Running your own art gallery is a great way to expose yourself to more artistic styles and genres. It can be tricky, though; how do you get someone to accept your work as worthy of a show?
The first step towards having an exhibit at an art gallery is deciding what kind of artwork you want to display. This article will talk about some types of exhibits and what it takes to have one of these kinds.
Prepare your exhibit
After you have selected an art gallery as an exhibition site, you will need to prepare your exhibit. This includes finding or creating an interesting object that relates to the artwork being displayed, writing up a brief about the artist, putting together display materials like photos and literature, and finalizing your entry.
It is very important to be creative when preparing for your show! The art gallery should get some basic information about your exhibit from time toutl they find out something new that they want to include in the show.
They might ask if there are any objects involved or not, so make sure to bring those back later! Also remember to update your exhibit’s brief every few days- maybe even daily!
Once everything is all set, send off your work with no doubts or hesitation! Make sure to coordinate this with the gallery so it does not get lost.
Research the art gallery before you apply
Before you even approach an artist or art curator with your proposal, do some research. Find out if they have any openings coming up and when so that you can plan a visit.
Make sure to check their social media accounts where they share information about the gallery and themselves. You might also find out more about them from other sources, such as through interviews or by talking to people who know them.
You should always be respectful and extend courtesy during this process, as it could be someone’s livelihood that depends on how well they manage public perception of the space.
If possible, try to connect with the artists or staff members outside of the exhibition context to see what kind of person they are. It is very easy to project our own personality onto others, so chances are good that at least one member of the team has traits that differ slightly from the rest.
When approaching curators, make sure to refer to them by their proper title, rather than using ‘he’ or ‘she’.
Create a website
In order to get your artwork into an art gallery, you will first need to have a way for people to find out about you and your work. This article contains some tips on how to do just that!
You can easily create an online presence for yourself as an artist by creating a website or establishing an existing site as yours.
This should include a profile page with information about you, links to all of your social media accounts, and general artistic material. An additional option is to add content to promote your art or provide useful resources for artists.
Your website should contain at least some basic information about who you are, what kind of art you make, and contact details so interested individuals can reach you. Many galleries also require an exhibition plan which includes dates and times your show is open to the public, so this would be a good place to mention it.
After you have everything set up, then start promoting yourself! Share your work consistently on sites like Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter to grow your audience. You can also put together creative posts and announcements to gain more attention.
Find sponsors
As with any type of business, showing up empty-handed is not a good look or strategy for success. Sponsors are always great ways to gain exposure for your art!
There are many ways you can find art gallery sponsorship opportunities. You may be able to approach local businesses directly to work out a deal, connect with other artists in your area, or create a contest or giveaway where they can advertise for their event or magazine spread.
Many museums and galleries offer advertising and/or sponsored events or activities, so see what they have going on and pitch your product during one of those times!
When talking to potential sponsors about how their advertisement will benefit them, make sure to emphasize how yours will help THEM! Most importantly, keep it practical and relevant to ensure the sale…and hopefully a big one!
Your sponsor’t know whether your artwork will sell until they promote it, so making sure it looks nice and is well put together is very important.
Plan your exhibit
Before you even approach an art gallery with the intention of having your show accepted, you need to make sure that you have all the components necessary for a successful exhibition!
As mentioned before, being prepared is the key to getting your artwork shown. Make sure to research potential galleries in your area, find out what types of shows they’ve had success with, and see if there are any openings or exhibitions coming up.
If there are no open displays, then it’s time to start thinking about exhibiting! Most artists will be able to help you get started by letting you know whether you should create a one-off piece (where you produce and display your work as part of this exhibition) or if you should prepare material designed to sell independently.
You want to make sure that whatever you put together has strong design elements and is clearly displayed.
There are also different ways to structure your exhibition; some may not recommend showing more than three pieces due to risk of audience fatigue.
Dress the part
When it comes to getting your artwork into a gallery, what you wear is important! If you are more casual dressier clothes, then that’s better. But if you are going for a more formal look, make sure you are dressed properly.
You don’t want to look like you just came from work or you didn’t put much effort into yourself because you thought there wouldn’t be many people watching you. So, stay fit, groomed and fashionable!
Also, bring along some form of self-promotion material such as business cards, flyers, or a well-rehearsed speech. Many art galleries will ask for these when you book an event or exhibition.
Know your audience
As with any type of writing, there are different levels for art galleries. There is beginner level, intermediate, and advanced. Beginner levels write more formal paragraphs, while intermediates use informal language and advanced writers take it up a notch by using slang or even poetry!
Intermediaries can also include adding decorations such as illustrations, bullets, and/or bold fonts to make their writing more interesting. Use these tools to help bring out the best writing style you have within you!
And lastly, know what kind of event your readers will be attending. If this article was written for people that love nature, then suggest some local parks or botanical gardens where they may visit after the exhibition. If this article was written for people who enjoy contemporary art, then mention some exhibits or artists that might inspire them.
The writer should also consider how much experience the reader has when trying to match ideas and styles – if someone who is very artistic reads this article, those individuals could add anything from notes and comments to support the ideas presented.
Ask for feedback
As mentioned before, art galleries are creative business entities so they’ll need your help to know if their strategies are working. If you’re ever struggling to come up with an idea or you feel that something is off, ask someone what they think!
Many museums will hold open meetings every few weeks where members of the staff can talk about projects they’re working on, events they’re planning and anything else related to the gallery. They’d also probably be willing to give you some tips if you show interest in becoming a member or sponsoring an event.
Staff at larger institutions may even have access to internal documents and reports that contain information about the success of past exhibits. By reading these, you could get some great ideas and insights.
By reaching out to people in different ways, you’ll not only learn more about the field, but you’ll also make new friends.
