3 Steps to Help Artists Find Gallery Representation

Finding gallery representation is somewhat intimidating to many and not all visual artists have natural sales ability. But, here’s the catch – you must be able to sell yourself!

Step One

Are you ready to sell yourself to a gallery? Be honest & ask yourself...

• Is my art salable?
• Is my art technically good?
• Have I developed a recognizable style?
• Do I have a cohesive body of work ready to display?
• Have I had success selling my work in art/craft shows, out of your studio and other non-gallery venues?
• Do I have the time to fulfill the supply & demand of a gallery?
• Do I have a website/blog that showcases my art and information? (This is not a must, but highly suggested)
• Do I have a portfolio, bio, and resume & artist statement?

If the answers are yes - you might be ready to take the next step toward finding the right gallery.

If the answer is no - don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position. Approaching a gallery before you are ready is kind of like putting a gangly teenager in modeling school. It won’t help your self-esteem and it most likely will bruise your ego.

Step Two

Find your ‘target galleries’.  Do your homework and think about where your artwork belongs in the art market. This is easy to do and you can start from home...

• Flip through art magazines and look at gallery ads and the artists they represent.
• Check out gallery websites and see if your work would be a good fit for them.
• Talk to fellow artists and have them suggest galleries to you.
• Observe the gallery through the eyes of a collector, not as an artist.
• Watch and see how the staff greats and treats you. Are they courteous and professional?
• Walk through the gallery and scan the art, look how it is hung and check the lighting.
• Ask for a price sheet if available. Be sure and get references on the gallery from other artists.
• Try and visualize your art hanging in the gallery and see how it compares in quality to their other artists.
• Searching for the right gallery is a process of elimination.
• The more galleries you visit and research, the more informed you will be about making the right choice.
• Now you have a short list of ‘target galleries’ that are a good match and you are ready to approach a gallery.

Step Three

Approaching your ‘target gallery’...

• A successful gallery with a good reputation gets inundated with dozens of artists’ submissions each week.
• An artist must do his or her best to stand out from the crowd.
• Do your homework about the gallery’s ‘artist submission policy’ and follow their guidelines. You can usually find this on their website.
• Many galleries, especially within the high end fine art market have specific submission requirements and policies.
• Usually artists must submit work for review. This generally means a professional portfolio of at least 10 slides, photos or transparencies or a CD depicting recent works.
• Always send a self-addressed, stamped envelope or risk never seeing your material again.

If there are no submission requirements or guidelines, don't worry, there are definitely some things you can do and I'll cover those suggestions and tips in a follow-up post tomorrow so stay tuned.

And, good luck! The steps above are advice that I have compiled from my years as an artist and talking with galleries and fellow artists. Working artists all have battle scars and war stories to tell, but I hope these ideas help keep your pain to a minimum.

Lori McNee is a nationally recognized professional artist who specializes in still life and landscape oil paintings. Lori shares valuable fine art tips, techniques, social media advice and art business tips for the working artist on her blog, FineArtTips.com.

Main image courtesy of Jeff Werner