The South Room Art Show

The South Room Art Show is a team: one artist and one gallerist. A micro-business experiment created to share the stories behind each piece—and to honor the often invisible work that brings art into the world.

Why We Exist

Having a piece of art made by a living human feels different. It has a presence you can’t replicate. Every work carries a story. At The South Room Art Show, we share those stories with you, hoping you’ll find one that speaks to you—and that you’ll retell it to friends and loved ones for years to come.

Why Choose The South Room?

Micro-scale: We work with one artist at a time.Human-first. Not made by AI. Not made by cis men.Shared voice: We tell each other’s stories.Transparent split: 50% for the artist, 50% for the gallerist—always.

Current Exhibit

[description of the current exhibit]

Logistics

We believe in keeping things clear and simple. Here’s how it works.Who sets the prices?
The Gallerist. We do this to take the pressure off the Artist. While the Gallerist sets prices to ease the Artist’s burden, we always talk through pricing together so it feels right on both sides.Who pays for shipping?
The buyer covers shipping costs, calculated at checkout.Can I return an artwork?
We don’t accept returns unless an item is damaged in transit (in which case the store platform’s policies apply).

How It Works

We partner with one artist at a time.We photograph and write about their work together.You browse, choose, and purchase here.The artist ships your piece directly to you.We celebrate that your purchase supports independent queer and women's art.

Meet the Artist

[photo, bio, quote]

Meet the Gallerist

[photo, bio, quote]

Join Us

[newsletter signup]
[follow on social]
[contact]

Artist Info

Common Goal
・To promote and sell original art to good folks
・While creating sustainable profits for both the Artist and the Gallerist
・In an environment where we recognize each other’s work
・And have each other’s backsHow It Works
The Artist brings their works to the South Room.
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Together, the Artist and Gallerist set up the artworks for photography and video.
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They take photos and record details.
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The Artist shares stories about each piece while the Gallerist takes notes.
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The Artist packs up their works and takes them home.
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The Gallerist creates content and offers the pieces for sale.
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When an artwork sells, the Gallerist shares the purchaser’s information with the Artist.
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The Artist packs and ships the piece to the buyer.
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The Gallerist sends the Artist their payment.What Each Person Does
The Artist
Creates artwork, frames pieces (if needed), explains the work to the Gallerist, carries pieces to and from the South Room, helps set up for photography, show up for their audience, thell them about the show, ships sold works to buyers, and—importantly—brags about the Gallerist.The Gallerist
Maintains The South Room Art Show (the physical space and the website), photographs and describes artworks, listen to the Artist, writes about the art and the Artist, tells her audience about the collection, sets pricing, processes transactions, and—just as importantly—brags about the Artist.Compensation
Profits are split evenly: 50% for the Artist and 50% for the Gallerist.The South Room isn’t an automated platform—it’s me, Ayuko, taking care of every step that brings your work to buyers. From photography to storytelling to handling payments, this labor is part of the value we create together.If you’re an artist interested in working together, I’d love to hear from you.

An Artist's Questions, Answered

An artist friend of mine asked:“I'd be curious about how artists are chosen, or if it's just a matter of getting in touch with you.”I loved the question, and here’s my answer—as of today, July 11, 2025!To me, it’s a two-part question:
Part I: What are the selection criteria?
Part II: What happens in the process?Part I: What are the selection criteria?
It’s really a mutual selection process.
Here’s how I think about it, from the Gallerist’s perspective:The Artist as a Person
I try to be the kind of person the Artist wants to work with. And I look for the same in return. Some things I consider:・Do I feel safe with this person?
・Is communication easy?・Do they show up (on time, most of the time) and follow through?
・Do they recognize and credit other people’s work?・Do they have a sense of self-awareness?
・Do they manage their own admin tasks?The Work
The art itself needs to be:・Finished pieces
・2D or 3D tangible works・In any genre or theme—I'm not the buyer, and we're not trying to guess what will sell. People like what they like. This is an experiment.
・Dealbreakers? Cigarette smell. The Gallerist will know when she sees it.And most importantly:
・If you have things to say about your work, we might be a good fit.
If you have nothing to say about your work, we probably aren’t.Part II: What happens in the process?
Here’s the scenario I imagine in my mind’s eye:An Artist stumbles upon The South Room Art Show website and spends some time looking, reading, feeling, and thinking.
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They visit the contact form and do the same—reading the questions, feeling, thinking.
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They go back and forth between the site and the form. Looking. Reading. Feeling. Thinking.
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Eventually, they upload a few photos and type out some answers. They hit Send.
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The Gallerist receives the submission and sends a thank-you email within 48 hours.
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The Gallerist takes time to look at the photos, read the answers, and look up the Artist online, all while feeling and thinking.
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The Gallerist writes back to say whether it feels like a good fit.
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If it does, she suggests an in-person conversation—online or at a café.
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The Artist and Gallerist meet and talk. Then both go home and spend more time feeling and thinking.I will be kind, honest, and professional. No holding back.