Getting into galleries, contracts

Yesterday I talked about the importance of having an inventory list to give to the management.

I would like to take a moment to encourage you to do this for the paintings you have in your studio or in your home. Don't forget to document the ones you may have in storage. I realize that doing this sort of paperwork isn't fun and it takes time but it is part of running a business. If you ever have to make an insurance claim because of something that happens at your home or your studio, this paperwork will help establish "fair market value" for your art. Simple spreadsheets are easy to create on personal computers and once your lists are set up, you only need to update them occasionally - for example when sales have been made or when you get paintings back from a gallery. As a bonus, it helps you keep track of your art. If a show comes along that you would like to participate in and you are wondering if you have enough paintings in house to use, you just need to check your inventory lists.

Galleries should have a standard contract form that they work with. Don't be surprised if restaurants, cafes, and even visual arts galleries do not. They may have a simple consignment agreement but don't hesitate to use a better form if necessary. I created my own contract which can be adjusted for different situations. I print two copies off and if the management isn't using a form that I think is sufficient, then I ask that we use mine.

Some things you should consider having spelled out in writing:

• details of insurance coverage
• the work that has been selected for exhibition (you can refer to your attached inventory list)
• prices set for your art (can also be detailed on your inventory list)
• shipping (if required, who pays)
• the dates of the contract - length of time your work will be exhibited
• advertising - what form will this take
• notification of sales
• commission
• exclusivity - note that higher end galleries may wish for you to sign an exclusivity agreement which would prohibit you from exhibiting elsewhere
• frequency of exhibitions
• framing - some galleries insist on framing your work - often this framing is expensive and you may be expected to share the costs
• installation details
• exhibition catalogues/flyers/website
• Timing of payments
• buyer info (I request info on the buyer, specifically their name and address. I mail out a buyer's package to each person who buys a painting. Note that some businesses may not wish to collect or pass on this info.)
• Permission agreement (You might want a clause from the gallery that requires them to obtain consent from you before your work can be photographed or reproduced for any purpose. This helps to protect your copyright.)
• Termination of contract (Under what conditions do the two parties have the right to prematurely end the contract?)

So that's it...some basic info on getting into galleries. I hope these posts have given you some information that you found helpful. Exhibiting your art in a gallery is quite exciting. Don't get discouraged by all of these details. Take your time, go gallery hopping, ask questions and do some additional reading or research if you wish. If for whatever reason you decide not to pursue galleries, don't despair, there are other ways to get your art before the public. You can participate in art fairs, group shows (art clubs and other art associations usually put on shows), you can look into selling your art on the internet etc. Do what is best for you at this stage of your artistic journey.

Getting into galleries, the inventory list

To recap, in previous posts we have covered what to look for when looking for a gallery to approach. We also looked at some of the things you might wish to discuss with the owner or manager of the establishment in which you wish to show your work.

Now comes the paperwork. You should always have some sort of paperwork to document the placing of your artwork in a shop/gallery/restaurant. At the very least, you want proof that your work is on site. Why is this important? Well, what if one of your paintings gets stolen, can you prove that your work was actually there? What if there is a fire?

You should discuss insurance coverage with the owner/manager. You need assurance from the gallery that they will be providing insurance coverage for your art while it is on their premises and assurance that the coverage is up to date. Verify that the gallery's insurance will cover fire and water damage or loss, and that they are responsible for the insurance deductible.

As an aside, you might wish to review your own insurance coverage and your options. Is your art inventory covered under your home owner policy? Is your art stored at your home or is your studio in a different location? Are you covered if you teach classes at your home? Do you have the public at your home for shows or during studio tours?

I once read some advice that a gallery owner gave on-line regarding the insurance issue. He reiterated the importance of having proof that the coverage was up to date, but he was coming at it from a different angle. He had once owned a fledgling gallery that was struggling to get off the ground. In order to stay open, the owner allowed his insurance coverage to expire for a couple of months. Yes, there was a fire...Even if there isn't a fire, or a theft, your art may get damaged while it is on their premises. Sprinkler systems may go off, a painting may get knocked to the floor, use your imagination.

So check for insurance coverage.

As part of this, you will need to provide an inventory list to the management. An inventory list should include details such as:

• the dates of the arrangement - the date you delivered paintings and the date you are to remove them.


• your name and contact info


• the title of each piece


• the size of each piece


• a description - the medium, the support, whether framed


• the price of each piece
• condition of each piece
  

Keep a copy for your own records.

Have the management confirm that the paintings listed have been delivered and have them sign both copies. This paperwork can be attached to the other contract pages.

You could also take pictures of your art on their premises.

More on contract details tomorrow. Again, if anyone has a comment to share regarding this topic of getting into galleries, please don't hesitate to add your thoughts.

So you want to get into galleries continued...

Yesterday I talked about some of the things you might want to consider when looking for places to show and sell your art.

Let's assume that you have found a place that you think would be suitable. What next? First of all you need to approach the owner or manager. You need to know what the criteria are for getting considered, for example if it is a popular spot with artists there may be a waiting list. I know of one restaurant that features a different artist each month. They have lots of wall space, they hang the art of new up and coming artists in a variety of styles and media and it is a much sought after venue by artists. As only 12 artists are chosen each year, the restaurant manager has to put people on a waiting list. As an aside, this restaurant has a certain type of clientele - very artsy folks, people who value fine art and who look for art that is different. People eat there to view the changing art exhibits. It is no wonder artists want to get a chance at this exposure.

So find out the criteria. You should expect the manager or owner to want to see your work. This may be actual paintings, work in your portfolio or images they can view on your website. They will also expect your art to be ready to hang, framed if required by your medium and with wire on the back. Note that if you are accepted, when you pack your paintings, take some some picture hanging hooks. It is nice to have them on hand should the gallery or restaurant not have enough. I once put some art in a newly renovated space. There were no holes yet in the drywall (I needed a hammer) and they didn't have any hooks. So do yourself a favour and pop some hanging hooks (and maybe a hammer) into a bag. Also, be prepared to provide your own cards that go with the paintings, i.e. some sort of signage that has the title of the piece, your name and the price. Galleries usually print their own version using your info. but cafes and restaurants often do not.

When you are discussing the possibility of your art being in their establishment, be your own best business manager. Sell the business owner on the positive aspects of having your work in their gallery/restaurant. What do you have to offer? For example if you are working in a medium or style that is currently not represented by their other artists, then this is something you have to offer. Ask up front what percentage of sales they take. If the owners do not communicate enough information to you, don't hesitate to ask questions. Ask (in a very diplomatic fashion of course) what is in it for you the artist. They should be doing more for you than offering wall space. I have encountered some small galleries that seem to expect you to be grateful for the heat, hydro and walls they provide. Sorry, but I want more for the 40 - 60% they take. You should expect more too.

What might you be looking for besides the heat, lighting and wall space?

• Well to start with, how will you be promoted? Will your name appear on the pricing card or will just the name of the gallery appear? Do they provide an area where you can display your business cards? Some galleries will not do this. They do not want to encourage the public to contact you directly. A customer may want to see more of your work or wish to learn more about you from your website. There is the risk that they will see something they like and that they will buy directly from you. If you can display your business cards, this is a bonus. If you teach workshops or classes is there a place where you can display your brochures?

• Will they be advertising you as a new artist? If you are dealing with a gallery, ask if they have a website. Check to see if it is regularly updated. You should expect a mention on their website.

• Are they willing to learn about you and your art? For example I work in a rather uncommon medium and I would expect the staff to have a basic understanding of how I work. For example I would expect them to understand that I achieve the look of paint with coloured pencils by building up layers of pigment. I would want them to know I use archival supports and light fast pencils. That way they are prepared to answer questions from potential buyers. Please note that I wouldn't expect this from a restaurant or cafe. The waitstaff are hired to wait on customers and serve food. They are not paid to sell your art. Having said that, restaurants usually take less of a percentage from your sales than galleries do.

• Do they offer the opportunity for a solo exhibit? One cafe I dealt with offered one of their rooms for a solo exhibit to be held on a weekend afternoon. A simple wine and cheese gig, well advertised, can provide wonderful exposure. This sort of thing is not what I would expect from a gallery if I were an unknown artist but it doesn't hurt to ask. Sometimes a gallery will have an opening night when an new exhibit is launched or when they present work of new artists. If your work is part of a new exhibit you can get in on this exposure. Each gallery is different with regards to how they feature and promote a new artist. They may take just a few of your paintings so it wouldn't be enough to warrant a special event.

• With regards to quantity, in a restaurant you may be given an entire room to hang artwork so there is the opportunity to exhibit several pieces. A gallery will likely only take up to four of your pieces.

• Where they hang your art...ouch...if you have read my previous post 'galleries and the conundrum of space' you will be aware that your art may end up just about anywhere. Galleries as opposed to other establishments, do their own hanging. What can you do about this? Ask when they will be hanging your work. Go back and see where your art has ended up. Why not take a camera to snap some pictures for your website? Ask for permission first. Let the gallery know that you are promoting their business on your website or blog. They will appreciate it. If you find that your art work is in a terrible place, you can ignore it, subtly mention it, or boldly ask for a change. Unless your work is on the floor or behind a door, I would suggest that you don't complain, at least not at this stage of your relationship with the gallery. Remember that they make a living from the sale of art. They may wish to gauge the public's reaction to your work before giving you their better display areas. What you can ask though is how often they change their walls, i.e. the placement of the paintings. Galleries should move art around regularly. If they do, there is hope that you will get a different placement in future. Don't hesitate to go back and check up on your art. But remember, this is a business - don't expect the owners to have time to discuss your art placement, your sales or lack of them during peak business hours. Find out when a good time is or better yet make an appointment if you have issues you wish to discuss. They will really appreciate it if you respect their time. Wouldn't you?

Do keep in mind that if you are a new artist you may not get the type of representation you hoped for. They may not hang your work in an area of the gallery that you like and they may not offer the kinds of promotion opportunites I have discussed above. But if this is a gallery that you really want to be in, you might want to put up with some things now in order to get your foot in the door. Use your best judgement in this.

When you are being your own best business manager conduct yourself in a professional manner. Arrive at your meeting on time (don't expect them to waste their time waiting on you), come prepared, dress appropriately and most importantly be friendly, courteous and respectful. Imagine yourself as the owner, what sort of person would you want to deal with? Strive for a win/win in your business relationship. I have talked a lot about looking out for your best interests. I want to now encourage you to do this while also being mindful of how you should be adding value to their business. Remember that if all goes well, you might wish for this relationship to last a long time. You will definitely stand out from the rest of the artists they represent or have represented, if you genuinely care about their business goals as well as your own.

I said yesterday that I would talk about contracts. I will cover this in the next post.

If any readers have insights from your experiences with galleries that you would like to share, please feel free to post a comment!

So you want to get into galleries...

Over the next few days I am going to be writing on the topic of getting into galleries. I shall share my thoughts and my advice in the hopes that this will help you on your artistic journey.

First of all, be honest about your expectations. Getting into a gallery probably won't be your ticket to receiving a nice cheque each month. Many artists, especially those early in their career, have other sources of income and other ways to exhibit their work.

Be really honest with yourself with regards to the percentage of the sale price that the gallery will take. Can you live with this? Please be aware that artists don't increase the price for their work when it is in galleries. For example, it is considered a bad business practice to have your work in a gallery at one price and to show your work yourself at a lower price. Whether or not you think this is fair, in the professional art world this is frowned upon. The price of your art is the price of your art. Bottom line, don't get into the gallery game if you can't live with the percentage that is taken.

Also, getting into a gallery is just the first step. There is more to this than just showing up with your paintings. But let's start at the beginning - getting your art out there...

One of the first places artists look to to get exposure is a local visual arts gallery or some sort of public space. A local visual arts gallery can include co-operative galleries (which of course will require you to be a member) as well as arts and crafts shops featuring locally or regionally produced work. If you are looking at a visual arts gallery/gift shop, check it out first. Do they exhibit originals only or do they also sell prints? You might not want your $500.00 original painting next to several relatively inexpensive prints. If they exhibit lots of crafts, are the paintings displayed high up on the wall, close to the ceiling so there is room for the display tables showing pottery, jewelry etc.? I have seen visual arts galleries that are fortunate to have vaulted ceilings. What isn't great for the artist is that their work is often hanging up so high that the viewer can't properly see the work, the title of the piece, the name of the artist, nor the price. If the staff are too busy to answer customer questions, potential buyers lose interest quickly. With regards to percentages, these places usually take less than other galleries, usually around 40%.

With regards to other public spaces, I will leave out having your work displayed at the local library and that sort of thing. Let's stick to commercial venues. That leaves us with displaying your art work on the walls of local restaurants, cafes, and other such establishments. While sales may happen, it is good to note that people don't go there to buy art. They go there to eat and to socialize. Your art may just make nice surroundings. If you want to get your art before the public make sure that there is signage that clearly indicates you as the artist. The public should be aware that the art on the wall is for sale. Hopefully the establishment will also display your business cards, perhaps promotional cards and your bio. If they are taking a percentage of your sales, they should be doing some basic promotion for you. Again, check the facilities out. Does your art fit in with their business and their clientele? With these sort of establishments, the percentage taken varies. It can be as low as 25% but it can also be the high end too.

Reality check time. Let's say you get accepted into an establishment, do you have enough inventory to support the venture? Depending on space requirements, they may not be able to handle many of your large pieces. Do you have enough small and mid-sized paintings to fill the space adequately? What about other shows you will do doing? Will you need these paintings to fill your exhibition space? If so, how will the owner of the establishment feel about having bare walls for a weekend or longer? Are you going to have this permission in writing? Do you have enough paintings that you can offer fresh work every couple of months? Do you have the time to revisit the establishment to switch paintings around, to hang a few new ones and so on? Also, keep in mind that you will be working around their hours not yours. You will have to be available and willing to show up with your art when the business isn't open or at least isn't busy.

Tomorrow I will discuss the nitty gritty of preparing to sign contracts and other issues.