Galleries, Exhibitions, Pricing and Commissions.
Karen Sherwood’s Story, opened a gallery in 1991, Cupola. Had a best friend called jeni who wanted to open a bistro, both aged fifteen they both knew what they wanted to do. They designed a complex.
Worked in a shop and had sales training and studied fine art at sheffield poly. Graduated with a third. Took up a studio space, at Yorkshire Art Space, and tried to find somewhere in sheffield to show work. Couldn’t have a show anywhere as there was no space to show work, so decided to organise own show. Got invites silk printed and gave them to everyone on the streets, to flat above a butcher shop. After people bought work she tried to get advice from business link to get enterprise allowance. There was no specialist support. Spent some time as a freelance artist, then a guy got in touch who ran a picture framing business. He asked her to do some freelance work for him, to decorate table tops is a faux novae african style to sell to america. But he was trying to sell the business so he could run off to Alaska. She receive £15,000 inheritance, and went back to the guy who owned the framing business, and after paying her debts offered him 6,000 for his business. She ran off to Scotland to get married, learnt to picture frame in a week and started the business. Went to Yorkshire Art Space, where she had her studio and asked for work to submit for submission. Got a show together and the papers said it wasn’t really the right place for an art gallery. Lots of people said it wasn’t right.
She had the gallery three months, and had been running herself ragged doing all the picture framing. A guy walked into the picture framing and through to the gallery and looked at a piece for at least ten minutes, very unnatural, he came to her and stood very close and said I don’t know why but you’ve opened a gallery in my back garden and said I want to help you but you better do as you told.
Turned out to be David Butterfield, ex marketing director of worked for murdoch, nestle, a big tv company. Gave her 3.5month of his time and at the time charged £600 a day. He drew her logo, created exhibition schedules, taught her about how sexism works in the industry. Taught her, know yourself to show yourself. Made her understand that you have to show certain things to gain things.
Cul-de-saced the road she was on for three years, 1 in 4 businesses went bankrupt at the time. The art tart kicked in, she fought for the shops in the area, painted the train tunnels, was on the radio all the time, became a director of the chamber of trade. In order to expand she moved in. With sofa beds. Husband was a writer wrote in the attic.
Under the Bed
maximum retail price £350 get artist’s work more popular than week before christmas, most took was £12,000 opening week.
Then penned a sculpture garden. Moved out to have a baby.
Commissions artist’s every christmas to make decorations.
Has showed 10,000 artists from all over the world.
Almost lost the business in 2010. In the 20th anniversary year. Running an art gallery is hard work. In 2008, she was tired, she had five staff, had to make a lot of money to pay them. Took a job and established an art centre in Rotherham. Left someone who charged who didn’t have the skills she had. Mum cashed in premium bonds to sort out the gallery. Had over 50,000pounds of debt. Realised losing the gallery would be like chopping a limb off. Came back 2011 and reignited her passion for it and turned it around.
Despite everything she is really pleased it’s not over yet.
An approaching galleries talk:
Over the years she has developed a system for approaching galleries.
What every artist needs to know, for artists working in a retail environment.
- Make a definite design that selling work is something you want to do.
- Get out and do market research and look at pricing, the art market is very complex and vast. Look at pricing because it’s useful to know.
- Get and take advice from anyone. You don’t have to take it on aboard but just listen
- Please never turn up unannounced with a portfolio
- If in extraordinary circumstances this happens, be humble.
- Do not presume galleries are out to rip you off, galleries have to work together with artists
- if possible visit any venue before sending work
- find out the submission requirements are for any gallery, if unable to get submission guidelines, by email, make them polite and short. Bad grammar and bad spelling is not appreciated. Needs to be formal. Submission for consideration in subject box. 4-8 good quality images are expected. Do not send bad images. No more than 250kb per images. Titled rather than numbered images. With medium included.
- Wholesale price and retail price
- attach short statement 250words, if you don’t want to write a statement don’t.
- attached art base cv and biog for website
- a link to the website
- full contact details including a phone number at the end of email
Always make an appointment to collect and deliver work. Never miss deadlines. A deadline is there for a reason. If the gallery does issue a contract issue one yourself. They do not always have to be particularly wordy or formal.
A commission rate is what is it is. The biggest struggle is with painters, jewellers. She charges 50% commission.
Keep to your contract period, otherwise the work might get damaged. Keep a professional relationship with the gallery otherwise it gets personal and informal and that’s where issues arise.
White Cube said they won’t accept shows but will attend shows. Municipals have alotted times for shows.
Installation art, being a private gallery you have to work out different ways to make money, prints, momentos, etc.
There are region differences in what sells.
She show’s what she esteems, not what she only personally likes. Has 10 shows a year. Finds it very difficult to work with artists with mental illness, has had artist’s cancel and she’s had to rewrite the contract on what would happen if they are ill again.
Disability awareness text has to be written. One of her criteria, is if she doesn’t see you in the work she doesn’t want your work. Is there a correlation between press attention and sales? Negative obvious has a negative effect, much easier to get pictures in the press. Obviously positive attention in the press has positive impact on the gallery.
There are two schools of thought is when you are pricing:
- the cheaper it is the easier it is to sell
- the cheaper it is, it is rubbish
Whats the market price, you can under price it. Art work doesn’t have a function, it doesn’t break. The gallery can’t price it, you know what you went through to price it. It’s not about it’s value it’s about the price the market is prepared to pay. Always start a little lower, your work will always get better. You need to get it out there.
Grayson Perry talks, recommended.
