“Running a gallery isn’t as simple as booking in the photographers and asking them what they have in mind”: student’s view on Open Eye Gallery

The gallery and the city

Open Eye Gallery was one of the UK’s first dedicated photography galleries. It originally opened in 1977 and has since been situated in numerous different locations in Liverpool, now located on Mann Island amongst Liverpool’s iconic waterfront.  

Liverpool couldn’t be a better home for Open Eye Gallery, as Liverpool’s community spirit is unmatched by almost any other city in Great Britain. Its diverse culture, with links all over the world and a distinct history, is perfect for a city known for its arts. It is a fantastic city with loads of professional photographers, artist exhibitions and great links between galleries. At the same time, it has lots of grassroots and chances for people to come up. While Open Eye Gallery definitely benefits from being in Liverpool, I would argue that Liverpool itself benefits from Open Eye Gallery. 

Being a huge part of the local art scene, Open Eye Gallery gives a voice for the youth and wider community of Merseyside and the Wirral to allow local artists to express their vision and to potentially use it as a way of speaking about issues that are important to them. This is something I have personal experience with, having taken part in the 2025 What Makes Us exhibition, where my photography class at Whitby High School were able to create an exhibition of what community means to us. 

This meant that we were able to represent what life is like for youths in Ellesmere Port and have our voice put out there. Personally, I took the approach of taking a few photos around town, then displaying the ones I felt were the most representative of Ellesmere Port. 

Being able to relate topics to the community is a huge benefit as it allows everyone to feel represented or to understand the target group of an exhibition. All this means that Open Eye Gallery has been able to root itself in Liverpool’s culture and become a voice for the community. 

Running a gallery

From speaking to all the members of staff at the gallery, I can confirm that no day is the same. One day may consist of answering emails and doing admin tasks, while the next day may be a stressful one of curating and installing an exhibition. 

Running a gallery isn’t as simple as booking in the photographers, asking them what they have in mind and bringing it to life. It is also having a social presence, which is a whole other business in modern times. It is key for the gallery to create ads and generate press mentions, to promote and document what is happening, and to handle relations with other people and businesses.

The gallery has connections with many places such as universities and other museums around the country, along with local community groups. It also isn’t just national links; Open Eye Gallery connects with photographers all around the world, for example, with Ukrainian photographers. 

Running a gallery isn’t just running a business, it is creating a space that is safe and inclusive for everyone. It is being able to carry that on and apply it outside, further than the gallery walls. Choosing an exhibition is choosing who the project is aimed at and if it is relevant to them.

Advice to young people pursuing art

After speaking to all members of staff about what advice they would give to young people who want to start pursuing photography, or art of any kind, I have been able to gather some key pieces of advice. 

Go out there and start making yourself known. This can be through volunteering, starting up an Instagram page, sending your photos to open calls and participating in events. After all, if your photos aren’t getting out there, no one is going to get the chance to see them. 

Know what other people have done before you and differentiate yourself from other people to create something that is true to you. That way, you will create a piece that truly relates to you and give it more emotion.

Realise that you’re not going to get everything right on your first try at something. Do not be too hard on yourself and do not be disheartened by the outcome. 

In any aspect of life, the skills you have learned in seemingly unrelated things can be used to help find yourself new opportunities, jobs and hobbies. 

I would recommend the gallery to anyone interested in thought-provoking and challenging photography. I would also recommend it to any young people interested in arts of any kind – it will be very relevant to the modern issues that people want to bring awareness to.