tier selected, must help with the committee’s mission, engage and be a team player. The committees will select a president and a secretary, who will then report to the gallery’s administration on a regular basis on the respective projects or actions.

Member artists are allowed and encouraged to participate in more than one committee.

The Active Committees are:

• Gardening Committee – in charge of the beautification and overall outside appearance of our venue. This involves, but is not limited to, planting, watering and regular care for plants and gardens around our leased space. Activities for this committee are encouraged outside the gallery working hours, with some exceptions such as watering or rearranging potted plants, etc. A designated committee member can purchase plants and supplies under a budget pre-approved by the administration. The maximum committee membership is 3.

• Visual Merchandising Committee – in charge of making sure all shelves and displays are up to date, clean of dust and properly presented. Committee members will also make sure that all tags are present and correlate with the merchandise on display. The committee has the power to reject or remove any items that do not meet *quality/presentation standards, with proper notification to the artist. A list of bylaws listing circumstances that deem an item unacceptable as inventory will be created and maintained by the committee, once approved by the administration.

• Artists’ Publicity Committee – in charge of making sure all artists have the proper business cards, post cards, pamphlets, and other self-produced materials available, as well as the creation and updating of artists’ bios. The artists’ bios are to be either displayed near or attached to the artist’s inventory or kept as a hand-out in a folder for customers. This committee is entrusted to obtain all the information needed for a basic bio and a picture of the artist to create the document using a template approved by the administration. The committee will also maintain the information on the bios always updated.

• Maintenance Committee – in charge of making sure our space is always clean and ready for business. Additionally, this committee is in charge of creating an inventory list of all cleaning products and supplies, maintaining such and using a pre-approved budget to purchase items needed. The cleanliness of our floors, windows and doors are the responsibility of this committee and its members.

During the working days, tasks such as handling inquiries, transactions, and basic daily duties are performed by the member artist(s). A monthly schedule, distributed in advance, appoints coverage during business hours. The business hours may change during season (October to April) and off-season (May to September).

 An administrative committee, responsible for handling the accounting and taking care of the legal, financial and business matters of the gallery is already established. The administrative committee handles all proposed changes that may affect performance, presentation, economics, finances and/or aesthetics of the gallery, including selection or rejection of applicants. Members do not take part on any administrative matters.

Eligible Fine artists or crafts persons residing in southwest Florida and surrounding areas are eligible to apply for membership. In addition, we display the works of other non-member guest artists, in combination with member artists or during solo shows, monthly or under extended guest-artist agreements. The non-member guest artists’ selections are handled and decided by the administrative committee.

Introducing other non-member artists monthly enhances the gallery’s recognition and allow member artists to exhibit and network alongside other established/emerging artists and their clientele.

Potential new members must submit a completed application along with a non-refundable fee of $35 paid in the form of a check payable to DAAS CO-OP. There is no limit in the number of images or information submitted with the application. These images should be emailed to acevedostudio@yahoo.com in JPEG format, once the printed and signed application is submitted.

The Administrative Committee will review all submissions and may request feedback from current members before making the final decision. Once the decision is made, the Administrative Committee will notify the applicant via email. If selected, the email notification will contain further instructions and effective day of membership.

What is the member artists’ commission?

• Tier 1 Members commission is 80%, with a 20% to the gallery fund.
• Tier 2 Members commission is 60%, with a 40% to the gallery fund.
• Tier 3 Members commission is 80%, with a 20% to the gallery fund.
• Non-Member guest-artist commission is 50%, with 50% to the gallery fund.

Paying the Membership Dues

The preferred method of payment for membership dues is by check, payable to DAAS CO-OP. Checks are left at the gallery in a determined space. A member of the Administrative Committee, who has been entrusted with accounting responsibilities, will collect all the checks to tabulate and deposit into the gallery’s account in or around the 6th day of the month.

Tier 1 Member artists who fail to submit their check payment by the 5th day of the month will be charged an additional 10% on the membership payment via credit card. This extra charge is NOT a penalty, but reimbursement to the gallery for the transaction fee incurred due to the manual use of the Point-of-Sale system. Any Tier 1 Member artist paying dues with a credit card will be charged an additional 10%, for a total of $105.00.

Gallery Hours of Operation

Regular business hours are Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 3:00pm. This schedule may change, depending on demand and availability of artists in the membership. Updated hours will be shown on the home page of our website. Special Event hours are 5:30pm to 8:30pm, usually on the first Friday of the month, or otherwise coordinated.

Applicants for membership must submit the following:

• Completed application
• OPTIONAL: Resume/ bio, artist’s statement or printed examples of their work (we recommend 6-10 images)
• Website link
• Sample Price List
• Two references (included in application)
• Non-refundable check payable to DAAS CO-OP in the amount of $35
• Images in JPEG format emailed to acevedostudio@yahoo.com

The application package can be emailed to acevedostudio@yahoo.com or hand delivered to the gallery in a sealed manila envelope. If you prefer to mail the information, you can send it to: David Acevedo / DAAS Application 10051 McGregor Blvd STE 202 Fort Myers, FL 33966. Notifications of decisions are sent via email, usually within two weeks from submission.

Duration of Membership Contract A membership agreement for a minimum duration of one year is required, under contract. However, the Administrative Committee reserves the right to terminate any agreement due to, but not limited to the following reasons:

• Inappropriate/unprofessional behavior
• Failure to work your scheduled gallery shift (see penalty fee information below)
• Theft
• Customer complaint
• Poor artwork quality (artist will be given one opportunity to fix, redo, etc.)

What we ask of our members (working artists)

Membership in the DAAS CO-OP is a privilege and as such, it involves certain expectations and responsibilities. The gallery is a wonderful place to highlight and sell your work year-round, but members must never forget that the expectations keep the business running.

Working artist members must work their scheduled days, on a full shift. (A full shift is defined as: starting/opening at 10:00AM and ending/closing at 3:00PM. Every artist is responsible to find coverage or switch with another artist, whenever they are unable to be cover their scheduled day(s). Complying with scheduled shifts is the responsibility of each Working Member. Any Artist Member who fails to show up for their shift will be required to pay $50.00 for the missed day. This money is considered a penalty and will go to the gallery fund. Failure to show up for two working days within a 30-day period may result in termination of your membership.

Artist Agreement for Displaying Artwork at the Gallery

All artists must agree to the following statement, upon delivering artwork of any kind to be displayed at the gallery: “I understand that I am supplying artwork to be displayed or stored at DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery & Gifts at my own risk and expense. DAAS Art Gallery LLC is under no obligation to repair or reimburse me for any loss or damage caused by any unforeseen situation outside of their control.”

Artist Inventory

We ask artists to maintain a proper inventory, meeting gallery standards and secure that works displayed remain fresh and up to date. Varying the work on display at least quarterly helps keep the gallery interesting and inviting for visitors to come back. Also, we ask that you inform your collectors and clients when new artwork is brought into the gallery.

Artist Inventory Limitations/Size Restrictions

Member Artist’s inventory consists of a maximum of ten (10) 2-D pieces. Print racks count as 2 pieces. Due to limited wall space, 2-D pieces must not exceed 36” on any side. Larger artworks can be presented on easels during the artist’s shift, at the artist’s discretion, however these must be removed at the end of the shift. As an alternative, larger works can be listed on our website with the options of direct purchase or appointment to see the work in person.

Details regarding the gallery’s website will be released upon acceptance and during scheduled meetings.

This inventory limit does not affect 3-D pieces for now, however the administration asks for courtesy and balance. Artwork can be rotated on a monthly basis, and it is the artist’s responsibility to make sure all pieces submitted meet the gallery standards.

Note: The membership agreement does not restrict the artist from showing their work elsewhere, but it does encourage certain exclusivity and respect. Member artists should have the courtesy to maintain a logical distance between the galleries that carry their work.

*Gallery’s Quality/Presentation Standards list will be supplied to the artists by the committee.