How to get an art gallery, part one
First, let me start by saying I don't believe artists should spend the majority of their marketing time and efforts on “getting a gallery”. I don't have to tell you guys that the gallery system has changed dramatically since the Internet. As difficult as it can be for solo artists, the reality is artists now have the ability to build audiences without the help of galleries, make direct sales, and market themselves to the world, all for free. They have the same platforms as galleries have now. Gone are the days when a gallery's physical address or back page ad in Art in America was the most important aspect for sales, exposure and prestige. But I am also painfully aware that with the current state of social media (namely Instagram), building an audience as a solo artist is extremely difficult and time consuming, and frankly feels impossible. And it seems to get more difficult with each and every algorithm change.
But I still believe this solo route, the one of embracing independence (as much as possible...) and building an audience in a variety of ways, is the most sustainable for artists, and likely to produce better results long term. And ironically, having a large audience will make you mighty attractive to any gallery. And if you build a big enough audience, you may find you have no desire for a gallery when they come knocking. Why give away 50% when you're selling well on your own?
Moral of this story: spend more time building your own audience than you spend trying to “get a gallery”. By doing that, you gain exposure to galleries in the process, build your own audience, and you let galleries know you know how to do the work, you can hustle, and you don't expect them to do it all for you. Win-win for the artist.
But let's talk about how to achieve gallery representation, because I also know that artists still want to achieve this for a variety of very legit reasons. Namely, the credibility and authority it can bring, another promotional channel, perhaps a solo show, and just the feeling it can bring that you are recognized for your work. All very important and worthy stuff.
Step One: Get your website up to date and create a database
Definitely the most un-sexy, yet absolutely the most important step of all.
First….Websites: I see many-a-website with out of date information, no new work posted, broken links, tricky navigation… or no contact info. Or, an email sent by the artist with work not included on the website. That's super annoying. Name of the game: make it easy on the gallery. Put yourself in their shoes and take a tour of your website by testing links and updating all information. Better yet, have a friend do it on another computer so they're seeing it without cached info. No one has time to do guessing games, or piece together new work from an email, or find a way to contact you if your links are broken. What this says to a gallery is: you're not professional. And you want them to do the work. Not a good look. Amazingly, this is the most common issue with artist websites, and it can be a quick killer to any chance of working with that gallery.
Tips: Not good at websites? Hire someone. Buy a domain without the platform provider's name in it (ie, without Wix, Squarespace, etc in the address). White backgrounds only. Make sure all the links work. Have excellent photography of your work. Unless you're a trained graphic designer, save all the creativity for your art. Have all of your contact info in text so you can be contacted without using a form. You can learn more by watching “Killer Websites 1 and 2” in the video library inside the community.
Second… create a database that will become your frickin' Bible. There are so many spreadsheet or database platforms available: Airtable (excellent but monthly fee), Google Sheets (free but clunky), Numbers (Apple), Excel (scary). Dedicate a solid day or two solely to learning it. If you're frustrated every time you open it (because you didn't dedicate the time to learning it), you won't use it. Tons of free classes on YouTube. This database will: 1. list the galleries you're interested in, 2. have the dates of your approaches, 3. list the way you approached, 4. record how they responded (if at all), 5. allow you to know when to contact again.
Keeping all of this in your head or on assorted sticky notes that float around your studio collecting pet hair is impossible. Unfortunately. The key to gaining representation is building a relationship with a gallery. One email, one post on social media, is not going to do that. You need to develop and nurture a relationship through repeated, friendly contact, and by getting involved with the gallery. The best way to know if you're doing enough (or too much) is by having a database to track these approaches and track the response.
When setting up your database, you may want to include: Gallery or venue name, contact info, date approached, how you approached, and response. You may want to include a checkbox if you signed up for their newsletter or following on social, gallery director or curator names, and points of commonality (we'll discuss this later). You can include anything and everything that will help YOU. The goal is to be able to know when to re-approach, what to approach with, and track their responses to know to back off, or try again.
