Journal entry for August 27, 2001

Today's summary: How to approach a gallery with your artwork.

This is actually a post I made a few weeks ago on my online artist's community, WetCanvas, but I figured it might still be interesting to you since this is the same tactic I plan to use when I feel ready to approach galleries.

Here's my response to the original poster, who was considering going to New York and dropping in on galleries with slides in hand:

RE: dropping in vs. sending slides... Yeah, all indications are that gallery owners HATE IT when artists show up trying to get a full interview right there and then.

On the other hand, it can't hurt to have some visuals or a couple of generic packets with you, in case you do happen to end up in a serious conversation.

If I were you, I'd still make the trip to NY, solely to scout out which galleries I really want to send slides to upon my return home.

Then when you write them a letter with slides, MENTION that you traveled to NY to visit their gallery last week, that you were impressed, that you think your work would fit with what you saw there, that you talked to so-and-so while you were at the gallery and that he/she was very friendly and helpful and knowledgable, etc.

An artist I was talking to a while back (or maybe I read it in a book?) suggested this approach:

1) Visit gallery. Bring some slides/small visuals with you unobtrusively, but DO NOT push them upon the gallery folks.

2) While you're there, evaluate whether you think your style fits their gallery. If it doesn't, don't waste your time or theirs.

3) If your style DOES seem to fit, ask a gallery staffer politely whether they ever accept work from emerging artists, ask about their preferred procedures for artists who'd like to be considered. Find out who you should send slides to (write down their name/title/address, be sure to get correct spelling). Get the name of whoever you talked to, too (so you can mention them in your letter later).

4) If you're really lucky and the person you're talking to is friendly AND has time for you at that particular moment, they may start asking you more questions about your work. THAT's your opportunity to make an excellent contact, and possibly to show whatever visuals you might have with you. Go ahead and mention that you were planning to send your slides etc. anyway (which is true).

No matter what happens, she said, you should still expect to end up going home, sending them an information packet plus slides, and wait to see if they want to give you a "real" interview later. That's the default, after all.

This is the same plan I intend to use when I visit NY again, myself.

Another (better?) approach would be to arrange TWO trips -- one to scout and make initial contacts, and then another trip maybe 6 weeks later, to actually meet up with whatever galleries might want to contact you. And, to mention that in the letter. Like: "I visited your gallery last week... I think my work fits blah blah blah... A slide sheet and information about my work is enclosed for your perusal... I will be visiting New York again the week of ____. If you'd like to see more of my work while I'm there, slides or originals, please let me know and I will call to make an appointment that week..."

-=- Jen "Repeating hearsay" Gagne

(If you want, you can read the original thread.)