I
t’s one thing being an established and famous artist, where all you have to do is paint the pictures and hand them over to an agent, then show up for the preview evening. It’s another to be at the beginning of your career as an artist.
t’s one thing being an established and famous artist, where all you have to do is paint the pictures and hand them over to an agent, then show up for the preview evening. It’s another to be at the beginning of your career as an artist.
Most of us have to plan our own shows, as I have done over the last few years, and there is a lot of work involved if you want to get the most out of your art exhibition. I was fortunate in that I worked as a gallery assistant for artist Nerys Johnson when I was at Durham University, and assisted her with preparing for her shows. Even though she was an established artist, there was still a lot to be done.
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After you have planned an exhibition of your work, you will see that the commission galleries request is well worth the effort they put in!
In the Beginning: Your First Art Exhibition
First of all, you must secure your ‘gallery space’. I had my first solo art exhibition at Pizza Express in Darlington, UK. As a corporation, they have a huge commitment to the arts, in particular local artists. Their restaurants are often designed as galleries themselves, and they know that their customers really appreciate the ever-changing work on their walls.
First of all, you must secure your ‘gallery space’. I had my first solo art exhibition at Pizza Express in Darlington, UK. As a corporation, they have a huge commitment to the arts, in particular local artists. Their restaurants are often designed as galleries themselves, and they know that their customers really appreciate the ever-changing work on their walls.
Restaurants might be a good place to start, it works for both the restaurant in terms of attracting customers, and the artist. It is also a good place to get over your ‘art exhibition anxiety’ in a far less intimidating atmosphere than a public gallery. They charge no commission, but you have to do the work yourself…from the hanging to the promotion and subsequent sales. So, it is from this perspective that I write.
Planning an Art Exhibition
I spent a couple of years developing a body of work before I was ready to exhibit on my own, so the assumption is that you have a decent collection of work to show. Then I developed an art exhibition plan which listed all the things which needed to be done prior to the opening.
I spent a couple of years developing a body of work before I was ready to exhibit on my own, so the assumption is that you have a decent collection of work to show. Then I developed an art exhibition plan which listed all the things which needed to be done prior to the opening.
The first thing to do is to establish the dates, allowing time to have some promotion materials printed. It is useful also to give your art exhibition a name. I do it by picking out one painting, and working my promotion materials around that. My first art exhibition was Firebirdand I chose a Bird of Paradise painting I was fond of. My 2004 one was Catch the Vision to go with a series of my visioning courses held during the run of the show. I find a postcard-sized art card is particularly useful, as they can be mailed to your contact list, and the remainder left for people to take when they visit.
Creating an Art Exhibition Mailing List
This is very important. If you have not started one, do so now. I use Microsoft Access for this and, whenever I meet anyone, their name goes on the list. If you do not have access to a computer, a secretarial service will maintain one for you and provide you with a set of labels when you are ready. Remember to send your cards out to everyone you can think of…every time one goes out it adds to your name recognition, and therefore to increased prices. Don’t forget regional galleries and the media in your area. They will notice an art card more than one of the hundreds of press releases they receive on a daily basis!
This is very important. If you have not started one, do so now. I use Microsoft Access for this and, whenever I meet anyone, their name goes on the list. If you do not have access to a computer, a secretarial service will maintain one for you and provide you with a set of labels when you are ready. Remember to send your cards out to everyone you can think of…every time one goes out it adds to your name recognition, and therefore to increased prices. Don’t forget regional galleries and the media in your area. They will notice an art card more than one of the hundreds of press releases they receive on a daily basis!
Writing Press Releases for an Art Exhibition
Having said that about art cards, I don’t mean that press releases are not important. They are. Try to find an interesting angle and invite specific writers to your opening. My first article was in conjunction with a national story my local paper was working on. You will need to write an Artist’s Statement and/or a ‘About the Artist’ piece to hang in a prominent position. I think it is a good idea to include these along with your press releases.
Having said that about art cards, I don’t mean that press releases are not important. They are. Try to find an interesting angle and invite specific writers to your opening. My first article was in conjunction with a national story my local paper was working on. You will need to write an Artist’s Statement and/or a ‘About the Artist’ piece to hang in a prominent position. I think it is a good idea to include these along with your press releases.
The Paintings in the Art Exhibition
I think it is important to make a gallery plan to give you an idea of how you are going to hang your work, and the number of pieces you will require. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, as you can always make changes when you are hanging, but having a plan takes the worry about not having enough work available.
I think it is important to make a gallery plan to give you an idea of how you are going to hang your work, and the number of pieces you will require. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, as you can always make changes when you are hanging, but having a plan takes the worry about not having enough work available.
Be sure to have someone lined up to help you with the hanging. Even though I have an eye for where things should go, I am really useless when it comes to the technicalities of hanging pictures in a straight line. I have a couple of friends who can do it to perfection…for the price of lunch!
And don’t leave the framing until the last minute. At one of my shows, my regular framer went on holiday two weeks before my opening, and I still had work to frame. Fortunately I found another good framer who I have consistently used since then. Even so, it is best to get this done as early as you can. One of the easiest ways to get your foot in the door at a gallery is to participate in a group art exhibition.
Instead of a gallery taking the chance on the collected works of one artist, they offer space to a group of artists creating work based on a common theme. The public is exposed to a wide variety of work, and the artists are able to exhibit at a gallery without completing an entire series of pieces.
Of course, there’s no reason why you have to just wait—and hope—that a group opportunity will come along. Here are 6 steps for organizing your own group art exhibition, from the ground up!
1. Develop a theme
A group exhibition usually hinges on a unique and dynamic theme. This theme links all the different works together, as each artist interprets the theme however they see fit.
You need to choose a theme that’s flexible enough to allow each artist the freedom to express his or herself, but also structured enough to create a cohesive collection of works.
Have a look at other group shows in your area and the kinds of themes they use. Which themes work, and which don’t? Then pick a theme that encompasses some of the successful ideas which you see working already.
2. Recruit artists and choose pieces
Find artists in your local community whose work you admire, and invite them to submit 1-3 pieces for the group show. Pitching prominent artists who have an established audience will help your show draw a crowd.
You can also put out a call for submissions on mailing lists and websites followed by artists in your community. Set a date for a couple of months away to give artists time to complete their pieces or put together a concept.
If you receive more submissions and responses than you have space at the gallery, you will have to choose the artists to display. You need to maintain a high quality of work, so ensure you choose pieces that are completed to a high standard. Choose a variety of mediums and styles, and focus on the artists who have the most unique interpretations of your theme.
With luck, you’ll acquire a solid collection of both established and up-and-coming artists who each submit between 1-5 pieces for the group exhibition.
3. Pitch the gallery
When you approach a gallery, you should have a written explanation of the concept behind your exhibition, plus at least 12 images to accompany the written report.
In that written report, you need to tell the gallery:
• The appearance, theme and aesthetic of the exhibition.
• The minimum size of the wall/floor area you need for the exhibition (and if there are any unusual requirements, such as projections or large constructions.)
• When the exhibition will be available. The more flexible your dates are, the better, as the gallery has a limited number of slots—each with individual requirements—to fill.
• How the exhibit will be mounted. What are the materials being used, and are there any health and safety factors to be considered?
• Whether or not you’re able to offer any educational elements alongside your exhibition, such as workshops, classes or lectures. This element of community outreach will raise your application to the top of the pile.
4. Write a press release
You’ll need to advertise the group exhibition and get as many mentions in local press as possible. The easiest way to do this is by sending out a press release. See my article on how to write a press release for your first solo show for tips on creating a press-ready release.
5. Install the artwork
One of the most exciting parts of organizing an exhibition is watching it all come together. As the pieces arrive at the gallery, it will be your job to oversee their installation.
The arrangement of a group show is vital to its success—you want to lead the viewer in a natural order around the pieces. Look to create unusual juxtapositions in the arrangement. Aim to surprise, stimulate and delight your viewer.
Always ask artists for their ideas on installation and placement—you don’t always have to listen to them, but they often have great ideas you haven’t thought of. Allow artists time to check their works are installed correctly.
6. Hold an opening
An opening event is a great way to stir up interest in your group show. Get all the artists involved to bring their peers, invite along some press and important people in the art world, have some music, some drinks and nibbles, and have a great time celebrating the work of local artists.About a week ago I had the opportunity to read Chris Guillebeau’s new ebook for artists, The Unconventional Guide to Art & Money, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it contained a lot of solid advice for artists who want to start making an income by selling their art online.
I’m actually one of the artists who was interviewed early on for the Guide, so I did havesome idea of what Chris was aiming for. . . but without being involved in writing the ebook, I didn’t have a clue as to how my interview answers would be used or what the final outcome would be.
As it turns out, Chris (and Zoë Westhof, his writing partner) did a great job of doing research and consolidating information into an ebook that’s actually helpful—unlike the many I’ve come across and decided NOT to review in the past.
So why is this ebook different from the rest?
First of all, let me say that I have the utmost respect for Chris Guillebeau. His website, the Art of Non-conformity is one of my weekly reads, and I really enjoy his posts on travel and living a life of non-conformity.
He and Zoë Westhof also began this project the right way, by interviewing artists who are using the internet to make a full-time or part-time income from their art rather than going the traditional gallery route.
Since Chris and Zoë are both writers, not visual artists, it makes perfect sense that they would go to these sources for their information, and I applaud them for taking the time to interview and collect the information themselves rather than just scraping and republishing content that’s already out there.
I also liked how well-rounded the Guide is because of all those different perspectives. It’s difficult to get that kind of broad expertise from a single author.
What kind of information does this guide offer?
There are four parts to The Unconventional Guide to Art & Money. I’ll go through each section so you can get an idea of what’s included.
Section 1
The first section is about eight pages long. It starts out with some stats about artists in the US, and an assessment of the problem: that too few artists are successful at making a living from their art.
It also discusses how conventional methods (primarily galleries) are restrictive and no longer necessary to sell art, and tries to dispel some of the “myths” that supposedly accompany selling art.
Section 2
In the second section of The Unconventional Guide to Art & Money, several examples are given of artists who are successful at selling their art online. It offers some insight into how they use the internet to promote themselves, and then provides a flexible outline of what your own plan of action should be.
This section also explains how to attract the right kind of visitors to your blog or website (which I fully agreed with) and discusses other important considerations that you might not think about at first—like how to be authentic and approachable online.
Tips on setting price points, a very brief mention of SEO, and the importance of being visible offline as well as online round out this section.
Section 3
The third section begins with a 3-page comparison chart showing the pros and cons of different online selling options (i.e., how does this online gallery compare to that one).
These comparison charts could certainly stand to be more extensive—there are hundreds, if not thousands of places and ways to sell art online—but they did seem to cover the biggest and most important websites.
The next seven or eight pages discuss the pros and cons of those sites in-depth, which really helps to give a fuller picture of your options.
The guide then briefly talks about pricing again, including pricing your art prints, before segueing into a “how-to” section on starting your own blog.
Over the next three pages, Chris and Zoë cover why you’d want to start a blog, different kinds of blogging platforms, instructions on how to set up your first blog, and even what to write about.
To be honest, I don’t think three pages is enough space to cover all of that, but it was a good attempt and it will at least get you pointed in the right direction.
The third section ended on a high note with an excellent introduction to social media (something Chris is very good at, in my opinion) and several short but effective explanations of how to get started with some of the most important social media sites.
Section 4
The final section of the ebook briefly covers several other elements important to selling art online, like why and how to use email newsletters, three ways to process payments, and how to successfully expand your “artistic empire.”
This last section also includes a very honest warning about how HARD it is to be successful at making a living online, even when using these techniques.
I found it refreshing, since it’s true—buying this ebook doesn’t mean everything’s going to be handed to you. You still need to work at it and make it happen for yourself.
Is there anything missing?
After turning the last page, I did think there was one thing missing that would have made The Unconventional Guide to Art & Money a little better. . . I half expected to see a complete checklist at the end, something that would allow me to work through the advice in an orderly fashion, but there wasn’t one.
So if you’re like me, I’d suggest taking notes as you read the ebook, then creating your own list to check things off as you finish them.
OK—now what’s the bottom line?
The price for the basic version of the Guide is $39. It’s 55 pages long (full pages, by the way, not the kind with big margins and one or two paragraphs) and you’ll also receive the MP3 audio interviews from three of the artists Chris and Zoë talked to.
The upgraded version costs $58 and includes three extra interviews. I don’t know what’s in those interviews, but my gut says the basic package is all you really need.
Who should buy the guide:
Artists who want a crash course on using the internet to sell their art. The advice is good, it’s all in one place, and if you follow it you’ll definitely see results.
Who shouldn’t buy the guide:
Artists who have already done a solid amount of research into blogging and social media, or who plan on doing that research themselves.
More of this feature: Pricing Paintings in an Art Exhibition
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