Archive: Business Questions for the Community

[Michal Tkachenko]

GALLERY APPROACHES?
What are ways to approach galleries? Okay, assuming our website and everything on it is in place, what is the best way to approach or get into a gallery? An artist recommending you who is on the gallery’s roster is one good way I’ve been told. I’ve asked a lot of artists this question.
I’ve got some shows and gallery representation by writing out a very specific introduction letter stating I was having an open studio and really liked their gallery and certain artists in it and could see my work fitting in too. I printed out a glossy invitation to the event and hand delivered it with the letter.
I took a marketing workshop with French and Mottershead who have shown at Tate Modern and they said they found at the beginning they were having shows in warehouses with other artists and realised after awhile that it was only artists and their friends coming to the events. They sat down with a free small business initiative and pinpointed 10 top places (including Tate Modern) they would like to see their work, similar to Crista asking where we want to aim with our work. They then cold called the directors and asked for meetings! I couldn’t believe it when they said that. They were even shocked it worked. I guess artists don’t do that very often. Then they had a very specific and clever presentation when they did meet with them. They are a collaborative performance artist pair. They formed relationships with these people and then kept in touch and proposed shows as long as the specific people they had relationships with were still there.
How did you get into your galleries? How have you learned others have gotten into theirs?

 

[Michal Tkachenko]

I also like Crista’s suggestion that we find our own path apart from galleries. I have a series in the works that are contemporary icons. Since Crista’s suggestion I have thought of several UK cathedrals I know with dedicated galleries, a London gallery that used to be a nunnery whose director I know, and a prominent theological college in Canada that has a gallery. So did I have the wrong question originally? How do I get where I want to be as opposed to how to get into galleries? But what if where I want to be is a slew of top commercial galleries in a number of different countries?

[Helen Fraser]

Hi Michal,

I got into my next solo exhibition by emailing the gallery owner who followed up to make an appointment.  I took in samples of my work which she loved and she offered me an exhibition on the spot.  I think it helped that she knew the woman where I have work on consignment in a nearby town, which I mentioned in my second email.  She was the first gallery I had shown this new work too, which she appreciated as well.  Other solo gallery opportunities have been through a formal submission process.  The biggest thing that has helped with that has been having professional photos taken of my work since art school, having this documentation there and ready.  Group exhibition opportunities have come through Instagram, getting involved in community art projects and through other artist friends.

I must admit that as an emerging artist moving to mid career in some situations (fourth solo next year, planning to do two per year from here, doing community projects regularly and building an new portraiture arm of my business) that I have been pretty careful not to approach galleries that are out of my league.  That are more focused on solid mid-career artists.  Though I’m starting to wonder about this….am I waiting too long?   I’m thinking it is good to be steady and patient and build the relationships over time.  I’m interested in your thoughts.

Helen

[Michal Tkachenko]

HOW MUCH OLDER WORK SHOULD BE ON A WEBSITE?

I have really struggled to remove older work from my website. Okay, really old stuff is easy, but different bodies of work that have got me to different stages of my career are harder to not want to show people. I keep telling myself the weakest work I show is the level my work will be be seen at. How far back do all of you go when posting work on your website?

[TaLisa.]

i have been told to show your best work and not overwhelm the viewer on your website. i’d think if your older work has a story, relevant to your artist statement, and/or was in a special collection, then maybe keep it. i don’t show older work since its not a cohesive style for what i’m doing now. there are some pieces that i would share, but now (as emerging, smile) i just focus on lots of new work. instagram  has become my initial feed for my new work, because it’s quick and easy to post. so i have a stream showing on my website… at least until i can officially update my images.

[Deleted User]

I agree with Talisa, I think showing off your best work is important and not to overwhelm at the beginning.