February Musings: My First Gallery Exhibition!
It’s been such a busy start to the year in a really positive way. January was spent trying to get back into a routine after Christmas and preparing for the exhibition at the Fountain Gallery with Tracy from Obsidian Lime. It came around so quickly; before we knew it we were hanging work and manning the gallery. I found it to be such a great experience it deserved a blog along with tips that I learnt along the way!
I met Tracy last spring at Art:Surrey Art Fair. It was not a successful weekend for me; I was on a stand next to a very talented artist whose work drew people in… and straight past mine without looking! I was really pleased for her but as I also sold very little it did knock my confidence. After the initial disappointment, and I know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t do very well, I decided to use it as a learning experience.
Then, last summer Tracy contacted me; she had hired the Fountain Gallery and asked me to exhibit with her; I jumped at the opportunity! Suddenly Art:Surrey Art fair felt like a success. My point is, even when initially things don’t initially work out as you hoped sometimes they lead to other more exciting opportunities. And I was very excited about collaborating with Tracy and exhibiting at a gallery!
The preparation side of exhibiting at a gallery is very similar to an art fair…but easier! We basically printed out labels, packed our work and turned up on the day. We worked really well together; our work as well as our personalities complimented each other and hanging the exhibition was fun and not at all stressful. We had already decided to take it in turns to man the gallery and its was all smooth sailing.
The two weeks whizzed by. I really enjoyed going into the gallery on my days and chatting to people that popped in. We received so many compliments about our work and how we had hung the exhibition. It also gave me the motivation to begin some new work which I was finding difficult.
Exhibiting at the gallery was of course about selling work which I was lucky enough to do, but it was also about getting my work out there, networking, and making those connections, because who knows where it might lead?!
During the two weeks I had some great chats with visitors, an interior designer who loved the bright colours of my recent work and many people who were keen to visit my stand at Art:Surrey in a few weeks. I think in this game, unless you are very lucky, you have to invest and do the leg work in promoting your work and you! It’s not always easy but you meet some amazing people along the way and learn so much. So, here are my tips for exhibiting at a gallery….
Top Tips:
1) Choose your collaboration carefully. If you are collaborating with another artist make sure both your work and personalities ‘work’. You want to enjoy the experience, not clash and make it negative. Likewise, your work needs to compliment; whether its the style, materials or subject matter. Although you are individual artists, you are part of a single exhibition.
2) Communication and working together. Communicate, communicate, communicate! You are in this together. Be honest and open to suggestions. Work together when hanging the exhibition so that the art flows and looks good as a whole. Decide fairly who is covering which days at the gallery. If everyone involved is happy it will be more of a success in lots of ways.
3) Support each other. When you are manning the gallery it becomes obvious very quickly if a visitor likes a particular piece of work. If it is not yours you need to advocate for that artist and their work. Interest, a compliment, or a sale is a win for everyone.
4) Smile! People will look through the window and can feel nervous or unsure about walking through that door. I always wonder if they think we are going to give them the hard sell or maybe we wont let them leave without buying anything! But, a welcoming smile can give someone that encouragement to enter, and who knows where it might lead… it might be a sale then and there, a future sale, or a lovely chat. Either way a friendly smile is a must!
5) It’s in the touches. When I arrived on my first day manning the gallery, Tracy had arranged a vase of beautiful soft pink tulips. It made me smile and definitely impacted my mood whenever I looked at them, so why wouldn’t this have a positive impact on any visitors?
This also goes for the gallery in general. If work is kept straight, floors clean and desks tidy it creates a professional impression and does not distract the eyes from where you want them to be - the work!!!
6) Think long term. Take your newsletter sign up sheets! If people enter the gallery they like art, they might have spotted a piece that has caught their eye. Asking if they would like to sign up to your newsletter is a great way to develop the connection you have made by chatting to them. I also told them I would be sending out free admission for any future art fairs which is in itself a little incentive.
7) Take things ‘to do’. There will undoubtedly be quiet times. We had days where 6 people came in and then others where it was 17. I brought admin work, my planner, sketchbook and even my current WIP where I was working on the pen detail. Obviously bring things where you can still keep an eye on the door, and that are easy to stop working on.
I loved exhibiting at the Fountain Gallery with Tracy. She was fantastic to collaborate with, I met some great visitors and had some truly lovely chats. It was a very different experience to art fairs; slower and more relaxed, but neither better or worse, just different. Would I do this again? Absolutely!!! It has most definitely motivated me.
I have been spending the rest of February finishing my current WIP, creating new pieces and preparing for Art:Surrey in a few weeks. It’s been really good having dates in the diary to work towards and motivate!
See you next month!