Marketing Mondays: How Did You Find A Gallery?

Update on When Bad Things Happen to Good Galleries

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Not exactly a plan
Sign shot on Tenth Avenue in Chelsea. Photo: Sid Garrison on Facebook via Mark Pollack on Blackberry.

Recently I recommended an artist to one of the galleries I work with. The dealer liked the work, and the artist is now scheduled for a show. Just like that.

For artists who are sending out package after package, this anecdote is no doubt infuriating. But the fact is that more artists find shows through networking than postage. In How To Start and Run a Commercial Gallery, Edward Winkleman lists the ways he has found artists, in the order of importance to him:

. Recommendations from artists in his gallery, other dealers, curators
. Institutional exhibitions, such as non-profits and contemporary museums
. Studio Visits and Open Studio Tours
. Cold-call submissions

In my own experience, over the years I have come to be represented or to work with galleries in these ways. I’ve listed them in the order of importance:

. Artist referrals
. Dealer referrals
. Networking in general
. Internet search by the dealer
. Cold-call submissions

In one memorable opportunity (which I'd consider in the "networking" category), a juried show at an annual small works show in New York led to a solo show and a warm relationship with a gallery that has spanned more than a decade, including a second solo and a large group show. How did this happen? The dealer made a trip to see what and who was new, a scenario that is repeated many times over by many dealers and curators at many venues, including juried shows and art fairs. Dealers look. Relatedly, dealers and curators are using the internet for initial research. Suggestions here: make sure you have an updated and easily navigable site, research the gallery that contacts you, respond quickly if you like what you see.

I once responded to a "call to artists." Over a decade ago I send my URL to a Southwest gallery that was starting up. I took a chance; hey, what did I have to lose? The dealer came to New York to make studio visits and we hit it off. The relationship continues to this day. Typically, though, most calls to artists—at least the New York galleries that advertise in the classifieds of the national art magazines—are vanity galleries trolling for artists willing to pay to show. Check them out if you wish, but the minute they ask you for money, run.

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As for artist referrals, generosity among our peers is the most important way to make connections. I can tell you that anecdotally; Ed Winkleman tells you that officially in his book. You may have experienced this yourself. If you get into a gallery as the result of an artist singing your praises, return the favor if you think you see a good fit--and then pay it forward. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

What are the ways YOU have found gallery representation? I’m curious to see the common threads. In a few weeks I'll tote up the responses to see what kind of picture has emerged.
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