You don’t really think about art exhibition labels until you can’t read them or they look like a sloppy afterthought.
In order to give yourself proper credit for your art, it should have an object label next to it—wherever it’s shown, in person or online.
The only wrong way to do this is to not do it at all. I suggest you standardize your format so that it’s easy to use every time.
Pointers on Wall Labels for Your Art Exhibition Read
It’s thrilling when a new opportunity comes your way. You want to jump on it. But then the doubts creep in. There’s no reason to get cynical. Approach the opportunity from a place of trust because you never know what will come of it.
Then you must back up that trust by verifying it with research and written agreements.
Trust, Verify, and Secure Artist Opportunities Read
When Mai Wyn Schantz shuttered her gallery at the beginning of Covid, she hated to lose the relationships she had built over the years.
As soon as she felt it was safe, Mai Wyn organized a pop-up farewell exhibition with her artists. Her goal was to break even, which, as you’ll hear, was far too conservative a goal. Her “little” pop-up was more successful than she dreamed of.
In 2014 then-promising artist Jennie Tucker received a challenge out of the blue from a friend: Paint my wedding. At my wedding. In front of all the guests.
Most of the artists I know and love would have (1) laughed out loud thinking, Obviously she jests, or (2) run the other way. Fast.
Not Jennie. She accepted the challenge and rose to the occasion.
More interestingly, she found she really liked it.
Jennie, who was single at the time (read: freer), enjoyed traveling and painting at weddings. She liked interacting with guests and painting within the time and location constraints. She didn’t mind people looking over her shoulder to see what was on the canvas.
She became an artist-performer of sorts, and the word spread.
Jennie found a niche for herself: a live painting business. Before long, she was in demand for other live events, like corporate parties and conferences.
The opportunities abounded. Every one of them happened by word of mouth and, eventually, as a result of her social media sharing.
There was no way she could accept all of the invitations that came her way. She had to start saying No.
In this latest episode of the Art Biz Podcast, I asked Jennie Tucker about the business side of live painting. We discuss the importance of contracts (and what to include in them), dealing with people and their many personality quirks, income streams, and her desire to help more artists start doing this work.
Jennie openly shares the challenges and a somewhat embarrassing story from a most memorable wedding.
The Art Biz ep. 44: A Live Painting Business with Jennie Tucker Read
In 1920, women–white women, that is–across the United States got the right to vote when the 19th amendment was ratified by ⅔ of the states. The fact that we are coming up on the 100th anniversary of this event did not escape the attention of Marilyn Artus. For years she had been wondering what art project she could possibly do that would be grand enough to match the significance of the occasion.
Then, in 2017, Marilyn attended one of my workshops. At the end of two days of masterminding with like-minded ambitious artists, Marilyn had the outline of her multi-state, multi-artist, multi-road-trip project: Her Flag.
Her Flag includes collaborations with artists and public performances in each of the 36 states that passed the amendment. Her first road trip was in June and included the first four states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Kansas. Her next trip begins on July 13.
Marilyn has scheduled 17 trips over a period of 14 months. At the end, Her Flag will be complete and measure 18-by-26 feet.
It’s an enormous project that involves an incredible amount of logistics and organizing. But Marilyn is up to the task. As she says, she’s psycho-passionate about this project and topic.
I’ve been dying to share this project for awhile and had the thrill of interviewing Marilyn before she left on her first trip. I hope it inspires you to think bigger about what is possible for your art.
The Art Biz ep. 30: Multi-State Multi-Year Multi-Artist Art Project with Marilyn Artus Read
Many artists I encounter are pinning all of their hopes on getting into a gallery. Most of them are adopting this outlook prematurely. In other words, they aren’t even close to ready for galleries.
This leads to unhealthy expectations, which only results in disappointment and a sense of failure.
Don’t get me wrong. I think galleries are a great way to go for some artists, but you must be realistic about the process. You have to understand what’s required for getting and keeping gallery representation.
With that in mind, here’s a checklist of what you’ll need before you start approaching galleries.
This isn’t a guide for actively approaching galleries, only for your preparedness.
1. Learn patience.
Gallery representation is earned. It happens after years of hard work in the studio and schmoozing at openings and events.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
2. Practice resilience.
Are You Ready for a Gallery? A Checklist Read
There’s too much art hiding in studios, basements, and garages. If you have a problem with overflowing inventory, especially a lot of earlier art that you aren’t excited about showing, how about finding new homes for that work? At the same time, you’ll create room for new art, support a good cause, and earn income.
A Creative Idea for Unloading Earlier Art Read
Are you still diddling around with juried shows or exhibitions with your art group? There’s nothing wrong with either one of these as a starting point, but there comes a time when you have to leave the nest. You have to plan a solo exhibition. Your career will grow rapidly when you start having solo
Curate a Solo Show of Your Art Read
Imagine the scenario: A patron visits your open studio event, walks around for a few minutes, and asks, “Are these for sale?” Or this version: A friend shares an image of your art that you posted on Facebook. Hundreds of people see it and a handful wish they could own it. But they think they can’t afford it because there’s no price. So they forget about it and move on.
Yep, It’s Art and It’s for Sale Read
If you become an effective artist rep, the world is your oyster. Many artists will be knocking at your door. You might find them lining up in the comments here. And I will want to interview you to see how you made it happen. I’m not saying it can’t happen. I’m just skeptical.
The Mythological Artist Rep Read
Get a transcript of episode 182 of The Art Biz (Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists) followed by a 3-page worksheet to evaluate the overall health and usage of the 3 types of artist lists.
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