SWEET TOMATOES
My mother is a great cook. When I decided I wanted to learn how to can my own tomatoes, I asked her advice. I was annoyed by her answer because of how much seeminly unnecessary work was involved in canning something I could easily buy at the grocery store. I did it my way and ignored her advice all together. She enjoys telling anyone who will listen about how I cleaned tomatoes off the walls and ceiling of my laundry room for weeks. I should have listened. I didn’t have to DO it her way, but if I had listened, I would be enduring the laughter almost 20 years later and might not still be BUYING canned tomatoes. The moral of the story is pay attention…
I receive lots of “cooking questions” from readers, and I have noticed one question pop up repeatedly in my inbox, “How do I contact an art gallery about showing my work?” I’m going to answer it, and you don’t have to do it my way. But, don’t blame me if you end up with tomato on your face. Check it out…
*Editor’s Note: ArtAndArtDeadlines.com is on hiatus until I return from vacation on July 5th; however, we’ll keep publishing q&a, “best of,” and a handful of oddities to keep you entertained. Enjoy!
CONTACTING A
GALLERY
1. Dinner Invitation: The simplest, most obvious answer is: Enter a juried show. This site publishes invitations to those dinner parties almost EVERY DAY. Most gallery directors view juried show entries like gifts at at holiday party. They are excited to open them and hopeful of finding a little gem. Make a good impression, and you just might get a solo show offer. It really happens.
2. Plus One: If the invitation to dinner pan out, don’t forget about the Plus One. The single best way to get in touch with a gallery is by personal introduction from someone they have already invited to the party. An artist or friend that a gallery director already knows and trusts is the easiest way in. Don’t know anyone? Unlikely. Treat it like six degrees of separation and do your homework.
3. Party Crasher: The last answer is… be a wanted party crasher. If you’re gonna crash a party, make sure you make the most of your entrance. Unless you are a true people person, I don’t recommend just showing up at a gallery unannounced or calling and fumbling through awkward conversations about how you are the next best thing. Submit your work to the gallery by delivery via mail or messenger. But, it doesn’t have to be subtle. Make a splash in a good way when you crash the party, and next time you might be on the invitation list.
For example, I one had a friend who made a mock up of the gallery in miniature with his own work hanging in it… and got a solo show. I had another friend send a 4×6 canvas a day for 30 days to a gallery director who then had to assemble them into a painting at the end. She got a show too. They want to like you… give them a reason.
