Images
of Work
Make sure that you have good quality images taken of
your work (35mm transparencies, digital images for CDs
or email), after all, you will be competing with practitioners
that have been in business for years and are firmly
established as leading national and international designers.
Sending poor images/presentations reflects very badly
on your approach and your work.
Invest
in a professional portfolio filled to the brim with
beautifully laid out colour photography on a black background.
Don't walk into the gallery with a handful of snapshots.
Sending
Biography and Visuals
Send general descriptive information about yourself
and your work to the gallery first. Then follow this
up with a telephone call. Find out the contact name
you need for the relevant department within the gallery.
If you send something with no contact name your presentation
can sit in a pending tray for months! Contact as many
galleries as you can handle, rather than waiting for
a reply from the first one on your list.
Research
and Make Appointments
Don't just turn up at a gallery with your work. Galleries
plan their exhibition schedule at least two years in
advance. They are busy most days with artists and dealing
with clients so it is always best to make an appointment
first.
Pop
in regularly to your local galleries, or research on
the internet, to get an idea of the kind of designers
they display, and the style and quality of work on show.
Keep
in Touch
Contemporary galleries are always looking for new original
designers for their exhibition programme, so update
the gallery regularly by sending emails, transparencies
and CD (with images).
It
is especially important that the gallery can see how
serious you are about your work, how it develops in
style and that you are still exhibiting and producing
work 2-5 years later. Make sure your work is unique
and difficult to duplicate. Keep your own dated designs
and patterns and own the copyright to them.
Don't
give up. There's someone out there who will like your
work. When you find gallery owners who are crazy about
your work, stick with them.
When
you have an offer of a show
Watch the papers for announcements of other openings
at the gallery to see how well each opening is advertised.
Ask around the arts community to see how well known
the gallery and its owner are.
Check
on the gallery/artist percentage agreement when calling
each gallery. Your price to the public must be calculated
based on this. Charge what the work is worth! Check
around with other artists represented by the gallery,
asking them about promptness of payment by the gallery.
Be businesslike in all dealings. Prepare a contract,
if the gallery does not have one, to cover mutual expectations.
It should include who does what, e.g., mounting of the
work, invitations to the opening, opening night, payment
terms, artist's residual and resale rights, etc.
Don't be a pain to the gallery owner. Don't pester.
If you have to be anxious about the show, do it privately.
Enjoy the opening night!
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