How important is it to have gallery opportunities to you?

[Jesse]

How important is it to have gallery opportunities to you?  What does it mean to you to have opportunities to show your work?  I need a little insight.  We’ve done around 40 shows at the artdc Gallery and we’ve represented the work of DC area artists from Student to Emerging to Established artists and everything in between.  What does it mean to you to have this kind of art space access?  What does it meant to have a cheerleader say this guy is awesome, buy it now while you still can afford it?

[Gone]

For me it has been a chance to show my art to people.  Which is great.  Plus I have seen art made  by lots of artists whose work I never would have seen otherwise.  And I have added art to my collection from ArtDC shows which is great.  I really enjoyed the glass shows that were done recently.  I even signed up for a glass class finally.   I also met many artists at the shows and got to talk with them about their art.  So it's been a very good experience. 

[Jesse]

It is quite difficult to represent the impact of a work through pics on a site. That said, I did recently buy an affordable work based solely on a few snapshots, and I feel they represented the work quite well! But that’s not the norm!

[Roberto Gato Echanique]

Without gallery opportunities, I'm not sure anyone would ever see my work outside my inner social circle.  In establishing myself as an artist in the DC-area, I need places to show.

Color me skeptical, but I'm not sure galleries really care about my work if they give me an "invitation" to show, but then need $1800 (or more!) to maybe hang my stuff up on their walls for a month (or less!).

Beyond galleries, where other curators, collectors and such go to actively seek new work, how else would I get my work out? I have my own website, official facebook page, twitter, tumblr, deviant art... The more of those I pile on, the more time I spend doing "administrative" work and not actually creating.

[Jesse]

1800 is a lot of bread. That would be beyond my price point. I’ve heard of a few events around town charging 100’s and that’s more than I’m willing to shell out at the moment. A interesting thought, It might be interesting to spend the 1800 on tickets to charity balls and auctions to meet a high end of group of people who care about cultural experiences? Then again there’s no guarantee there.

There’s nothing like the support of having a real gallery show your work. They are actually invested in your success. I’m glad to see the support and need for exhibitions. When you come down to brass tacks, at a real gallery that doesn’t require a deposit, their commission pays the rent and utility bills so you know they are shooting for your success.

[Jesse]

Well, I wouldn’t mix a hanging fee with vanity.  I think that’s a bit confusing. Often when a gallery has an external jury, the hanging fee is covering their cost or some other associated expenses.  Usually those fees are in the $10-50 range.

That said I think there’s a time and a place for galleries for hire. I like that term better. If you have a following and a clientele who buy direct, it just might make sense to hire an empty space or gallery for hire if those fees are lower than your commission.

I find it all boils down to a case by case basis.

Running a gallery is an expensive business, the money has to come from somewhere, art sales, a supporter of the mission, or the artists. Often a mix of both.

If you are auditioning a gallery for hire, my first question would be what are the average sales for a show? If you rented a space for 2 to 3k for a month, and they have a staff, and you sold out on a 100 piece retrospective in the $500 range per work, you’d make out like gangbusters over the 40-50% standard commission.

That said, you would have to be able to sell out. Some people can, and for them, does the traditional “legit” gallery make sense? Maybe not.

With that in mind for artists new to the market, juried shows or competitions are a great way to get your feet wet and build a resume.

Just today’s food for thought.