I write a lot about promoting your art online because it’s cost effective and easy. But you shouldn’t be satisfied with showing your work only on the Internet.

Nothing can replace a live audience interacting with your art.

Tatiana Garmendia, “Epic Ink Drawings” installation at Monarch Contemporary in Seattle, WA. Dimensions vary. ©The Artist

Every time you show your art to someone, you add new layers of meaning to the work because viewers bring their experiences to an appreciation of it.

That’s why every exhibit enriches your art career.

My challenge to you is to book a new LIVE venue for exhibiting your art by January 15. Are you up for that? Share your commitment in a comment.

A couple of weeks ago I encouraged you to write down all of your accomplishments for 2010.

In doing this exercise for myself, I developed a list that I thought might be of interest.

These didn’t necessarily come out in 2010, but I consumed them during this past year.

©2009 Kristina Bell DiTullo, Act of Immobilization #2. Eraser, colorball pins, 3 x 4.5 x 3.5 inches.

BEST BOOKS

Business Book: TIE Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith and Why She Buys by Bridget Brennan

Art-Related Novel: The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Art Business Book: The Artist’s Guide to Grant Writing by Gigi Rosenberg (I’ll write more about this book in the future)

Art-Related Nonfiction: Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo

BEST ART FILMS

Exit Through the Gift Shop
The Cats of Mirikatani
Herb & Dorothy
Valentino: The Last Emperor

MY FAVORITE ART EXHIBITS

Thomas Woodruff: Freak Parade at the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI (my overall favorite)

William Kentridge: The World Is Process at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO (a close second)

Inner Landscapes – Jonathan Harris at the Burlington City Arts’ Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT

Petah Coyne: Everything that Rises Must Converge at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA

PODCASTS

NPR’s Planet Money

Do you have your list ready? Share it!

On my recent trip to Amelia Island, Florida, I had the pleasure of hanging out with Sandra Baker-Hinton at the Amelia SanJon Gallery. As I was leaving, I walked by an open door next to the SanJon Gallery and saw this.

Gallery C Stairway, Carol Winner-artist, Fernandina Beach, Florida. ©The Artist

These painted stairs didn’t just say “Gallery C is Upstairs.” They screamed “You’d better start walking up these stairs and come see me!”

If you have a space that is open to the public, do they know they’re invited?

Does your space look like a fun place to visit?
Feel free to replace the word fun with cool, inviting, cozy, exciting, comfortable, etc.

Art doesn’t go from studio to museum overnight. Nor is art by beginners usually ready for fine galleries. So what are your options when you’re just starting out?

It can be daunting to take the first steps to selling your art. You want to grow, but you also know you need to just get your feet wet. Think about these starting points.

Your home
Hey, if you don’t hang it and live with it, why should anyone else? Host a few dinner parties to introduce the work to small groups of people.

Your family’s homes
Ditto above. But make sure they’re asking for it before you give it to them.

Your spouse’s office
If the office is outside the home, new people will see it.

Other offices
Your hairdresser, doctor, acupuncturist, attorney, accountant, minister and other VIPs in your life might like to have an art loan for a short time.

Eateries
Restaurants and coffee shops are a natural first step. If you approach them seriously — and you work your mailing list — you can sell a lot of art in the right places.

Retail shops
Ask design shops to hang your art above sofas and beds. Check with book stores to see if they have a spot set aside for art. Scope out a clothing store that’s a perfect match.

Charity Auctions
Donating your art to a worthy cause makes you feel good. It is also a comfortable way to expose it to new people. Just know the tax rules re donating art.

Do you make wearable art?
Loan jewelry and other wearables to friends who admire it and who are headed to events where lots of people will see it and appreciate it. Give them a stack of your business cards to pass out.

Guest Blogger: Jeremy Mason

As an artist without formal training, I have had to really break into the local art scene.  That process is still happening and it has been a great learning experience.

I haven’t yet landed that show at the gallery of my dreams, but I have optimized my exposure by finding creative and respected places to hang my art.

Specifically, I have looked for fantastic art spaces without huge barriers to entry.

Jeremy Mason, 9 Grain. Acrylic on wood panel, 24 x 20 inches. ©The Artist

My first show was a solo show at a local community art gallery that has made it their mission to give artists a chance.  My second show was at a church (I know what your thinking . . . just trust me here) as part of a gallery they added to their new modern addition.  The space looked great and thousands of visitors looked at my art each week.

Currently I have my art in a new winery in northern Michigan.  They built a modern tasting room with a beautiful view of the bay.  They make great wine, have a modern feel and have been awesome to work with.  I get to work with really great people, drink good wine and will have great exposure as hundreds of people visit the tasting room.  I got the gig, by the way, by emailing one of the owners.  I simply said that I thought my art would be a good addition to their tasting room.  He agreed and the rest is history.

You, too, can create non-gallery opportunities for your art.

Here are some items to consider before deciding whether or not you should hang your art in a particular space.

1. Verify that the space will complement your work and give you positive exposure.

Let’s face it.  Art is incredibly subjective.  Your success is based on the opinions of others.  The space surrounding your art says as much about the artist as the art itself.  It is not possible for most people to separate the art from its surroundings.  Make sure the space enhances your work, looks professional and is given proper wall space to be appreciated.

2. Discuss the details of the arrangement.

If you are not dealing with a gallery, you will have to take the utmost care to make sure the details and expectations surrounding the arrangement are crystal clear.  As you are not dealing with a gallery, you have to be the one doing the legwork a gallery would normally do. Here are some items to start your negotiations.

• Who is going to hang/set up the art?
• Where is it going to be visible?
• Who is your primary contact?
• What is the timeline for the show?
• How do you handle sales?  (What is their cut of sales?)
• How is purchased art finally acquired by the buyer?
• Will there be an opening or reception that you need to attend?
• What are their expectations of you while the art is in their space?
• Will prices be posted?

3. Be sure you need the exposure.

Showing in non-art venues is obviously not for well established artists who have the gallery scene figured out.  It can be a lot of work.  Make sure you outline your goals for the arrangement and consider all the work involved.

Remember, you are doing the extra work so that you can build towards a long-term goal.  Any exposure should further your career and open up more opportunities.

Jeremy Mason is a financial planner by day and a painter by night.  He is currently learning as much as he can about the art of encaustic painting.

Take a look at this 1 min. 51 sec video from the Museum of Modern Art, which features the artist Polly Apfelbaum installing one of her works.

Did you catch it?

It starts at the 17-second mark.

Notice the special box that Apfelbaum created for the separate pieces of her installation. The box is divided, numbered, and–no doubt–archival. Each component of her work has a home that keeps it clean and retains its form.

Apfelbaum didn’t bring her art to the museum in leftover plastic grocery bags. She treated her art as if it belonged in a world-class institution.

Are you doing the same for your art?

Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Sure, Apfelbaum is in MoMA. I’m not!” You have to start caring for your art like it belongs in a museum. Now. If you don’t, no one else will.

There’s no time to waste.

Many thanks to Barbara Wisnoski for sharing this video with me.

I have a big gripe that has been festering since the early 1990s when I was a curator.

That was a long time ago, but as best I can remember, two women artists proposed an exhibition with the theme of trees. It was to be an exhibit women artists working with the tree theme. (There was a reason for the trees, but I can’t recall what it was.)

I turned them down. We already had a gallery in town that was producing mostly theme exhibits and I saw no reason for the art museum to follow suit. That wasn’t what we were about–at least under my watch.

Themes are gimmicks. I’m not opposed to gimmicks, but let’s accept them for what they are.

Forced clever or cutesy themes rarely produce great art.

In fact, they often result in rotten art.

When you ask artists to make art for your theme, you’re doing them (and the rest of us) a disservice. They have to conform to your vision and we’re asked to look at the (usually) less-than-stellar results.

If you want to curate a themed exhibit, do your homework and find artists who already work in that theme. You’ll have a much stronger show.

If theme exhibits are your thing, fine. But don’t use them as a crutch. And don’t let them interfere with the important work you were intended to do.

That gallery deal seemed like a great thing, didn’t it? They sold work for you so you could concentrate on other parts of your art business. Yes, it’s a cushy situation . . . until they sell the art and don’t pay you.

If you’re not being paid by a gallery you know is making sales, your reaction should depend on the following. (Incidentally, this applies to non-gallery situations, too.)

Jeannie Paty, Red Tulips with Glasses. Oil, 16 x 12 inches. ©The Artist

1. What is the situation?
Is this the first time that you haven’t been paid–a more recent phenomenon? Or is the gallery guilty of chronic nonpayment? The former might reveal that the gallery is having financial problems. While this isn’t a good sign, it’s better than the latter. Chronic nonpayment indicates poor business skills and lack of regard for artists. Artist Kathy Partridge recommends checking a gallery’s credit score.

2. What are the terms of your contract?
A contract won’t do you a bit of good if the gallery doesn’t have the money to pay you, but at least you can refer to it in your correspondence or conversation. “Per the terms of our contract, I was to be paid within 30 days of a sale . . . “ If you don’t have a contract with your gallery, get one–even if you have to draft it yourself! I urge you to check out the Professional Guidelines from the Society of North American Goldsmiths (which is useful regardless of the type of work you do).

3. What is your relationship with the gallery?
If they’ve been absolutely wonderful to you, you’re going to respond to nonpayment differently than if they have been unpleasant to deal with. The same is true if you’ve been with them a long time and trust them.

4. How do you envision your future relationship with the gallery?
Do you see this as long-term? Or just a temporary relationship? Are you happy with the direction they’re headed? Happy with their space and their staff?

5. How is the gallerist addressing the situation?
Have they been forthright in their response? Or are they avoiding your calls and email? People who hide from their responsibilities get less sympathy from me.

Keep this in mind: Most galleries want to pay their artists and keep them happy. They want to do the right thing. Help them do this while looking out for yourself. More on that in another post.

How do you know when a juried exhibition opportunity is too good to pass up or is something that you should let pass you by?

You have to ask a lot of questions without allowing yourself to be intimidated by the person presenting the opportunity. Empower yourself by finding answers.

Hanna Phelps, Digging to Australia. Oil on board, 6 x 8 inches. ©The Artist

Ask yourself

• What do I expect to gain from being accepted into this exhibit? Note that your answer isn’t necessarily monetary. It might be as simple as “experience.” Or it could be that you want to be noticed by a particular juror.
• What is the best possible outcome? What is acceptable? And what is the worst possible outcome? Which one is easiest to live with and will it get me closer to my goals?
• Is there a “hole” in my résumé that might be filled by this exhibit? A “hole” might be a venue, an organization, or a geographical area—such as showing in another city, state or region?
• Do I have the work needed to enter this exhibit or will it be tied up with other commitments? If you need to create work especially for this exhibit, is that what you should be doing right now? Or should your efforts be focused elsewhere?
• Does my work fit in with the curator’s or juror’s aesthetic or guidelines for the show?Most curators and jurors have far-reaching aesthetics when it comes to juried shows. They are more inclusive than they would be if they selected an exhibit from scratch. You can’t always tell what they’ll choose for a juried exhibit, but you can ask yourself if this is someone you’d like to put your art in front of. In other words: Do you respect their opinions?
  
• How much of my time will it take to enter? How much of my time will it take if my work is accepted?
• What are the fees? Can I afford the entry fee as well as the framing, crating, shipping, and travel? Is it within my budget?
• Have I outgrown this exhibit? Am I better established than most of the others who will enter?
• Would my time and money be better spent if devoted to another opportunity, even if I have to make up such an opportunity?

In Part 2 I’ll give you some questions that you can ask of others when contemplating your participation in a juried exhibit.

My friend and I went to an artist’s studio recently as part of an open studio tour. I’ve attended a number of these and can share that this artist’s studio stood out–and not for good reasons.

We went to the door, which was around back. There was no sign at the door and no one to greet us. We thought maybe we’d just go in. So we walk in to a living-room area that is stuffed with furniture and large paintings. A table to the left held a plethora of snacks and there was wine and other drinks at a small wet bar. Lovely music was playing over the stereo. But . . . no one was in sight.

We said, “Hello?” The artist came from around the corner wearing a painter’s apron and carrying her brush. She shook our hands, invited us to look around and have some snacks or something to drink, told us everything was downstairs (which ended up being that one room) and then disappeared.

We circled around the room and came to a turn. A quick glance around the corner revealed an intimate niche where a man was sitting at the computer. He didn’t look up. I felt like an invader.

Another corner took me by the artist’s studio, but she had her back to me and was painting away. I didn’t feel like engaging her in conversation. Nothing about the situation enticed me to find out more. All I wanted to do was bug out.

Toni Ruppert, Dreaming of Stars. 24 x 46 inches. ©The Artist

Think About It

1. If you invite people into your studio and you’re not standing by the door, at least have a welcome sign that tells them to knock or come in. Be a good host or hostess!

2. If you plan on continuing your work while your guests are there, tell them! This artist should have said upon meeting us, “As you can see, I’m painting! I’ll be in my studio, which is just around the corner. I’d love for you to come in. I’ll show you what I’m working on.”

3. If your spouse is going to be in the room where your guests are invited to look at your art, teach him or her how to be welcoming.

4. I have no idea whether or not this person had work on exhibit anywhere else. She could have handed us her card and maybe even an invitation to upcoming events. She missed a golden opportunity to make us fans (or, frankly, to even like her a little).

I’ve never felt so unwelcome or awkward in an open studio situation. We left as quietly as we arrived–without saying goodbye.

Be an awesome host or hostess, part 1

Be an awesome host or hostess, part 2

Open Studio Guidelines (from Society of North American Goldsmiths’ Professional Guidelines)