Galleries

Why exhibit?

• To show your work

• To get known as an artist

• To sell your work

To show your work

• An exhibition provides an opportunity to see your work in a neutral / objective space, away from the cluttered and personal working area of your studio.

To get a ‘profile’ as an artist

• To introduce yourself to fellow artists, critics, exhibition organisers arts administrators, and to the general public.

To sell your work

• To cover the costs of preparing an exhibition as well as earning some form of ‘income’ for your work as an artist

Ideally work is accepted and applauded in several different ways:

• Curatorially• Critically• Sales• A variety of exhibition inclusions

Traditional gallery structures

• Commercial galleries- operate commercially- run as a business to make a profit e.g Beaux Arts in Bath, View Gallery Bristol, RWA Bristol, e.t.c

• Public galleries- Often subsidised in some form by the local government e.g Swindon Art Gallery, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Arnolfini, e.t.c

Municipal or local authority galleries

• Subsidised by the local council• Main purpose is not to sell work but provide a public

facility• Often attached to theatres, libraries and

educational establishments• Increasingly run educational activities - workshops,

talks, residencies that engage the general public and provide some form of income to local artists living in area

• Usually take care of planning, hanging and administration of exhibitions

Art FairsOften held at large exhibition centrese.g Business Design Centre in

IslingtonPRO’S• A guaranteed audience for work• Professionally marketed

CON’S• High overheads to rent an

exhibition stand • Small exhibition stand - work

crammed in to small area• You have to invigilate the space

London Art Fair

• Established in 1988, the Fair encompasses over 100 rigorously selected galleries presenting Modern British and international contemporary art.

• Attracts over 24,000 visitors, • Visitors include major collectors and

representatives from public and private institutions – museums, galleries and corporate collections

What do you think of art fairs?

• “It’s not the best place to view art, but it is good for collectors and curators who want to see many works and discover new artists in a short space of time, in one place. Exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale are perhaps better in terms of providing a context”

• Chris Hammond - Director of MOT international

Broadening audiences-consider exhibiting in:

• Restaurants• Theatres• Shops

• Usually operate on a sale and return basis A large audience is guaranteed- but only a small

proportion of visitors may be coming to see the exhibition. Depending on space- size constraints often apply. Limitations to content of work i.e. nudes, politically sensitive or violent images

Working outside the traditional gallery structure

Artists organising their own exhibition opportunities both as individuals and groups:

• Artist-led spaces

• Arts Trails

• Studio groups eg Spike Island

• Pop-up galleries

Art Trails

• Raises the ‘cultural identity’ of a certain area• Exhibitions usually run for a weekend• Exhibitions take place inside your house-’open door policy’• Exhibitors identified by flags outside house• Maps supplied• http://www.artweeks.org/• www.marlboroughopenstudios.com

Artist –run spaces

Bristol Diving SchoolMotorcade Flash Parade

MOT International, London

• An example of a hybrid space• Represent artists within a traditional gallery

dealership but also maintain a programme of independent projects that they continue to go to funding bodies for.

• Or alternatively use the money made from the dealership, go to art fairs and sell work from our gallery artists to finance alternative projects

Project Spaces

• A project space is a non-commercial space. It allows a curator / gallery owner to work a bit more experimentally with artists who do not necessarily want to be represented.

• Designed to accommodate a regularly changing programme of single installations and small exhibitions of works by emerging artists.

Antlers is a gallery nomadic by design. Based in Bristol, we produce temporary exhibitions moving through different spaces across the city. The Antlers website acts as our only permanent residence and hosts our online shop. www.antlersgallery.com

Practicalities

Gallery constraints

• Amount of space• Availability of finances and staff• location• Requirements of the owner - local

authority, independent trust or an individual

These determine the nature of the exhibitions presented and the relationship between gallery and exhibitors

Working with a gallery:

• How do you feel about having your work possibly categorised and parting with it?

• Can you work consistently towards deadlines?

• Someone else may be making decisions to how, when and where your work will be shown

• Is public recognition important or are you content to sell behind the scenes?

Making an informed choice

• Why do you want to show your work?• What kind of audience do you want to

attract?• What kind of work do you do?• At what stage in your career are you?• How do you feel about your work at

present?• In which part of the country do you want to

exhibit?

Practicalities-depending on type of exhibition venue

• Space allocation• Hanging system• Who installs the work?• Transportation• Framing

• Are there restrictions on fixing to walls or floor?

• When is the specified time to hang the exhibition prior to the opening?

Particularly relevant if your renting a gallery space out for a short period

as these spaces often have a quick turnover period • Who is responsible for insurance cover,

both in transit, on exhibition and in store?

Publicity

• Will there be a poster- who will design the poster, who will print and distribute the poster?

• Will there be a proof of the poster available for your inspection / approval?

• Catalogue - what format /size? websites

Exhibition schedules

• For planning purposes galleries like to release information about forthcoming shows

This allows the gallery to fit your exhibition in to the gallery’s overall schedule

• Press releases- there should always be a press release which gives sufficient information to cover the exhibition briefly.Press releases could be sent to local/regional and the art press well in advance of the exhibition

• Commercial galleries have comprehensive mailing lists to send off invites. It may be more difficult to access a mailing list if you rent your own space

Mailing lists

• Galleries are reluctant to hand over mailing lists to other exhibition spaces ( potential competitors / Data protection )

• Mailing list contains specific individuals with a specific interest in potentially:

• purchasing work-collectors • reviewing work-journalists critics

• Curating work - arts administrators/curators

• Who pays for postage of invites?

• Distribution of invites / posters within local area-by foot/car - keeps costs down

• ‘Word of mouth’

Keeping costs down

• Facebook• Twitter• Blogs

• Be warned! Arts editors / journalists can edit your press release down to suit the needs of the newspaper/magazine they are writing for e.g when writing a preview of your exhibition. You don’t get to proof read what they’re going to write.

Some reproductions of my work incorrectly printed in newspapers

Private Views

• The opening celebration, a chance for the press, friends and potential purchasers to view the exhibition before it opens to the general public

• If your exhibition is running for a short time, the private view should act as a focus-you’re likely to have higher number of visitors and sales on the opening night

Private Views

• Refreshments for private view.

• Sponsorship

• Due to license restrictions, if renting your own gallery space out, you cannot legally sell alcohol, ask for donations towards the cost instead

During the show

• It is useful to have additional information about yourself available- CV, publications, press cuttings, website etc

• Share the responsibilities: opening/closing gallery, invigilation,dealing with sales, security e.t.c

• Always confirm details of any agreements you come to with galleries or individuals in writing – this may simply be a letter of agreement or a more formal contract.

• Agree whether work can be taken away immediately or what the collection / delivery terms are

After Sales• If you have sold work(s) to a particular

individual get their contact details to inform them of your future exhibitions

Commission and Pricing

Commission rates-do you:

• Add on the sum you will pay in commission?

• Adjust the price of work(usually lower) so as not to price your work out of reach of potential buyers?

Gallery Commission

• Galleries have to state the rate of sales commission due to the gallery on sales, and whether VAT will need to be added to the commission

The price stated on the submission form and labels is the catalogue selling price and must include the RWA’s commission. The commission of 35% will be deducted by the RWA with 20 %VAT added;( this is approximately 45%)

(RWA entry regulations 159th Autumn Exhibition)

If the gallery is registered for VAT but the artist isn’t-gallery acts a sale or return agent

1. Retail price £200.002. Gallery Commission 35% of 200 =£70

3. VAT on commission 20% of £70 = £14.00 4. Gallery charges artist £84.005. Artist receives £116.00

Depending on the gallery the price of framing can be excluded when assessing commission- this will affect what you will receive.

Selling your work-pricing

Take in to consideration:

• Training and length of practice• Studio rent, utilities, travel, materials

expenses and framing• Exhibition rent • Commission

Paying for time

• Make sure you put a value to your time – an hourly rate is an easy way to do this. Then add a percentage for ‘profit’

• The percentage of studio rental, for example, will increase in money terms the longer a piece takes to make

Pricing

• Editions of prints are priced slightly lower. This could also apply to video pieces

• If this is your first show you may want to sell your work at fairly low prices and gradually raise them as you exhibit more and gain a higher profile

• Price consistently

Price comparison

• Large / small work• Time-consuming /produced quickly• Expensive / cheap materials

This pricing method does not take into account the quality (and thus value) of your ideas

Commercial Gallery Renting your own space

• Commission rates can range from 30-60%

• Will pay for publicity and hang work

• Staff supplied• Will build a on-going

working relationship with artist--create,develop and sustain a market for your work

• Gallery insured for fire,theft,malicious damage and public liability

• Lower commission rates, usually around 25-35%

• Great autonomy in curating / hanging work

• Most overheads your responsibility

• Usually a ‘one off exhibition’• You’re exhibiting in a group

show you can spread the cost of insurance How secure is the space?-If the gallery space is secure enough and the exhibition lasts only a week you may decide not to take insurance

out

Working with Commercial Galleries-roughly divided in to two categories:

Long term representatives

Art Retail

Long Term Representatives

• Interested in your future potential • Encourages change and development in your work• Long Term Representatives commit time and

resources to your career, so exclusivity is a fair swap.

• Prefer to seek comments and articles from writers and critics as this shows other people within the art market showing an interest in your practice

Is endorsement based on subjective taste and do you think all the promotion and

endorsement is done for the right reasons?

• “Work that doesn’t have integrity, that isn’t rigorous, that hasn’t been honed over a period of time or been part of the right decision making process stands out a mile. What I do think people do is that they look for work that meets allthese criteria and also has a place within the market. Galleries are businesses so they will look to promote artists whose work they feel has a place within the art market”

Chris Noraika, director of One in the Other gallery

Art Retail

• Interested primarily in what you have produced so far (and have available to sell)

• Prefers you to remain relatively consistent in your work

• While not expecting to see you in another nearby gallery, art retailers don’t expect total exclusivity nor would they object to studio sales