Unlocking the Museum's Art Gallery

While the Museum is an early and vital building on your island, its Art Gallery wing isn't immediately available. Unlocking this prestigious addition requires a bit of patience and a keen eye for genuine masterpieces. This section will guide you through the steps to expand Blathers' collection beyond fossils, bugs, and fish.

The process begins once you've upgraded Resident Services from a tent to a full building. Shortly after this, Blathers, your resident owl curator, will approach you with a new request. He'll express his desire to expand the Museum to include an art exhibit, but he needs a donation to get started. This is where a new, somewhat shady character comes into play: Redd.

Here’s how to get the Art Gallery up and running:

Donate 60 Items to the Museum: Before Blathers even mentions art, ensure you've donated a combined total of 60 unique fossils, bugs, and fish to the Museum. This is a prerequisite for him to consider expanding.
Upgrade Resident Services: As mentioned, your Resident Services building must be fully upgraded from a tent.
Blathers' Art Request: After meeting the above conditions, Blathers will approach you during your next visit to the Museum, discussing his dream of an art gallery.
Spot Redd on Your Island: The very next day, Isabelle will announce a "suspicious character" on your island. This is Redd, the art dealer. He will be wandering around your island, usually on a secluded beach or a less-frequented area.
Buy Your First Art Piece: Find Redd and speak with him. He will offer you a single piece of art for a sificantly inflated price (around 4,980 Bells). Be warned: this first piece is always genuine!
Donate to Blathers: Take the art piece you bought from Redd directly to Blathers. He will be overjoyed and accept it as the first donation for the Art Gallery.
Museum Construction: The Museum will then close for one day for renovations.
Grand Reopening: The following day, the Museum will reopen with its brand-new Art Gallery wing, accessible from the back-right of the main hall.

From this point forward, Redd will occasionally visit your island on his Treasure Trawler, docking on the secret beach on the northern side of your island. You'll need to be vigilant, as he often sells both genuine and fake art. Collecting genuine art is key to filling your new gallery!