The following are everything that should be taken into account when showing your work anywhere but in your studio. I don’t mean to imply that the venue has to have all the “right” (or, in other words, “most advantageous to you”) answers to these questions, only that it’s important to know where you stand on all these issues before hanging your work.
1) PERCENTAGE. How much does the venue charge to show work?
Are you renting the wall space for a flat fee? Are you giving the venue a percentage of your sales? Or are you doing a combination of the two?
I would avoid the combination of flat fee and percentage, because, unless your work sells like hotcakes and the percentage is low (around 5%), it’s probably not in your favor.
Also, if a venue is asking for 40% or 50%, it should be representing you at least regionally--if not nationally and internationally. These are the percentages which professional galleries charge for actively promoting your work to collectors and museums. If the venue isn’t acting as your work’s agent, it should not get more than a 20% or 30% of your sales. Period.*
2) PUBLICITY. What will the venue do (and not do) to put the word out?
Does the venue design and print postcards or is that your job?
If the venue does the postcards, what information besides your show dates and times goes on them? Are they willing to include your URL on the postcard? I would recommend asking to okay a proof of the cards before they go to print.
Also, does the venue mail the postcards out? How many people are on their mailing list? How many cards are they willing to mail out on your behalf?
Does the venue write and send out a press release or is that your job? In my experience, it’s best to make it your job. As I see it, I am more invested in promoting my work than the venue is, so my press releases tend to be more engaging.
Does the venue do anything else to promote the show?
3) INSURANCE. Does the venue take financial responsibility for your work while it is in their space?
Does the space insure your work against damage or theft at all? If so, what percentage of the retail price does it insure for?
If the venue does not provide insurance (and even if they do…?), there are a few things you can do to assuage your fears about your works’ well being. Make it clear to the venue that it should touch your work as little as possible. Except in the case of an emergency, it should not move your work without your permission (work, if two-dimensional, is safest on the wall and bad things happen to paintings when a venue takes them down to store them). If damage should occur, the space should notify you immediately so that you may evaluate what is to be done with the work. After all, you don’t want damaged work to be exhibited as a good example of what you do.
4) INSTALLATION. The when of the exhibit as well as the how.
As soon as possible, establish show dates and open hours. In my experience, it’s best to not do an open-ended show. Fix a close date and then, by all means, extend it, but decide on an end point to begin with. This will require the venue to stay in fairly regular contact with you, which is a very good thing considering it has your work!
Set the precise dates and times for the load-in and take-down. Make sure that the venue knows that if they want to rearrange the schedule they have to give you some warning. This will avoid some of the issues addressed in #3 (like a venue moving your work to storage and inadvertently damaging it).
Also, who is responsible for physically hanging the show? For example, while I like to choose how the exhibit will be laid out, I don’t insist on doing all the manual labor!
How will the works be lit? Who will take care of the lighting? If a work will be poorly lit, sometimes it would be better to not exhibit it at all.
Who creates the labels? What information will be included on the labels?
Do you have any special instructions for show? For example, does your work include working parts which need to be plugged in or turned on each day? Is the venue willing (and reliable enough) to do this?
An installation view of my 2006 conceptual show Mutually Beneficial. Each of the paintings in the series had a glowing papier mache lamp accompanying it.
These lamps were modern-day messages-in-bottles.
They need to be plugged in during open hours and were part of the special requirements of this show.
5) SALES. How to be sure you get your money and everything else you need.
If the venue does take care of the sale of you work instead of simply referring potential buyers directly to you, it’s a good idea to know when you can expect your cut of the sales. Thirty days after show close is a standard window.
Also, if the venue processes transactions, what kind of sales receipt does it use? I have venues add these two terms to their standard receipts:
1) The artist, Gwenn Seemel, retains the copyright in and to the work after sale and nothing in this agreement should be read in a way that transfers such rights. The artist reserves the right to use reproductions of the portrait to promote her work. This includes the right to display a reproduction of the work on the artist’s website.
2) The artist shall have the right to borrow the work by mutual agreement with the client.
I’m also sure to ask the venue to provide the clients’ contact information to me. I like to thank patrons personally, and, what’s more, it’s important to keep a record of where your work goes as well as to be able to add the buyer to your mailing list.
How does the venue understand its rights to the sale of your work after the show closes? How long after the exhibition ends can it claim a percentage of the sale of a work? If the space claims rights to your sales after the exhibition closes, it is likely trying to protect itself from artists who tell buyers to approach them after the show ends for a better deal on a piece. While I understand why artists sometimes do this, it tends to be more damaging to them than helpful. Sure, the artists see more money this way, but they also lose out on the best promotion possible. There’s nothing like a little red work-sold dot on a label at an exhibition to get people to look at work as something to be bought. The percentage paid to the venue is nothing short of an investment in future of sold-out shows!
6) PARTY! Will the venue host events to celebrate your work?
Will there be an opening reception for the show? When? How long?
What will be at the reception besides you and your work? Will there be music, a live band, a DJ? Will there be food? Who will pay for the party?
Is the venue willing to host an artist talk at another time? When? Will it be catered? By whom?
7) THANK THE VENUE AT THE END OF THE SHOW. Because I don’t think it’s just about being polite.
It’s like tipping when you go out to eat: I think it’s always best to give 20% unless the waiter is rude. Running a venue or putting up art in a non-dedicated art space is stressful and complicated. There are a lot of factors to orchestrate! It’s likely that the venue will be difficult to work with at times, but, unless it shows you or your work disrespect, I think it deserves a heartfelt thank-you.
I haven’t always had the best experiences with venues, and I would only recommend one of them without any reservations.** That said, to date, I’ve thanked all but one of the twenty that I’ve worked with. To me, it’s a matter of pride in being an artist. We creative-types have a reputation of being divas or making eccentric demands that have nothing to do with the way the rest of the world works. I’m determined to change that perception of artists. I want to be treated like a professional whose time is valuable, so I make sure to treat the venues that way.
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*I might add that venues which only provide wall space but who ask for exorbitant percentages should be boycotted by artists until those spaces learn what percentage is appropriate. What’s more, those venue owners should get an earful from professional art dealers about how art is not a profitable business so if they want to decorate the walls of their shop it should be for the love of art and little else!
**Portland State University’s professional gallery, the Littman Gallery, is run by some seriously professional students, and I have the pleasure of working with them again. I’m participating in A Brief History, a group show with artists Elise Mravunac and Becca Bernstein which opens on Thursday, 2 October!
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Ahem a “venue” also appreciated chocolates, preferably Belgian dark, at the end of a relationship.