The Design Factory Approaching Galleries An exploration of the relationship between Artists and Galleries

What is it you want to achieve through approaching galleries? There are three key reasons why an artist would approach a gallery to take their work: 1.Exposure and critical acclaim through exhibitions 2.Development of an academic profile and a credible CV 3.Sell work and establish a viable business and income In order to know which galleries to approach, you need to know what you want – 1, 2 or 3 – or perhaps a combination. Be clear with yourself about what you want The assumption of this presentation is that you want to sell work

A commercial gallery is first and formost a business It is a retail outlet which sells work to it’s customers. It charges commission which averages 50% + VAT It knows it’s own customers A small commercial gallery may need to turnover around £10,000 per month to breakeven: staffing, business rates, insurance, lease/rent/,water rates, electricity phone, security, maintenance, publicity, marketing, advertising, postage, transport, VAT, TAX, PAYE, accountant, streamline, bank charges It invests a lot of time, effort and finance in marketing itself A successful gallery will work hard on your behalf, promoting and selling your work As an artist, you are a supplier. SOR or purchase?

The Customer: the gallery and the artist rely on customers buying their work Who are they? Who is your ‘average’ customer What age are they? Age is important in terms of lifestyle aspiration and disposable income Where do they live? House prices have driven disposable income What do they do? Employment moulds attitude and ambition How much do they earn?....and how much do they spend on art What is their lifestyle like? Do they buy occaisonally, regularly, compulsively Do they Have Children? Do they see art as educational

Gallery Selection Criteria Finding new work is essential to galleries and they spend a lot of time looking for it. In deciding whether work is appropriate, they use criteria, such as: Quality of product Fitness for purpose Saleability Gallery Profile How do galleries find their artists? Through trawling websites – so a good artists website is vital Exhibitions where artists have previously Artist application – info sent through directly from artists – as long as it is appropriate to the gallery (research is essential) Publications – articles, adds, editorials in eg. Crafts Magazine, Ceramic Review and other monthly publications

Approaching the Gallery Call up and speak to the right person. Making personal contact is very important Find out what they require. You should know this from your research but they may, eg, do exhibitions or showcases E mail images and written applications and also post hard copy Make a follow up phone call and ask if they received it. Ask for feedback on your presentation and on your work – galleries are happy to do this Be clear about pricing – wholesale or retail, taking VAT into account

Do’s and Dont’s in approaching a commercial gallery Do spend time researching galleries. Find out what they specialise in. Do visit galleries you are interested in. It’s a ‘people’ business – find out who runs or manages it Do present you work professionally – good digital images, artists statement and CV When you send your work to a gallery, send it hard copy and via and follow up with a phone call Develop a good website – it allows 24/7 access and all galleries use them constantly Don’t be disheartened if your work is rejected – it means it is not appropriate for specific customers – another gallery may take it if their customers would relate to it Do not blanket galleries (they talk to each other and you’ll get a bad name) Do not begrudge the gallery commission. They invest far more in selling your work than you do and make better sales. Its part of a carefully devised business plan Do not offer colour prints of your work – they are now quite dated. Do not expect staff to look at work without an arrangement. They cannot make a decision on the spot, and anyway should be working hard to sell work during open hours, not being embarrassed by inappropriate approaches Do not sour a relationship with a gallery by off- loading poor work you can’t sell elsewhere