When first navigating the art gallery world, I was surprised by a lot of things. Firstly, I thought all galleries were the same. You know… one size fits all. They are an art gallery and they sell art. Period. That is SO not the case. Nope, it is the other way around. Galleries are very specific when it comes to genres. A lot of galleries even curate based on themes or subject matter of their respective genres. i.e. garden and botanical themes, nature inspired artworks, political satire, black and white photography, etc… This is actually perfect for aspiring artists. It seems counterintuitive at first but galleries like this are key to getting in front of a pre-qualified serious art buyer. You want galleries who have built a reputation for carrying certain genres and styles of art. The ones that do build key relationships with art collectors looking for that specific type of art. If you do find a gallery that is varied and unspecific, they are set up more for high volume consumer foot traffic and not repeat art buyer/dealer clientele. You’ll be able to spot them as soon as you walk in. They will have a bunch of small prints on the walls and little sculptures on the shelves and it is wall-to-wall art everywhere. That is a gallery geared toward the daily consumer and not the serious art collector.
Which brings me today’s topic… How do I find galleries who deal in my genre? The answer is calls for entry.
Calls For Entry
The following is a list of resources I use to find out the 411 on gallery shows. These sites list the gallery, location, theme, genre and submission requirements. It’s the equivalent of your local coffee shop bulletin board…
Just a side note: I live in Tennessee. There are not as many art collectors in Nashville as there are in California and New York. This list is based on the hot spots for art collectors. If you live in a small town, be willing to spend some time and energy looking for shows outside of your area. You want to build a relationship with galleries that have established repeat clientage.
There are many, many resources for artist calls but this list was compiled from resources I use myself and those of my trusted fine art tribe. This list should keep you busy for quite a while…
- http://www.cac.ca.gov/opportunities/artist.php
- http://www.entrythingy.com/forartists_calls
- http://theartguide.com/callforentries
- https://www.callforentry.org/festivals.php?reset=1&apply=yes
- https://www.spenational.org/resources/calls-for-entry
Keep learning and keep #SharingItForward!
Caroline
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