Gallery Representation 101

To introduce myself my name is Mark Rubenstein and I am a photography major at the Savannah College of Art and Design. As young artist's, we are filled with the dreams of one day being able to exhibit our work in a gallery, regardless of the endless amounts of buisness and politics we have to deal with living the life of working artists. The purpose of this article is to inform young artists on what steps they can take to acheive the goal of receiving representation.

There are many aspects that go into receiving major representation by galleries.  In the next few paragraphs, I will break down everything to be done to ensure representation or at least exposistion at a gallery. It is quite a grueling process, but the pay off is beyond words. Many factors come into play when trying to get gallery representation.

The first step that should be taken even before garnering galleries is to start developing relationships with the local arts community. The worst mistake to make after graduation is to go to the top gallery in New York and say, "Here, look at my portfolio. I know you'll love it!" Your community is where you first build a dialog with the people in the same situation as yourself. This dialog is at the core of everything.

Discussing each other's experiences, you begin to learn how to present yourself as an artist and a businessman. Wherever you are situated in the country is where you need to develop your home base.

This is where you can come to rely upon all the resources you have available. These might include businesses,darkrooms, family, and those friends that you met in your artists community. You should not be hesitant or scared about introducing yourself to a new group of people. You are all very much in the same boat. Everyone is there to help each other out. You will soon learn that everyone has a centralized goal: to be able to present a body of their own work.

A great way  to find some of these people is stop by your local galleries or coffee shops. Look to see if there are any community events involving the arts. If you find one, show up and strike up a converstation with someone at the event. If they are not artists themselves, they most likely know one. As an artist, one of your jobs is to start networking, opening this dialogue that I have mentioned. By practicing in the beginnning, you will start to be able to clearly express your views and intent. This will play a key part when you begin talking to galleries and presenting your work and the thought process behind it.

After getting established in this new community of people, the next step is to exhibit your work in a group exhibition. Group shows are a wonderfull thing to participate in when starting out. They often garner tons of publicity and usually the gallery space will only take a small amount from a sale. This is where many famous artists get their start. It is one of the first stepping-stones you may utilize in the process of building your name. Photographers i have talked to said they never really approached a major gallery with their work. The gallery would always come to them. Usually a gallery will closely watch communities and follow selected artists that seem to be creating a buzz. This buzz is what will get you a gallery. Going to twenty different galleries and dropping off your work is not nearly as successful. Constantly exhibit your work and keep a close association with your peers and sooner or later the outside world will take notice. Remember, this takes time. Nothing comes fast. Have patience and confidence in yourself.

I think it is fantastic to let a broad range of people see your work and to be able to communicate with a smaller audience in order to see what they really have to say about it. This can allow for you to tighten up anything that needs to be fixed, whether it be your artists statement or your work itself.

A big part of getting gallery representation by a gallery and making a name for yourself is self-promotion. This is one of the most time consuming efforts put forth by photographers. However, it is what gets them recognition.

One of the biggest tools of self-promotion these days is having a website. A successful website can illustrate to a viewer the entire methodology of your artwork. They can view any work you would like them to see, your entire biography featuring your exhibition history, any awards you've recieved and your intentions. Whether you are seeking gallery representation, commercial work or whatever else, the Internet is wonderful because your audience is worldwide. A person in China can't go to New York to view your exhibition in a Chelsea gallery, but they can view it online. This opens up many doors. Private collectors can view your work and may want to add you to their collections. Galleries in different regions may take notice because they like the style of your work. There are endless possibilities.

Networking as i have mentioned is another great way to promote yourself. Attend industry events such as gallery and museum openings. Introduce yourself to people. Simply say that you are a fan of that particular artist's work and let the conversation go from there. Don't say immediately that you would love to work with them. Promotion is about letting relationships build and then, after time, take this select group of individuals and market your material towards them.

The key from early on is to develop a well-rounded business strategy. You need to be specifically clear in the message you are sending when promoting yourself. Whether or not you are seeking representation or looking for a job, it must be very specific in intent. You, as the artist, need to take charge of your career and not wait for someone to do it for you. Also, you need to weigh two options. Do you want long or short-term success? If you are going to do this for the long haul, you need to be aggressive and have a developed plan of the steps you need to take that will lead you to your goal. It will keep you there for years to come, much like the steps I have given you.

The point of all this that art is a life. The whole process is quite alot to absorb. Making a living as an artist takes everything you have. People who choose to dedicate their life being an artist have such a passion and drive to be able to produce their work and show it. Nothing can deter them from it. This business takes an extreme amount of work ethic and self-discipline. You might be wondering if this is the right thing for your being a young artist like myself. I, for one, think it is.

This article is just the beginning of advice i will share with you all. Relying on the experiences i have encountered in being a young photographer.