Trying to get into a gallery--just one would be GREAT!

[see_r]

I am getting ready to put together an 11" X 14" portfolio of a selection of my

photography (mostly, if not entirely, landscape in large format) with the goal

of trying to get some appointments to try to pitch photo galleries for an

opportunity for a small exhibit. I have been thinking that I would just cold

call a bunch of galleries to try to get some appointments to show the

portfolio. If I could get a showing, I would use only high end production

means for (mostly) large prints for the showing.

 

Any suggestions as to how to add some finesse to my approach of contacting the

galleries would be greatly appreciated. Please provide details like who I

shoul ask for (the curator, I presume), maybe what kinds of things to say, do

I call or stop by, should I have a website first or can I just point them to

my postings here on PN, etc, etc.

 

Much thanks for any help.

[Charles_Webster]

Check out "Taking the Leap, Building a Career as a Visual Artist" by Cay Lang. It has lots of information about how to contact the right person with the right stuff to get a gallery show.

 

You should certainly have a professional-looking portfolio, a business card, a CD of your portfolio, and an Artist's Statement that describes your objectives as an artist.

 

Some galleries don't even show photos, there's no sense in cold calling those, so you should do some research to find all the galleries that do hang photo shows. Keep in mind that a lot of photography exhibits aren't hung in galleries, but in coffee houses, restaurants, etc.

 

If you are in a big city, you chances are both better and worse. Better because there are more choices of places to try to get a show hung, worse because there are more MWACs who have the same idea.

 

Good luck, let us know how it turns out

 

<Chas>

[younes]

I don't have much experience than my own (brief). I contacted a gallery and a pub. Both of them accepted my work. For the gallery I simply walked in and talked to the sales agent on the floor. She directed me to the owner/curator who simply asked me for a website. I gave him the address of my PN portfolio. He then contacted me and that was it. As for the pub, it was the same concept, except that I brought my printed portfolio with me and talked to the owner who liked my work and then set up a schedule for the exhibition. Bottom line: ask, you have nothing to lose (Except some pride may be...). I would assume that it does help to have your own website and a business card, but I truly that it doesn't matter much if people like your work. good luck with your endeavours.

[argv]

Not knowing the answers to your own questions is a clear indicator that you're not yet ready to go into it. There are the few exceptions to the rule where people luckily get some early-years exposure, but those are the few lottery winners that, by definition, are not worth emulating. In reality, people who are not savvy about the art market make any dent at all in their attempts to enter it, and end up losing tons of money, not to mention the years of wasted time.

 

I've written an extensive article that breaks down the art segment into various categories and gives you guidelines as to how to think about your own approach into it. By no means do I give advice on what to do, as I am a firm believer that direct, specific advice is not applicable to the broader audience. It's like my telling everyone to buy a lottery ticket with the numbers 28 38 42 12. There may be those who actually win using that series, but it's a stroke of luck and coincidence, not because the strategy actually has merit.

 

Now, I'm NOT suggesting that one doesn't do certain basic things that those books recommend (such as how to write letters or build portfolios), but such advice is so basic and obvious, that it doesn't really count as useful advice. What really matters is understanding how the nuances of the market operate and the incredibly disproportionate weight that "networking" has in what can only be described as an overly incestuous industry.