Marketing Mondays: Open Studios

.Back in late May, Nancy Natale suggested I do a post on the topic of Open Studios. I decided to wait until fall, when many of these artist-run events coincide with the new art season. For unrepresented artists, Open Studios are an opportunity to show work and build a collector base. Even for represented artists, they're an opportunity to participate in a community event. . Logo and map for the

Marketing Mondays: Five Queries that Got Dumped (and Why)

.I have a dealer friend who forwards me some of the artists' e-mail inquiries she receives. She does this partly, I think, because she has to share them with someone (you can't make this stuff up), and partly because she knew that eventually they would make their way into a Marketing Mondays post as a cautionary tale.The dealer deletes all the names, so all I'm seeing is the message.

Marketing Mondays: What's In A Name?

.Janet Filomeno, The Sea Has Veins: The Delaware Series, No. 22, 2009, graphite, aluminum paint, mica powder, oil and acrylic on canvas, 36 x 60 inchesI don't subscribe to the idea that the art must speak entirely for itself. While I don't expect the artist to spoonfeed me her meaning and intent, I do like it when she provides me with a path to her work. Then I'll depend on my own eyes and

Marketing Mondays: Enough With the Reference Letters

Fine, but leave me out of it (Image from the Indianhead Federated Library System, Eay Claire, Wisconsin).I just received my third request this month to write a letter of reference. One was for a very talented young artist, another was for a colleague who has a full-time teaching position (and thus more salaried time off via sabbaticals and vacations than I will ever have), and the third was from

Marketing Mondays: How to Reject a Gallery

BUT NO THANKS

Sometimes the shoe is on the other foot, and instead of receiving a turndown, it is you who must do the turning down.

Here's reader C.M.: I was wondering how to tell a gallery you are not interested in being represented by them or being part of their upcoming programming. Doing it gracefully is proving to be quite difficult. How much info should you give, how much is too little or

Marketing Mondays: What Artists Should Know About Running a Gallery

.Recently I reviewed The Artist's Guide by Jackie Battenfield. Now in a lovely bit of publishing symmetry, there's a dealer's guide, How To Start and Run a Commercial Gallery by Edward Winkleman, about to be released by Allworth Press. Ed has a gallery in Chelsea. He's also a widely read blogger, which you probably know already even if you haven’t been to his gallery. Ed's blog attracts an

Marketing Mondays: Career Q&A with Jackie Battenfield

As promised, I'm back with a short interview with Jackie Battenfield, whose new book The Artist's Guide, was the subject of a Marketing Mondays post two weeks ago. If you've leafed through the book, or even simply read my report, you know that Jackie is a strong advocate for artists taking control of their careers. Since Jackie interviewed me for her book, I thought I would turn the tables and

Marketing Mondays: The Follow Up

(The discussion is still going strong at The Vanity Galleries post.)

.

In the Comments section of the Marketing Mondays on Defining Success (two weeks ago), artist Henry Bateman offered this anecdote: "Being introduced to the director/curator of a class 'A' gallery and have her say 'So you're Henry Bateman!' Is that success? The question is being asked by my bank balance."

I responded: Tell

Marketing Mondays: "The Artist's Guide" and Other Books

Click here for Don Voisine at McKenzie Fine Art..Talk about timely. Just as the art world is shaken to its foundations by the economic downturn, along comes The Artist's Guide: How To Make A Living Doing What You Love by Jackie Battenfield. I'm not being flip. Even though galleries are downsizing or shutting their doors, artists are still making art and still need to find a place for themselves.

Marketing Mondays: Defining "Success"

.I had lunch at the Empire Diner in Chelsea recently with Stephanie Sachs, a New York-born artist now living in Hawaii. She was in town to visit the galleries and museums.There are not a lot of gallery opportunities on Maui, says Stephanie—save for the tourist venues with the whale paintings—so she has found an alternative way to show and sell her work. Once a week she sets up her paintings in a

Marketing Mondays: How Long Do You Leave Your Work With a Gallery?

.Lisa P. writes in with these questions: How long should you leave the work in a gallery if it is not selling? Six months? A year? Can you ask for it to be shipped somewhere besides your studio?This is a timely question because sales these days are slow. On the one hand, a dealer may want to hold onto the work in the hopes of selling it (collectors in this economy may be taking longer than usual

Marketing Mondays: Gallery Business

..
Blame it on the economy. Many galleries are turning over a new leaf--changing how they do business, typically because of diminished staff

or funds. It's a good idea to check in with your gallery to see how things are going, to learn of any changes in the way they're operating and--since we're in this together--to see if there's anything you might do to help in the promotion of your work and,

Marketing Mondays: The Vanity Gallery

..
[Update 3.17.10:
After consulting with an attorney, I have decided to reinstate the name of the venue, Ico Gallery, now located in Chelsea.]

I recently got a cease-and-desist e-letter from a pay-to-show venue in Tribeca threatening me with a lawsuit for slander. It reads in part:

You know nothing of the gallery business. What you teach your students and have posted online is fantasy. It is

Marketing Mondays: Are There Too Many Artists?

.On last week's post about the M.F.A. , a commenter asked this question: Are there too many artists?My kneejerk response: It's not that there are too many artists, but that there are not enough galleries.Image from Ionarts taken by Mark, at Metro Pictures during Postcards From the EdgeTrue, the art schools are cranking out artists with B.F.A. degrees. And when those B.F.A.ers can't find galleries

Marketing Mondays: The M.F.A.

We're entering graduation month, so it seems appropriate to ask: When did the M.F.A. become so important? And to whom, exactly, is it important?Colloquially known as "More Fucking Artists," the Master of Fine Arts degree has become--depending on your point of view: . essential for a career as an exhibiting artist. a way to avoid the pressure of showing art in the real world. an invaluable

Marketing Mondays: How is Your Pie Sliced?

.I purchased a specially vented air conditioner for my studio last year from Grainger, the machine and equipment company. I’m now on their mailing list. The way they address the envelope makes me laugh every time I get one: “Joanne Mattera, Facility Maintenance Manager.”Yes, that’s me. Joanne the Janitor. I’m also the CEO, the head of PR, the administrative assistant, the secretary, the director

Marketing Mondays: Stayin’ Alive

.With the “For Lease” and “For Rent” signs popping up in Chelsea and SoHo, the smug schadenfreuders are told-you-so-ing even as the ground gives way beneath their feet. Of galleries that have not closed, many are letting staff go—reportedly, even Pace and Gagosian. Red dots are everywhere less in evidence.But the will to survive is strong. Whether the soundtrack is the BeeGees—oh, oh, oh, oh,

Marketing Mondays: Promotion

Boston sculptor Donna Dodson asked the question that prompted this week’s topic:
“I was wondering about self-promotion versus promotion through a gallery. Do these work together or do they conflict? What are the boundaries?”
.As a self-promoter with a wonderful network of galleries supporting me, I can answer this one with confidence. The short answer: Self promotion and gallery promotion go

Marketing Mondays: Reciprocity

Click here forStephen Haller: Remembering Morandi...Recently for Marketing Mondays, I wrote about The Art Network. Reciprocity is the connective tissue of the art network, a give and take that cements friendships and solidifies working relationships. Many of the opportunities I’ve gotten over the course of my career have come because someone I know referred or recommended me. The other half of

Marketing Mondays: Careerism

."Devotion to a successful career, often at the expense of one's personal life or ethics." (Dictionary.com)"The practice of advancing one's career at the expense of one's personal integrity." (Webster.com)..When I was in art school, "careerism" was a dirty word. It still is, although the definition and parameters of career ambition have changed..Back in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s, the mere