Our Story
About the Gallery
A space dedicated to empowering artists to believe in themselves.
"Finding your own style is not easy, but once found it brings complete happiness. It gives you self-confidence, always."– Yves Saint Laurent
Mission
Art for everyone,
always
My Gallery NYC was founded in 2021 with a simple but radical idea: that a gallery in New York City could be rigorous, adventurous, and genuinely welcoming all at once. Not a white-cube institution that makes visitors feel they need credentials to enter. Not a commercial space that treats art purely as investment.
We host artists who are doing something essential. Artists who take risks. Artists whose work asks something of you. And we work to bring that work to audiences who are ready to meet it.
Our Space
Brooklyn, New York
The Team
Meet the founder
Darla Ebanks
Director & Founder
Born in Honduras, Darla Ebanks came to the United States in 1967. Her love of art came from doodling in her school note books as a young girl. She received a lot of praise from her class paintings from her teachers but not from her family with the exception of her sister. She stopped painting at 11 years old and picked it back up in 2001. Despite enjoying painting and spending days on pieces, Darla originally painted in secret because she didn't believe her work was good enough for people to see. When her friends complained to her about being MIA, she bit the bullet and showed them her artwork. Over the years she had accumulated so many paintings and showed no signs of stopping. Her late friend, Marge, told her to put her art work in a gallery. Darla was against the idea because she "… didn't want other people's art to influence her creative process…". Marge would later tell Darla to open up her own gallery and showcase her work. Darla didn't know anything about opening and managing a gallery but she decided that she could try. The walls were painted white, lights were put up, and she hung up her artwork. Marge would never get to see the gallery.
What We Stand For
Our Values
Accessibility
We offer free admission every day. Art shouldn't cost money to experience.
Risk-taking
We show work that challenges. If everything we show is comfortable, we are not doing our job.
Equity
More than half the artists we represent are women. More than half are artists of color. This is not a coincidence.
Community
We are a part of our neighborhood. We host community events, school visits, and local partnerships year-round.