5 Tips for Approaching Art Galleries
Want to see your art in an art gallery? Not sure where to start?
WolfLab has got your back!
Cynthia is the curator for Art@BRiX in Montreal (shown here) and our curator-in-residence at WolfLab.
Cynthia here!
Approaching art galleries as an artist requires a great deal of vulnerability. Doing so is not simply about your works of art, it’s about putting your most raw self out there! Your process, your ideologies, and your inspiration shape your artistic endeavors and make your art unique. Interestingly, most art galleries are just as interested in YOU as an artist as they are with your art.
The following tips will ensure that you are properly equipped and prepared to approach art galleries!
1) Create a Portfolio
Creating your portfolio is a crucial preliminary step! Much like a CV, your portfolio is meant to be a readily available tool for you to refer to when needed. When creating your portfolio, the most important thing to remember is variety. Galleries want to know that you have dabbled with a variety of different styles and techniques. Include a minimum of 10 works of art, with a brief caption mentioning: title, medium, dimension, and year. This tool can be created digitally in the form of a website or even just a compiled document. While creating your portfolio, take the time to reflect on the aspects of your art that speak the most to who you are as a person. This will come in handy for tip #2.
Pro tip: If you make a compiled document, print it out and make it into a booklet that you can bring to meetings with gallery representatives. Not only will this show dedication and professionalism, but your portfolio is also another way to express yourself as an artist. Do not be afraid to include your own personal flair and get creative with it!
2) Artist Blurb
Once you have filtered through your artworks and compiled a working portfolio, you are now ready to write your artist blurb! Well, just about. As with any well-written work, we must first take a moment to brainstorm.
Start with a blank piece of paper and ask yourself, how would I want people to describe my art?
No need to get articulate just yet. Simply start by jotting down keywords and adjectives that pertain to your desired message as an artist. Once you are done, circle the most relevant adjectives to include in your artist blurb!
When writing your blurb, it is important to remember that less is more. Limit your blurb to one concise and coherent paragraph.
If you are unsure how to start, try using the Hamburger Model of paragraph writing as a guide:
Bun #1: Quick Intro (Try to include your name or artist name here)
Lettuce: Supporting detail one
Tomato: Supporting detail two
Patty: Supporting detail three
Bun #2: Conclusion (restates Intro from Bun #1 in different words, no need to mention name)
3) Gallery Research
Now that you have your portfolio and artist blurb, it’s time to find yourself some art galleries!
When looking for art galleries, try searching for galleries that reflect your artistic practice.
Remember that brainstorm sesh from the making of your artist's blurb? Try including those keywords and adjectives in your search for galleries.
Pro tip: If you find a gallery that appeals to you and your artwork, be sure to read their mission statement or gallery description. Once again, jot down keywords that jump out at you. This will come in handy when you try to articulate how your artistic endeavors compliment their gallery.
4) Contact Gallery
After your research phase, you have everything you need to create the perfect email inquiry!
Begin with two sentences that show you understand the gallery you are approaching. Refer back to the keywords the gallery uses to describe themselves. Don’t forget to mention the gallery’s name!
Important: These introductory sentences should never be the same. You will need to take the time to create a custom mini intro for each gallery you reach out to.
Include your Artist Blurb
Attach a link to your Portfolio
And BAM! Now you have the perfect email template for contacting art galleries.
5) Follow-Up
Another important tip to remember is to follow up with your emails. Within a week of inquiring, if you do not get a response, send a reminder email stating that you are still interested and excited to hear back from them. If again no response, try the same procedure a second time.
You may think you are being annoying, and not to sugar coat it, it will be annoying to some. However, to another, it might show that you are genuinely interested and persistent thus prompting them to take a second look.
Now you have the perfect recipe for reaching out to galleries and potentially getting your works exhibited!
Simply following these 5 simple tips can be rewarding on a business level, but it is important to realize the value from a personal and artistic level. By investing valuable time reflecting on the YOU aspect or your artistic endeavours, you will become more aware of your intentions and desires as an artist. From this, you will be able to focus your energy on actualizing them!
On a final note, it is important to stay positive during this process. Growth, even artistic, is a process that takes time, passion, and patience. It will come when you least expect it but you’ll be ready. This brings to mind these lyrics; “always remembering when the going gets tough, that the labour of our love will reward us soon enough” (The Growlers, Going Gets Tough, 2014). In other words, if you embed all that you do with a love that is pure and true, there is no way that you won’t succeed!
Happy art-making!
Cynthia,
Archival Wolf