Hello! Welcome to my blog, "Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People". I’m a Career & Life Coach for artists and other creative people. I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area but work with artists throughout the U. S. and all over the world. I am now sharing a new handout describing four levels of exhibition opportunities that roughly correspond to stages in an art career. You can print it out below. Stages of an Art Career (52 KB) I’ve arranged the opportunities in the form of a staircase. Level One: Gaining Experience & Exposure Level Two: Building a Resume Level Three: Getting on the Radar Level Four: "Making It" In my last blog post we were talking about the opportunities in Level One. These include cafes, restaurants, and other commercial venues like hair salons and realtors. There are three other possibilities in this category: art festivals, open studios, and your own web presence. Art festivals used to be great places for artists to show and sell their work. In an art festival, often held outdoors in the summer, you pay a fee and set up a booth to display your art. These festivals usually include food and drink and music to attract the public and create that festive atmosphere. Unfortunately, in many parts of the country, visitors come to eat, drink, relax & listen to music, and occasionally buy jewelry. Artists have difficulty making enough sales to cover the cost of the booth and the many hours of their time. However, there are exceptions! The festivals that are still good for artists are juried, have a strong reputation, and attract a sophisticated audience of people who buy art. Make sure that the festival you’re considering is worth your time and money. Do some research before you sign up. Check out the jurors. Ask the festival promoters for sales figures from previous years. Talk to other artists about their experience. If you have been participating in the same festival year after year but barely make back your investment, or even lose money, it is time to move on. Open Studios is listed in Level One because it is non-juried yet provides a good opportunity to gain experience and exposure. Open Studios weekends can be vibrant events, where artists show and sell their work to the public. If you’re planning to participate in Open Studies, here are a few "best practices" to keep in mind. When you participate in Open Studios every year, the challenge is to keep it fresh, both for yourself and for visitors. One way to do this is to set new goals each year, so that you know what you want to accomplish. For example, if your intention is to sell work, then curate your studio with this in mind. Make at least one section of the studio look like a gallery, featuring a small selection of your best recent work. Don’t put prices on the wall or on pedestals. Prepare a written price list, as galleries do. Your price list should include thumbnail images of each work for sale, documented with title, size, materials, and price. Be sure to include your name and contact information on each page. Have several copies of the price list available in your studio, but also be sure to provide copies visitors can take away. In large Open Studios events, people may visit dozens of artists and it all begins to blur. Your handout will remind them of what they liked and make it easy for them to come back and find you or contact you later. Another goal might be to build visibility and develop relationships. Visibility is incremental: people first see your work in Open Studios and then recognize it later when you show in another venue. During Open Studios, spend time engaging with people. Don’t just talk to your friends! Tell visitors a little about your own "art story." Talk about your inspiration, your materials, your point of view, whatever information you can share to make your work accessible. The last item in Level One is "your own web presence." Yes, even as an emerging artist you need to be visible online. You can start by posting your work on Instagram or Facebook. Get comfortable with at least one social media platform, and use it to publicize your first exhibitions and events. Since your web presence is important at each level of your art career, don’t wait. If you aren’t online yet, see my blog post "Finding Your Work Online" for some ideas on how to get started. So that’s what Level One is all about. When you’ve gained enough experience and exposure, or feel that you’ve reached a plateau, think about moving on to Level Two, where your goal is to build a resume. I will talk about those opportunities in my next blog post. All the best, Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D. Career & Life Coach for Artists Hello! Welcome to my blog, “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”. I’m a Career & Life Coach for artists and other creative people. I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area but work with artists throughout the U. S. and all over the world. This time I’m sharing a new handout describing four levels of exhibition opportunities that roughly correspond to stages in an art career. You can print it out below. Stages of an Art Career (52 KB) I’ve arranged the opportunities in the form of a staircase. Level One: Gaining Experience & Exposure Level Two: Building a Resume Level Three: Getting on the Radar Level Four: "Making It" The stages are shown as steps in a staircase because the art world is hierarchical even though things may seem to happen in a random way. For example, you’ll only be invited to participate in the Whitney Biennial after you’ve gotten on the radar of the Big Art World. You probably won’t interest a gallery until you’ve become visible and have had some experience exhibiting and selling your work. Keep in mind that these levels are not absolute. They describe a common progression, but it is OK to be exhibiting your work at different levels at the same time. You might be in a number of juried shows at nonprofit art venues and also participate in a group show at a college or university gallery. Notice too that your own web presence will increase your visibility at all stages of your career. The levels are also useful as a diagnostic tool. They might show you when you’ve reached a plateau and are ready to move on to the next level. Each level teaches you essential skills and attracts the attention of new audiences. Gaining Experience & Exposure (Level One) If you are just starting out, or restarting after a career in another field (or another life), take advantage of the opportunities listed in Level One. They will teach you the basic skills required to exhibit your work. You’ll learn how to frame, price, and hang your work. You’ll gain experience in choosing good titles, preparing an artist statement or biography, and writing a simple press release. You might not do it all perfectly, but you’ll find out what works and get better. Be thoughtful about choosing among commercial venues in Level One. If you don't like the atmosphere or the look of the hair salon or restaurant, don’t show your work there. For example, an artist who creates calm and muted abstract paintings might choose to have a show at a spa rather than in a noisy restaurant. Some commercial venues participate in local events, like a monthly art walk. This will generate activity and connect you with other art shows. Try to get publicity in a local newsletter, even if you have to write the press release yourself. Be realistic about your expectations. When you show your work in commercial venues like restaurants and hair salons, you might not sell very much, but you’ll get your name out there and you might make some good contacts. Rent-a-wall spaces are also an option. This is where a small group of artists come together to share the rent for an exhibition space. Each artist pays for a wall to show their work. It is important for “rent-a-wall” spaces to be located well. Ideally you want to be in the midst of a busy shopping area, where people naturally pass. You’ll also want to join your fellow artists in creating opening receptions and other events, just like a gallery. The advantage of rent-a-wall spaces is that you work together with other artists, sharing the costs and your mailing lists. Sometimes you receive invitations to show your work in nonjuried online venues. Research these opportunities carefully. Make sure they are legitimate and that the quality of the work is high. Check to make sure there isn’t a hidden agenda. Sometimes online galleries are really selling website hosting or marketing services that you don’t need. If they claim that artists are successfully selling work on the site, ask for sales figures, their commission structure, and the names of artists you can contact to verify this information. So, take a look at these Level One opportunities. Are there any that appeal to you? Next time I’ll talk about Open Studios, which I’ve put at this first level because it is nonjuried, or juried by YOU. All the best, Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D. Career & Life Coach for Artists |
Mary's BlogAs an artist coach, I bring a unique combination of business knowledge, art world experience, and professional coaching skill to my practice. |