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What questions should I ask a gallery rep who wants to show my paintings? |
I'm meeting with a local gallery rep about my artwork. It's my first time doing this. What questions should I ask? How many samples of my work should I bring (the actual canvases or just photos?)? Are there any forms I should have? Thanks to anyone who can help me out! First visit just bring slides of your work. All you have! Ask how much is the gallery's commission. Ask if you will be allowed to set up the show the way you want. Ask if your attendance will be required and for how much of your time. Ask if you will set the prices for your work. Ask if you will decide which pieces get shown. Ask how long the show will be in the gallery. Ask if you will be responsible for any of the promotional expenses. Source(s): A lifetime in art! http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?arti... I have a different take on what should happen your first meeting, though nothing Zoltar says is wrong. 1. First thing's first, ask your rep what they want to see. Every gallery is different. Bringing what is appropriate to that gallery is your best tactic. My suggestions below are from my own experience. 2. Do not take all your work. Take 20 of your absolute best. If you have trouble picking those out, have a person whose taste you trust help you pick. Before your meeting, ask the rep how they would like to see your work. Each one is different (some want digital, photos, slides or originals). If you don't have good photos that you feel represent your work well, it may pay to take originals. Carting your originals can appear unprofessional depending on your rep. 3. Bring a resume (for fine art that is your education history, your show history, award history and any publications [art reviews, published catalogs] about your work]) and a biography (a little about you). You can talk with your rep and divulge all this info, but having this info printed means your rep can have them on file going forward. 4. Ask about what percentage of a sale the gallery will keep. Also, how soon after a sale you can expect your check. 5. Will you get a "show" that features your work during a specific time frame, or will you be part of an ongoing group show (look up "vanity gallery" on wikipedia)? 6. Ask what promo the gallery will do for you, if any and who will pay for it. 7. Ask if the gallery is insured to cover the full retail cost of your artwork. 8. Ask how long they will hold on to your work after a "show." Some galleries will return all work to you, some will hold work for 6 months in their inventory. Those are barebones questions. After your first meeting, you'll probably have more. Oh, and one more thing: 9. You don't need to bring any "paperwork" to this meeting. If the gallery decides they want to carry you, you should expect the following and if you don't get them, ask: a) They will ask for your tax info upon a sale. b) They should give you a loan agreement when you hand over work to them. c) You should keep an inventory, including prices, of everything you hand over. d) Exclusivity: some galleries will prefer, or legally bind you, to showing only with them within a certain region (city, state, region, etc). This is an unspoken rule with many galleries so you may want to ask about this so you don't make a mistep in gallery relations. |
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