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Art Smart: How to talk to a gallery owner

Dear Whitney,
I'm an artist from out of town and need to know how to contact galleries and art critics in the Seattle area. I'm going to be in town on Monday and if you have any last-minute thoughts about how I can market to them or contact them, I sure would appreciate the help. I'll be bringing some marketing materials that I can leave with prospective galleries but have I missed anything? - Artist without a Rep

Dear Artist,
I'm glad to hear you're heading to Seattle to track down some galleries. The first thing I'd recommend you do is a quick bit of market research to be sure you use your time driving around town efficiently and contact only the galleries that are the best fit your art. Hhere is a great online resource you for all of the Seattle galleries with links to their individual sites.

Many galleries aren't open on Mondays, but for those that are, I'd suggest just popping in and trying to meet the owner or manager. But here's the challenge, most business owners don't want to be approached by sales people, especially without an appointment.

I remember when I managed my family's gallery; it was much easier to talk to an artist if she came in as a customer first. For example, if she said hello, took some time to look around a bit, and naturally struck up a conversation with me about a piece of art or the history of the gallery, I would already have a positive, baseline connection with her.

At that point, if she casually mentioned she was an artist, I would be more apt to ask her about her artwork and want to see some of her images, even without an appointment.
Unfortunately, what would usually happen is this: an artist would walk off the street, slap a briefcase down on the counter, often interrupting me making a sale with a customer, and shove slides or a marketing kit in my face.

Here's a tip: when you start to talk about you and your art, try saying something like, "I happen to have some images of my art in my (fill in the blank: car/purse/briefcase). Would you like to take a look?"

If the gallery owner declines, don't take it personally. If the owner asks you to make an appointment for a future date, respect that. And if the owner asks you to share your images there and then, get down to business!

Whitney Keyes www.WhitneyKeyes.com

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Posted by at September 25, 2008 3:31 p.m.
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