In my last blog post we looked at different ways for established artists to get noticed. This process is known as "getting on the radar." Today we will take a look at the next level, which I call "making it." If you're just joining this discussion, you can catch up by downloading my free handout below. It shows four levels of exhibition opportunities available to artists, presented as a staircase. You can also find blog posts about each level. Stages of an Art Career (52 KB) Use the staircase to figure out where you are right now in your art career, and where you want to go. The opportunities listed at each level will help you become an artist whose name and work people start to recognize. As you put yourself out there, you gradually build your career. At the higher levels, the first thing to remember is that the kind of art you make matters. In the contemporary art world right now, artists receive attention for breaking new ground. Their art often explores social, political, or aesthetic ideas. They use their medium in new and experimental ways. Artists are recognized for combining and collapsing the boundaries of traditional media. This work is experimental and interdisciplinary in the broadest sense of the term. At the higher levels, gallery representation becomes important because of what a good gallery can do for you. They can give you a solo show of new work every few years, present your art to collectors, and take your work to the national and international art fairs. If your gallery is well connected, your work will be reviewed in art magazines and shown in museums. Another key factor in "making it" is your network. Artists get ahead through their contacts with curators, gallerists, museum directors, arts writers, and other leaders. These people often nominate artists for the major awards and fellowships. Since these opportunities are announced and some even solicit applications, you might think it is an open process, but often a short list exists where well-known artists are invited to apply. Before you spend valuable time applying for a Guggenheim, research the artists who were awarded the Fellowship in the last few years. You will find that they have very strong resumes and are well connected. If you're ready for a residency but don't yet have such credentials, apply for the many fine residencies that are open to applications. (See the Alliance of Artist Communities for a comprehensive list.) Many artists think that they need an MFA to succeed in the art world. Having the degree will help your career primarily because of the contacts you make. The faculty at art schools often know the people at galleries, museums, art publications, etc. Their contacts are not just local but reach across the country. They meet each other at conferences, travel to art fairs, read art magazines, and stay on top of trends. Sometimes they can introduce you to a gallery, recommend you for an award or residency, or promote your work to a curator or writer. If you are already an established artist, don't think you have to go back to school for an MFA. Concentrate on building your reputation by using your own network of relationships. So far I've been describing a traditional, even old-fashioned path towards "making it" in the art world. Today you have alternative ways to succeed, depending on your goals. Many excellent artists have established themselves entirely through their online presence, including active use of social media to promote themselves and their work. Other artists are successful by selling their work on Etsy, or on home décor sites, or through licensing agents and art consultants. Alternative art fairs have popped up in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, so that individual artists without gallery representation have a chance to participate. Often these events run parallel to the major art fairs, and add fresh energy. So, think about it. What does "making it" mean to you? Then begin to take the first small steps on your own path. All the best, Mary Edwards 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. If you’d like to schedule a time to talk, please write to me at coaching@coachingforartists.com. How do you get on the radar of the Art World? We've been talking about four levels of exhibition opportunities available to artists, presented as a staircase. Stages of an Art Career (52 KB) Look at the various levels to figure out where you are right now in your art career, and where you want to go. By taking advantage of these opportunities you become an artist whose name and work people begin to recognize. As you become more visible you will move on to the next level, so that you gradually build your career as an artist. Today we're looking at Level Three, which I call "Getting on the Radar." When you read the announcements of artists chosen for major art awards, you'll see that a small number of well-known artists seem to get picked. Check out the artists selected for the Artadia Awards, for example, or the Whitney Biennial. Google their names to find their resumes, and you'll see how they got there. None is an unknown artist who came "out of the blue." They were already on the radar of the Art World. So what you do to get noticed? The first thing to remember is that galleries, critics, curators and magazine writers want to "discover" artists, rather than be bombarded by your marketing campaign. Most decision-makers in the art world ignore emails from artists they don't already know. The opportunities listed in Level Three are legitimate ways for you to get on the radar. Let's start with group shows at local or regional museums. Often these venues have member programs for local artists, where you can join for a fee and become eligible for "member shows." Make sure these are juried, so that the quality remains high. Also check to see if they sponsor national juried shows. While they are harder to get in, these exhibitions are often juried by a prominent curator or gallery owner, so your work becomes visible to them. Some museums also review artists' proposals for solo exhibitions. Another way to access museum shows is through your professional art organization, like Oil Painters of America, the National Sculpture Society, the National Watercolor Society, etc. These organizations partner with museums (and sometimes galleries) to sponsor juried shows for their members. While these exhibitions are highly competitive, they give you access to major museums who wouldn't otherwise know about you. Sometime these exhibitions travel to a number of different venues. College and University galleries are another great place for you to find Level Three opportunities. Start with those in your state or region, as these galleries often feature local artists. They attract a serious audience because of their affiliation with an educational institution, and curators and gallerists pay attention to what is shown there. Some commercial galleries offer exhibition opportunities for artists. These galleries do not take submissions from artists, but use an "open call" to survey a large group of artists whose work they might not otherwise see. Be highly selective in responding to these open calls. Only submit to galleries where you see a good fit with your own work. Take a look at the artists shown on the gallery's website. What do they have in common? Is there a particular look (often called their "aesthetic") or a conceptual focus? If your own work doesn't match their interests, do not apply to these calls. Your social media presence is another good way for you to get on the radar. Many artists are using Instagram to heighten their visibility. It is important to be regular and consistent in your posting, and to build your art story over time. Do follow the galleries and museums you admire. Feel free to "like" and comment on what they are doing, but do not post your own work on their wall. Your genuine interest will gradually make your name familiar to them. Finally, get out there in the real world of art, whenever and however you can. Go to openings, visit museum exhibitions, talk to other artists, visit your friends at open studios. You never know who you might meet and what you will learn. Next time we'll take a look at Level Four opportunities, which I call "Making It." All the best, Mary Edwards 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. How do you become visible in the art world? Early in your career this is your most important task. You want to find opportunities that will help your art become familiar to the people who might buy it or show it in their gallery or write about it in a magazine. Here’s a handout describing four levels of exhibition opportunities available to artists, shown as a staircase. Stages of an Art Career (52 KB) You can use it to figure out where you are right now in your art career, and where you want to go. Today we’re talking about Level Two, which I call “building a resume.” This is how you establish yourself as an artist whose name and work people begin to recognize. Your record of accomplishment helps you move on to the next level, as you gradually build a career as an artist. When you’re ready, start by entering juried shows at nonprofit art institutions. These are art centers, community centers, and small museums who offer group shows for artists. These venues have given a career boost to many artists who have gone on to gain national recognition. If you look at the resume of a well-known artist, you will often find that their first exhibitions were in nonprofit art venues. Start local! Consider the art opportunities in your own town or region first. The best ones are juried, often by a gallery owner or curator. Sometimes you’ll be asked to bring your art in person to be juried, but that is unusual. Most likely you’ll need to enter your work through an online portal, where you upload your images. If you are new to such a process, don’t wait until the last minute to enter. Allow time to learn. If you are “digitally challenged” ask for help from the sponsors of the show or from a friend or family member. Choose exhibitions specific to your medium, whenever you can. If you’re a photographer, look for photography shows. If you’re a sculptor, look for exhibitions featuring 3D work. You might also consider themed exhibitions, like a landscape show. By focusing in this way, you’ll improve your chances of getting in and you’ll be included in a group of your peers. Avoid entering exhibitions open to “all media, all artists 18 years old and over.” This language suggests that the sponsors of the show are primarily interested in collecting fees from a large number of artists. After you have gotten into a number of local shows, start to consider regional and national juried exhibitions. These will be competitive because they attract a large number of artists, but they add weight to your resume. Consult state-wide listings. West Coast artists can find opportunities listed on the California Arts Council website (www.cac.ca.gov). East Coast artists should visit the New York Foundation for the Arts (www.nyfa.org). Your own state may have a similar arts council that serves as a clearinghouse for art opportunities. For a listing of national and international exhibitions, visit www.CallForEntries.com. This is an excellent curated site, where the opportunities are divided into separate listings for artists and photographers. At the beginning of your career, enter as many of these juried shows as you can afford. If you are able to enter several a month, you increase your chances of being accepted. Some nonprofit venues also have membership programs for local artists, where you join for a small fee and become eligible for “member shows.” If you’re interested in finding your first solo show, consider libraries, hospitals, and bookstores with art programs. These spaces offer a quieter and more serious venue than the cafes and restaurants in Level One. If your local library or bookstore doesn’t yet offer shows for artists, talk to them about the possibility. You might also take a look at your county fair. Some of them include juried shows of local artists, and award prizes and ribbons just as they do for other categories. County fairs attract a large and diverse public for your art. If you are considering a county fair but are not sure about the quality of the art, go to the fair and check it out, and then apply next year. What about juried shows offered by galleries? Since they represent a higher level of opportunity and exposure, I’ve included them in Level Three, where your goal is “Getting on the Radar.” I’ll talk about those opportunities in my next blog post. All the best, Mary Mary Edwards is 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. 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. |