Website

The Budget Gallery website becomes the home of the Budget Gallery because it has no traditional home in a particular location. It's the place for people to go to find out about upcoming shows, as well as an archive for past shows.

Making and maintaining the website has been a large portion of the work for the staff in a Budget Gallery show, however it's one of the few things we can guarantee artists in exchange for their work. While an artist's piece will definitely disappear into the universe at a Budget Gallery show - by being sold, stolen, or vandalized - it will also be archived and available on the website indefinitely.

The website serves several functions:

• an archive of submitted work
• an archive of documentation of past openings
• another point of access for the public
• a means to promote upcoming shows
• a means to promote artists who have participated in shows.

But I Don't Know Anything About Computers!

Setting up and maintaining the website requires some knowledge of the web, and computers. Fortunately if you're not up for the task, everyone probably has some geeky friend that can handle the job. Maybe you can make a cake, and they can make a website. Together, everyone is happy. You with your website, and your geeky, cake filled friend.

Building Your Site

Step One: Set Up Your Site

If this is the first Budget Gallery show you have put on, step one is to set up the Budget Gallery website. Here is what you will need to do and some rough costs:

• Get a domain like www.baltimorebudgetgallery.org - usually -\$9-12
• Get web hosting, usually \$8-\$10 per monzth

Step Two: Decide on a Strategy

Your site will have a large number of artists and images rather quickly. It's best to manage this with a database if you can. The Budget Gallery SF and LA sites are run with wordpress because we found this method keeps the site organized and easy to maintain for years to come (so far).

There may be other strategies one could use outside of wordpress, such as using flickr in combination with a simpler blogging platform. Check out the resources page

Things to think about:

1. Are you savvy enough with making websites that you can handle this on your own?
   1. If not, do you know someone who will help you?
2. Have you given yourself enough time to set up the site before the show?

Step Three: Add Info on Your Show

Immediately post information on your upcoming show (the call for entries, and any other general info) and create an email list that people can sign up to themselves if they visit the site.

Step Four: Add Info on Your Artists

Once you haved received work and documented it, you're ready to add artists and their work to the website.

Things to consider:

• Try to make the entries as uniform as possible. Create a format or a system and stick to it.
• If you're using wordpress, create a category system so people can find the artist under their name, or the show they participated in.
• list the following under the each image of the artists work:
  • "Title of Work"
  • Materials
  • dimensions
  • price
• include the artists statement from the entry form
• include a link to the artist website if provided