Category: Art Galleries

The Artist's Guide to Success in 2024 - 7 free videos

24/1/2024

Parker Harris are providing seven videos which are free to view - about advice for those trying to succeed in the art market.

The series The Artist's Guide to Success in 2024 is

via their artist mentoring programme on The Art Ladder
only available from Wednesday 24 January to 31 January

The videos are by a number of reputable people and are as follows

Matthew Flowers, Director of the renowned Flowers Gallery, tells you what galleries look for
Sandra Higgins, art advisor, shares tips to grow your profile at any age. Sandra is the past Vice-Chairman of the Chelsea Arts Club, a guide at the Tate Galleries since 2000, a Founding Member of the Association of Women Art Dealers, a Member of Women in the Arts, Londo
Tabish Khan, an art critic specialising in London's art scene explains how to get exposure for your work
Liz Gilmore, Director of Hastings Contemporary (and formerly Director of the Jerwood Gallery and Senior Manager Funding Programmes; Head of Visual Arts
Arts Council England), reveals how public galleries work
Mervyn Metcalf, an investment banker for 25+ years and art collector, describes what buyers look for
Cynthia Corbett, founder/director of a gallery which focuses on art fairs, explains how commercial galleries help artists
Kate Enters, Director of ArtCan, talks about organising your own exhibitions

This series is a marketing initiative for mentoring services via Parker Harris. I don't normally highlight such initiatives but this one seems to have the potential to be rather better than most.

This is what you see if you sign up - and clarity about what you're agreeing to if you sign up.

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Art Business in a Coronavirus Pandemic #1

12/4/2020

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I've been writing on Making A Mark about the impact on the coronavirus and COVID-19 on art. Below are links to the different blog posts categorised by type.

I will continue to

write about the impact of C)VID-19 on Making A Mark as it has a much bigger subscriber base.
summarise the blog posts on this blog on a regular basis (under the heading Art Business in a Pandemic")
post relevant information to my Art Business Info for Artists Facebook Page

In addition, I've created a NEW page (in the Practice Section) about Coronavirus / COVID-19 and Art which also includes links to my blog posts

Blog posts about Art and Coronavirus / COVID-19

Timeline / Thinking about the Future

Coronavirus & Art #2: Thoughts and recommendations on the implications of a pandemic
My updated thoughts about the implications of the CO-VID 19 (coronavirus) PANDEMIC for art, artists, art organisations (galleries / societies / schools etc), art exhibitions and private views, art fairs and art schools in the short and longer term.

TIP: This is not over until it's over. I'll be writing much more on this topic. This is because after the coronavirus crisis comes the economic crisis of a cast iron certain recession caused by a drop in economic activity and an awful lot of businesses being able to start up again and hence a rise in unemployment. Demand for art will drop.

NOTE: This has been by far the most popular of the posts by far to date

Image: CDC/Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS

Financial Support for Artists

COVID-19 and Art #6: Financial support for self-employed artists and freelancers
Announcements about the type of support available to self-employed artists and others with a portfolio of income streams - both employment income and self-employed income.

TIP: Only those whose earnings are predominantly from self-employment will be eligible for help.

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NEW: The Best Art Business Books for Artists

4/4/2018

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The Best Art Business Books for Artists is the new home for information from another site I developed with the same name. It's a work in progress at present but now has enough content to make it worth highlighting and my other site is about to be closed down.

Initial categories cover:

Short Art Business Guides - for a quick read
Starting Out - for those who aspire to an art career
How to have a career and make money as an artist
How to sell your art
Understanding Art Galleries
Copyright
Art in Transit
The Artists' Resale Right
Art Legacy Planning

Interestingly most of the books on the new page are EITHER new OR new editions of books that have been around for a while.

So much has changed in the past few years. In particular the emphasis on business online is now much more important.

I'm finding that I really need to look long and hard at content as I do the transfer - and I'm needing to buy new editions of books I've loved in the past.

Plus I know than a few authors have recognised the need to update and have new editions in the pipeline.

For example, a couple of days ago I was contacted by Caroll Michels - author of How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist (a book I really rate!) - about the NEW edition of her book which is published later this month. This has got a LOT of new content to reflect the changes in the workings of the art market and the new challenges for all artists - even established ones. For example:

the use of social media and website development as marketing and publicity tools – what works and what doesn’t work;
the confusions between the “art-buying public” and the “consumer market”;
neighbourhood gentrification and the growing challenges of securing a reasonably priced work/live space; and
the pros and cons of the new business models for artist career development.

So I hope you'll join me in my investigation of what's currently on offer and the best books about the art business for artists which offer both great content and good value for money!

There's a lot more to come and this page will be continuously updated over the next few months - and years!

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Your subscription is only activated after you verify the link in the email you will receive

Tell me about YOUR favourite art business books!

I'm also interested to hear about what new art business books you've been buying and getting value from.

If you'd like to share your recommendations with fellow artists just leave a comment on this blog post - or contact me and give me a recommendation.

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Data Protection and GDPR for Artists and Art Organisations

26/3/2018

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On the 25th May 2018 - in less than 60 days - The General Data Protection Regulation comes into effect. It affects everyone and every organisation having data transactions with individuals who live/work in the European Union.

This blog post is about resources I've been trying to pull together about GDPR - for artists and art organisations - societies, charities, schools, galleries etc.

This means it INCLUDES:

ART SUPPLIERS - all those artists / art organisations - wherever they are located - aiming to market art and art-related services to people located in the EU
SUPPLIES FOR ARTISTS - all those organisations - wherever they are located - aiming to market their goods and services (eg art materials, websites) to artists and art organisations located in the EU.

NEW PAGE Today I'm launching my new resource page about General Data Protection Regulation for Artists and Art Organisations. - which is very much a work in progress. You can find it in the Office Practices section of the website. The art organisations include: art societies, art galleries, art dealers and art schools.

Previously, I've written two long blog posts on Making A Mark:

The NEW PAGE includes links to useful resources not included in the blog post and builds upon what I've previously written. I'm still looking and still finding new resources which might be helpful - but you may have to do a lot of reading.

RECOMMENDATION: Besides the links to the publications and resources produced by the Information Commission (first section), the section I'd suggest people take a look at is that relating to Issues for Art Organisations. It includes a very useful document written by The Arts Society providing guidance to its branch societies.

I'm also hoping to develop a section for "Artists as Sole Traders".

The one thing I have discovered is that more and more information is being published the closer we get to 25th May - and it's likely that a lot more will emerge as issues are tested in the courts thereafter.

Bottom line - this is a live issue for anybody who is creating transactions involving the personal data of anybody living in the EU.

Subscribe to Art Business Info. for Artists - NEWS by Email
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(Your subscription is only activated after you verify the link in the email you will receive)

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT an expert on this topic - even if I know more than you! Like you I'm just trying to work my way through the maze of online information about GDPR. You are also not my client and I do not know your individual circumstances - meaning I have no liability to you in any circumstances should you choose to rely on any of the materials on this blog or website - although whatever is published by the ICO should be more authoritative than most!

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How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond?

7/1/2018

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I read a post by Barney Davey on Facebook yesterday which I thought highlighted some really key issues about selling art that would:

resonate with quite a few artists who working hard at trying to sell their art.
provide a great briefing for those starting out in terms of "need to know" factors.

So I asked Barney whether I could reproduce it on this blog and he said 'Yes' (for which many thanks) - so here is it. Except I added in some bold which you can't do on Facebook to make it a slightly easier read!

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond
by Barney Davey

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond? Use galleries or sell directly to patrons? Here are my thoughts.

Galleries come and go. They don't share buyer info. Nothing comes between the relationship of patrons who buy directly from the artist. It might be easier at first to market to galleries, But, doing the work to build direct patronage is the best long-term solution. Own as much of your distribution as possible. Then you are in the cat bird's seat in choosing who and where you let your art get sold by third parties, including galleries. There were never enough galleries to go around in the best of times for galleries. Now, there are fewer with less clout than ever. I don't see a future without galleries. I see a future where smart marketing artists and galleries collaborate. An artist with a list and social media tribe of their own is a much hotter prospect for forward-thinking galleries than one with no following.

Just 50-100 patrons who buy directly from the artist might purchase up to 250 - 500 originals over the course of a career. A devoted direct buying collector base is the most valuable business asset an artist can possess. Those relationships can't be taken away on a whim with no remorse or recourse like deals with a gallery, licensor, publisher, or agent can. When artists market one-to-one with direct mail or email, they have no competition as with a gallery, publisher or licensor for their work. They own the relationship and the pipeline.

A visit to Henry Hudson's studio - you can entertain prospects and show your work outside a gallery

Consumer interest in buying directly from the source is only going to increase. Take advantage of the movements to support local businesses and indie artists to build a pool of patrons in the warm market around you. Then leverage those sales to expand your reach and add secondary channels like galleries as a way to help sell all the art you make.

There is room to sell direct and through galleries. Be respectful, honest and transparent in your dealings with third-parties. Trust but verify and don't dally when you see red flags. Having your own customers makes it easier to negotiate and to just say no when dealing with third-parties. I hear that building list of direct buyers in a warm market is hard. I reply it's much easier than trying to convert strangers into buyers or to put together a string of galleries that you must monitor and support to keep your sales going.

Selling art is like all sales. It's a numbers game. If you get enough qualified eyeballs on your work, you hit your sales quotas. So, the question comes down to who controls the process of getting the traffic and who controls the relationships that ensue from them. Not so long ago, actions like these would be career suicide.

Smart, ethical galleries today are willing to work with artists who also sell direct. If everyone plays fair in such relationships, everyone wins.

REFERENCE:

You can find Barney Davey and his books and courses on Art Marketing News and on his Facebook Page
Read about my take on art galleries on A Guide to Art Dealers and Art Galleries
This is my guide to Open Studios
This is the website of Henry Hudson who makes paintings out of plasticine (see above image) - hence why my studio visit was so informative! Interestingly this was an event for collectors organised with the help of a magazine that helps promote art to collectors.

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Art Business Info: NEWS

The Artist's Guide to Success in 2024 - 7 free videos

Art Business in a Coronavirus Pandemic #1

Blog posts about Art and Coronavirus / COVID-19

Timeline / Thinking about the Future

Financial Support for Artists

NEW: The Best Art Business Books for Artists

Tell me about YOUR favourite art business books!

Data Protection and GDPR for Artists and Art Organisations

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond?

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond
by Barney Davey

Art Business Info. News for Artists

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Art Business Info: NEWS

The Artist's Guide to Success in 2024 - 7 free videos

Art Business in a Coronavirus Pandemic #1

Blog posts about Art and Coronavirus / COVID-19​

Timeline / Thinking about the Future​

Financial Support for Artists​

NEW: The Best Art Business Books for Artists

Tell me about YOUR favourite art business books!

Data Protection and GDPR for Artists and Art Organisations

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond?

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond by Barney Davey​

Art Business Info. News for Artists

Visitors so far

GET Art Business Info. NEWS by Email

Author

Archives

Categories

Blog posts about Art and Coronavirus / COVID-19

Timeline / Thinking about the Future

Financial Support for Artists

How to sell your art in 2018 and beyond
by Barney Davey