Connecting your work with galleries or curators is less handshake hustle and more patient, thoughtful relationship building. Whether you’re just starting or looking to move forward, here’s a clear and friendly roadmap to help your art meet the right curators.
Being an artist isn’t just about what you create, it’s about who you connect with. Whether you’re teaching, dabbling, or pursuing art professionally, strong community ties bring inspiration, feedback, and opportunities. Here’s a guide to building relationships that support your creative journey.
Putting on an exhibition is one thing. Getting people and the media to show up is another. Here’s a guide full of strategies that actually work for art galleries and studios. No fluff. Just real, actionable advice.
Engaging with your local community can enhance your artistic practice and open new opportunities. Here are practical steps to connect with fellow artists and art enthusiasts in your area:
As an art gallery owner, the fear of not selling high-value artworks can be awful. However, with the right strategies, you can navigate this challenge and turn it into an opportunity for growth. Here are some practical approaches to lessen this fear and improve your gallery’s success.
Attracting younger audiences, particularly Millennials and Generation Z, is essential for the vitality and sustainability of art galleries and studios. These generations, born between 1981 and 2012, are reshaping the art market with their preferences and behaviors. To connect effectively with them, consider the following strategies:
With today’s technology, art gallery owners have a unique opportunity to reach beyond the walls of their physical space and captivate a global audience. Building a solid online presence is key to attracting both local visitors and art lovers from around the world.
Here are five expert strategies to help gallery owners boost their visibility online, increase engagement, and ultimately drive more visitors and sales.
In the art industry, securing commission projects stands as an endeavor for artists aiming to sustain their craft and build a thriving career. Yet, in a landscape saturated with talent, navigating the path to finding clients can be challenging. However, with strategic approaches and a proactive mindset, artists can effectively connect with potential clients and secure commission projects.
Finding clients for commission projects may present challenges, but maintaining a dedication to your craft and adopting these approaches can help you establish yourself as sought-after painters and cultivate a thriving career in the competitive world of arts.
Transporting artworks is part of an artist’s life. If you have an out-of-town exhibition or seminar, running an art business, or selling and collecting paintings, shipping paintings is very important. Shipping paintings can be a bit risky. Paintings are delicate and you must take utmost care in packaging, and handling them.
Here are some guidelines to help you in packaging paintings. Note that, despite best efforts, there are still some uncontrollable factors such as bad weather, untrained art handlers, rough roads, etc. that could damage your paintings while in transit. These guidelines will help you send your paintings safely and lessen the damage (if any).
Before shipping
1. Assess your shipping needs. Know the size, medium, and condition of the painting. Fragile, old, or antiquated paintings will be more damaged when shipped so it’s better to transport paintings which are less fragile. But, if you really need to ship a painting that is fragile, you have to take a different approach in packing and shipping it.
2. Consider the distance the painting has to travel. The farther the painting has to move, the more vulnerable to damage it gets. When the painting has to be shipped in great distances, remember that many handlers will be in between Point A to B.
3. Decide which transportation is best to use in moving your painting. Can you move your painting by hand, by car, by truck, or by plane?
4. If you will need a shipping company, search for a trustworthy company and determine the policies, restrictions, and cost of their service.
Packaging
Packaging your painting by yourself can save you money, if done correctly and with the right supplies. Here are the steps:
1. Make sure you have these packing supplies on hand, especially if you’re running an art business.
2. Measure the dimensions of the painting. Give a 2″ allowance all around the piece which will serve as a buffer against the outside world.
3. Starting from the back of the canvas, wrap the palette wrap tightly around the painting and cover the entire surface.
4. Cut small slits on the plastic at the back of the painting to let the piece “breathe.”
5. Put the cardboard padding on the table. Place the painting on top of the cardboard padding and measure the width and depth of the painting. Double these measurements and add few more inches if you want and mark these on the cardboard.
6. Cut the cardboard using the measurements. Create a second box using the cardboard padding. Put the painting inside and secure the box with the packing tape.
7. Tightly wrap the bubble wrap around the second box. Tip: Put another layer of bubble wrap on the edges of the box as extra cushion since the edges of the painting or the frame are more prone to damage when shipping.
8. Put the bubble-wrapped second box into the outer box. Fill any spaces with additional bubble wrap. If there are a lot of extra spaces, you can opt to cut the outer box to fit the second box.
There are different factors that you have to consider when pricing your artwork. If you’re just starting out and have not sold very much, pricing your work based on time, labor, and cost of materials is often the best way to go. Aside from explaining why your art is priced as much from a personal standpoint, you also have to explain equally from a financial standpoint and give reasons why it is a good buy most especially when your buyers are not familiar with you and your work. Here are some tips on how to fairly price your artwork.
1. How much did you spend?
You can start pricing your artwork by computing the quality and cost of art materials you’ve used. Then put into consideration the time and effort you spent in making these masterpieces. Price it at cost of materials plus hours spent creating the art. You can also do it by size. Large artworks usually are more expensive than the smaller ones.
2. Start with the lowest possible price that you can offer
It’s best to start low and raise your prices than it is to lower your prices later. But make sure that you have to gain a significant profit from your artwork to sustain your art business. You might want to price the work a few hundred dollars over the set price so you have space to negotiate just in case a buyer ask for a discount. Don’t undervalue your work. Selling your art too cheaply reflects your confidence as an artist.
3. Compare prices with other artists
Research and see what’s being charged by other artists that are at your level of work. Use that information as a guideline then set your price similar to other artists with similar experiences and work in similar mediums.
4. Price based on your status as an artist
Price your work based on your achievements, documented accomplishments, successful exhibits and number of sales. The more popular you are as an artist the more you should be confident with your pricing.
5. Be consistent with your pricing
Keep a pricelist of your paintings. Consistent pricing means that you’re consistent with the quality of your artwork. It is a cornerstone of a sound practice and eventually leads to successful sales. You can increase your pricing when you are experiencing a consistent degree of success and have established a proven track record of sales that has lasted for at least six months and preferably longer.
Image source: www.celebrateart.com