Careers: Arts/gallery meeting

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Expert: - 10/10/2005


Question
A gallery wants to represent me, and the owner wants me to call him to arrange a meeting.

I don't have much experience with galleries (I am a beginning artist) and need advice on how to proceed. For example, how should I price my paintings? etc. And how can I research a gallery to see if they charge a fee for exhibitions?

Answer
Dear Jim,

First, congratulations! That's wonderful that a gallery is already offering to represent you!

Since the gallery is already interested, and the owner wants you to arrange a meeting, use this meeting to your advantage. Be honest and say that you want to learn more about the gallery and all its policies. Do you charge for your exhibition space? How much? Do you take commission? How much? Who are the other artists that you represent? This last question will be also useful when doing the market research for your next question…How do I price my artwork?

Pricing your work is a difficult thing, always. Give yourself a reasonable hourly wage and multiply it times the hours you used to create the piece. Factor in the cost of materials, utensils, framing, etc. This should give you a ballpark figure to keep in mind. Go to any galleries you are currently interested in and look at the pieces of other artists, perhaps those who are exhibiting something in the same genre as you. How much are they charging? After all, if you're charging way above what everyone else is, you won't sell as readily. If you're charging way below, you might be able to raise the price. Remember, most galleries will be taking commission, so that will either have to be factored in or tacked on to the final price of the art piece.

Above all, keep your portfolio in tip-top shape and ready to show for consideration. Make sure you have only your best pieces and exactly the type of work you want to exhibit in the portfolio. You want it to be a clean, up-to-date representation of your artwork.

Hope this helps get you started. Let me know if you need anything else.

Best wishes!
Gianina

Careers: Arts

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Gianina L.

Expertise

I can answer questions concerning most traditional mediums such as acrylics, watercolor, colored pencils, collage/cut paper, graphite, charcoal, and pen and ink. I also have strong, advanced knowledge of Photoshop, Powerpoint and Publisher; and beginner to immediate level knowledge in Illustrator, Freehand, After Effects, and Flash. In addition, I can cover miscellaneous subjects such as portfolio preparation, applying to art schools, art school study skills, color theory, basic design and drawing principles, basic animation techniques, working on personal art styles and exploring new artistic techniques. Topics such as the detailed legal aspects of art, web programming and Flash action scripting do not fall under my area of expertise.

Experience

Experience in the Area
I graduated summa cum laude with a double BFA in Illustration and Computer Art (specializing in 2-dimensional animation) from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where as a student, I happily tutored fellow peers in all aspects of art and created numerous illustrations for the school newspaper. For the past several years, I have been illustrating seminar books, designing numerous graphics, and creating short animation sequences for use in video. In addition, I work as a private tutor and am co-director / co-owner of a company that focuses on and promotes the local music industry. I assist with all the day-to-day operations of this company as well as manage all art direction and design.

Education/Credentials
Savannah College of Art and Design
BFA Computer Art, Illustration
Summa Cum Laude
Dean's List, GPA 4.0

Awards and Honors
Induction into Alpha Pi Beta honor society for art and design, 2002
Outstanding Achievement in Computer Art, 2002
Outstanding Student for the academic year 2001-2002
Awarded "Most Dependable" for District, the student newspaper, 2002
Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, May 2001
Better Business Bureau Honesty in Advertising Essay Competition, Merit Award, November 1998
Mary Renee Whelan Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design

Exhibitions and Festivals:
Embodiement; Myths in Animal Form, www.postpicasso.com, December 10 - January 10, 2005
SCAD Alumni Show, Stardust Café, Orlando, FL; December 2004
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May 2004 - April 2005
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May 2003 - April 2004
Senior Showcase, SCAD Pei Ling Chan Gallery, Savannah, GA; May 2002
2D or not 2D, SCAD Trustees Theatre, Savannah, GA; April 2002
Small Works, SCAD Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah, GA; November 7 - December 31, 2001; art was purchased
Magnanimata Animation Festival, May 1999

Publications
Quoted briefly in Animation World Magazine, "Predicting the Future of Futurama" (April 1999) and "Ed, Edd, n Eddy: A Unique Approach" (June 1999)

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