Getting gallery representation can feel overwhelming, especially when looking for places far from home. I was recently talking with some artist friends about my strategies, and I thought I'd share them here as well.
To get a local gallery, be friendly. Go to their events, and talk with them about the work they show. But if you already have a local gallery or there aren't any galleries in your community, how do you find representation farther away? I've been working with galleries across the country for 20 years, and I've come up with a system that works for me.
- Create a body of work. Put at least 20 paintings, preferably more, on a website. The work must be strong and compelling, images that stop people in their tracks and make them want to take a second look, art that would break your heart a little if they sold. Galleries want to see volume as well so they can know that you will be able to keep them supplied if their collectors get excited and buy the work.
- If you can visit galleries in other towns, that's great, but it's not always possible. In that case, research galleries on-line. Consider second-tier cities or vacation destinations; don't start with New York. Google-search art galleries in a city where you have family or friends and could visit cheaply and where your people could be called on if you suspect funny business once your work is there. (I've called on friends to help me retrieve work when a gallery suddenly closed under Covid.) Visit the websites of artists you admire and see where they're showing; this might open you up to areas you hadn't considered. Type in "art galleries" on Google Maps for a place you'd love to visit. My sweet spot is finding communities 2-5 hours away from where I live, because I can transport the work in a day if need be, without paying for shipping. Keep in mind that what you're looking for are galleries that are showing art that has a commonality with your work but is different in some ways. Perhaps you do monotypes, and they show etchings or screenprints. Or you have a series of nocturnal landscapes, and the gallery shows landscapes but none at night. Don't approach any gallery that says on their website that they're not taking solicitations or that they only show local artists; they'll just be annoyed that you didn't study their website carefully.
- Print a book of your art, a small catalogue of available pieces. I create a 7"x7" paperback on Blurb that has about 30-40 pages. I put my name on the cover and have my contact info on one of the first pages, with a great image and statement after that. After 20-30 images of my work, I include a CV that lists my show history and current representation. I order twenty copies for about $20/piece. (See an example of one of my past books.)
- Create a packet that includes a cover letter, explaining what stood out to you about their gallery and why you thought my work would fit well there. Address the cover letter to the gallery director; if their name isn't on the website, a quick phone call to the venue helps. In the packet include your book, the cover letter, a business card, and a stamped self-addressed envelope. I put all of this in a glassine envelope, arranged so my name on the book cover is visible from the outside.
- Mail it out! I send out as many as 20 packets at a time, and from that I'm happy if I get one nibble. My studio mate thought that was too much; she sent out three packets and got two new galleries at the first crack. Another artist I know printed out 2000 catalogues of her work and shipped them all over the country and Europe. Keep a record of every place you send a packet to, and add to that record every time you email or call the gallery or hear back from them.
- Follow up with an email to the galleries a day or two after the packet arrives. Mention the packet. Include a couple of images of your work, a link to your website, and a phone number.
- If you're feeling especially brave, follow up with a phone call to the gallery. Have an elevator speech prepared, a three minute explanation of your work, just in case they say, "Actually, we just lost an artist and are looking for a figurative painter..." (A gallery told me that once when I did my follow-up call, and I was completely tongue-tied!)
- Celebrate all responses. I print out the rejections and decorate them and put them in a file called "Closed Doors." In my art group, our goal is to get 100 denials, and we all cheer as we add to the tally. But sometimes there's a new gallery relationship.
I have found 13 new galleries to show my work by doing these steps over the years. Some of the relationships lasted only a few years or less; the galleries closed or the work didn't fit with their clientele. But I have continued working with a few of the galleries for eight years or more.
In general, I go through this process every year or two, generally in December or January. Even if a gallery doesn't accept my work, I still feel that it's important to educate galleries concerning what art is being created out in the world. As the books are returned in the stamped, self-addressed envelopes, I send them out again. If I have accomplished my goal of getting new representation, I sell the remaining books at an open studio.
