Constance Smith's Art Marketing 101 The following excerpt is from Art Marketing 101 by Constance Smith, published by: ArtNetwork PO Box 360 Nevada City, CA 95959 530/470/0862 530/470-0256 Fax Available directly from the publisher at http://www.artmarketing.com, from Amazon.com, by clicking on the image to the right, or from your local bookstore.
The Gallery Scene If you're an artist looking for a gallery to carry your work, you need to think creatively and professionally. What is it that will set your work apart from all the other artists searching for a gallery? You might not realize how few people walk through any given gallery in one year. Not many! Do you know how many average people who like art have never been in a gallery? Start asking and you'll be surprised. Most people find galleries overbearing, stiff and snobby and don't feel comfortable being in one, let alone looking at the art and considering buying it. So you're missing a huge hunk of the market if you think galleries are the only way to go. Artists often approach galleries 'before their time.' Most art dealers want to represent artists who have already achieved critical recognition and have a substantial number of clients. I advise artists to search for possible galleries in a reserved manner. They are generally listed last on any of my recommendations for possible venues to show work. Unless you are the number one person represented by the gallery, there are many drawbacks. Galleries often don't seem to respect artists. They pay them late, do not repair damaged artwork before returning it, sometimes do not even return work to the artist. I cannot tell you the number of stories like this I have heard about galleries. Of course, there are some great gallery owners out there, too, but I've only heard a few stories about them. Do you know any stories about responsible gallery owners? I'd love to hear more. The business relationship between a gallery and artist must be based on mutual self-interest and trust. If this is not the basis, you can count on it failing. A gallery can only promote a small number of artists at any given time. They want to promote artists who are easiest to sell. If you don't fall into that category, they might just be storing your work rather than attempting to sell it. Dealing with a gallery is a two-sided affair. You cannot abandon them and leave them totally to their own devices. They need to receive calls and communiques, know you appreciate them. There are also many myths held by artists about galleries: Galleries make or break an artist. You must be represented by a gallery to be a real artist. Galleries pay artists on time. Gallery owners are good business people. Gallery owners are organized. So you've found the right gallery, but they want 50% of the cost of sales? Wow! You didn't know they took that much? Remember that open studio exhibition you put on? Or that group show you held? The cost? Generally the gallery owner has even more costs due to higher rent, more upscale clientele, etc. So if you cringe at 50%, don't even approach a gallery, or for that matter a rep. Just do it all yourself! The Gallery Search If you haven't noticed by now, it's a long road to winning over a gallery owner. Be patient. Many artists finally get in a well-known gallery after 20 years of emerging! Make a list of 20 local galleries to review. When you visit the galleries, jot down all the information you can about each one. From your research, decide what gallery you want to be in. Focus on galleries that have proven track records and carry work compatible with your own. When it comes down to the final choice, you want to know that the gallery is going to invest in your career. They should be the first to buy a piece from a show. If you get the gallery to commit financially-buying work, framing, spending time with an exhibit, press releases, etc.-you know you have a good gallery. Factors to investigate: Styles they carry The price range and the career status of the artists they represent. You don't want it to be too far out of the range you are presently selling in. If they have very established artists selling for $15,000 and you are just beginning to approach galleries, is this going to work? Probably not. Generally you have to have similar price ranges. Customer service you receive as a visitor to the gallery Mood, atmosphere, lighting Location, foot traffic Verify the reliability of a gallery through the Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce or Artists Equity Association in your area. Get references from artists whose work the gallery is currently showing. When you give a gallery your artwork, you either want to receive the work back or the money for it! Check the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the gallery, and see whether they belong to the Chamber of Commerce. When a gallery takes you on, they should give you a solo show within a year and buy at least one of your artworks. What are you there for otherwise? They are investing in you! Try to make connections with the gallery by getting on their mailing list and attending openings. You're going to choose the gallery and sell yourself, your work and your story to them. When you know you've found the right gallery for your work, 'court' them. Send them cards, attend openings, etc. It will take persistence-but we've already verified that persistence pays off. Ideally, a gallery owner will have seen your work in local exhibits over the past years and will know about you. A good way to meet gallery owners is through charity balls or fund-raising events. Gallery owners are bombarded by artists introducing themselves over the phone or in person. Show that you are involved in your community. Introducing yourself via a roundabout way like this can be the best path to becoming acquainted with a gallery owner, museum curator, etc. Reference Sources Art Marketing Sourcebook for the Fine Artist, Third Edition (800) 383 0677, Lists galleries as well as reps and consultants. New York Contemporary Art Galleries: The Complete Annual Guide Manhattan Arts International, 200 E 72nd St #26L, New York, NY 10021 (212) 472 1660, Great guide to the NY gallery scene. $16.95 + shipping. Collectors Guide, Wingspread Inc, PO Box 13566, Albuquerque, NM 87192 (800) 873 4278 (505) 292 7537 http://www.collectorsguide.com A beautiful publication listing galleries in New Mexico. $10ppd. for the two-volume set. Art Now Gallery Guides, PO Box 5541, Clinton, NJ 08809-5541 (908) 638 5255, http://www.gallery-guide.com, A consolidated international version as well as regional versions are available. Local gallery guides and Yellow Pages. Call the Chamber of Commerce to get a gallery guide from the particular city where you think your work might sell well. Often they are free. Approaching a Gallery One of the most common complaints we hear from gallery owners is that artists come to them seeking representation before they are sufficiently prepared. Too little experience-they want maturity in the work. Not high-quality work. No body of work to show-they want to see direction and consistency. Showing work to the wrong genre of gallery, a very common error and waste of time. Artist has not found his or her voice yet. After researching diligently, consider in-depth the approach you will take to each gallery. Offer the owner something unique-in quality, style of work and presentation. You've done your homework and should know what to show a particular owner. You know what you want and do not want in a contract. You're confident, but not overly. You come from a professional basis of wanting to work in partnership with the gallery owner. It's a win-win situation. No whining to gallery owners allowed! After your initial telephone call, you send a snazzy portfolio, not costly-but different than anything they've ever seen. Show how your work is set apart from others. Adjust your basic portfolio for each gallery you contact. Be sophisticated in your presentation as this may be the only introduction you have to the gallery. It must be coherent and consistent. If they cannot perceive quickly and easily what type of work you do, they will return the slides in your SASE without even looking at them. Tips State briefly in your cover letter why you think the gallery is the right place for your work. Did you see an exhibit? Did someone recommend you? Follow up with a call to see what the gallery owner thought, and, hopefully, to arrange for a studio visit. Don't ask for a show or suggest the gallery represent you. Suggest they come to your studio to view your work, even if you're out of town. If you are out of town, let them know when you will be in their area. Never send an unlabeled slide or breakable glass slide. Don't wrap slides in cardboard and then tape them shut with Scotch tape. Simply put them in a slide sleeve. Better yet, start by sending photos. Enclose a SASE for convenient return of your portfolio. Gallery owners don't like to pay for return of your slides and portfolio unless they've requested it to begin with. It is implied that there will be enough postage and an envelope of sufficient size to fit in all the items that the sender wants back. Give the gallery owner four weeks to review your slides and get them back to you. If, by that time, they have not called or returned them in your SASE, call them, but don't be pushy. Meeting the Gallery Owner If and when you finally do get an interview, go prepared. Reconfirm your appointment the day before. Arrive ten minutes early so you can relax. Don't show your work to a subordinate of the gallery owner or manager. This is a waste of time. Take the attitude that you are interviewing the gallery. Do you want to work with them? Don't play the part of the desperate, struggling artist. ITEMS TO BRING: Documentary portfolio and slides (with original reviews, exhibit announcements, etc.) Price list with retail prices Several original pieces of your work (if not too burdensome). You should be ready to leave these with the gallery owner on consignment. If you do leave any pieces, you must receive a signed receipt stating the retail price to the collector, the gallery's commission, and the condition in which work was received. Bring along a consignment receipt in case the gallery owner doesn't volunteer this. Usually you will not be accepted into a gallery on the first interview; in fact, I would be suspicious if that happened. Galleries need time to share their review with other gallery owners, see what their schedule allows, and just plain think over your work. Even if you do get accepted into a gallery, it doesn't mean you're going to have a solo show or any type of show. If it's not in your contract, don't count on it. Artists call me very excited about their acceptance into a gallery, only to find out that they won't be receiving a solo show. Some owners get greedy and don't want the gallery down the block to show your work-so they sign you up without guaranteeing you anything, just to keep you out of the marketplace. Make sure you have a contract you understand and like. If you are rejected, ask for referrals. What do you have to lose? Gallery owners around town have lots of information on other gallery situations. They might send you to just the right spot, or tell you that you're not ready and why. Should you be rejected, send a card of thanks. Maybe a handmade card will grab them and let them "rethink" about you. Be different from the other artists who just take a 'no' sitting down. Show them you are still interested. Get on the gallery mailing list so you can attend openings. At future openings, reintroduce yourself to the gallery owner and directors. Start networking. Never bring your artwork or portfolio to an opening; that would be too intrusive. Make notes after your meeting with any gallery owner. Note general feeling about gallery, artwork quality in gallery, price range and subject matters, your general impression of the exterior of the gallery, foot traffic, how long the gallery has been in business, quality and type of shops nearby, etc. The Truth is in the Handshake Wondering about the truth of your meeting? What did the gallery director really think? How does he feel about you, your artwork? One way to tell-if you are a sensitive and deliberate type-is by the handshake and eye contact. Okay, you shook hands when you met? You didn't? Well, you should have! Offer your hand the moment you are introduced. Now it's the end of the session, and to tell the truth you don't know where the gallery director is coming from. He's nice and says he'll be back in contact, but you just don't know. When you shake his hand this time, be sensitive to what is occurring. No grip? No power? No eye contact? No sincerity. Well, there's your answer! This is an indicator that almost all people overlook. When your art is accepted by a gallery, your job is not over. You have to keep on top of the gallery to keep them promoting you. One gallery or one show isn't going to make or break you. Your career is built upon a series of exhibitions, sales, awards, and commissions.

This article reproduced with the permission of Constance Smith and ArtNetwork.