Negotiations Between Artist and Gallery, Contracts Must Be Clear, Flattery Gets Ya Nowhere Pt. 3

Part Three:

Galleries need to create a close relationship with their artists. They need to nurture the fledglings, and hype established artists. They need to create a family in a sense. They need to know that if the gallery fails they will have their work returned to them safely. Without that I am personally not comfortable being in a gallery no matter where it is. An artist should not undervalue themselves and ship out their work just because they are flattered for being asked. Likewise galleries need to respect the talent and energy that goes into a piece of art by attending to the details that make the relationship work and therefore become successful.

That was a real leaning experience for me as you might imagine. I have had other nightmares also, so I have had to put on a business hat as well as being an artist. Bad experiences are the reason I am extra cautious as to who and where I ship my work to. Normally I have a pretty strong bond with a gallery owner before I ship.

A few questions to ask a gallery:

Who pays the shipping costs? To and From.
Is there insurance, if so with who? and for how much?
Is there a trial period?
Who, what, where is the gallery owner?
Will the artist be notified if their work is temporarily put in storage?
Do they rent the work out? If so what is the artist's cut?
What is the % of a sale?

This list goes on of course. Think it through before you leave your work in any gallery. Gallery owners know how things should work, get your contracts complete and well thought out 'before' you approach an artist.

A good book to get is the latest Artist's and Graphic Designer's Market. It is full of info both for gallery owners and artists.

The Art of Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
FREE poems and coloring pages on my website