Launching Your Art Career by Alix Sloan

Author:Alix Sloan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: art business, artist advice, art guide, art gallery art business art marketing artist promotion art galleries artist resources, promotion artists, exhibitions, art career, artist business, art career advice, artist grants and residencies
Publisher: Passion Project Publishing

PART FIVE

Selling & Pricing Your Work

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Types of Sales

Every artist wants to support him or herself full time through sales of their art. I hope that happens for you quickly and easily. This section covers the different types of sales, what to expect and how to determine prices for your work. Unfortunately, most young artists, in fact many artists throughout their lives, will need to supplement their income. I’ll talk about ways to do just that, and also touch on budgeting, taxes, residencies and grants in the next section.

Gallery Sales

Our business is pretty casual. You’ll have to decide for yourself how diligent you want to get with paperwork and follow up. But there are some basic, accepted practices to be aware of when selling your artwork through a gallery:

• Your work is on consignment to the gallery. You own it and are agreeing that the gallery has the right to exhibit and try to sell it. They pay you only if they sell the consigned artwork and return it if they don’t. Some galleries will ask you to sign a consignment form. You are also welcome to supply one yourself. The bare minimum a consignment form should include is the consignor and consignee’s basic information, information about, including the price of, the artwork, payment terms and the length of the consignment. More detailed consignment agreements will also include things like who is responsible for insurance coverage, transportation and legal fees in the event of a dispute. When considering what paperwork you are comfortable with, ask yourself: Do I feel like I have everything outlined clearly in an email (in other words, something in writing)? Do I trust these people and/or is it worth trusting them to be in the show? Is it worth risking putting them off by supplying an overly aggressive consignment form or refusing to sign theirs? A lawyer friend put it best, “Yes. You can require a legal agreement. But who has the money to go to court?” And that’s a good point. If you feel nervous at all, a consignment agreement will certainly show a gallery that you are responsible and organized, and you expect the same from them. I’m always happy to sign a reasonable consignment agreement, but a thorough and clear email communication, outlining expectations and agreed to by the artist, serves my needs equally well.

• Most galleries do a 50/50 split. If this sounds high to you, consider the cost of running a gallery. There’s rent, staffing, insurance, utilities, shipping, credit card fees, taxes, reception costs, maintenance… The list goes on and on. And then there are always unexpected and emergency expenses. At least initially, you’ll be dealing with gallerists who are definitely not getting rich selling art. They’re either rich already, have another source of income, or are struggling themselves. The gallery is also exposing your work to their clients and contacts, which is less tangible but has real value. Some exhibitions, such as those at nonprofits and artist run spaces, will take a smaller commission and that’s fine.

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