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Mark Stevens & Annalyn Swan: de Kooning: An American Master
Join our Twitter book club this summer. See Pages above.
Sharon Waxman: Loot: The Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World
Lindsay Pollock: The Girl With the Gallery: Edith Gregor Halpert And the Making of the Modern Art Market
LOVE this book! It reveals so much about the early American art market. Halpert was a true pioneer.
While there is no standardized format for submitting your portfolio to galleries, you can earn points by being professional from the get-go. Fewer galleries = fewer artists in galleries. There isn’t much room for error. You must behave professionally in every way.
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Art Marketing Action newsletter (a written version of this podcast)
From the Vault: About Galleries
Today's Deep Thought comes from an NPR rebroadcast of the debate: Is the Art Market Less Ethical Than the Stock Market? I'm paraphrasing a statement by Michael Hue-Williams from that debate.
To become an art dealer, you need to have a pulse and two eyes in your head. Otherwise, anyone can be one.
Last fall I was asked, by a national publication, to write an article about innovative marketing by art galleries in this economy. I said I couldn’t. I explained that I have yet to see galleries doing anything truly innovative, so it would be impossible for me to write such an article.
The truth is, artists are far more innovative with their marketing than galleries or museums are. Perhaps it’s because they aren’t constrained by institutional traditions. Nonetheless, galleries need to take note of what is possible. They need to watch how artists are promoting themselves.
Here are some ideas for galleries.
Make education a core mission.
Fact: Most of the US population does not have a visual education. They
don’t know how to look at and appreciate art. Every museum professional
knows this, which is why curators and educators create public education
programs. They understand that the better people understand the art,
the more likely they will grow into museum patrons. One could (and I’m
doing it right now) translate this to the gallery world: The better
people understand the art and how to look at it and talk about it, the
more likely they are to be comfortable in the gallery and buy art.
Think more creatively when planning events.
I GUESS it’s kind of nice to know that we can count on having wine and
cheese at an opening, but couldn’t you throw in a twist every so often?
Every marketing guru in the world knows that new ideas=better ideas. In
fact, most galleries know this. That’s why dealers spend a lot of
energy trying to find new, young talent. Take a lesson from your own playbook and give us something new--and I don't mean JUST new art.
Read business publications about marketing, PR, networking, and building customer relations.
Art publications on these topics will show you the same tired ideas
over and over again. The general business section at the book store
will yield more fruit.
Try anything by Seth Godin.
Get thyself into social media. Fast!
Create profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. And write a
thoughtful blog, would ya? I dare predict that most urban
areas--outside of the largest cities--have a dearth of online
intellectual dialog about art. A thoughtful gallery dealer could fill
the void.
Check out gallerist Edward Winkleman’s blog to see what's possible.
This is the new weekly feature where I group things together for you and highlight the best of the Art Biz Blog, the Art Marketing Action newsletter, and my book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio!
Today, it’s all about galleries.
As always, keep in mind that some of the links might be broken by now. After all, they've been buried in the vault for a while.
ART BIZ BLOG
Leaving your art at a gallery?
Check a gallery's credit score
ART MARKETING ACTION NEWSLETTER
Negotiate terms with a gallery
Save the $200 (avoid paying to be part of a gallery)
SPECIAL REPORT
Approach Galleries without Fear: An Easy and Comfortable Strategy for Artists
Happy Valentine's Day!
Check out the Gallery Go-Getter series of articles on Etsy--interviews with Don Friedlich, Harriete Estel Berman, and Andy Cooperman
From the interview with Andy Cooperman:
All three artists are members of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, which is holding a pre-conference workshop this May in Philadelphia. It's open to ALL artists. Here are the details . . .
And if you're going to be nowhere near Philly on May 20, think about heading to the beautiful Rocky Mountains for my online marketing workshop in Estes Park on May 2-3. Find out more.
Are there too many art organizations out there?
Are there too many art museums and art centers?
Are our messages being watered down because they're spread too thin?
Edward Winkleman has a great post on his blog: How to Buy Art in a Recession: Part I. He gives you a look at behind-the-scenes gallery dealings such as discounting, payment plans, and down payments (or pre-orders). I am looking forward to Part II.
Thinking of turning over big bucks just to add a New York venue to your résumé? Think again. Vanity galleries will suck your wallet and leave you deflated (in more ways than one). Renée Phillips has written a terrific article on vanity galleries (which she also refers to as Vulture galleries) for Art Calendar. Don't miss the sidebar: Preparing for Legitimate Gallery Representation.
Monday's Art Marketing Action newsletter is about donating your art.
As a preview, I want to encourage you not to forget your gallery affiliations when gifting any work to charity auctions, raffles, drawings, and the like. Some dealers are understandably anxious to see their artists' work going for less than market value. Keep the lines of communication open with your dealers. Run it by your local gallery (the gallery nearest the charity event) if there is any question. Or at least inform them of your decision.
Thoughts from my visit yesterday to the Denver Art Museum.
