What Do I Have to Do to Sell Art Online

I'll admit, there is a lot to acquire if you're hoping to outset selling fine art in galleries. How do yous approach a gallery, and so if you do finally get a meeting, what do you say? What are they fifty-fifty looking for? When they enquire to meet your portfolio, what does that even look like? Do you price your work or does the gallery toll your work? How much committee is the normal amount for a gallery to take?

And on and on and on and on…

Well, I'k going to try and respond all of those questions and more, all in a single mail. Wish me luck.

Where Am I Getting This Information?

I've displayed in several galleries throughout my career, but the most I learned about this subject was at Fotofest.

For those of y'all that don't know what Fotofest is, I'll requite you lot a brief description:

Basically, it'due south a biennial (the next ane is in 2015), 4-session festival where there are portfolio reviews, workshops, art displays and much more. Each session is a four-day period with unlike reviewers, workshops,etc. Each portfolio review session, y'all meet with anywhere from 20-30 reviewers. These reviewers are fantastically well established people in the photography/fine art/publishing community. They are gallery owners and curators, volume publishers, magazine editors and private collectors. You sign up for a session (and pay about $1000) and you lot get a xx minute slot to encounter with each of the reviewers on your list. You have exactly 20 minutes to pitch your portfolio and go feedback. At best they love yous and either purchase some of your pieces or book you lot for a show. At worst they hate you and you exit feeling them burn a hole in the dorsum of your head with their very disapproving optics.

That last part is an exaggeration. The vast majority of reviewers I met with were full of incredibly useful feedback. One was a complete witch, just she'south been banned from e'er reviewing over again, and so expert for Fotofest!

Here's the other affair though, there are 2 very important lessons of Fotofest I wish I had known:

1) The only reason you lot would nourish 2 sessions instead of merely one is if your piece of work is extremely well-established and you're looking for connections, not feedback. Trust me, after you've been through one session, you lot don't want to show your work to anyone always again until yous've gone habitation and worked on it. No thing how well you exercise, having your piece of work picked apart by 30 people in a 4-day time frame is savage, and you definitely demand some rebound time to go home, get drunk nether your kitchen table, reevaluate every creative decision you've ever made and then get back at it the next twenty-four hour period.

2) Each session naturally becomes very specialized; the photojournalist/documentary reviewers naturally all gravitate to 1 session, the abstruse/conceptual art reviewers all gravitate toward another, the book publishers all gravitate to another. They all know each other, they've all communicated beforehand to see who is going to which session, and they volume their ain tickets accordingly.

Quick tip: there is a Facebook group for people signed up to go – bring together this group and ask other photographers what kind of work they do and which sessions they are attending. If this is their tertiary time and they exercise the same piece of work you exercise, sign up for whatever session they are in, because they probably made the same mistake I did the first yr and they're still having nightmares about it.

I didn't know either of these rules and so I made both mistakes of attending 2 sessions instead of i and signing up (on accident) for both the abstruse/conceptual group and the photojournalism/documentary grouping. Needless to say, my mode of photography did non become over likewise well with the documentary group.

No…that did not get well at all.

Simply, subsequently the first twenty-four hour period in the documentary group I learned what was going on, and knowing these people were very knowledgeable in the art community, I didn't want to waste my time showing them a useless portfolio. And then instead, I'd sit downward for my 20 minutes, push my portfolio box to the side and say, "Await, y'all don't want to see that, I'm in the wrong group and I know it. Only I practise know you lot've owned a gallery for 25 years, so instead I'd like to talk to you about the process of pricing, sizing and limited editions." They'd reply with "Absolutely!" and we'd get down to business concern.

I met with over 50 reviewers in my two sessions at Fotofest, and combined with my own feel of working with galleries, here is the gist of everything I've learned:

Finding the Correct Gallery

Even if yous get into a gallery, if information technology's the wrong fit you lot're in for a behemothic waste of fourth dimension and money. Here are a few things to practice before even approaching a gallery for display:

Check their website – Is it updated? Do they take photos and descriptions of current artists?

Any gallery you are going to work with needs to take a strong online presence. That ways they need a calendar of events, up to date artist bios and portfolios, pictures of the actual gallery space, functioning social media buttons and a newsletter signup link. You want to know they make it very easy for people to continue in touch with them. The less steps a buyer has to make to buy the art, the amend.

Also check out the overall await of the gallery. Is it well-lit or dark and dingy? Is information technology clean and clear of other items, or does it appear chaotic and messy? Exercise they accept a million little trinkets on desks, tabletops or even draped over other fine art pieces (aw hell no), or do they take articulate spacing between 1 fine art piece and the next? You want as little distraction as possible. People are there to see your art, non to dig through budget finds at a flea market place.

Exercise they sell something other than art?

Allow'southward say they are as well a java shop, or a piece of furniture shop or a restaurant. This usually ways their main business organization is non selling art, it'southward selling something else. If your art is displayed in a furniture store/gallery, for case, you are accepting that most of the people walking through their doors are coming there to buy couches and dressers, not art. There is nothing wrong with displaying in a combo gallery/other business concern, but it does affect the amount of commission they can ethically collect each time you sell a piece (we'll get to that later on).

Visit them in person – how does the staff care for you?

If you walk in and the owner waves to you in between a chat they're having with a friend in the dorsum, and and so you do a complete circumvolve, walk towards the door and receive a one-half-assed "Thank you for stopping in!" equally you exit, this is non a gallery you want to display in.

You desire someone to meet yous at the door and ask how your twenty-four hours is going, if you've ever been in before and if there'south annihilation specific you're interested in. If yous're looking on i display, someone should be there saying, "Doesn't he do astonishing work? You lot should see his next drove, Memory Fields, that'south prepare to become up adjacent calendar month on the 21st. He's got a few sample pieces on his website (listed right here on his concern card she gently hands yous). I'd exist happy to show y'all more if you're interested."

This is important because this is how they will act when you take art hanging in the gallery. Do yous actually desire to be showing in a infinite where someone just sits in the back and bullshits with their buddies? No. You want someone that is going to treat every person that walks in that door equally a potential sale – because they are a potential auction.

Exactly what kind of art do they sell?

If you specialize in, let's say, surreal portraiture, a gallery that displays strictly Japanese flower photos is not going to be interested in your portfolio. Don't fifty-fifty try and push it on them; they know what they like, and it isn't you.

What kind of price point are they selling?

If the art they accept displayed is up of $xxx,000 and you've never made a sale, merely keep moving. Those works are selling for that price considering they are established artists. And you are definitely not an established artist…or you wouldn't be reading an article almost how to beginning displaying in art galleries. Find a gallery that is selling art for something at least relatively similar to your own cost indicate.

Budgeted & Submitting to a Gallery

Approaching a gallery seems intimidating, but in reality… actually never listen, in reality it's just every bit intimidating as it is in your head. Just you've got to remember, gallery owners are people just like you and they would much rather be approached by a proactive enthusiastic artist than drag along an insecure artist that has no idea what they're doing. And so suck information technology up, and do the following:

The In-Person Approach

If you lot're hoping to schedule an appointment with a gallery owner, go in person. All yous're doing is request if they ever come across with potential artists or do portfolio reviews. DO NOT bring your portfolio to the gallery. This is essentially saying, "I am so unbelievably talented, y'all're definitely going to want to terminate what y'all're doing and take a await at this." It'south self and presumptuous. Bring a business organisation card in your back pocket and leave your portfolio in the car.

They will either answer with 1 of iii things: 1.) No, they are currently not accepting creative person submissions, 2.) No, they do not do in-person appointments, but they practise have an online submission process (which they will straight you to), or 3.) Yes, they do offer portfolio review sessions that cost (10) amount and they have an opening on (x) day and time.

If you lot are asking for a portfolio review know that you lot're going to have to pay for information technology. Their time is simply equally valuable as yours and they aren't in the business of handing out clemency review sessions. A portfolio review is a great way to go your work in front of them though. They will either give you lot great feedback or like you enough to talk nearly a future show.

The Online Arroyo

About likely, they will direct you lot to an online submission procedure. This will be on their website and will have very specific instructions. Follow these instructions – they are there for a reason, and chances are if you don't follow them exactly as they are written your application volition immediately exist thrown out – this is no time to go rogue.

Usually, they will ask for a CV (this is your artist resume), your artwork list (championship of your collection, medium [the type of paper it's printed on], your piece dimensions, edition sizes and pricing for each), your contact information, links to your piece of work and sometimes a few low resolution example images.

Your artist resume is basically exactly the aforementioned as whatsoever other resume. You've got your contact information, your website, a curt bio and description of your piece of work. Then start calculation on anything that is relevant, like art/photo-related educational activity and awards, publications y'all've been featured in, teaching experience, recent exhibitions followed past recent solo exhibitions. Do a quick search for "artist resume" and you'll see plenty of examples of the layout.

Sizing, Editions & Pricing

Sizing

Everyone has specific sizes according to their fine art, so this is going to be very full general, just at that place is basically one rule that every, single, gallery owner told me to follow: have no more than 3 available sizes. The reason, simply put, is so you aren't (accidentally) taken for a ride for other galleries.

Allow's play the hypothetical game for a 2d. Let's say you lot accept square format photos, that come up in 5 sizes (in inches) 10 x 10, 20 ten 20, thirty x 30, 40 x forty and l x fifty. Smashing. Now let's say y'all're applying to xx unlike galleries and 2 of them love you and want to characteristic y'all. 1 wants y'all January – March, the other from April – June. The commencement gallery prefers the 30 x xxx size, the second gallery prefers the 20 x twenty size. That means you take pay for the cost of printing, framing and shipping a whole other show (which can range upwards of $3000). Limiting your sizes isn't going to crusade a gallery to shy away. If the second gallery likes yous and you just have xxx x 30 instead of 20 x 20, they're going to take the 30 x 30 – which ways yous tin can just movement the first bear witness to information technology's new location when it's done. This keeps you lot from having to pay a fortune for ii different shows in 2 different sizes.

Your sizes also need to be spaced enough apart to be used for different purposes. You want one minor size (10 x 10), something people tin can hold. A "little jewel" as it has been explained to me by curators. Then you want your main size (30 x 30) that is large enough to hang comfortably in someone'due south dwelling – this is the size you will be displaying most often in galleries. The largest size (50 ten 50) is specifically for art collectors and for lease agreements. This is ordinarily the largest size you tin print without losing quality. Your big size will probably seem a bit comically large, but that's kind of the whole bespeak – it's a statement piece.

Limited Editions

Y'all don't have to edition your pieces, but…allow's but say I've never met anyone who suggested confronting it. Having limited editions increases the value of your artwork. People aren't just paying for the actual fine art piece, they're paying for the exclusivity. Edition sizes range anywhere from 3-500, and it actually depends on the kind of art you're doing. A photographer that has one size of impress, may have a total edition size of 25, for example. That means they can only sell 25 prints of that photo, and so they're done. No more selling of those prints in one case the edition has run out (there are reintroductions of an edition, simply if y'all're always in the situation to reintroduce an edition, you lot're probably super famous…and as well dead).

Sound kind of scary? It's supposed to. In all actuality, you rarely sell out of editions, but it creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity amidst buyers. The edition sizes also go smaller as you become up, creating even more than significance. My pieces, for example, follow this bones pattern:

Size (in inches):

• 10 x 10, Limited Edition of fifteen
• xxx x 30, Limited Edition of 7
• 50 10 fifty, Limited Edition of 3

Pricing

Pricing can besides be a tricky subject, and needs to be dealt with on a very instance past instance basis, but at least this volition requite yous a jumping off point.

Labor + costs of production + printing & shipping costs + profit = Price.

It's also important to enquiry your local market to see what comparable art is selling for. While some people may suggest against this, since fine art sells for virtually annihilation nowadays, I nevertheless call up it'south just plain smart to know what your competition is doing. The art market in Montana, for example, is much different than New York. If I were to cost my art in Montana for the New York market place, I would probably accept a very, very hard time being taken seriously.

I also accept the gallery's stance into account on my pricing. The reason being, they know the marketplace amend than anyone and they know exactly what range they can sell to their electric current client base. They need your prices high plenty to show value, but low enough to be comparable to other artists they've had in the past. If yous're priced the same as a well-established artist they simply showed in their gallery just yous don't have near the rail tape, it makes information technology difficult for them to pitch your work to clients. They have their own brownie and reputation to protect, and that means they can't sell on potential alone, so price your piece of work accordingly.

Costs & Commissions

Costs

Typically, it's up to the creative person to pay for the costs of the show. This includes printing, aircraft and framing. Since you're selling your pieces as art, they demand to exist printed on archival certified paper. The gallery typically handles all of the hanging of the art. It's of import to piece of work with the gallery on this process. My fine art pieces are typically either matted and framed or simply mounted and hung floating off the wall, depending on the gallery. My underwater photos have been displayed both mounted and floating off the wall or hanging on clear fishing line so they have a slight sway and motility to mimic the surreal motion of the water.

Commissions

Every gallery is different, but virtually galleries take somewhere effectually a fifty% commission from pieces you sell. Some have 40%, but rarely do whatsoever take more than than 50%.

Some galleries accept a very pocket-sized percentage in exchange for a monthly payment. Say it costs $300/mo to display in the gallery, but they only accept 30%. If you lot can, avert this type of gallery – and here's why: you desire to testify in a gallery that only makes money when your art sells. Past charging a monthly fee to display, they are essentially covering their costs without having to worry about the fine art selling, which means it'south taking away their incentive to promote the art. If you don't sell anything they don' t really care – they've already covered their costs on your monthly fee, get it? You want to display where they don't make a dime unless your fine art sells.

Let's also revisit the thought of philharmonic galleries: places where they run a completely separate business while besides displaying fine art for auction. Places similar this should be taking no more than than 30% committee at the most and here's why: their commission is your way of paying a gallery for all that they practice. That's all the promotion to bring in potential art buyers, their contacts of past buyers that will be interested in your work, events that are specific to the art-buying community and much more. All the promotion a gallery does goes toward selling your work, and that is worth 50% of the commission.

In a combo store, still, a very modest portion of their income might go toward bringing in potential fine art buyers. If they're a coffee store, for example, the vast majority of their marketing and promotion is going to exist about getting people to come in to purchase coffee. If someone happens to walk in and buy a slice of art, fantastic, but they aren't actively pursuing it. Since only twenty% of their income goes to promoting the art in their shop, they should receive simply 20% commission.

Contracts

Contracts tin be pretty complicated, and while there are many details that ideally y'all'd have your lawyer look over (you know, the 1 we all have on retainer), here are a few things to at to the lowest degree make sure of:

• How much yous volition be paid and when. This is by and large your per centum commission and a engagement your committee volition exist distributed, unremarkably at the terminate of the month.
• How long the contract lasts for. Most contracts are well-nigh three months long. If your contract has a possibility of being renewed, most galleries will need new piece of work to display in the new period.
• How your fine art is displayed. You lot want to brand sure either your entire collection or at to the lowest degree 50% of your drove is always on brandish. Some galleries show part of the collection and so rotate pieces out throughout the contract flow. In this case yous need to know exactly how many pieces are guaranteed to be on the floor at all times.
• How soon you lot are notified of a sale. I require to be notified within 24 hours of a sale. This is extremely of import to make certain yous don't sell more than you have available and that your clients will get the verbal edition number they were promised.
• Who is in charge of amercement while the fine art is held at the gallery. If the gallery catches on fire and your art is destroyed, that should be up to the gallery to encompass. Some require you to have insurance of your own to cover any damages that may happen while it is in the galleries intendance, only to be honest, it's very hard to file an insurance claim for a piece of art that you haven't fifty-fifty seen for 2 months. If it's at the gallery, information technology'southward the gallery'south responsibility.
• How the contract can be terminated. If something happens, you demand to know what the penalty would be for terminating the contract on either side. Just as you lot could be liable for a fee if you pull your art before the finish of the contract flow, the gallery can likewise be held liable if they don't display your fine art for the entire contract period.
• Who can sell your art. This volition cover who else is allowed to sell your own art, including yourself. If this is a solo bear witness, for example, you may not be immune to release any images online or have them displayed at whatever other location. This is also relevant because if you are selling art on your ain, without any referrals to the gallery, they can cull non to promote you lot… which is fair.

  Think nigh it – if they spend all of their efforts handing out your concern cards and sending potential buyers to your website and and so a buyer contacts y'all to buy a piece and you brand the sale completely independent of the gallery, all that work on their stop would be for goose egg.

  Therefore, it's adept to have an agreement that if you lot take pieces in a gallery, and buyers come to yous that were clearly introduced to your work through the gallery, you demand to refer them dorsum so the gallery tin collect their commission. It might feel similar a very hard matter to do (specially when it's cutting your profit from the sale in one-half) but it's the correct thing to do, patently and simple. Plus, the more loyal yous are to the gallery, the more they will promote you, because they know they can trust you to send potential buyers their way.

• Ask for previous artists' references. I have been in galleries before that accept been very unethical in the way they do things (I don't want to name names or annihilation and then let'due south just make upwardly a pretend one, like, I don't know, the BeHuman Gallery located in Houston, TX). Had I spoken to previous artists virtually how this gallery does business, I probably would've come to the very obvious decision not to brandish there. Lesson learned.

Selling Your Work at the Opening

One of the almost stressful parts for whatever artist is selling their art at the opening. You're going to have to convince who knows how many people to try and buy one of your pieces, all without carrying that if they don't buy anything there'south a good chance you will be homeless past the cease of the month.

I get information technology, and thankfully while I definitely struggle in some areas, selling my own fine art at an opening is nigh definitely non 1 of my weaknesses. Not fifty-fifty kidding – I can sell the shit out of my ain fine art at an opening.

So can you lot. For those of you lot that are terrified of even the thought of talking most yourself for 4 solid hours to complete strangers, hither's a niggling script:

• Step ane: Introduce yourself, give thanks them for coming and allow them know you lot're bachelor to answer whatsoever of their questions.
• Step two: Answer any question they ask in great detail.
• Step 3: Refer to more of your work for every bit examples.
• Step 4: Answer post-obit questions in great item.

That'southward it. Really. Yous want to go into neat item with your answers because the more they know about it, the more they desire to purchase it. They don't want something they can hang upwards in their hallway, they want something they can point out to guests in their habitation and explain how awesome it is. Hither's an example dialogue:

Me: "Hello there! I'1000 and then glad y'all took the future out tonight. If you lot have any questions on annihilation, don't hesitate to ask, I'd more than than happy to respond them!"
Client: "Oh! Thank you and so much! Are you the creative person?"
Me: "I am! This piece right here is mine, it'south called Insomniac."
Client: "Oh I see! I was looking at these tree roots here, that'south so interesting!"
Me: "Thank you! I actually had to individually describe those out of a different photo. Information technology took almost 100 hours of straight editing time to attain that event."
Client: "Wow, I had no thought! Hey beloved, did you know this took over 100 hours of piece of work?"
Customer'southward Spouse: "Oh you're kidding!"
Me: "Not at all! This piece over here, called Keeper of Leap, took nearly eighty hours. It's a combination of 46 separate photos."
Client: "Crazy! Then how does that work exactly?"
Me: "Well showtime I set up a tripod, and then I take to click the first photo, and then (yada, yada, yada)."

Encounter how that works? Now, instead of just looking at an interesting slice of work, they are thinking of everything that went into it. The excitement they feel right at present is the exact excitement they want someone else to feel when they tell the story later. And that folks, is how you sell an art piece.

In Conclusion…

I know working with galleries seems like a very intimidating and complicated procedure, but the important matter is to take the first footstep and understand that they are people besides. They got into this business because they genuinely dear the art community, and they want to help in any way they tin can. Don't get in with guns blazing thinking you'll get taken reward of. But let your piece of work speak for itself and keep an open up heed. Hell I got my start show by walking into a gallery and showing them a photograph on my cell-phone. Truthful story.

If you know anyone that might benefit from this post, feel gratuitous to share below!

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Near the author: Jenna is a fine art and underwater lensman based out of Billings, Montana where she lives with her fiancé Chris, their 2 dogs (Smoltz and Maddux) and their iv cats (Flo, Study Buddy, Tank and Carl). Afterwards acquiring her Master'southward in Psychiatric Rehabilitation, she made a drastic career modify into the field of photography where she has been producing surreal images for the by ii years.

Yous tin find more than of her work and words on her website and blog, or by following her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr. This article originally appeared here.

gallegosqueng1989.blogspot.com

Source: https://petapixel.com/2014/11/14/selling-art-galleries-everything-need-know/

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