Life & Work with 311 Gallery

Today we’d like to introduce you to 311 Gallery. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Lakeshia T. Reid and Kenneth Proseus took over ownership of 311 Gallery in July 2020. With the previous owner retiring and the gallery’s future uncertain in the face of COVID, Lakeshia and Kenneth have lead 311 with the intention of honoring what has made the gallery a staple of Downtown Raleigh for over a decade, while bringing in a lot of new, fresh contemporary works for a new generation of patrons.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Operating 311 Gallery has largely been a pretty smooth road, largely in thanks to the incredible 20+ studio artists that rent gallery and studio spaces within 311.

These artists go a long way to making the gallery sustainable, and provide a large variety of artworks for patrons to peruse. Taking over an existing business, while not without its challenges, has been a smoother process than it would have been starting from scratch.

The largest hurdle has been getting the gallery on people’s radar, by renovating the space and bringing in fresh new exhibits to catch people’s attention.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Lakeshia T. Reid and Kenneth Proseus are both professional artists as well as Co-Owners of 311 Gallery.

Lakeshia Reid has over a decade of marketing and design experience and graduated from Elizabeth City University. As a painter, Lakeshia is self-taught, and has been painting portraiture in oil for over half a decade. Lakeshia takes charge of the Gallery’s many day-to-day and month-to-month tasks as Co-owner, including marketing, web and print promotion, design, bookkeeping and consignment.

Kenneth Proseus has been creating abstract color field works for over a decade, and has more recently taken to created painted wood sculptural works. Kenneth studied Studio Art at UNC-Chapel Hill, and has a background in curation, and handles installation of new exhibits at 311.

Both Lakeshia and Kenneth take pride in creating a welcoming space that provides city-goers a unique place to enjoy art.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Customer service is critical to everything that 311 Gallery does. Providing a valuable, relaxing customer experience is something most businesses struggle with, especially larger ones.

By being a Mom and Pop Gallery, we get to speak directly to our patrons, and try our best to provide a welcoming environment that enriches Downtown Raleigh to locals and visitors alike.

Pricing:

• 311 Gallery hundreds of works of art from as low as $3 dollar cards to large paintings and sculptures worth thousands.
• 311 Gallery ships nationwide.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: 311artgallery.com
• Instagram: @311gallery
• Facebook: 311Gallery

Image Credits
Lakeshia T. Reid and Kenneth Proseus