Against the Wall 12"x 18" Oil Cody DeLong
This is my response to Robert Genn's post The New Template, where he comments on recent gallery closings.
My response;
I think most galleries are missing a great opportunity here. Instead of practicing scarcity and trying in vain to keep customers from finding artist’s websites (impossible, ever heard of a Google search?) I propose the gallery practice abundance, and search out a few good up-and-comers and create a new arrangement. It works like this. The artist gets representation, including perhaps some co-op advertising, and exposure in a better area than where they might live. Plus there’s the gallery’s client list which, if the gallery is worth their salt, is far superior to the artist’s mailing list.
The artist agrees to send the gallery their best work from each month’s total output, in season. The gallery embraces the artist’s own website, perhaps even promoting the artist’s website right alongside the gallery’s. Am I crazy? (crickets) It's a business. Every avenue should be used to raise the profile of the artist’s work, this is after all what you’re selling. Now when a potential client visits the artist’s website, each image that’s currently on display in the gallery will say “Available at Intelligent Savvy Gallery” with a direct link to that gallery. The gallery gets the benefit of any PR efforts the artist does which brings traffic to the artist’s site, which now has lots of links back to the gallery’s site, where most of the actual sales will occur. The idea is you work together – artist and gallery, like business partners.
Here’s the catch, if a gallery want’s to represent an artist, they must actually put up some significant wall space, in season, and promote. The artist in turn helps promote, and gives the gallery their best work. Will some clients bypass the gallery and buy some of the “B” paintings directly from the artist? Yes, undoubtedly some of that will occur, but as the artist’s skill and reputation grows, the best work (in the gallery) will bring higher prices, sales will increase in volume, and before long the artist is selling nearly everything worthwhile through the gallery (or two) and will have no time to mess with the “B” paintings anyway. (In my case, I always ask collectors where they heard about me, and if it was from the aforementioned gallery, then I quietly send a check to the gallery for those sales). The artist is motivated by the exposure to a better level of clientele than they might find on their own.
Using this model means many galleries will have to cut their roster of artists down to a level where they can give each one a respectable amount of wall space, time and energy. The old ‘shotgun’ approach of splattering 60+ artists on the wall to see what sticks, is dead. They will have to choose artists who are honest and have long term business goals and, some genuine skill. The artist must be productive and communicate with the gallery regularly. Most artists only need about three or four galleries if each one is moving some work in season.
Look, most professional artists I know really don’t want to spend a lot of time marketing themselves, everything is measured in terms of ‘time away from the easel’. They do it in a serious way only when their gallery has failed them. We much prefer delivering good work to a gallery that’s actively marketing for us – online, advertising, mailing list, shows in season, etc.
Galleries were once successful based on building relationships with art buyers who walked in the door. Some of that needs to be done online now, but they also need to treat their artists like business partners to survive. The end of one era marks the beginning of the new. I think the best galleries will adapt, and the best artists will continue to be successful.
CodyDeLong.com
