About Us
About Gahaya Gallery
Art with a story. Support with dignity.
Gahaya Gallery is an online art gallery and storytelling ministry founded by Celestin “Celo” Gahaya to support underrepresented African artists through dignity, creativity, and transparent support. It was created to make room for artists whose work carries deep story, beauty, and dignity, but whose opportunities are often limited by circumstance, geography, resources, or access.
Beginning with artists from Rwanda and expanding across Africa, Gahaya Gallery helps gifted underrepresented African artists share their work with a wider audience through online art presentation, ethical storytelling, and donor-supported ministry operations. Many artists carry powerful creative gifts but lack access to platforms, visibility, and sustainable opportunities. Gahaya Gallery exists to help bridge that gap with care, integrity, and relationship.
This is not only about selling art. It is about telling stories well. It is about representing artists with dignity. It is about helping buyers understand that every piece of art comes from a person, a place, a journey, and a voice, and that their stories should never be reduced to hardship.
This platform brings together art, storytelling, e-commerce, and transparent support so that artists can be seen, buyers can connect more deeply, and supporters can understand the impact of their generosity.
Every art purchase follows a clear 90/10 support model: after production and shipping costs are covered, 90% of the remaining profit goes directly to the artist, and 10% helps sustain Gahaya Gallery’s ministry operations so we can continue finding artists, building campaigns, maintaining the platform, and sharing more stories with the world.
A Message from Celo
From the founder
I started Gahaya Gallery because I have met artists whose work deserves to be seen far beyond the places where they live. Some of these artists carry difficult stories, but I do not want their pain to be the only thing people see. I want people to see their dignity, imagination, resilience, craft, and beauty.
For me, Gahaya Gallery is not just about creating an online shop. It is about building a bridge between artists and people who care. It is about helping someone look at a piece of art and understand that there is a real person behind it, with a story, a voice, and a gift worth honouring.
My hope is that this gallery becomes a place where artists are represented well, supporters are communicated with clearly, and every purchase carries meaning.
We are committed to transparency. When someone buys art through Gahaya Gallery, production and shipping costs are covered first. From the remaining profit, 90% goes directly to the artist, and 10% helps the gallery continue operating. When someone gives donor or ministry support, that support helps sustain the infrastructure and ongoing work required to build and grow the gallery. Both forms of support matter, and both should be communicated clearly.
To make this sustainable, Kelly and I are contracted through ACCI (Adventive Cross Cultural Initiatives), a registered Canadian charity, to carry out the ministry work behind Gahaya Gallery. Gahaya Gallery itself is not a registered charity; donations given through ACCI support our contracted ministry role, while art purchases follow the 90/10 model that benefits the artist directly.
Celo leads the vision, artist relationships, storytelling, and campaign development for Gahaya Gallery. His wife, Kelly, supports the ministry in an administrative role, helping with communication and fundraising as the ministry grows.
Celestin "Celo" Gahaya
Ministry support through ACCI
ACCI (Adventive Cross Cultural Initiatives) is a registered Canadian charity. Celo and Kelly are contracted through ACCI to carry out the ministry work behind Gahaya Gallery. Gahaya Gallery itself is not a registered charity; it is a platform Celo built to support underrepresented African artists, and ACCI is the partner that makes the ministry side of that work sustainable.
Artwork purchases follow a transparent 90/10 model. After production and shipping costs are covered, 90% of the remaining profit goes directly to the artist. The remaining 10% helps support Gahaya Gallery's ongoing work, including campaign development, artist storytelling, website maintenance, communication, and outreach.
Support raised through ACCI helps cover the behind-the-scenes ministry work needed to represent artists well before sales are consistent. This includes website systems, print-on-demand tools, digital outreach, storytelling, communication, administration, and transparent reporting.
Gahaya Gallery is committed to clearly communicating how donations are used, how artists are supported, and how artist-related funds are handled. Donors and supporters should always understand the difference between giving to sustain the ministry and purchasing artwork that directly benefits the artist through the 90/10 model.
Two ways to stand with the work
Art purchases directly support artists through the 90/10 profit model. Donor support helps sustain the infrastructure that makes the artist support possible.
Your support helps build a ministry where artists are seen, stories are honoured, and creativity becomes a pathway for provision, dignity, and hope.