StatCounters Anonymous

So apparently I'm not the only one who is obsessed with checking my website stats. That makes me feel better.

Julia asked about the search terms I see most often. I get a lot of people looking for "tips for emerging artists," or similar terms. Also, "rejection letters," or "artist rejection letters," and someone recently got me after searching for, "nice rejection letter to client." Why anyone would want to reject a client, I don't know. At least they wanted to do it nicely...

I get a lot of "packing and shipping artwork." Lots of searches for "vanity galleries," "artist statements," "artist resumes," and "writing exhibition proposals."

I actually only checked it once today - I was obviously busy with other things and wasn't able to obsess like I usually do!

Rejection Letters

I use statcounter.com to track the traffic on my website and blogs. I'm a bit OCD about it - I check it several times a day. I'm mostly interested in where people come from - how they get to me. Often people will do Google searches for some combination of "artist's or gallery rejection letters."

I wonder who is searching and what exactly they're looking for? Is it artists trying to find solace and kinship with other rejected artists? Or is it someone at a gallery trying to find a template for a form rejection letter to deal with the towering pile of artist's submissions on their desks?

So I looked through my pile of rejection letters and thought I'd share the best and worst. So if anyone happens to come here looking for the perfect rejection letter to send to an artist, maybe I can persuade him or her to make that rejection a bit less painful...

The best rejection letters (that sounds like an oxymoron, no?) are handwritten notes that include something personal. These are rare, but very much appreciated. I'm happy to get any kind of response, even a form letter, but I'm especially grateful for a gallery owner or director who takes the time to write a personal note. I know that they took the time to read my letter, look at my brochure, and perhaps check out my website, and that they carefully considered whether or not my work would be right for their gallery.

One of the best ones:
Deanna,
Thanks for sending images of your work. Very interesting and as you said, "shares an affinity" with work we represent.
We are a very small gallery, already overloaded with artists, so, I'm afraid we cannot at this time add to our dilemma.
I will, however, share what you have sent with other galleries - there's always a chance to exhibit somewhere in the area. It's just a matter of timing and some luck.
Best wishes...

This one was especially kind in that he said he would show my information to other galleries.

Not hand-written, but another good one:
Dear Deanna,
Thank you for sending us recent images of your work. Your work is beautiful and we enjoyed looking at images of your mixed media canvases. We appreciate your enthusiasm and interest in our gallery, unfortunately we are not in a position to add new artists.

We encourage you to send your work to other galleries in the area. You may want to visit the Chamber of Commerce website to aid your pursuit of a local gallery.

Good luck with your work!

I will occasionally receive email rejection letters - also a good opportunity for the gallery owner or director to add a personal touch.

Here's one that I liked:
Dear Deanna,
Thank you so very much for your interest in our gallery. Your submission was wonderfully designed. Elusive is probably my favorite of the series you sent. The colors and composition are great. Unfortunately your work does not meet our needs at this time. I want to thank you for thinking of us, and I do wish you the very best of luck.
Best regards...

Another good email:
Dear Deanna,
Thank you for sending information about your artwork to the gallery. I took the opportunity to visit your website (nice, by the way) and I can see why you felt there is a commonality in your and our aesthetic. Unfortunately, we aren't currently looking to take on new artists at this time. I would like to keep your brochure on file for possibilities in the future.

Thank you again, and good luck in your artistic endeavors.

These personal letters usually include a note about something that they liked about the work (which is nice to hear). Sometimes they will say that they think the imagery is not right for the gallery but not go into any detail as to what that might mean. I understand that gallery people look at a lot of submissions and can't possibly critique everything that crosses their desk, but it would be helpful to know why my "imagery is not right for the gallery." Maybe that's just a way to say they don't like it.

I think I've only received one letter that offered constructive criticism:
We enjoyed viewing your work and though it is visually intriguing, we suggest you compose larger pieces.

And there was another one that said:
Our client base really responds to more representational artwork.

I also like the letters that say something like:
Please do resubmit in the future as the work progresses or changes. We would love another opportunity to take a look.

or

I hope you will keep us updated on developments in your work.

I know that they are open to looking at my work again in the future. Maybe they see potential in my work or maybe they want someone with more shows or that is more established. Who knows?

Here's what sounds like a standard form rejection letter (in case that's what you're looking for):
Thank you for bringing your work to our attention. Unfortunately we are not in the position to take on any new artists at this time, as we are committed to the artists represented by the gallery and to our current exhibition schedule.

Thank you for your interest in X Gallery. We wish you the best of luck in finding representation.

When I started sending out my brochure to galleries, I would occasionally receive a letter or email back, but most of the time I wouldn't hear anything at all. So I started sending a SASE. That helped - often I would receive a letter but mostly I would get a note sent back on my cover letter. Most of them were nice but one gallery simply wrote, "This is not for us," on the cover letter and sent it back. A couple just shoved everthing in the SASE and sent it back without any note or acknowledgement at all. I understand that people are busy, but come on. That's just rude.

When I got those, I had intended to post something about the galleries in question and warn other artists to avoid them because they were rude and insensitive to artists. But I got over it. Everybody's entitled to a bad day... My good experiences have far outnumbered my bad, so I have faith that the art world is not such a horrible place.

Have you gotten any particularly great or horribly awful rejection letters?

To commiserate with other artists about rejection, check out:
Rejection Letters of an Emerging Artist
Rejection Collection

Images on CD

Sofia asked about my process for putting images of my artwork on a CD when I send out proposals.

Unless there are specific guidelines, this is what I put on my CD:
- a PowerPoint presentation (saved as both PowerPoint and slide show)
- a pdf version of the presentation
- a folder of jpgs of the images in the presentation
- resume (pdf and Word)
- artist's statement (pdf and Word)

I think that most people have PowerPoint on their computers. If they don't, then hopefully the slide show will play. If not, then hopefully they have Acrobat Reader and the pdf file will work. If not, then they will at least have some sort of image reader that will read the jpg files. If not, then I guess I've sent them a frisbee.

Here's how I create the PowerPoint presentation:
The first slide is a large background image (a painting detail) with my name reversed out in white.
The next few slides (12-20, depending on the situation) include images of my work and installation shots. The images are good quality and they fill up most of the page. I made the background black and reverse out the title and media information.
I then include a slide with my artist's statement.
Lastly, I include several slides with my resume and contact information.

I save the file as PowerPoint and then do a Save As and in the Save dialog box, where it says Save as Type, I choose PowerPoint Show. This creates a file that will run in PowerPoint viewer if you don't have PowerPoint.

I also save a pdf version by either selecting Convert to Adobe PDF (if you have this capability, you will see an Acrobat icon in the toolbar), or by printing to Adobe PDF (it will be an option under printer name in the print dialog box). I have the full version of Acrobat, so I open it up and crop the excess white border that it sometimes creates and I make sure that it opens the way I want it to.

I then also put each jpg image into a folder. I name the files so that they will appear in the same order as the images in the slide show -
01.dwood_title.jpg
02.dwood_title.jpg
etc.

I include my name in case the files or the CD somehow get lost, they'll at least know whose images they are. I also name them 01, 02, 03, etc, so that they will be in the correct order in the list.

I do the same to the title of my resume and artist's statement:
dwood_resume
dwood_statement

I also create a color print out "slide list" or "image script" that includes thumbnails and titles of all of the images on the CD - so someone can see the images at a glance without even putting the CD in the computer.

Also, I can't stress enough how important it is to read submission guidelines, if there are any. You don't want to spend all your time putting together a CD when they only want slides. And if they do accept images on CD, be sure to note if they have guidelines for image resolution, file sizes and formats (jpg, tiff, etc).

Thanks for the question, Sofia. Good luck!

Collaboration

Trayc Claybrook and I have decided to collaborate on a project together. We're going to create encaustic work for a two-person show. We brainstormed and came up with a title:
Waxy Buildup: Cleaning House.

We're each going to create ten 12" x 12" pieces around that theme, whatever that means to us.

Our goal is to have them completed by April. We're going to look for venues for the show in the meantime.

We've created a blog, Waxy Buildup to document our process and to share ideas as we work. Check it out and let us know what you think about our progress as we go!

Writing

Back in 2004, I was lucky to be able to attend the annual College Art Association (CAA) conference in Seattle. Most people go to the conference to present papers or to interview for jobs. I just went to see what it was all about. I attended many of the sessions, hung out with friends, did a little sight-seeing, and saw some art while I was there.

In a cleaning frenzy yesterday, I came across some information that I had saved from the conference. At my professor's request, I had typed up my notes and presented them to my fellow grad students. I found the CD with the notes, so I thought I'd share some of the info with you, too.

Below are my notes from a session titled "Harnessing the Power of the Pen: Professional Writing Strategies for Future Artists, Art Historians, and Museum Professionals." I've previously posted my opinions and tips on writing an artist's statement, but the panelists also talked specifically about writing grants and writing as a curator and as a freelancer. I've listed the panelists and their specific advice:

Artist’s Statements
Madeline Djerejian, photographer
Stressed the importance of voice and consideration of audience.
There are no real rules for artist’s statements, but there are certain things that people want to read.
Introduces the reader to your work and to you
Supplement to visual information
Not so much a description but it should make people want to look at your work
Crystallizes your thoughts about the work
Should stand on its own and be clear

There are different kinds of statements for different situations
· Specific body of work
· Body of work as a whole (philosophy)
· 1 page - may accompany a show or a grant application
· 1 or 2 paragraph statement for a portfolio or application
· 25-word statement – central idea for a cover letter or bio

Keep notes while you’re working
Consider your audience – assume that the reader has never seen your work
Don’t be defensive – consider that the reader is interested
Use plain and direct language
4 or 5 points might be enough

Consider:
1. What kind of materials are you using and why?
2. Where did the initial inspiration for the work come from?
3. What is the central or guiding image in the work?
4. Are there elements such as sound or installation?
5. Any notable collaborators?
6. Where does the piece fit into your overall work or career?
7. Is the work a limited edition?
8. Is there a specific venue that the work is geared for?

People don’t want to struggle to read it – avoid flowery or pretentious language
Develop a strong first sentence and opening
Keep it as short as possible
Don’t explain everything
Don’t announce what you’re trying to do, just say what you’ve accomplished
Don’t use catch-phrases
Be specific
Not just a list of things you like and don’t like; tell us why
Use first person
Don’t use “we”
Don’t be ashamed of your obsessions or interests if it’s directly related to the work
Don’t be wishy-washy
Don’t brag
Be careful with poetic language
OK to be personable and fun
Remember that it’s your statement
Use 12-point font
If you are given guidelines for a specific application, follow them
Ask a non-artist to read it
Spell check
Be honest with yourself
It’s never finished for very long (revise it periodically)
Review your statement alongside the work
Be true to yourself and true to your work
Suggested looking at http://www.nyfa.org/ to see successful artist’s statements (ones that have received grants)

Curatorial Writing
Bruce Robertson, Center for American Art, LA
From object label to catalog essay:
· The voice is coming from inside the museum, heavily institutional
· There is a heavy editing process (editors, PR, education, marketing)
· Give up ownership – just something that is there to be used
· It’s more important for it to be out than to be perfect
· Audience is the public; consider that you’re writing for an educated public (college freshmen, not educated in art, no need for dumbing down; you’re just extending their knowledge base)
· You can’t tell the whole story
· Most is rhetorical – public speech aimed at a community
· You want to convince an audience of some point and that it’s important
· There’s a pressure in institutions for blandness
· Don’t use abstract or passive language; vary your sentence structure

Grant Writing:
· The audience is usually someone with a non-art degree
· Get their attention in the first paragraph
· Aimed generally
· Object and question first, theory second
· Say what it is first, in simple language
· Follow the guidelines
· Don’t parade your genius
· Foucault is not going to read it – nobody cares about your academic theories

Freelance Writing
Lorraine Karafel, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and Metropolitan Museum of Art
She is a writer trained as an art historian
Freelance writing is sometimes scholarly writing, sometimes exhibit reviews, articles, proposals, exhibition materials, audio guides, of film strips.
The structure, language, and length are specific to the type of material and different information is included
Consider that a book is read privately and a label is read publicly
You’re often reshaping long into short and re conceiving it and how it is used
Use words to make the subject compelling
Might need to bring a different viewpoint to the writing
Reveals the writer’s personal relationship to the work
Include the history and why it is a work of art
Choose what conveys understanding of the work
Audience may be peers
Determine audience and gear the writing to them
Thoughtful and intimate
Research and knowledge presented in a passionate form
Look at examples of similar items or publications, look at format, style
Read your text out loud; read it to someone who is not in the field
Must be clear to a wide audience
Reveal your love for the subject
Help the reader experience art in a new way

Two exhibitions

Internal - collage, oil pastel, oil, and encaustic - 12" x 12" - 2006

Koelsch Gallery - Houston, Texas

January 11 - February 3, 2007

http://www.koelschgallery.com/index.htm

Bend - collage, oil pastel, oil, and encaustic - 24" x 24" - 2006

Azalee Marshall Cultural Activities Center - Temple, Texas

January 13 - February 16, 2007

Opening reception and champagne brunch

January 13, 2007

10 am - 12 pm

I'll be there for a gallery talk...

http://www.cacarts.org/EventDisplay1.asp?id=1293

If you happen to be in Houston or the Austin area, check 'em out!

Goals for 2007

Lots of bloggers have been posting their goals in response to Alyson Stanfield's posts - or just making resolutions in general...

I've been thinking about my goals for 2007 and have been hesitant to post them... I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I tend to want to make sure things are just so before putting them out there. Also, if I post my goals on the internets, then everybody can see them. Then I have to succeed, right?

Anyway, I'm going to put it out there with the knowledge that I can always change them and add to them later. So here's what I've come up with (so far):

Art
Create 10 new 24" x 24" paintings
Create 20 new 12" x 12" paintings

Business
Create my own effective productivity system (after reading Getting Things Done by David Allen)
Follow up with galleries that had expressed interest in my work in the past (I will keep a file and review it monthly)
Send out 5 brochure/cover letter packets per month to new galleries (I will research galleries online and in person)
Send letters to past jurors (to keep me on their radar)
Update my mailing list quarterly
Receive gallery representation at galleries in 2 major cities
Schedule 1 additional solo show for 2008
Redesign my website (mostly because someone stole my design!)
Continue promoting and marketing my encaustic workshops (with postcards and emails)
Update website once a month
Enter at least 3 juried shows
Attend the National Encaustic Painting Conference at Montserrat College in June
Host an open studio event at my studio (either spring or fall)

I'll revisit these goals occasionally on this blog to review how it's going...

Links

My friend Trayc Claybrook has a website and a brand new blog, All Day Painter.

Show her some love.

She alerted me to this blog: Accidental Creative.

From their "about" section:
THE ACCIDENTAL CREATIVE CO. is committed to bringing creative freedom to the masses! It is the age of creativity, and “cover bands” don’t change the world. You MUST find your unique voice if you are going to thrive.

And for some holiday fun, here's an origami Christmas card generator.

Art Fairs

I've been reading lots of posts recapping the recent Art Basel art fair in Miami.

Joanne Mattera, Edward Winkleman, Robin Walker, and James Wolanin were all there and have interesting and varied takes on the experience.

From their descriptions, it sounds like a very fun but tiring few days - a series of huge trade shows that feature art, art, and more art. Apparently fairs are the big money making events for many galleries.

I'm curious to know if attending an art fair would be beneficial to an artist who doesn't have work in one of the featured galleries? I imagine that it could be a valuable networking experience for an emerging artist. You would get to meet people from many galleries and see the work first hand. You would also get to network with other artists.

I'm just wondering if I should try to go to Miami next year...

Another vanity gallery

I got an email the other day from a gallery in Montreal offering me a show. At first I was excited, but then confused because I couldn't remember sending any proposals to any galleries in Canada. After reading further into the email, I realized that they were just trolling the web, looking for artists to invite to have shows in their space - charging them lots of money for the privilege, of course.

Here are some highlights from the email:

ATT: Deanna Wood

We have viewed your work and would like to offer you an opportunity for an exhibition of your work in Montreal, for the year 2007/2008. Please find below the "Terms and conditions".
Visit the gallery website for additional information: www.gallerygora.com

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Eligibility and Application Procedure
Gallery Gora invites you to exhibit in a solo or in a group exhibition.
Selections are made solely on the basis of artists' portfolios.
Please send to the gallery:
- Completed and signed application (see page 4)
- International bank/postal money order or bank transfer (see
"deposit" paragraph 3)
You will then receive a confirmation, an exhibition date and other related information.

2. Duration of Exhibition
The exhibition runs for a minimum of 3 weeks (at least 19 opening days, not including setup and take down time).

3. Exhibition Fee
A - Solo Exhibition
- Each artist can have up to 20 pieces of work depending on size
- The fee for a solo exhibition is US $2,400.00 to cover gallery expenses
- The gallery takes a 10% commission during the 3 week exhibition
- A deposit (25% of the total fee) is paid together with the application.
- The balance of the fee is payable 5 weeks prior to the exhibition date. The deposit is refundable in full if Gallery Gora cancels the exhibition.

B - Group exhibition
- The fee to take part in a group exhibition is US $250.00 for first work and US $150.00 for each additional work.
- The number of artists in a group show depends on the total number of works. The width of each work should not exceed 4ft or it will be counted as two works.

Exhibition fees cover furthermore:

Advertising and public relations
- Mention of the show in all weekly newspaper arts calendars in Montreal (when possible)
- A press release including an invitation to the exhibition e-mailed to a list of contacts (over 10,000) 1 week prior to the opening. Our contacts include the press, curators, critics, dealers, consultants and corporations, as well as a larger body of public members and buyers. If artists supply us with additional e-mail lists, we will forward the invitation to these addresses as well.
- Full colour invitation cards. If we are provided with a postal mailing list of addresses within Canada, these cards will be sent out free of charge.
Other advertising options are available at extra cost (see application form)

Reception
- On the evening of the exhibition's opening, the gallery will welcome guests with wine and other beverages.
- Gallery staff will be at hand to receive visitors throughout the exhibition and to organize corporate/cultural events and receptions whenever possible, whether the artists choose or not to be present at the show.

4. Commissions
- Gallery Gora takes a 10% commission on sales during the 3 week exhibition.
- All money due will be sent to you within 10 days of the sale.

5. Shipping
Artists are responsible for all shipping fees and procedures to and from the gallery door.

Yikes! $2400! That seems crazy. But apparently artists are willing to pay. They have a ton of artists listed on their website.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Would you pay $2400, pay to ship your work, let them take a 10% commission on any sales, and then pay to ship the unsold work back to you?

Interested in the wholesale marketplace?

I received an email recently from Daniel Waldman from Buyer's Market of American Craft:

I wanted to let you know about our Visiting Artist (VA) program, which your readers may find interesting. The VA program offers artists the opportunity to explore the wholesale marketplace before taking the plunge as a wholesale exhibitor. We have a MySpace page here:

http://www.myspace.com/visitingartist

Our full program schedule can be found here:
http://www.buyersmarketonline.biz/viarpr.html

Check it out.

December exhibits

Devour - collage, oil, and encaustic - 12" x 12"

I have work in two shows right now:

Seeking Shelter - solo show at the Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada
December 1, 2006 - January 30, 2007

Take Shelter 4 - collage, oil, and encaustic - 6" x 6"

Small Packages - invitational group show at the Cumberland Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee
December 2 - December 23, 2006

I also have work at Town Center Fine Art in Watkinsville, Georgia.

If you make it to any of those places, please let me know!

Packing and shipping artwork

Packing artwork has been on my mind lately. I’ve spent the last couple of weekends packing up most of my work (10 boxes!) to ship off to a solo show at the Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. And I'm helping to make the boat payment for my local UPS Store owner...

I’m not an expert on packing and shipping artwork, but I have worked as a gallery assistant and I’ve unpacked artwork for a couple of national juried shows. So I do consider myself an expert on how NOT to pack and ship artwork. I have seen some amazingly stupidly packed boxes!

So I thought I would share some observations, tips, and techniques for packing and shipping that I’ve picked up over the years.

Reusable packing materials
First of all, if you’re shipping work that you know will be returned to you (a juried show, for example), then be sure to use easily reusable packing materials. Think about what it must be like at a juried show – there’s work coming in from all over the country, the people unpacking and repacking your work could be volunteers with little or no experience handling artwork – you want to make it as clear as possible for them to unpack your work and repack it after the show.

Avoid using packing peanuts. They’re not good protection because they can settle during shipping. They’re also a complete pain in the ass and gallery assistants hate them with a passion (at least my coworker and I did).

Clear instructions
It’s helpful to mark the spot on the box where you want it opened. As a gallery assistant, I LOVED the anal-retentive artists who sent unpacking and packing instructions (if you’re unpacking 50 boxes, you don’t want to have to think too hard about any of them). Just make it as easy as you possibly can. You don’t want the person who will be handling your artwork to be hating on you because you made her spend 20 minutes picking up peanuts or you wrapped something really tightly in so much bubble wrap that it won’t go back in the box later or realize that she opened the wrong end of the box and will have to spend extra time fixing it when she re-packs. Oh. Sorry. Flashbacks…

So when I pack something that is fairly complicated, I will include instructions. Pictures are also helpful, especially if the instructions are complicated.

Here’s an example of some instructions I wrote up for a fairly complicated package. I had 3 artist’s books in one box, and they had to be put back “just so” in order for them to fit. pdf file (120 KB)

Padding
Basically, you want to have as much protection between your artwork and the cold, cruel world as possible.

I pack my paintings in foam core boxes that I make myself. I then stack a few of those boxes inside a cardboard box. I line a larger box with foam and include the smaller box inside. So I basically have the paintings triple-boxed.

a recent batch of foam core (and a few cardboard) inner boxes

Airfloat boxes
http://www.airfloatsys.com/
I’ve never used them myself, but I have unpacked quite a few. I think they’re fairly expensive, but they might be worth it for you.

The boxes are reinforced, easy to open, and re-usable. The boxes include 3 sheets of foam – one sheet protects your artwork on the bottom, one on the top, and you create a hole in the center piece of foam so that your piece fits snugly into it.

Crates
If you have tools and carpentry skills, you can make your own wooden crates. You can also have them made for you. Crates are expensive to ship because they’re usually heavy, but they can be good protection for your artwork, especially sculpture.

If you use a crate, be sure to mark very clearly which screws should be removed to open the crate.

To sum up, here is a basic list of packing tips that I created for local juried show participants:
Protect the artwork from dust and moisture:
- Wrap the artwork with protective, acid-free paper such as glassine or tissue paper
- Cover the artwork with white cotton fabric (recommended for textiles, ceramics, and wood)
- Wrap the artwork loosely in plastic
Protect the artwork from damage:
- If possible, use two containers; a smaller box cushioned on all sides inside a larger box can protect your artwork from bumps and sharp objects
- Insulate the artwork with padding such as bubble wrap, upholstery foam, or Styrofoam. NOT recommended: loose material such as any type of Styrofoam peanuts.
Identify your artwork:

- Include the artist’s name and the title on the back or bottom of the artwork
- Write your name on all exterior sides of all shipping containers using permanent marker
- Cover any paper labels with clear tape
- Identify your container as “FRAGILE” (ask your shipping company for labels)
- Identify where you would like the container to be opened by writing “OPEN THIS SIDE,” or “OPEN HERE”
- Include detailed unpacking and packing instructions

Resources:
http://www.airfloatsys.com/ - inexpensive, re-usable packaging solutions for shipping fine art
http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/ - archival materials
http://www.uline.com/ - boxes and plastic bags

Update:

For textile artists, check out Lisa Call's post where she explains how she ships large quilts.

Thankful.

I'm feeling reflective this Thanksgiving - I know I complain about a lot of things, but I know that I'm very lucky and I'm thankful for:

Sam - he makes me laugh every day and makes me realize what's important.

Family - I know they would do anything for me.

Friends - who have supported me and encouraged me and listened to me and laughed at my stupid jokes.

Health - something we all take for granted.

Art - it's allowed me to meet so many talented and creative and nice people.

I'm counting my blessings. I hope you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Alternative exhibition spaces

Most artists strive for commercial acceptance and success. There are several paths to achieving those (often elusive) goals, commercial galleries being one of them. But if you’re having difficulty breaking into a commercial gallery or if you feel you might not be ready for one yet, there are many alternative spaces that you may want to consider.

I have to admit that I live in a town with two universities and a thriving art scene, so you can hardly go anywhere around here without seeing artwork from local artists and art students. But I’m sure you can find similar venues in your town.

I'm not going to cover rental galleries, vanity galleries, and community art centers. I'm going to focus on free spaces that might not currently exhibit art.

Some of these alternative spaces include:
Libraries
Cafes/restaurants
Coffee shops
Wine shops
Hair salons/spas
Fitness clubs/dojos
Dance studios
Record stores
Bank lobbies
Churches

Basically, any wall is a potential exhibition space.

Do some research. Visit different businesses in your town and notice if they have artwork hanging in their space. If they have changing exhibits, ask to speak to the person in charge of the artwork. Ask him or her about submission guidelines – would they like to see slides or a CD, view your website, or see actual work?

Carry a packet of information (or brochure or business card or CD) around with you to leave behind if the opportunity arises.

Approach businesses or spaces that relate to your work.
If you paint floral still lifes, you might approach a flower shop, garden shop, or a botanical garden. Figurative work might lend itself to a day spa. Landscapes from your trip to Italy would look great in that little Italian restaurant. Asian-inspired work might appeal to the owners of a dojo or karate school. Photographs of dancers in a dance studio. Watercolors of historic missions in your local Catholic church. You get the idea…

Some businesses that currently exhibit artwork from local artists might also already do receptions. If they don’t, you might brainstorm about how to do your own reception. They might be open to live music, jugglers, dancers, etc. Try to find something that would be mutually beneficial to both of you – getting your work seen and bringing in customers to the restaurant or shop.

Unused and empty retail spaces
Consider approaching the owner of a vacant space that would lend itself to your work. Maybe there’s an empty store on your town square that you could borrow or rent fairly cheaply for a couple of weeks. You would need to consider how to staff the space – posting specific gallery hours and having someone work as a gallery sitter.

Houses
A couple of years ago I went to a show at a gallery space that was actually a house. A couple of art students were renting a house and realized that they had a room that they weren’t using. They emptied out that room as well as their living room. Then they invited artists to have short (usually one or two-day) shows. They also knew music students and invited them to provide music for the reception/parties.

Things to consider
Trust your instincts.
If a restaurant owner seems shady or untrustworthy, tell them thanks anyway. Work out the details of sales – if they handle sales then usually they will take a commission. If they don’t want to deal with sales, they might have interested patrons contact you directly.

Find out what the venue will provide.
Some restaurants or shops might already have receptions and PR in place. You can just hang your show and show up for the reception. But others might leave that all up to you. If so, then you'll need to decide how you want to market the show. Consider writing a press release and sending out postcards to promote the show.

Be sure to have contact info available during your show.
Frame and hang an artist’s statement. Leave a stack of business cards or brochures.

It may be a great opportunity to show, but not sell.
If you look at it as a way to show your work to people who wouldn’t normally see it, then you’ll have a good experience. If you expect to sell every piece, then you might be disappointed.

Strength in numbers.
Enlist a group of artists to have a show with you. Find artists who do work in a similar theme, similar format, similar medium, etc. Having a group and assigning tasks helps to alleviate the work load associated with mounting a show.

What are some other alternative spaces that you’ve exhibited in? Were they successful? What did you do to make them successful?

MOO cards

My little box of MOO MiniCards was waiting for me in the mailbox today! I'm very excited. They're so cute!

They're packaged in a cute little box with a sleeve. Inside are 100, 2 3/4" x 1 1/8" cards - less than half the size of a standard business card.

The images on the backs can be all different (I think I got 3 of each of mine) - you can get 100 different images. This is what's so exciting to me. Maybe I'm easily amused?

You can put up to 4 lines of information on the front and you have a limited choice of fonts and colors.

They take your images from your flickr page, so you have to have a flickr account (they're free). You can select the images you want to use and select the areas that you want to print. Most of my paintings are square, so the format was a little odd - most of my cards ended up being essentially details of paintings.

You also need to make sure that you upload higher-res images than you normally would. They recommend 640 x 480. A couple of mine were only 300 x 300 and they turned out fine, though.

Oh, and I guess they were fairly pricey for only 100 cards ($19.99), but you can get 100 different images, for cryin' out loud! How cool is that? And did I mention that they're super cute?

Check 'em out!

www.moo.com

www.flickr.com

Submission Guidelines

A bit of a diversion...

Everything about McSweeney's is great. Especially today's Submission Guidelines for Our Refrigerator Door.

An excerpt:

We are no longer accepting robot-monkey-themed work, be they drawings, stories, or whatever. We've had it up to here with robot monkeys. Yes, robot monkeys are "funny" and "cool" and they make "amazing" beeping sounds, but enough is enough with the robot monkeys. Robot monkeys are so last July. And no saying that something is a tree and then later telling us it's a robot monkey. That will lead to immediate removal from our refrigerator door, and no amount of crying and spinning wildly on the floor will make us put it back up.

Check it out!

Taxes

Math, accounting, record keeping, and taxes. I know. Yuck. Most artists hate all of this, but it’s important that you understand at least some of the issues so that you’re not paying too much - or (maybe) worse, not paying enough - which could result in an audit, fines, and penalties.

A few years ago, when I set a goal to make a living as an artist, I decided that I would keep track of my expenses and income. Partly as a psychological boost – to show that I was serious about being an artist.

Recently my local art group, VAST invited an accountant to talk to the group about tax issues for artists. I wanted to let you know what he said and give you some basic ideas to get started on your record keeping. I want to stress that he was talking specifically about issues related to artists in Texas, and he was just answering general questions. So if you need to know something specific to your situation, please contact an accountant in your area.

So here are some of the things he suggested:

Get a separate bank account for your art business
This helps simplify record keeping. Pay for your supplies out of this account and deposit your income from art sales, teaching, commissions, etc. into this account.

Avoid using a debit or credit card
People tend to spend more when using plastic as opposed to cash or checks.

Keep good records with financial software (like Quicken)
It’s easy to use and you can set up categories like art supplies, meals and entertainment, travel, education, etc.

Tax exempt status
Use tax exempt status to buy consumable items such as paint, paper, canvas, wood (anything that becomes part of your artwork). You have to pay tax on things you use but keep, such as brushes, tools, easels, tables, etc.

Forming a corporation doesn’t usually benefit you
Until you’re making $30K or $40K per year.

Mileage
You can claim mileage but you must keep accurate records. The going rate right now is 44.5 cents/mile. You can keep a notebook in your car and jot down your odometer readings every time you drive to your studio, to meet a client, visit a gallery, etc. It has to be business-related.

You’re responsible for sales tax on your artwork
If you’re not charging your customers sales tax, then you have to pay it. Most gallery owners will take care of the sales tax, so sales through a gallery usually aren’t a problem. But when you’re selling at an art fair or out of your studio, you need to be charging tax. This is a subject that I’m not really clear on, so definitely consult a professional.

Studio space
It’s best if your studio is a separate structure that is solely dedicated to your business, but you can also get a deduction for studio space within your home. The benefit to claiming an in-home studio is that you can claim mileage on any trips you take away from your studio on business. The example he gave was a musician – if the musician travels to different locations to perform or give lessons, he/she can’t deduct the mileage. But if he/she has a separate studio (even just a section of a bedroom), then any trips away from the studio are deductible. Presumably you can deduct rent, utilities, etc. You definitely want to consult a professional on this question…

Hopefully some of these tips will help you – or at least alert you to things you may need to look into.

Here are some resources with more information:
NYFA article on taxes

Lots of articles from All Creative Portfolios

The Artist Help Network has a listing of helpful books

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts has lots of info

Group Show at exploding head gallery

My work is part of a group show called Architectural Forms at exploding head gallery in Sacramento, California.

The show runs until October 28th. The reception is October 14th from 6-9 pm.

If you're in the area, check it out!

Postcards

Postcards are a great way to advertise an upcoming show. They’re also great to have later, to tuck into your packets that you send to galleries. If you’re having a show in a commercial gallery, art center or university gallery, most likely they will design the postcards and have them printed. They will probably give you a small number that you can mail to select people on your mailing list.

But if you’re organizing your own show (in an alternative space, rental gallery, student gallery, etc.), then you’ll probably be on your own to design and print your postcards.

Steps to creating an effective postcard

1. Put a striking image on the front
Start with a great photograph or slide of your work. Pick the best piece from your show and get a great shot of it. An intriguing detail shot can be interesting and mysterious. If you don’t have a good camera or you lack photography skills, hire a professional photographer to shoot it for you.

It’s important to start with a good quality, high-resolution photograph (slide or digital). If you attempt to print from a 72 dpi jpg, you’ll get jagged, fuzzy, ugly results.

It's also a good idea to put your name on the front.

2. Include all important information on the back
I can’t count the occasions where I’ve gotten postcards for art shows that left out something crucial – like the artist’s name, the dates of the show, location, etc.

What you should include:
Your name (preferably on both sides)
Title of the show
Location
Date (including the year)
Gallery hours
Reception date, if there is one
Information about the work you featured on the front of the card (title, medium, size)
Return address (the post office will return any with bad addresses – important to be able to keep your mailing list current)
Your website url

All of this information should be clean and easy to read. Don’t use funky fonts here. The title and your name can be in a larger size and bold, and possibly in a different (but not too different) font. Try to limit yourself to 2 or 3 sizes and no more than 2 different fonts. Don’t use any sizes below 8 point.

I don’t think there’s any reason to use color on the back of a postcard. Seems like a waste of money to me. Black ink is effective and readable.

Here’s an example:

3. Follow postal guidelines
The post office won’t mail anything below a certain size (3.5” x 5”) and there’s a maximum size for mailing at the postcard rate (4.25” x 6”).

Size guidelines: http://pe.usps.gov/text/qsg300/Q201.htm

There are also certain areas that the post office designates for printing their own barcodes, etc. In the example above, the grey areas are off-limits for text or graphics. The white area is free.

Printing your own
If you’re having a smaller show, or just want to limit your mailing, it’s possible to create your own postcards on your computer and print them yourself at your local copy shop.

The easiest way to do this is to lay out your postcards 4-up on a page, copy them, and have the copy shop cut them for you.

The resulting postcards will be 4.25” x 5.5” – a little under the standard postcard size (4.25” x 6”), but still within the accepted size for the post office.

You’ll need a decent illustration or page layout program such as Illustrator, FreeHand, InDesign, or Quark – even Photoshop, in a pinch. I wouldn’t recommend designing them in Microsoft Word (shudder) or PowerPoint (cringe) unless that was your absolute only choice.

Enlist the help of a graphic designer if you don’t feel that you can do it yourself. Your local copy shop probably offers this service.

Professional printing
For slick, colorful, glossy, professional results, get your cards printed by a commercial printer. If you know and trust a local print shop, then use them.

Most artists use a company called Modern Postcard. They’re great quality and pretty quick. You can get 500 4.25” x 6” postcards for $129 plus shipping.

You can design your own and send it to them or send them all your info and they’ll do it for you (but I think it costs a little bit more).

If you don’t need 500 postcards, check out Overnight Prints. I recently discovered them and they’re my new favorite. Their shortest run is 250 (a much more manageable quantity - for me, at least). I recently got 250 postcards for around $50 (including shipping).

They work the same as Modern Postcard – send them a file or have them create the postcard for you.

Both companies have templates in different programs that you can download. They also offer design advice and will show you examples of good and bad postcards. If you intend to design your postcards yourself, be sure to follow their guidelines (file formats, software programs, dpi, cmyk, bleeds, etc).

The postcards are printed in big batches (they’ll gang 20 or so different postcards onto one sheet), so it’s possible that the quality (especially color) can suffer. I’ve always gotten good results, though.

I would recommend getting your postcards professionally printed as opposed to running copies. The main advantage is that they look much more professional. A disadvantage is that you will be stuck with a bunch of leftover cards.

You can extend the life of a card by leaving the back blank. You can print your specific show information on a sticker and adhere it to the back before you send it. As long as the image on the front is not too specific and will represent your work for a couple of years, this is a good strategy. You can even use them as regular postcards, thank you notes, etc.

Useful beyond the show
I have quite a few postcards left over from past shows. I send them out with my marketing packets, leave them out for people to pick up at shows and at my studio, and hand them out to people every now and then. They’re a great marketing tool.