Where to sell your art work?

I do not have an answer to this question. However it is one I address on a continuous basis with colleagues and students. The gallery system where artists become part of a 'stable' and are represented by a gallery, is relatively new in that it probably first came into prominence in the mid-20th century with galleries such as Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery. Prior to the establishment of what we now know of as art galleries, select artists might have had art patrons who would support an artist providing the artist's work suited their taste; usually this work was done on a commission-basis. Today the gallery system, and art fairs (where galleries showcase their artists' work in a group setting) still seems to be the predominant way that art gets sold. However the number of artists producing work outweighs the number of galleries so there has to be alternative ways of getting the work out there. There are people who seems to have some success selling their art on-line: two popular yet very different ways to do this seems to be Etsy or Saatchi On-line. Both are mixed bags in terms of the range of artwork sold. Some people have had success selling work directly from their website, but without the necessary marketing tools in place to direct people to your site, this doesn't seem a lucrative way (yet) to sell work for most artists. 

 

In terms of a more personal way to connect your art with potential buyers, is the idea of an 'Open House' where people are invited (often by invitation only) to the artist's home or studio. I know several artists who hold these events once a year to some success. People are often less intimidated and more inspired to buy from a home than a gallery, and also when you go to someone's house or studio with the purpose of looking at their work in an Open House setting, you are often in the mind set to buy work.

 

Sometimes people try and sell their work in other venues such as restaurants, caf�s, hotel lobbies and bookstores. Personally I'm not so keen about the idea of selling work in these kind of venues because the reality is that artwork doesn't sell in this context. Sure there might be the occasional sale from time-to-time, but most of the time it often ends up being a lot of work for little results. People don't go into a caf� or restaurant looking to buy art. Its nice for the restaurant because they get to have art on their walls and maybe it is good for the artist to get exposure but rarely have I heard of people selling work in these kind of situations.  

 

Maybe a better way to think of alternate venues to the art gallery is to create pop-up galleries in empty commercial spaces. The Vancouver Island School of Art has recently embarked on an Pop Up Art initiative with the Downtown Victoria Business Association where the work of our students and alumni are being shown in the empty storefronts. This is a great way to get art into the downtown area and increase the vibrancy of the city, while at the same time giving visibility to art and the artists. However, keeping in mind the topic at hand,  I'm not sure if this is going to lead to future sales of work for the artists. I think the next step would be to use some of these empty spaces as short-term Pop Up Art Galleries with openings where the public can see the work,  meet the artists, and start buying and collecting local art.

 

There is an interesting idea in August 4th's issue of the New York Times where an artist collective, inspired by an agriculture collective, C.S.A (Community Supported Agriculture) replaced 'Agriculture' with 'Art' to become the 'Community Supported Art' cooperative. THE C.S.A offers 50 shares that can be purchased  for $300 and in return the 'shareholders' get nine small works by local artists. Another example is a couple of dealers who open up their summer home for an art show called Summer Eden (the image above, Aaron Suggs's "Untitled, Transparent Dinghy" is a work from this exhibition. Most of the work in Summer Eden is outdoor site-specific work; and the focus of this show isn't necessarily about sales but I thought it an interesting example of how work can be shown outside the gallery system. Another idea that is gaining a lot of popularity is pop-up art salons. These salons sound intriguing because they aren't just about buying the art, but also creating a conversation and context for the work. The Gertrude Salon is an example of a set-up that seems to allow for artistic engagement and potential sales of work.  

   

The Guardian published a list of 17 top tips from the experts on how to sell work as part of their Culture Professional Networks (which you can subscribe to for free and I have found it to be quite useful in my own practice and as director of an arts institution). Of course if we could just have one or two dynamic and engaged collectors of contemporary art in Victoria to set an example that would be quite encouraging. Here is a couple who works with an architect to create a very interesting space for their immense art collection: Ethan Wagner and Thea Weistrich. 

 

On August 17 - August 30, I am having an Inventory Sale of Art Works and Materials. The works include a variety of small pieces from my archive all for the low price of $50 and the materials include individual components from various art installations as well as fabric, wire, beads, wool and a range of other sundry items. Suggested donations for installation components is $10 and materials is $5. Lots of stuff is also available for free. I'm offering this up as an idea or possible way to sell one's inventory.  

Hours for the Pop Up Inventory Sale are:

Saturdays August 17 and August 24, noon-5pm, Monday-Friday, 9-5pm until August 30. '

 

We are thinking of maybe having Pop Up Art Sales in the Slide Room Gallery over the summer months starting in 2014 (next summer). The idea is an artist (or several artists) can rent the space (or part of the space) for a small fee and have a sale of their work over a few days. Its a new idea for us,  and not perfectly thought out yet, but I'd be happy to hear from people if they have other ideas or suggestions of how we might use the Slide Room Gallery over the summer months to help artists sell work, while covering our costs and perhaps making a little money to help the gallery continue to persevere.  Maybe we can use the space to create our own Gertrude Salon in Victoria. Let me know your thoughts.


Studio Celebration with Jeremy Herndl
Friday, August 16 @ 7pm 

 

VISA instructor and artist Jeremy Herndl has been our 'artist-in-residence' over the summer and he will be showcasing the paintings he has made during the summer on the evening of Friday, August 16 pm in Room 1 at the school.

 

This will be a mini-celebration of the work before it gets installed at the Surrey Art Gallery in September.

Beverages will be available by donation. Feel free to drop by and check out Jeremy's work before it is shipped off island.
Upcoming Workshops:  
There are still spaces left in both of the workshops listed below 

 

Printmaking: Collagraphy & Embossing
August 12-August 15 (Mon-Thurs), 10am-5pm
The collagraph technique involves creating imagery by gluing everyday materials such as cardboard and textured papers to a plate that is then hand-inked and printed onto paper using the etching press. The second technique covered is embossing. Embossing is a simple process where paper is pressed over a textured plate with the press to create a relief surface on paper. One process involves using ink to enhance texture, the other relies on the strength of paper fibre to hold a form.

This is a good workshop for people interested in working with a printing press to create a range of textures and surfaces using very simple materials. The instructor will also introduce some collage and mixed media techniques to further enhance your surfaces. No printmaking experience necessary.
Tuition: $320.00 (24 hrs)
Material fee: $75 (includes all supplies)



Structure and Surface

August 19-22 (Mon-Thurs) 10am-5pm
This workshop challenges both the traditional flat surface and rectangular structure of the painting. Participants investigate the textural possibilities of paint, collage and canvas while exploring innovative approaches to building, stretching, and suspending the painting. Workshop projects are supplemented with examples of historical and contemporary artists, including Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Tuttle and Angela de la Cruz. Some painting experience recommended.
Instructor: John Luna
Tuition: $320 (24 hours of instruction)
  Note about supply list: do not be concerned if you don't have all the supplies on the list. We have lots of extra materials at VISA so you can use what we have at hand.
Register on-line for either of these workshops
  
VISA Student Work in Downtown Storefronts

 

Thanks to all the students and VISA alumni who responded to the 'call for entry' to have their work in downtown storefronts. The first two works have been installed at 1312 Douglas (the old Cross Meat Market building). There are a total of 39 works and 15 artists participating so far.

 

 

The Pop-Up Art Initiative is a collaborative project between the Downtown Victoria Business Association and the Vancouver Island School of Art.

Check out the nice coverage in today's Times Colonist.

A special thank you goes out to Paul Ziakin (in photo above) who has been instrumental in helping get the work installed. Paul is installing the work of our lovely Linda Peters who is a wonderful artist who works in the office at VISA. There will be a map on the DVBA's website that indicates all of the locations of work. For more information: Pop Up Art Press Release.
Fall Course Schedule
Time to start thinking about enrolling for fall classes 

 

We have over 24 courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, art history and critical studies to choose from.

 

Courses are offered in the morning, afternoons and evenings.

 

This semester we have added three courses on Saturdays: Art History, Intro Drawing and Intermediate Painting.

New courses of note this semester are:
Drawing Architecture and Gouache Painting.

You can now register for any course on-line. Check out the full Fall 2013 Schedule
For more information about our courses or events contact
Linda or Jen at the office: 250-380-3500 or [email protected]
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