Introduction to Gallery Submissions

Speaker 1 0:00

Hey everyone , welcome back to the Curated Muse podcast , and in this episode we are going to talk about one of my favorite topics how to get artwork into galleries . Now you can go online and find information everywhere . I'm not gonna tell you anything that is brand spanking new and magical that you've never heard before , but I will tell you that this one piece of information I'm going to share with you is extremely important , and it comes from being a gallerist , comes from me being an artist . It comes from me having relationships with other galleries as a peer or even as an artist working with galleries and having these conversations with other gallerists and curators . Submissions to a gallery are going to be your number one way of how you are going to make that connection . It's just like submitting a resume for a job , and out of all the people that submit to us , at least 50% , if not more , do not follow submission guidelines and they do a lot of things that make my head kind of shake and go like why Is this for us ? Are you spamming us ? Are you throwing pancakes at walls Like , did you even look at the kind of artwork we show ? It is a lot of fun to get certain submissions , because I kind of chuckle to myself and think , like , how do you not know ? And then I realize I've been in this 20 years . Of course I know , but there's a lot of people that don't , and I have legacy

Common Submission Mistakes to Avoid

Speaker 1 1:40

knowledge and a lot of other artists do . But there are going to be people listening to this podcast that do not have legacy knowledge . They're just starting out . They don't even know where to begin . So this piece of knowledge that I'm going to share . We're not going to go into all the reasons and details and yeses and nos for getting into a gallery , because we could be here for two hours and you really don't want to hang out with me for that long , I promise you . But there are things that are so imperative and important and so simple that just paying attention and doing those things will put you ahead of the rest . So we're going to talk about submissions .

Speaker 1 2:25

When you want to get into a gallery , it's all about how you submit your

Finding the Right Gallery Fit

Speaker 1 2:30

work . First off , never walk into a gallery and bring your portfolio . That's just a no , maybe call , write , and we'll talk a little bit more about that . But I'm just going to say that right off the bat . No gallery wants an artist to walk in with a portfolio and show them their portfolio . I don't know a single gallery that's like . That's amazing . Let's do that Because if they did , or I did or we did , we would have people in and out all the time and we would not be able to work with collectors , we would not be able to sell the work the time and we would not be able to work with collectors , we would not be able to sell the work , we wouldn't be able to do the administration stuff and hang shows and all of that .

Speaker 1 3:05

All we would be doing is looking at artist portfolios , because there are so many artists out there looking for opportunities . So don't do that . First thing you want to do is find out which gallery you want to show at , because if you're going to submit your work and you're not going to submit it to a gallery that shows your type of work , it's kind of not going to work for you , and we've had so many artists that submit work to us that have no association with what we're doing . Like we're talking traditional landscapes , like very traditional plein air . Well , if you look at our website , we do not show that , and so first you need to look , find out what galleries , find out where you fit . You might not be 100% sure , but you can get a vibe , you can get a feeling . You know it's not uncommon to look at something and go hmm , this is very traditional , my artwork's a little more edgy , maybe I should go somewhere else , or vice versa . And then , when you want to send in a submission , you need to look at the submission guidelines . Some galleries have them , some don't . Most of them do , and if they have them , because this is the honestly the number one thing that most galleries have to deal with is submissions . So there's going to be some directive on their website , whether or not they say we don't accept

Following Submission Guidelines Properly

Speaker 1 4:30

submissions . We accept submissions during certain times . We do calls for art every couple months , or we're open to submissions , and this is how you do it follow those guidelines . A good example of following the guidelines is we have an open call or when we are generally just doing open submissions .

Speaker 1 4:51

We ask for your Instagram , but we ask you not to use the handle , meaning not use at sign or whatever . We ask for the full URL and 50% of people don't do that . And why do we ask for it ? It might sound like well , why ? What does it matter ? There's a handle versus the full URL and it's because we get hundreds upon hundreds of submissions and when they come into my inbox , if it just has the at sign with your name , I can't click it . I have to copy it , paste it , go to Instagram , put it in hope you spelled it right and pull it up . If you put it within that form and it's a URL comes in my email , I click it , I open it and I look at it immediately . If I can't do that , it's going in the trash . Because it specifically says in that submission guideline please do not use an Instagram handle , use your full URL .

Speaker 1 5:47

And if you can't follow simple directions , then you're probably not going to be good to partner with . Simple but important . And then the secondary thing is when you are writing a gallery . So , for example , in our submission guidelines we have a section at the bottom that says why you want to show with us . Some galleries won't have a form and they will just have an email and say you can send submissions through this email address . However , you're going to send that submission in . At least address a human being . If you don't know who's running the gallery , at least address the gallery , because it's going to look like you're just spamming and throwing pancakes at the wall if you don't , and we also don't want you to talk all about yourself all day long .

Speaker 1 6:34

Yes , it's important for a job interview . Yes , it's important for a partnership to be able to share your accomplishments , to be able to share what you have done and why you might be a good fit . But just like any good partnership , there needs to be reciprocity . Why don't you share in that email , starting off by saying I really enjoy the roster of artists you have . I really like the themes in which you curate shows . I really like this , this

Creating Professional Connection with Galleries

Speaker 1 7:06

or that . Say something that lets the gallery know why you're even interested in them . You know we want to know that . What do you like about what we do ? Do you like our programming ? Do you like the way we market our artists ? Do you like ? What do you like ? Why do you think we would be a good fit for you ? And in doing that , then share what you do . You know a good example would be I really love the roster of artists you have . I think the shows that you curate are thoughtful and interesting and I would love to be a part of that . Hi , my name is so-and-so . I am a mixed media artist from Russia and my work can be found on my website .

Speaker 1 7:53

The next thing is making sure that you have a website or Instagram . A lot of galleries will be fine with an Instagram and kind of just be okay without you having a website . Most galleries will want you to have your own website and you can get a website for free , for cheap . Do it with a website builder . You don't have to pay anybody . As somebody who owns a web design , seo and digital marketing company , which I've owned for 26 years , I can tell you that anybody can have a website . You don't have to pay somebody . You don't have to pay a developer . You can create a simple portfolio website .

Speaker 1 8:34

Gallerists often feel that artists aren't professional if they're not willing to have even a simple website . It doesn't have to be snazzy , it doesn't have to be beautiful . It can be a white page just with your art on it and maybe a bio . That is it . But showing that you have moved beyond Instagram , beyond Facebook , beyond whatever platform you're on into professionally showcasing your work shows that you are more interested in a professional relationship at this time , which is helpful . So really it's all about the submissions , the most important part of making a relationship with a gallery is going to be your submission Number one submitting to the right type of gallery .

Speaker 1 9:25

Number two , addressing the person or the gallery in an introduction . Three , letting them know why you would want to exhibit with them and making sure that you have some type of professional presentation for your work . And that's it . In another episode we'll talk further about this because , again , I could go on this

Key Takeaways for Success

Speaker 1 9:50

path of talking about this for two hours straight . There's so much information , but just these little , teeny , tiny pieces will put you above the rest . 50% of people do not do what I just told you and they go in the trash . You at least put yourself ahead of the game . You at least show that you're professional and are interested and know what you want and you want a partnership . I hope this episode helped you and we'll see you again soon .