The gallery owner revealed to the art publisher that galleries look for artists who are good at self-promotion on social media and through art competitions. They watch these platforms to see what kind of image and consistency an artist portrays, and have passed on representing artists due to unflattering social media posts. The owner advises artists to carefully craft their online image, enter every art competition, and promote themselves to show galleries they will be good partners.
The gallery owner revealed to the art publisher that galleries look for artists who are good at self-promotion on social media and through art competitions. They watch these platforms to see what kind of image and consistency an artist portrays, and have passed on representing artists due to unflattering social media posts. The owner advises artists to carefully craft their online image, enter every art competition, and promote themselves to show galleries they will be good partners.
The gallery owner revealed to the art publisher that galleries look for artists who are good at self-promotion on social media and through art competitions. They watch these platforms to see what kind of image and consistency an artist portrays, and have passed on representing artists due to unflattering social media posts. The owner advises artists to carefully craft their online image, enter every art competition, and promote themselves to show galleries they will be good partners.
An Art Marketing Message from Eric Rhoads, Art Magazine u!lisher
Just recently I had the chance to sit quietly over dinner with a major player in the art gallery business. We've become great friends, and are close enough that we can share our deepest problems, issues, and concerns. It's wonderful to be so close with someone that you can share confidences to get an opinion or advice.
In our conversation the gallery owner offered some words of wisdom I thought needed to be shared with artists. I have permission, as long as I don't share the name of the gallery owner. These are insights that I thin will help you, as an artist, further your art career when it comes to galleries.
When I ased what determines who gets into this owner's gallery !! one of the most coveted galleries in "merica !! it was not the answer I was e#pecting.
In my "rt $areting %oot &' series of ()(s, I address specific strategies about how to get into an art gallery. %ut lo and behold, I learned something I'd never thought about.
We"re Watching *verything The gallery owner went on to tell me that the gallery pics and chooses artists by reputation, which is e#pected. They want whoever is hot. What was not e#pected from this gallery is that they are watching artists at every turn, and are seeing artists who are good at self!promotion.
#eeking Great romoters +We've reali,ed that we're in this together with the artists,+ he told me. +If they are great promoters, we want them in our gallery because we're great promoters too. The combination is powerful. Too many artists want us to do all the heavy lifting, but we have discovered that their promotion is also important. If they prove to us they are good at promoting themselves, we now that we can be twice as successful than if we have to do all the wor.+
-e went on, +We watch everything they do. We watch the advertising artists are doing in various art journals, we watch who is showing up as finalists in various art competitions, and we're looing at the consistency of their wor, their ability to tell their story, and of course we watch their behavior.+ -e told me that they had waled away from artists because of some of the things those artists are posting on .aceboo, Instagram, or Twitter.
$hey %a&e to #ell 'our (mage +We have to be able to sell them,+ the gallerist said. +If they are posting bad paintings, half!finished wors, their bad party photos, or their political opinions, we avoid them lie the plague. We have to sell them to responsible collectors, and the image they create for themselves is everything. "rtists are on social media sites saying, '-ey, loo at me,' and don't reali,e they are hurting themselves.+ -e suggested that artists need to edit, that not every painting is a good one, and that too much bad wor is showing up online. -e also suggested that those who don't craft their image carefully are hurting themselves.
%ow to Disco&er Artists +We don't really want established stars alone,+ he said. +We want to mae our own stars, so we're constantly on the looout for artists who are unnown but are doing good wor. We can build their brand, build their collector base, and build their pricing over time.+ -e went on to say he especially watches who is winning, and even entering, art competitions, because they're a great place to discover unnown talent. +We spend time browsing the winners and finalists of these competitions, because a lot of the people entering are trying to be discovered. $aybe they don't have the money to maret themselves yet, maybe they don't have a gallery yet. We watch every competition to see the consistency of their wor. *ven if they are not winning, but just finalists or even entrants.+
$he )ne*+ected Way Galleries Are Watching 'ou This gallery owner continued, +If I were an artist wanting to be discovered, I'd enter every art competition I could. It only costs them a few dollars, but we watch month to month, and if we see the same people, they tend to grow on us. We've piced up several great unnowns by watching art competitions.+
I'd never have e#pected to hear this.
,i&e $hings 'ou #hould -e Doing As an Artist %ased on my conversation with this gallery owner, here are five things you need to be doing as an artist/
. Carefully Craft 'our (mage/ 0our online presence matters. 1alleries may not be +friends,+ yet may see your posts through visits or connections. $ae sure the things you post are supportive of a positive image for you. 2esist posting those drunen moments with your head in the toilet. It may seem lie fun at the time, but the gallery owner I spoe with !! and others !! will write you off at that moment.
. Edit What 'ou ost/ 3ess is more. *very painting is not good. $ost painters are lucy to get one good painting out of 45. %e careful what you post. The gallery owner suggested getting third!party opinions on wors before posting them because you're probably too close to judge your wor objectively.
. -e Careful A!out rogress #hots/ This gallery owner said he was often turned off by painters who show wors in progress because it often isn't good wor yet. 6osting an unfinished painting tends to be damaging to an artist's reputation among those who see it and don't understand that there's a lot more wor to be done.
. Enter E&ery Art Com+etition, E&ery $ime/ This gallerist is watching, and says others are as well. -e suggests entering paintings in competitions every month because it increases your chances of winning and getting noticed. +We loo for patterns of success,+ he said. +If someone eeps winning, we see them out. %ut they don't have to win. We loo at entries too, and loo for painters who are innovative and consistent. It's lie a catalog of unnown artists to us. " great resource.+
romote 'ourself/ 7ot only is promotion good for you and your art career, and for selling paintings, this gallery reveals that they love people who are good at self promotion. %y doing so you're showing that you mae a good business partner who will help them sell your art.
"rt galleries are looing for advantages, and those advantages often come from discovering new artists who will sell. It's a good idea to manage your career as though galleries are watching your every move, watching social media, watching your website, seeing your newsletters 8even if they're not on your list, newsletters are often forwarded by friends9, and watching art competitions.
*ric 2hoads
6:/ I also learned that at least one artist who continually enters our PleinAir:alon was discovered by this gallery owner, who has been watching the results. (on't let the PleinAir name fool you/ The :alon includes landscape, figurative, still life, studio, and plein air painting !! the name comes from its association with PleinAir maga,ine. The grand pri,e is ;4<,555, and there is ;=4,555 in pri,es overall, plus lots of monthly winners of other pri,es. The current competition ends on :eptember >5. It taes two minutes to enter and upload your best paintings. 3ast day to enter? *nter now at www.pleinairsalon.com. Streamline Publishing, Inc., 1901 S. Congress Ave., Ste. 118, Boynton Beach, F !!"#$ To UNSUBSCRIBE: Clic% here to change
Sell Your Fine Art Online - How To Create An Online Business - A Simple System For Artists To Build A Successful Virtual Gallery And Embrace The Goal Of Being Known