Art Shows, Art Galleries - Showing Your Art
The type of art show that an artist might enter is a consideration for any artist in the progression of their art career - or art hobby as the case may be. Is the artist in it for the recognition, the awards, the glory, or the art sales? Is the artist in it to showcase their vision, to make a statement, and to share a message to the world? Let's have a look at some art show basics before we get started on the research to what might be a good fit for you.
Art Show Basics
As a solo individual artist or as a member of an art group there are some art biz basics that are the base elements of who, what, when, where, how and why to show art.
Should I join my local art group? Many art groups will sponsor their own art shows throughout the year and some are annual events in their communities. You may need to be a member of the art group in order to be considered for having your art on display at their shows. Sometimes there is a lesser fee to enter as a member and a higher fee for nonmembers. Being in an art group may help to get your artwork into some art spaces that as an individual artist you may not be able to - or it could be more difficult to. Join the Prince William Art Society here
See if you can attend a meeting or two to see if the group would be a good fit for you and have a look at their website to see what is on their agenda to make that decision.
As a member of an art group, the equipment and "man power" is often available. The costs are shared within the group and the art sales will have a commission percentage applied. Art groups pool from their own resources from volunteering to help in an art show to voting on the President of their art group, with the expectation that everyone pitches in to help with something.
As an individual, all of the show logistics including equipment - tent, gridwalls, POS system etc along with the help to load, unload, setup, work the show, take down, load, unload are totally up to the artist. A rental fee for the art space is paid by the artist but art sales go to that artist.
Getting Involved in Your Local Art Group
What is an unjuried art show? Anyone (or member) can enter this art show regardless of experience level. There still may be Display Requirements and space limitations of the number of artists that can enter, as well as number of pieces that can be entered. The information about the show should cover all of the specifics about the entry process.
What is a juried art show? A person or group of people are responsible for art selection, or to "jury in", the artwork to show from the body of artworks submitted to them. Each artwork is reviewed, evaluated and the juror(s) selects the art pieces that will be accepted to be on display which should be based on specific criteria: artistic merit, quality of the work, and the adherence to the theme of the show (if there is a theme). Notifications are sent out to the artists with acceptance or the not accepted status. Often, just being selected to show is an accomplishment in itself!
What is a judged art show? A competition or contest art show in which a person(s) decides the placement of ribbons and/or awards in a competition or art contest. Not all art shows are competitions.
What is curating art? This is the process of choosing, arranging, and presenting artworks for a cohesive exhibition. The art exhibit can be in a museum, in a gallery, or other art space. Gallery staff are made up of gallery owners and directors, curators, art handlers and installers, art sales staff and art advisors, and marketing and public relations persons - at a minimum.
Is there a fee to enter? You know the saying "No free lunch" I presume? More often than not there is a nonrefundable fee to submit or enter an art show. A call for art might ask for 3-5 artworks to be submitted for consideration for $35 or there may be a fee per submission like $20 each for up to 4 pieces. Fees help offset the costs of hiring a juror, judge, awards, rental of the space, promotion, etc.
What is a Commission? The organization, gallery, group, the show hosts will charge a set percentage of any art sold to raise funds to offset costs for their group, or for a cause. This commission is taken out of the artwork's set price and the remainder is given to the artist. The percentage will vary depending on where you are displaying your art. We've seen as little as 10% but galleries in large cities can be 50% or more.
Learn more about Commissions here.
Temporary Exhibition - short-term art displays that may focus on specific artists, themes, or other criteria and may last up to a few months.
Collective Exhibition - a group of artists on display, living or not. The display may be based on a theme, a movement, or a historical or cultural cross-section.
Itinerant Exhibition - a touring or traveling exhibit featured at multiple venues - sort of "take it to the masses" approach.
Thematic Exhibition - a show of common theme or style, throughout the show experience. The exhibit title will convey the show's intention of a specific theme.
For more info:
Judge and Jury: What to Expect When Entering Art Shows
Art Exhibition: A New Way of Understanding the Anatomy of an Art Display
Calls for Art Shows
A call for entries is the starting point for an artist. The call itself informs the artist what the art exhibition expectations are and must be read carefully to understand that if you enter this show you have the best shot at being featured in it. An announce of an upcoming art show or call can be juried or not juried. Nonetheless....
Calls for art, calls for entry - they are not a list of suggestions that the artist might adhere to. The artist must follow the directions - the requirements - the checklist to be followed - down to the size of the artwork, the mediums requested - that will be considered for entry.
It is suggested to start off small and work your way up, locally to you - to grow as you go. Entering some non-juried art shows is the best way to begin, then move into local and regional juried shows, before moving up to any of the national juried events just plain makes sense.
Art Calls are all over the place depending on where you live and how far you wish to travel. And what your art show budget is. Facebook is a great place to find whatever is near to you, so that when an art group, art storefront or art gallery puts out a call, you can get notified.
Check out your local Arts Council, your local art groups (art society, art guild, art alliance, art league, art council, art club) in your town or city. Read the entire call for art and see if you can meet all of the criteria asked for. Print it out and highlight the important details - dates, times, deadlines, sizes, theme (?), etc and MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Gather all of the requested details before the deadline including any requested info on you, the details about your art, if there is a description needed for your art (what inspired you), and good golly have cropped and quality images ready to upload.
By being ready before the deadline, for some art calls online there is time to review and change or update your entry. If you wait until the deadline, you run the risk of being rushed and making mistakes. (The times we have seen this happen!) Online art call software will shut down on the deadline date and time and NO further updates or entries can happen.
It is also possible to be accepted into a juried art show yet be turned away on art drop off day for a very poorly prepared artwork or for ignoring the Display Requirements as stated on the call for entries. We have a local art gallery that MUST have D-Rings or NO hanging will happen.
I'll repeat it again - at EVERY art show my art group has been a part of, there is at least one if not several artists (no matter how long they have been an artist) that arrives and their artwork is NOT prepared for hanging for that show.
Types of Art Shows and Spaces
Popup Art Shows
Popup art shows are temporary, less formal settings to display art for as little as a day or two, or a few weeks. The natural traffic to the art event, the store, the temporary event will benefit from the cultural aspect of the art on display and that is why so many locations offer temporary popup art shows. Artwork catered to that specific event or location is usually accepted well. Examples are wine/grape paintings at a winery event or bee/honey artworks at a bee festival.
Popup Art Shows are the types of art displays that are very often unjuried, are set as a first come, first served as far as space availability for the number of artists, can be indoor or outdoor, even under a tent. There could be a fee charged to enter or not, and there is often an art commission percentage taken on sales (especially in an art group).
The popup unjuried art show can be good events for hobby artists, for beginners and emerging artists, new to the art world to get their feet wet in the art business. Popup shows can give the artists that attend a certain visibility, but will certainly give the artists the opportunity to learn the nuances of being in a show.
The art sales at your typical popup art shows lean more toward sales of smaller artworks, priced inexpensively, and art prints (although occasionally a more expensive piece has sold - that's the exception, not the rule). You probably would not bring your most expensive paintings to a popup show except as a particular focal point. I'd include that statement as especially in a popup group art show.
Read more here What is a Popup Gallery and The Pros and Cons of Pop-up Exhibitions for Emerging Artists
Art Festivals
Art festivals, artist markets, street festivals and art fairs can be great places for single or a groups of artists to show their art. Space is allocated for all the vendors and a fee is charged for that space or "booth". Very often held outside under a 10x10 foot white tent is the norm. Absolutely, a lot of preparation goes into an outdoor art event and being able to quickly resolve changing situations because of the weather, ease of access for setup and take down, etc. are all considerations. If flying solo, the artist will need to beg, borrow, or buy his/her own equipment.
Art fests are very often annual events held in a town and city near you. Again, reading and reviewing the application to be a part of the event will let you know what is acceptable and what is not and if any of those requirements or restrictions work with what you do.
Many art fests are well attended with potentially thousands of visitors over the day or weekend event. If you've attended a fair, you've probably seen an individual artist booth or multiple artists in a tent. Take note of their setups to gather an idea or two for yourself including the art equipment needed and the price points offered.
Sometimes nonprofit art groups (vendors) have a price break on the fee charged to attend, but they may be designated to a certain area of the event. Art festivals and fairs are not usually juried in most art groups. Art sales could again be smaller works, art prints, and less expensive pieces or merchandise. I do recommend that artists ASK the show coordinators about previous show sales to consider what to display.
Request to Exhibit Art
Many libraries have wall space to feature art. Look for opportunities to apply for displaying your art, typically on an online form. Your name, number, email, website, a description of your artwork including medium and sizes are requested as well as an artist statement. Examples of your artwork and an inventory sheet will be requested as well. The powers that be will notify you if your artwork is a good fit for their space.
Many coffee shops, some stores and restaurants love to feature artworks especially by local artists and are worth contacting as well. You may need to have your contact info on the label and your own point of sale system and a written contract with the location to feature your work. Some locations may make the art sale then send you a check less their commission.
Also have a look at hospitals and clinics which always seem to have art and art murals on display.
Artist- Run Spaces
These spaces are managed by a group of artists and work as nonprofits or collectives and run according to their own vision - rules, memberships, etc.
Artist Co-ops
"An artist cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an autonomous visual arts organization, enterprise, or association jointly owned and democratically controlled by its members. Artist cooperatives are legal entities organized as non-capital stock corporations, non-profit organizations, or unincorporated associations. Such cooperatives typically provide professional facilities and services for its artist-members, including studios, workshops, equipment, exhibition galleries, and educational resources. By design, all economic and non-economic benefits and liabilities of the cooperative are shared equally among its members. Cooperative members elect their board of directors from within the membership." - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_cooperative
Artist Collectives
"An artist collective or art group or artist group is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the needs of the artist; this can range from purchasing bulk materials, sharing equipment, space or materials, to following shared ideologies, aesthetic and political views or even living and working together as an extended family. Sharing of ownership, risk, benefits, and status is implied, as opposed to other, more common business structures with an explicit hierarchy of ownership such as an association or a company." - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_collective
Your Art Group's Website Gallery and/or Online Art Store
Many of your local art groups have a website and may include a section for their artist member's bio along with an online art gallery to showcase their featured art. There may be a fee to be included or not. Some of their websites may include an online art store for the sale of artworks, and they may have their own rules or shows featured there.
The Prince William Art Society's website offers both features.
Online Exhibition
Held on the internet, online art exhibitions, online gallery, or cyber exhibitions are easy access from anywhere in the world and offer a wide ranging variety of art styles. Artwork could be purchased through the website but the fine print is imperative for this type of gallery. Who pays for shipping? Are you shipping your art somewhere?? If you see red flags...don't go this route.
Proceed or not to proceed - with caution - is the question although there are a few situations where this type of exhibition is legitimate. Thoroughly do the research on the venue's reputation, history, and the type of audience that may be attracted to see if this is the right fit for you.
Art Galleries
Getting your artwork into a gallery means a LOT of work upfront before even making the attempt to contact said gallery, walk in to talk to the owner, and for which gallery might work best for your art style. Thus, research and a plan should be put into place BEFORE making a call, sending mail (or email) or knocking on their door and asking to speak to whomever is in charge.
Commercial Art Gallery. An art gallery is a place that not only displays artwork that they deem worthy of being seen but a place for the sale of the art on display.
Mega Art Gallery. Mega Galleries are very large commercial galleries that represent the biggest names in the current art world.
Open-Ended: The Exhibition Space. This type of gallery is a space available for hire (rent) for the purpose of an art exhibition by a solo or group of artists.
Non-Profit Art Gallery. This type of gallery is meant to serve the public interest in the arts more than a commercial gallery, to generate a profit. The non-profit gallery is built upon grants, donations, and foundation support to provide functional and maintenance funding and promotes art education, community arts programming, and art exhibitions for the community culture.
Vanity Gallery. This type of gallery charges the artist a fee, or a membership fee. The money for the gallery's expenses comes mainly from the artists themselves and is basically a "pay-to-play" exhibit. Proceed or not to proceed - with caution - is the question. The fees involved and benefits must be considered before signing your name.
- Do NOT cold-call or submit a portfolio with unsolicited submissions.
- Do Participate, look professional and go to gallery openings, art receptions, and as many art events around you as possible.
- Volunteer to help at the events!
- Become a familiar face in the art community around you without shoving your art up their nose.
- Observe and watch - who they represent, types of art, etc.
- Engage. You must meet the gallery owners, the curators, the gallery directors, the art groups and artists. Get your name, your face out there. It is a process and a long-game tactic, gently building your contact base and art friends over time.
- Realize that at an art reception, that event is FOR the artists showing at that event and that is not the place to be advertising YOU.
- Don't be art pushy. I can't tell you how many artists walk into a gallery and start the art scrolling on their phones to show you what they do.
- Work on your artist portfolio with your artist profile, artist statement (vision and art themes), your CV (education, exhibitions, awards), your body of work which should include 10-15 art pieces of the same style, theme, or concept. Included also is your contact info and social media links.
- Build and get online exposure, social media - you need the 'get noticed' presence online and in front of many people. Build your followers, your likes, an audience. Instagram is a good choice for artists.
- Do enter plenty of art opportunities - outside of an art gallery to build the eyeballs on your work, get your sales up, build your confidence and experience.
- Begin your networking in a targeted manner. Engage, get on their radar.
- Be authentic. Be unique. You must know your style and be able to articulate it.
- Time - some galleries are booked for at least a year or two out if not more.
- Realize upfront and foremost that art rejections are a part of the process. See Rejection.
- Also realize that one person's success in an art space does not equate to your success - for so very many reasons. Art is subjective which translates to its interpretation, its very value can vary from person to person. Everyone interprets the art they are viewing based on what they feel, what they believe, and what they know.
- More on that remark above is to realize that just because you got in for that one show that time and you didn't sell anything during that show, one-and-done is really not how art happens. You are not going to become Monet famous overnight.
- The aim is to basically have the art gallery come to you, over you contacting the gallery up to a point. Getting your art into a gallery is mixed media - preparation, persistence, and presence. But when the time comes and the gallery looks for your online presence, they can find you and learn more about you.
- Do you understand that gallery's submission process?
- Is there a monthly fee, perhaps based on wall space or sections available?
- Do they have a set changeover art date?
- What is their commission percentage?
- Do they have staff or do you need to volunteer to help work the desk?
- How many shifts will you need to volunteer per month?
- Do they do the promotion of an art event, and how well?
- Do they do the art reception or will you need to?
- Is there great foot traffic and are there times of year when that traffic may be affected? (for better or worse)
- Does the art gallery accept emerging artists or do they only represent a stable of specific artists?
- Does what YOU do fit into what THEY do (or prefer to show)?
- Does the type of clientele that is drawn to this gallery agree with who you want to sell to?
- Do they currently have space available, or are you on a waiting list?
Solo Artist Exhibition
The pinnacle of artistic achievement, this opportunity is a platform to exhibit an individual artist's series of works, or a period of his or her artistic career. A solo artist exhibition can be in a private or public space and the artist often features more recent works.
Obviously, a solo artist exhibit means that the artist has the necessary high-quality and cohesive inventory to support the event and its wall space. The artist has built a following, has a good sales record, and a good reputation in their local if not regional art culture.
Duo or Dual Artists Exhibition
A two-person art show is a collaboration between two artists to show art in a specific location for a set period of time. The artists merge and collaborate on their artistic vision. The artists may use any number of contrasts and/or harmonies in the placement of art around the space, bringing attention, focus, and narratives for the visitors to enjoy.
Art Group Exhibition
At least three artists participate in the group exhibition in an art space and often combine art from established and emerging artists. The artists may be completely different from each other - in every way, or have an element that brings all the works together, like medium or subject matter. The show curators will compose artistic expressions for the public to view as a theme, a philosophy, perhaps sociopolitical messages, or historical narratives.
Art Groups are great resources to getting your foot in the door and building your reputation. It is often easier to approach art venues as a group, even a nonprofit group than as an individual artist.
The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is a nonprofit art group in Prince William County, Virginia. There are shows that an art group similar to ours may apply for or to sponsor themselves, but there must be at least 3 or more artists to showcase their art.
Institutional Exhibition
This type of art exhibition are about the venue with different objectives - such as in a museum, a foundation, a mega-gallery, an auction house, artist estates, curatorial, or in private collections. The artist is recognized in both art worlds - commercial and critical and benefits that artist's profile with credibility and excitement.
Anthological Exhibition
This type of exhibition is a study on selected works on an artistic movement or evolution, a theme, or a period across and from one or more different artists.
Retrospective Exhibition
Typically a retrospective exhibition encompasses a single artist's chronological career in art, showcasing his or her creative evolution in their body of work. This type of exhibit often comes later in the artist's life - their entire oeuvre.
Museum Exhibition
Art exhibits taking place in a museum (dah). Some museums will curate programs for temporary exhibits - do the research for these types of events.
For further reading:
Be Ready, Follow the Guidelines
A good part of which art show to enter boils down to reading what is in the "about the show" documents or call for art to know if it is the right show for you and fits your goals. The call for art guidelines are presented for you and to give you the best shot at being accepted. In other words Follow the Submission Guidelines.
Your Art and Inventory
- Keep up the artistic growth. Build up your artist inventory and keep improving.
- Depending on your goals, have a variety of options available in your inventory to cater to your potential buyers - perhaps in size options and price points, art merchandise, prints, or perhaps in theme and art series.
- As most artwork is submitted online, do the photographs of your artwork present your work to its very best advantage? If the jurors are looking at digital presentations of the artwork, a poorly taken photo can quite easily be rejected art.
- Have your art documentation ready - profile, statements, artist photos, business cards, art cards, etc.
Submitting to the Show
- Realize that the bigger the show, the bigger the pool of artists, and the harder it is to get into.
- Pay attention if the artwork must be for sale - and do not overprice the artwork so that it doesn't sell. That is not fair to the sponsors of the show.
- Know your dates. Note the deadline date, the drop off date, the pickup date - ensure that the show works well with your schedule and any other art show you may have entered around it.
- Pay attention that some spaces do not want repeated entries.
- Understand what has the best potential to sell (if that is your goal) for the inventory that you have.
- Understand if you have artwork that works well with the theme of the show, if indeed there is a theme to the show. A summer themed art show isn't looking for a fall or winter snow painting.
- Do you have the art inventory that is acceptable in medium or size? Are there size requirements that the show or gallery requested? Is the show a watercolor show?
Hands On
- Don't think that the marketing of the show you are in is only the responsibility of the venue, the art group, or art event. You must absolutely help with promoting a show you are in (and your art group) by using your friends and family, social media connections, networking, and using any flyers provided.
- Get your butt to as many art events as you can, remembering that it is about building relationships with your art community. Just because your art work was not accepted into a show means you stay home. If you have the time, go to the art reception anyway.
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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