We received a fascinating email advertisement the other day, from a so-called “art magazine” called Artist Advocate. I use the term “magazine” loosely, as this is a publication with virtually no editorial content. They sell the pages of the publication (which ostensibly goes to some 6,000 galleries) to artists, right down to the front and back covers, for prices ranging from $2,599 (cover and full page) to $799 for half a page. The object of the game, according to their pitch, is to help visual artists find gallery representation.

Their principal message in the email was, believe it or not, “How to Support Your Gallery.” Not “How Your Gallery Supports You,” but exactly the opposite.  As usual in the art-gallery biz, the tail is wagging the dog. I would suggest that if you are prepared to do all the things they advocate, you really don’t need a gallery! Here is their list of suggestions:

• Start With the Frame. Though some galleries will select the frame, many expect you to put the frame on your work. Fact: Good frames sell paintings faster and at higher prices. Most artists I know use inexpensive frames. The pros use high-quality frames that have better finishes. Most gallery owners will tell you that they have taken paintings off the wall after several months, re-framed them in quality, and sold them immediately.
• Provide Top-Notch Photography. Give the gallery a quality reproduction of every painting you provide. Make sure you photograph with color bars and grayscale so color correction can be exact. Provide HIGH-resolution images so they can be blown up bigger in ads. Make sure you study good photography (tripods, proper angles to avoid reflections, proper lighting, etc.), or hire a professional (you’ll want images for your book someday anyway).
• Provide Co-Op Dollars. When galleries advertise, they often (not always) ask the artist to pay a portion of the ad cost (usually half if the ad is only for that artist.) Provide co-op money whenever possible, especially if you have a big, expensive painting you want them to sell.
• Win awards, be in shows, generate publicity, do anything you can to increase your visibility and create something for the gallery to talk about.
• Promote to Your List. E-mail newsletters, new painting releases, painting stories to your list can be helpful. (Make sure the gallery gets them too.) Make sure you list the gallery as the place to buy, and provide a link.  If you have a list of people who have already bought your artwork, it can’t hurt to give it to the gallery. Again, think of them as your sales agent and don’t assume you will be selling direct. They can use extra names.
• Tag Your Website and E-Mail Signature. Make sure your e-mail readers and web visitors know where to buy your work. Make sure the gallery is listed and linked.
• Take a Shift.   Ask if you can pick a couple of days to “babysit” the gallery. There is no better way for you as an artist to understand what a gallery has to go through with customers. If you can experience the role of a gallery salesperson for a couple of days, you’ll have a finer appreciation of what they go through. Understanding the gallery world will make you understand their needs more. It won’t change your artwork, but it will make you a better artist in terms of your gallery relationships.While many artists reject the idea of allowing a gallery to dictate what they paint, a practical approach is to listen to their requests, and if you’re comfortable, provide the gallery more of what sells. It’s fine to paint what you want, but if it doesn’t sell, it won’t help your income. Maybe you can paint what you want and still provide something within the range of what the gallery needs.
• Don’t Be a Pest. Gallery managers have to spend a lot of time babysitting all their insecure artists. Don’t call or e-mail too often to ask if anything has sold (a good gallery will let you know). Don’t complain too much. Ask how often they want to hear from you.
• Show Appreciation. The unwritten story is that no one wants to help a jerk. If you are a whiner, a prima donna, a jerk, a pest, it will hurt your sales. Though most won’t consciously “get even,” some will subconsciously. One artist I know buys the salesperson who sells his art a special something with every sale. Chances are that they will push a little harder to sell his work. Incentives are wonderful (but make sure the gallery is OK with it).
• Be a Fast Responder. A gallery can lose a hot sale prospect in a matter of minutes. They may need a quick question answered, or need to know if you’re willing to make an adjustment or do a commission work. Give them your cell phone and answer immediately. Minutes can make a difference between a sale or no sale.
• Good luck!!

Don’t forget to show your appreciation, all you fast responders! And be sure to rush to the gallery with your CoOp Dollars! And yes, by all means, good luck. You’ll need it when these “promoters” and their gallery pals are finished with you.

In the first 20 years or so of my painting and etching career I had gallery shows all over the world. It seemed important in those days to get my work out and about where people could see it and the press could comment on it. Also, the money was a factor. I had to sell my work in order to go on creating it.

My gallery experiences were hit and miss. Some of them were delightful opportunities to deal with gracious, professional gallery owners who knew how to sell art. Other experiences—the majority—left something to be desired.

Read the rest of this article here.

If you’re a visual artist, and you’ve paid your dues in the art world for a few years, there’s not much I can tell you about dealing with art galleries. But for those of you who are only minimally acquainted with the experience, please permit me to give you a quick rundown here.

Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that the gallery in question is an honest, professional operation, with a track record and a solid portfolio of customers.  (This supposing rather much, mind you.) You show up there with your portfolio and are fortunate enough to be scheduled for a show. There is a slot open the year after next, in the month of September. It’s a long way off, but you’re nonetheless pleased. You’ve got a show. But what are the conditions?

The standard deal runs to 50% commission on sales and a minimum of $250 for the opening-night cocktail. If there’s to be a catalog, a decent gallery will probably require you to pay half of its cost: minimum $1,000. Less decent places will leave the financing of the catalog entirely to the artist: minimum $2,000. The invitations are subject to the same conditions. Not many local art galleries are Internet hip, so don’t expect much support on the Web. Some of the more splendid venues (banks, public galleries) will waive all of these requirements and pick up the tab for everything. But most of them will require that you leave them a painting when your show is over. They will select the painting. Will it be your best one?

This is the best-outcome scenario. It’s all downhill from here, and you don’t want to hear about the worst. Besides, we’re not here to diss the galleries. We’re here to explore and share creative alternatives. Now’s the time to browse through the case studies you’ll find in the right-hand column of this site, to contribute your own experience to them, to learn from them, and to use what you’ve learned to elaborate your own creative strategy for cutting the gallery out of the picture. Best of luck. Surprise yourself, then tell us about it!

So let’s begin. This is an audience participation site. To the right of this column is a list of pages, each one dedicated to a different alternate art marketing strategy. We want you to feel free to click on the one (or more than one) which you have used  and tell all of us about your experience. Where did you get the idea?. How did you get started? How did it work? Did you do it alone or with other artists? What would you do differently if you had it to do over? What would you recommend? What would you recommend against?

We want to hear your success stories, your false starts, your resounding failures. We firmly believe that there is a great deal to be learned from failure. So don’t be shy, and don’t worry about space limitations. We want to hear the full story. We want to be educated, fascinated, inspired. So click on your favorite strategy now, and write your story in the comment box. We’re anxious to read it.