04 Sep Artists seeking Gallery Representation
Artists seeking Gallery Representation!
Hi there artists! If you are seeking gallery representation, go for it! If I could say anything about this subject. It would be that all you have to lose is experience and exposure. And the only thing you have to gain is exposure and experience. I have learned several things about galleries that I would not give up for anything. Learned lessons do not always come easy or cheap, and when learned shouldn’t be forgotten. I don’t know if any experience is a bad experience as long as you learn from it. Especially when you’re learning something that may benefit your career. I am going to list some things I have learned about gallery exposure. You can decide which makes sense to you and/or which type of gallery you would want to seek out. I now know which type of gallery I want to be a part of and show my work in. I am currently waiting for an opening in such a gallery. So here’s a list that may be of benefit to you…
Gallery “A”:
– The gallery is in a prime location, lots of pedestrian traffic open to a busy downtown sidewalk.
– The gallery has a limit to the number of artists it will host at any given time.
– The gallery has enough space to present each piece of art in a professional way.
– The gallery owner is also an artist.
– The gallery is clean, respectable, and well lit with separate individual lighting for the art itself.
– The gallery has every artist and piece of art displayed equally in caliber.
– The gallery has art worthy people working the floor to elaborate on any piece of art and its artist.
– The gallery has a loyal employee staff for ease of communication about all gallery activities, events, procedures, and all artists involved.
– The gallery has a good feel to it. For the lack of better words.
Gallery “B”:
– The gallery has a multitude of artists accumulating with no set limit to how many can be accrued.
– The gallery has no room to host all of the artists or display their work properly.
– The gallery has blind spots, corners, and tight angles. Creating the feeling that only the “good” artists get the spotlight areas.
– The gallery has constant temps or interns revolving through the gallery staff. Communication in this setting gets very frustrating and near impossible!
– The gallery has a salesman approach to selling art. What I mean is, the person working the floor has no idea who the artists are. The value of the art goes down I would think rather quickly, as does the value of the gallery.
– The gallery could be in prime location, but with all these other factors… It may not matter.
Which Gallery would you prefer?
I realize this may be a bit harsh, but being an artist isn’t easy. Being an artist can be harsh. Getting your name and artwork out there is difficult and takes a great deal of dedication. There are so many amazing artists out there. The competition is fierce! Getting recognized as an artist doing something new, something different, something unique, is tough! Although, If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. I would do it exactly the same, as I have learned so many valuable lessons.
I think when I was first accepted into a gallery, I thought I had it made. I thought I had arrived as an artist. I thought I could relax and just paint, then let the gallery deal with everything else. I was absolutely wrong! This was another large learning experience. The gallery alone cannot market and represent your work completely. Self representation is extremely important regardless of how many galleries show your work. No one will represent your work and hold the value to it as you will… This is a very important learning experience I would not give up for the world. The more you show, and the more you attend these shows, the better you will get speaking about your work. It is extremely important to be able to communicate comfortably about your work. The art of communicating is just as important as your work itself.
I am hoping this helps any artists out there seeking gallery representation. I will continue to add to this blog over time.