Make the Most of Your Art Gallery Shows and Exhibits: How to Work with Gallery Owners

Exhibiting your art at art galleries is critical if your artist career agenda includes getting your art in front of people who count-- curators, critics, collectors, dealers, and other influential art communitarians. When you get a show, either solo or group, you've got to take full advantage of the opportunity-- the plaudits don't automatically roll in. You're suddenly out of the studio and into the art world where a unique protocol prevails, and getting to know the territory, particularly from the art gallery owner or gallerist perspective, comes in mighty handy.

Basically, you and your art gallery form a partnership, contractual or casual, the goal being for each of you to make the other look as absolutely astonishingly spectacular as possible. This is your big chance-- and your gallery's as well. Everybody wants to go up; nobody wants to go down. But here's the thing-- you're showing your art on the gallerist's turf, namely their gallery, so the complete freedom you enjoy in the studio is suddenly tempered by the exigencies of the marketplace, not the least of which is that the gallery owner has to sell enough art to make expenses or else the gallery folds. The galleriest has skills, talents, rules, preferences, and ways of doing business that you are now subject to. So to make your transition from studio to gallery (from creative expression to presenting and selling the merchandise) as seamless, productive, and mutually gratifying as possible, let's look at the trade-off in terms of what you get for what you give, and why galleries work they way they do. You give your all-- that's your end of the deal. In return, the gallery gives you two kinds of benefits-- obvious and not so obvious.

For example, when you show at a gallery, you get the exhibition space, a setting for your art to be on display for as long as the show lasts. That's obvious. What's not so obvious is that a show often comes with a mandate (or even a challenge) to create a new body of work, a deadline by which to create it, a duty to discipline yourself in the process, and a place for you to present it when you're done. The upside can be huge-- an opportunity to advance your creative ideals and inspirations into previously unexplored territory, and to debut this work in a serious venue. The alternative is that you make art on you own, when you feel like it, without time constraints, without structure, and without knowing whether anyone will see the results (except maybe people who visit your studio). As Lisa Chadwick of Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco says, "Getting an exhibition date gives an artist something to work towards, the finality of having to have their art ready, and the knowledge that it will show in public." When you've got that deadline, that duty to produce, interesting things can happen with your art-- things that might not happen otherwise. You're forced to step up.

From the moment you get a show, for as long as your relationship lasts with the gallery, the gallerist acts on your behalf. That's obvious. What's not so obvious is that you get a knowledgeable art world professional to dialogue with on a continuing basis. When you need help, you get it, especially when you're just starting out. Marsea Goldberg of New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, for example, goes especially far to nurture artists when she spots talent. She expects plenty, but at the same time, she believes in the artists she shows, honors that belief, and supports them every step of the way. Working with artists "is like a critique in art school," Goldberg says, "where you both sit down and duke it out." Discussions might get difficult, times might get tough, but when Goldberg commits, she's there. As an artist, you can't do much better than that.

But wait. There's more. The best gallerists spot trends, recognize talent, and sometimes even influence tastes. Simply put, they've got a grip on what the universe wants to see. Gallery owners try to envision what artists are capable of (many do, often ahead of the artists themselves), and then apply that vision to the big picture. This means if you get confused, falter, or lose direction, your gallerist can provide overview, perspective, stability, or just plain support. For Marsea Goldberg, this doesn't mean directing the artist as much as it means being there. The show is offered, the partnership is created, she stands back and lets things happen-- but she's never far from the action. This degree of availability is invaluable to an artist.

Art gallery owners continually eye the future, the potential-- all with you in mind. Today, you get a show, and if that goes well, tomorrow you get another, and then another, and another. We're talking long term here; we're talking how good things can get if you hold up your end of the deal. Now in case you think I'm waxing sappy on gallery owners, I'm not. I'm simply pointing out that a gallery show is a serious opportunity and when you get the chance, you can't hold back. No slacking, no chiseling, no cheating. You're up for public inspection and it's either impress the cognoscenti or else. Give less than 100% and you can blow it. Then it's back to random acts of art in the studio, and bobbing for buyers. Yes, buyers.

People come to art galleries to buy art. That's obvious. What's not so obvious is why. Basically, galleries are time and labor saving devices where buyers can see lots of art by lots of artists all at once. Unlike buying from an artist where there's one option-- the artist-- galleries offer many options. Collectors don't have to beat the bushes, track artists down, make appointments, drive to unfamiliar neighborhoods, gab with artist after artist at studio after studio, feel pressure to buy, worry about offending anyone, and so on and so forth. Sure, lots of collectors buy directly from artists, but most prefer galleries-- they're safe friendly places to shop, particularly for people who don't have much experience, or who are trying to figure out what they like, who want to go slow and get educated first, or who simply enjoy the security of an established venue in a nice part of town.

Your art hardly looks any better anywhere else than it does in a gallery. That's obvious. What's not so obvious is that the gallery owner knows the fine points of making your art look its absolute best. She knows what to hang where, how to arrange it, how to progress it from one work to the next, and how to make sure you're satisfied while at the same time effectively presenting your case to the public. If we're talking about a group show, presenting the art is additionally challenging in terms of what to hang where, maintaining the vision, minimizing confusion on the part of viewers, understanding the artists, avoiding chaos or conflict, and keeping everybody happy.

Marsea Goldberg, for example, knows how to assemble, mediate, and structure an exhibit where the focus is as much on the genre of art as it is on the artists who create it. She'll select different artists from different parts of the country, perhaps, with different styles, with different looks, who may not know each other, who may have varying ego concerns, who may want particular walls in the gallery, and so on. Her job becomes analogous to that of an orchestra conductor, making sure the concert comes off flawless. Not easy to do, and when it's done right, everybody notices.

The gallery owner sells your art for you; you don't have to sell it yourself. That's obvious. What's not so obvious is that they also act as qualified intermediaries, and advocate for you in a variety of ways to a variety of people in a variety of circumstances. They field those uncomfortable questions like "Is this a good investment?" or "Do you think this is a good artist?" or "Why does it cost so much?" or "What's your best price?" and so on. Yes, some artists are good at selling, a few artists love selling, but most would rather have nothing to do with it. And last but definitely not least, having someone handle your sales gives you freedom to focus totally on your art.

The most established and experienced galleries sell hundreds, even thousands of works of art. They know what to say, how to say it, how to convey that a work of art is worth buying; they can even sense when collectors are ready to buy. Their galleries have reputations for being among the best in their fields, and collectors who go know what to expect when they get there. For example, LA's New Image Art Gallery has an established track record of showing exceptional artists early on. There, people don't have to be sold-- they go, they see, they buy. No matter how important your art is or how brilliant you are, you can't beat having a respected gallery showing and telling people these things on your behalf.

As for your art world ascendancy, you get access to the gallery's connections with museums, curators, publications, major collectors, critics, and other artland arbiters. That's obvious. What's not so obvious is that the gallerist acts as a translation service, presenting and explaining your art on a situation-by-situation basis. Different people understand art in different ways. Different people require different kinds of information. Don't think for an instant that selling art to a collector is anywhere near the same as presenting it to a curator or to a critic. Everyone is different and the more experienced the gallery owner, the more versatile he or she is at successfully conveying the significance of your art.

There you go. Understand the underpinnings of the gallery system and prosper. The better you know it, the further you get.

Thanks to Lisa Chadwick of Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco and to Marsea Goldberg of New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles for their assistance with this article.