Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

Art Print Market Gaining Momentum

The June/July issue of Art World News carried a positive outlook for the art print market in a cover story titled, "Today's Print Market Gains Momentum." It is "must reading" for artists seeking to understand what is happening in the marketplace.

The article interviewed a number of top industry professionals including artists, fine art giclee printing atelier operators, including Joyce Kaspryzk of MFA Talon, and Alan Blazar of Blazing Editions.

The article included quotes from Greg Bloch of Triad Publishing, one of the top fine art print publishers in the business.  A number of leading gallery owners are quoted in the extensive piece.

Things Are Better, But Not All the Way Back

The general consensus was business is improving. It still has a long way to go to get back to where it once was. That sounds a lot like our economy in general.

There is advice to keep edition sizes smaller. This goes hand-in-hand with the suggestion to work on making prints unique with such things as hand-embellishments that help to make each piece stand out to collectors.

Collectors Are Savvy Shoppers These Days. Don't Fall Prey to Having Your Worked "Shopped."

The discussion of how big editions were "shopped" online by collectors, which in turn made galleries reluctant to carry them. This then caused the whole print market to go on tilt to some degree, and just at the time the market could least afford any distribution disruption.

Treat Your Galleries with Respect and Expect the Same

My advice to artists is when you work with galleries, give them exclusives. Don't compete with your galleries. Check your gallery's pricing to make sure they are low-balling your prints to the harm of your other galleries. When you sell prints that are similar in size, subject and so forth online, make sure your prices are equivalent to what is being sold in galleries.

Avoiding the Temptation to Make Low-ball Sales Is Good Practice in the Long Run

It is tempting to lower your giclee print price to get the sale, but if doing so harms your reputation, lowers the value of your work, and causes distrust between you and your galleries and dealers, is it worth it? In the long run, your reputation and integrity are worth more than a low-ball sale. The few dollars from it will be long gone while the ill wind that comes from such activity will remain for a long time to come.

Seriously, if it comes down to the only way you are making it is by selling at steep discounts, then perhaps you need a full-time job so you don't have to put so much pressure on making sales at any cost. Try looking for arts opportunities so you can smooth out your fine art print sales.

Working for the Man Has Its Own Benefits

There is nothing wrong with working full-time for the man. If it is a good job, you will have benefits and time off to work on your art. These days, I see this happening more and more. That is, we put off chasing our dreams full-time by taking a full-time job.

There is going to be plenty of time for your career to blossom, just take care of it and your reputation now. Take advantage of renewed interest in the fine art print market and get a bit more aggressive with what you are doing, but within reason.

Own Your Distribution

There has never been a time like this. And, I'm taking good times for artists. That is because visual artists today have the opportunity to control the direct distribution of their work as never before. You can't count on anyone but yourself. Whether it's dawned on you or not, it's a fact of life.

I think working with galleries is grand. I do not advocate avoiding galleries. I do advocate for artists to setup and control as much direct distribution of their work as possible. It's the future. In the future, it may be the best thing you have going for yourself and your art career.

What Artists Should Look for in an Art Gallery - Margaret Danielak

Today's post comes from guest blogger, Margaret Danielak. She offers her wisdom and insight from her second generation art pedigree and her own personal development and devotion to the arts and artists.

Danielak's wide experience includes being an art rep, a curator and the owner of DanielakArt - Art Sales & Consulting Services based in Pasadena, CA. She has also produced alternative art shows. In addition to advising artists, she is the author of A Gallery without Walls: Selling Art in Alternative Venues. See the link below for details on her September 26 seminar, "The Art of Selling Art." 

If you think finding haven in any gallery that will accept you is the best way to further your career, you will soon be disabused of such a notion by reading the following informative article reprinted below.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LOOKING FOR A GALLERY

By Margaret Danielak © 2009

Artists often ask me what they should look for when looking for a gallery to represent them.  As an art rep and daughter of a gallery represented artist (the late painter and illustrator Robert G. Stevens) I recommend that you obtain answers to the following questions before you attempt to approach a gallery about representation:

1.  How long has the gallery been in business? 
   
   As we all know, even in the best of economic times many small businesses including art galleries struggle to find their footing.  My advice is to try to find a gallery that has been in business at least four years.  In fact, on the Small Business Administration (SBA) website, I found out that…

“Two-thirds of new employer establishments survive at least two years, 44 percent survive at least four years, and 31 percent survive at least seven years, according to a recent study. These results were constant for different industries. … Of special interest, the research found that businesses that survive four years have a better chance of surviving long-term. After the fourth year, the rate of firm closings declines considerably.”

You don’t want to be accepted to a gallery only to find that it is going to close the next month so first and foremost, you want to find a gallery that has a longer term track record.

1. Does the gallery have a good location?
     
   Do they have good foot traffic and adequate parking?  If not, how do they bring in new business?  You want to get a feel for their clientele and how they handle people coming and going into their physical location.
   
   
2.  What is the director’s background?
   
   Do the directors have an art background or a marketing background?  (Ideally they should have both.)  Keep in mind, per the SBA website:

“…the major factors in a firm’s survivability include an ample supply of capital, being large enough to have employees, the owner’s education level, and the owner’s reason for starting the firm.”

 I would add to the list above that the gallery owner needs to have a passion for the art they are selling.  If they are not passionate about the art, then you don’t want to be in their gallery.

4.       Does the gallery cross-promote with other dealers?  

Are they part of a gallery group or a regularly scheduled art walk or other event?  In other words, do they make an effort to grow their business with each event they do?  This is essential to their long term success, and to your assurance that your artwork will be seen.

5.       Are you able to obtain a referral for the gallery and the director? 

Speak to other represented gallery artists about the gallery’s operations and the people running it.  Are they honest?   Do they have written contracts and consignment agreements with their artists, and do they pay them on time?  What percentage do they take?  Even a seasoned gallery artist like my late father had a very bad experience with a prestigious gallery in Taos, New Mexico.  Over the four years he was in the gallery, the director increasingly paid the artists very late, sometimes as much as six months after a sale!  When the gallery closed suddenly with three of his paintings still in their possession, my father found out about it from a newspaper article.  We have never been able to retrieve his lovely paintings from the gallery director who had stolen them.

6.       What kind of marketing does the gallery do? 

Does the gallery advertise in major art magazines, produce postcard mailings, work the internet and have a great website?  Does the director write articles, speak in public or publish catalogues?  Do they attend the major art fairs? You need to know how the gallery plans to expose your work to collectors.

7.       How are you treated when you go to the gallery? 

One of the best stories I’ve heard on this “due diligence” subject was from a sculptor.  One Saturday she put on an expensive outfit, armed with her wish list, and spent the day visiting ten galleries in Santa Monica.  She decided in advance that she would not mention that she was an artist looking for representation.

At two of the ten galleries she visited the doors were closed.  There was no information on the door about their hours or how they could be reached.  (She crossed them off her list.) 

At three of the galleries she was greeted adequately by friendly people who knew absolutely nothing about the art on display, nor about any of the artists who created the work.  (She crossed these galleries off her list as well.) 

 She was ignored completely at four of the galleries she visited.  The people working in the galleries didn’t even say hello to her and spent their time talking on the phone or working on the computer.  They never even looked at her!  (She didn’t like this at all and crossed them off her list, too.) 

 At the tenth gallery she visited, however, she was greeted by a young man who was knowledgeable about the art.  He seemed interested in her and her reactions to the work.  He told her engaging stories about the artists and gave her additional information about the media the artists used to create the work.  He invited her to their upcoming reception, and asked her for her contact information to add to their mailing list.  She decided that, of the ten galleries on her original list, only this last gallery was worthy of her attention.

Remember that in your search for a gallery, one size does not fit all. Each gallery is unique in its location, how it is run, and the style of art the director will accept. Like the shrewd artist mentioned in the story above, before approaching a gallery you need to do some research to determine which gallery will be the best fit for you and your work.

Source Note: 

SBA Website Quoted: “Business Employment Dynamics Data: Survival and Longevity, II,” by Amy E. Knaup and Merissa C. Piazza, Monthly Labor Review, vol. 30, no. 9 (Sept. 2007), pp. 3-10; “Redefining Business Success: Distinguishing Between Closure and Failure” by Brian Headd, Small Business Economics, vol. 21, no. 1 (August 2003), pp. 51-61.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Art Rep Margaret Danielak is the author of artist handbook “A Gallery without Walls: Selling Art in Alternative Venues.” (ArtNetwork Press)  She may be reached through her website at www.danielakart.com  or via email at Margaret.danielak@gmail.com. 

Danielak conducts art marketing and sales workshops in Southern California.  The upcoming “Art of Selling Art Workshop” takes place on Sunday, September 26, 2010 in Burbank.  To learn more and to register for the workshop please visit www.theartengine.com

To see a 15 minute television interview with Margaret Danielak, visit her blog at

http://gallerywithoutwalls.blogspot.com/

More Thoughts on Artists and Galleries Working Together

Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of working with artist and fellow blogger, Lori McNee. She is one of those rare artists who is equally adept at marketing as she is at painting. In addition to being a full-time artist, she finds time to publish Fine Art Tips, a blog to help other artists.

We started with the idea of a guest blogging for each other on art marketing and ended up collaborating on a conversational style blog series about the evolving relationships between artists and galleries.

To get the gallery perspective for the second installment, we invited in Jason Horejs to join the conversation. To our delight and your benefit, he found time to add his wisdom and comments. Jason is a successful gallery owner of Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale. He also is a prodigious workshop leader, and an art marketing guru whose book, "Staving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting into Galleries is "must" reading for artists who want to improve their odds of finding galleries to represent them.

I proudly promote Jason's book on this blog as it contains the best most straightforward advice available for artists seeking gallery representation. If you get a chance to attend one of his workshops, do it. It is an eye-opening and career boosting experience for visual artists.

Go to Lori's well read and respected Fine Art Tips blog to read the second installment of our collaborative effort, Visual Artist’s Challenge II – Balancing Self Promotion & Gallery Representation. You will find thought provoking insights offered there. If you have your own perspective, please comment here or on Lori's blog. We would love to hear more from you on this subject.

Here is the link to the first installment: Visual Artist’s Challenge: Should I Work with Galleries, Go Direct to Collectors or Both?

Stay tuned for another installment of this series coming to you soon.

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Visual Artist’s Challenge: Should I Work with Galleries, Go Direct to Collectors or Both?

 In the art business, if you hang out online with your kind or tribe as Seth Godin calls them, it does not take long to find lots of interesting folks whose work you admire. Such is the case with fine artist and prolific blogger Lori McNee and me.

Through mutual requests, we decided instead of guest blogging for each other that it would be a fun experiment to collaborate conversation style keeping to a single art marketing topic. It was an easy choice to first tackle whether visual artists should work on getting into galleries, seek to build their own direct-to-collector distribution, or do both.

Barney:  Although it arguably is contradictory, I am in the “do both” camp. While I believe artists will enjoy many benefits by working with galleries, working exclusively makes artists too reliant on things out of their control. In year’s past, there were no options and the gallery system was stronger.

I do not advocate abandoning art galleries. However, in today's art market, well established art galleries can get blindly buzz sawed by circumstances beyond their control and wreak havoc to the detriment of its artists in the process. And, now visual artists have tools to sell direct as never before. In their own interest, I believe they should pursue them alongside galleries.  As entrepreneurs, artists must tend their art careers and art businesses. That means being aware of changes and making the most of them for their own sake.

Lori:  This is one of the most heated topics being debated by artists right now. In fact, this very subject has been the focus of conversation during the past two weekends on my visits and paint-outs with some very influential professional artists. This is what I learned:
•    Surprisingly, some nationally recognized artists have begun to abandon the gallery route in favor of studio shows, self promoted exhibitions and direct marketing sales.
•    The majority of artists, including myself, believe in a healthy combination of gallery representation and self promotional sales.
•    The minority believe in relying on galleries for their sole promotion and sales.

Here is the synopsis: Direct marketing is the trend for 2010-2011. Gone are the days when galleries could hang art and easily sell it off the walls.  In light of the challenging economic times, the art market has suffered and galleries have been struggling. Most prospective collectors do not have the disposable income they once enjoyed. Now when a buyer does decide to invest their hard earned money in art, the collector wants a personal connection or better understanding of the artist. Galleries and artists can now tap into the ‘direct marketing’ approach with the use of Social Media, blogs, websites, YouTube as well as artists’ receptions, arts/crafts fairs, etc. This new form of direct marketing is the wave of the future.

Barney:  Today, society’s quick acceptance of change affects every business large and small. For example, could Google have imagined a closed social network platform launched to find the best looking freshmen on campus would evolve into the most serious threat it has known?

Facebook, other social media and ecommerce have changed consumer habits affecting the business model of brick & mortar galleries. Another factor is the Darwinian effects caused by the collapsing housing market that pummeled all businesses providing anything for homes, including art galleries.  

Changing times require artists learn to be self-reliant. Fortunately with the available tools, this is the best time ever for visual artists to control their destiny and to sell direct. That said, I believe galleries serve an important role, are here to stay and should be treated with respect.  

There is a term called coopetition where companies compete on some fronts and cooperate on others. I believe this is the future for artists and galleries. On one side galleries need to recognize and accept artists will compete with them without accepting suicidal head on direct sales battles. On the other, artists have to bring more to the table than art that sells, i.e., a personal brand, a loyal following, a killer mailing list, media contacts and so forth. Creative concerned coopetition should be the key to growth and survival for artists and galleries.

Lori:  I really like the idea of coopetition.  Some galleries might be hesitant to warm up to this mutually beneficial new idea.  Therefore, artists need to be proactive in building trust with their galleries through open communication.  I see this as the natural evolution of the artist/gallery relationship.

Barney: Despite that we both agree a combination of working with galleries and direct sales is the best. I believe we also agree there is no perfect answer. Artists can still be very successful being exclusively with galleries only program, or vice-versa handling all sales direct to collectors. Obviously, social media can play a huge part in marketing an art career no matter what path an artist chooses to follow.  

Stay tuned. This conversation will get into social media and art marketing in our next installment, to be announced.

You can find the second installment, Visual Artist’s Challenge II – Balancing Self Promotion & Gallery Representation, on Lori's Fine Art Tips blog.

How to Get into Galleries and Sell More Art

There are many reasons to like what the Internet can do for you. One of my favorites is the ability it provides to discover interesting people both near and far.

A good example is a news item I came across about a local art gallery owner who has just published a business of art book with wonderful career advice for fine artists.

When I saw the item, it caught my attention and prompted me to call Jason Horejs, the author. Before I called, I posted a link to and brief description about the book on Twitter and Facebook. Both mentions generated an immediate and enthusiastic response.

During our initial call, we arranged a brief meeting at Jason's impressive Xanadu Gallery in Old Town Scottsdale. There are some people who you immediately like and trust. I found  Jason to be such a person.We exchanged copies of our books and made plans to catch lunch sometime soon.

Reaching out to those in your community can be invaluable

My call resulted in Jason inviting me to be a guest on his regular Art Marketing Tips webinar where I talked about the art print market. As a bonus, he offered my How to Profit from the Art Print Market book to listeners at a time-limited reduced price. In the meantime, we read each other's books. You will find, as did I, his book is chock full of great tips for visual artists. His unparalleled advice is the sort that could only come from a second-generation art entrepreneur whose gallery has generated millions in fine art sales.

"Starving" to Successful is a book that should be in every artist's library

I'm here to testify when you have read "Starving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting into Galleries and Selling More Art, you will be glad you did.  You will find Jason offers straightforward no-nonsense practical art marketing advice for artists. I'm certain by reading it you will be impressed and motivated and also will find it immensely informative and helpful.

As a successful art gallery owner in Scottsdale, one of the most hotly contested markets in the country, he has been on the front lines of selling art for years. Jason cut his teeth watching his parents make a living from the creative output of his father, who has been a productive full-time visual artist for decades. When you raise a family as an artist, you learn all the tricks of the trade to keep bread on the table. Naturally, the offspring get a firsthand lessons on what works and what doesn't

The author's advice is clear cut and offers immediate benefits; the book's perspective is unique to the art business

In essence, Jason has distilled for the benefit of visual artists rock solid advice in an easy-to-read book that truly tells it like it is. Read this book and you are certain to come away with information, inspiration and motivation sure to make your fine art career better and more profitable. I heartily commend it to you.

After Jason generously offered to sell my book at his webinar, I wanted to return the favor by offering his book to my readers. He has graciously given you a great price! Get it and read it to start benefiting from his his sage advice now.

Click to get more information Or, you can order the book using PayPal below. You do not need a PayPal account to use it to pay with your credit card. This offer is made available to you on a special limited promotional price of $19.50 + s&h from my company, Bold Star Communications, courtesy of Red Dot Publishing. The regular price is $24.95 + s&h! Use the dropdown to select your shipping.

$19.50 + Shipping (Choose US | Canada | International)

US $23.75 Canada $29.90 International $32.95

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Both Jason and I will be speakers the 4th Annual SmARTist Telesummit. Click here to get on on the mailing and to learn about the topnotch panel of speakers who are ready to help you catapult your career this January.

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Art Career by the Numbers

Recently, I needed to revisit a guest blog I wrote for AbsoluteArts.com titled, Art vs. Marketing - Making Hazel Dooney Cringe. Rereading the post reminded me it mentions Andy Warhol's "Do It Yourself (Seascape)."  It is an example of how many believe his best work was expressed in the form of clever jokes on high art.

Warhol is oft-quoted for his pithy and spot-on sayings regarding the art business. Obviously, he had no problem connecting business and art. 

In my most recent AbsoluteArts.com guest post, titled Welcome to the Wilderness, I comment that an art career can be quantified.  While such a thought may be anathema to some artists, I'm sure Andy Warhol would not have been one of them.

Visual art careers can be successful with fewer patrons than other arts

One of the points regarding quantifying an art career in my recent AbsoluteArts.com post was, of all the arts, visual artists require the fewest patrons to enjoy a successful career. For the most part, authors, playwrights, actors, musicians and performers require large numbers of paying customers to make a successful career. Not so for visual artists. There are obvious reasons, such as differing consumption rates and price points between art forms. As an example, for the price of original works and higher priced prints, one can buy opera season tickets, boxed sets of The Beatles and Bob Dylan, or see lots of films, et cetera. 

By comparison, a successful visual artist arguably may only need a thousand, or fewer, consumers to purchase their art in the trajectory of their career. Of course, those who end up in the mass market with posters may end up with tens of thousands of buyers of their art. Posters and open edition prints aside, by most standards, a visual artist who gains 1000 collectors would be considered very successful.

What is your projected body of work?

I speculated in my piece on AbsoluteArts.com that a prolific artist might make 100 paintings a year, which over a 30-year span would create a 3000-piece body of work. You naturally would adjust the numbers to your situation. Regardless, you can ask and answer these questions. What would it take to sell all my work? How many collectors? How many shows? How many galleries? If you have been making and selling art for a while, you have the data to plug in a spreadsheet. The raw results will you a good indication of how your current marketing stands up.

You can use such quantified information to help create a marketing plan for improving your sales. It will help you create "What If" scenarios. If a gallery gets 50% and your additional costs to ship and work it are say 5%, you net 45%. If you sell direct, (I recommend to never cut your direct sales prices. Doing so has nasty implications on your work's value and your worth to a gallery.) your net is 100% less your marketing costs. A figure of 25% - 30% for marketing on average is conservatively reasonable, as it could easily be much higher.

Although you may have symbiotic relationships with galleries, dealers and designers, you are still looking out for number one. As such, you need to get a finger on what is working regarding how you get your art to market. The question you ask is can my galleries move my inventory faster than I can? Or, should I go it alone and sell direct through shows, Web sites and alternative spaces?  You have, or will gain through experience and exposure, enough information to guide your decision.

You can turn raw numbers into actionable plans

The above is just one example of how you can think through what works best for you. Here is another one. I worked in gallery in Scottsdale that, while open to the public, primarily catered to the design trade. Its best artist was a very pragmatic fellow. His work was impeccable and he was very productive. In his 60s, he still painted with a passion. He told me his work had sold for 3-5 times greater prices than ours in higher end galleries. He wasn't in them any longer because he had found our gallery would pay in full on delivery. He was happy to trade $4000 - $5000 far in the future dollars now for $900 today. Because his work was so good and priced so right, it never stayed on the floor for long.

Would such a deal work for you? It doesn't matter. What is important is this artist found a way to work steadily and be paid regularly. He was not worried about his legacy. He figured it would be what it would be and decided after he was gone. He had run his own numbers and found this distribution system suited him. For others who paint slower, or whose work is less accessible, this may not make sense. But, there in the numbers somewhere is a way for any artist to quantify their career in ways that can help them make smart informed decisions about how to enjoy a successful calling as an artist.

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Artists — Get Recognized, Exhibited, and PAID what you deserve!
Check out the smARTist^® Telesummit — Barney Davey will be presenting at the best art career conference online or off!

Art Co-op, Right Idea, Right Time to Sell Art

As I have watched the traditional ways artists have gotten to market become battered by forces beyond their control, (witness the cancelation of both the Artexpo Las Vegas and Decor Expo Atlanta 2009 shows as prime examples), I have repeatedly voiced an opinion artists need to do whatever they can to take as much control as possible over the distribution of their art.

Whether it is through sales onlne, direct to consumer sales at shows, owning a gallery, joining a co-op, or other creative means to generate their own sales doesn't matter. What matters is artists find ways that work for them to manifest their own destiny. I'm not advocating abandoning trade media or tradeshows, or brick and mortar galleries. These venues will always have an important role to play. But now, because so much has changed and so much is possible, it is the right time to take control and own the distribution wherever possible.

Good Ideas Are Catching

Have you ever noticed the coincidence of different people hitting on similar themes to solve problems without any interaction between them. It's happened here in the art patch recently. I've had a note to blog about Indy Hall for some time because I think the artist co-op model it uses is right for many artists today. Independents Hall is a co-working space and community in Philadelphia. It includes designers, developers, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, small business owners, telecommuters, marketers, videographers, game developers. You will soon hear more about it in a future blog post here.

Yesterday, Tony Moffitt's blog post was titled Do Co-operative Galleries Run by Artists Work? It was not an examination, but more a question thrown out to the readers. It has 13 replies to date, which indicates a good level of interest in artist run co-ops.

Today, I was notified I'd been tagged in a note by a Facebook friend named Tom Davidson. He had posted in his Notes section on the site these thoughts, which I publish here with his permission, in a piece titled Art Co-op. He is offering suggestions for Florida-based artists to come together. Obviously, they can be implemented anywhere artists band together to help each other.

Art Co-op by Tom Davidson

I have been spending a lot of time wondering how I can create more and still promote and do business. My original career is marketing and business. I come from the large corporate world, before I walked away to become a starving artist, lol. Anyways I propose to all of my art online friends and associates to review and contact me if you are willing to work smarter not harder. Let me know at least what you think of my idea. I appreciate all artists who are concentrating on creating, there is room for us in this world and we do help make it a better place, that is a sign of a good industry!!

1.Artists write art reviews of other artists, submit to media
2.Galleries and artists work together to promote exhibits more effectively
3. Provide a networking resource for Daytona - Orlando Area artists, sharing info and pooling talents, resources and information to create a stronger art market. I was suggested we develop a mission statement based in values like integrity, loyalty, trust and mutual benefit.
4.Look to other cities for effective models
5.Artists at every level in their careers take on the responsibility to give back to the community as part of their marketing plan.
6.Artists take responsibility for controlling the flow/availability of work (taking into account the basic laws of supply and demand).
7.Galleries develop exclusive relationships with artists so they can effectively promote their careers, locally and nationally.
8.Galleries co-op advertising in National Publications
9.Invite art schools, agencies and other arts entities to play a larger role in educating fine artists and venues about proven marketing practices
10.Establish a forum to determine how each of us can play a role in a healthy art market.
11.Create an annual Central Florida Art Expo,put on by the artist group presenting top artists and galleries to regional art buyers.
12.Artists establish consistent retail prices.
13.Explore methods of developing emerging collectors. Reach out and encourage the younger "arty party" scene by promoting/educating them about collecting fine art - not just getting drunk in front of it and hoping they will buy.
14.Artists offer a wide (but consistent) price range of artwork at exhibitions (from reproductions to large scale works).
15.Artists leverage their influence by working together
16. Utilize Facebook to inform,communicate,educate,and build a better bigger art industry in the state.

You can friend artist Tom Davidson on Facebook and make your own comments on his Notes page there. Or, contact him through his website: http://www.portraitspetsanpeople.com

I added this comment:

Tom, I'm in complete agreement with your thinking. Given the indiviualist nature of most artists, I have no delusions that your suggestions will be difficult to implement. But, I don't believe there are many better solutions either. You have my full support for your thoughts and suggestions as they closely mirror my own.

Cheers, Barney

Art Marketing Ideas & Resources for the New Year

Welcome to 2009...Congratulations for getting through the crazy challenging tumultuous events of the past 12 months. Whether you have completed your plans for the year, or haven't gotten around to them, it is a good time to cover or revisit the basics.

Art Marketing 101, now in its 3rd Edition remains a treasure trove of valuable ideas and suggestions. As its title suggests, it is a basic primer. But do not be fooled, because it provides lots of information and inspiration artists at any level can put to good use.

The book is written by Constance Smith. She has helmed ArtNetwork in a career spanning three decades. Here is a description of the company from its Web site:

ArtNetwork has been helping artists empower themselves since 1986 through its books, artist directories, mailing lists and most recently through its online gallery. We continue to grow by bringing you new approaches to marketing your work and growing your art business.

In addition to publishing a great collection of useful business books for artists, ArtNetwork also provides some of the most unique mailing lists, built especially for visual artists, to be found anywhere. Here is a breakdown by category:

•  Architects 
•  Art Councils
•  Art Museum Gift Store Buyers 
•  Art Museums       
•  Art Organizations    
•  Art Publications    
•  Art Publishers  
•  Book Publishers 
• Calendar Publishers  
• College/Art School Art Departments
• Corporate Art Consultants  
• Corporations Collecting Art 
• Corporations Collecting Photography
• Galleries 
• Galleries Carrying Photography    
• Galleries, College    
• Greeting Card Publishers  
• Interior Designers   
• Licensing Companies    
• Photo-related contacts
• Representatives, Consultants, Dealers, Brokers

You can start with a simple postcard marketing program to them. Online printers such as PrintingforLess.com offer competitive prices and great service. I have personally used this company and been very pleased with the quality, care and pricing it provided me.  My recommendation would be to make it a campaign as opposed to a one-shot attempt.

Depending on your target and desired outcome, you might send several postcards. Or, you might follow a postcard with a letter and a brochure. If you select a list that is large enough, you can segment it and try sending test batches. Batch A might get 2 postcards, Batch B 3 postcards, Batch C 1 postcard and a letter with brochure. There is no set way that always works best, the more you test and evaluate, the better your long term results will be.

When you rent a list, you do not own the names and the use is for one time. You need to develop a means to capture your own mailing data. In our high tech world, it is easy to think of trying to use email and online marketing exclusively. This can be a mistake. I believe in using both old fashioned direct mail and email.

If you do not have a method of capturing both email and standard mailing addresses, it should be a priority for you this year. In addition to figuring out how to get people to give you names, you need a way to manage them. In another post coming soon, I will give you ideas for how to go about doing both.

Hope & Inspiration on the Cover of a Magazine

There is too much buzz kill in the air and every where!

These days, you don't have to look far to find information telling you how to survive the economic downturn, what to do about the Orphan Works Act, and other assorted downer material. Talk about harshing one's mellow...sheesh...enough already!

Was Spiro Agnew actually right about something?

Not that some of this information is not valuable, and admittedly this blog has contributed or post or two to the cacophony of hand-wringing over conditions much out of our control. I think I finally know what disgraced former Nixon Vice-President, Spiro Agnew, meant when he used the phrase, "Nattering nabobs of negativity." Okay, that may too harsh too, but the point is we should all take a collective moment to deeply breathe in the good and forcefully exhale the bad.

The art print market owes a debt of gratitude to Art World News for its contributions

Just in time to rescue us from our summer doldrums the May issue of Art World News arrives. Without looking further than the front page news items, it is totally possible to gain a new fresh positive perspective about the art print market. There are headers for two stories in the magazine detailing the launch of new art publishing operations. Kudos and bravo to the David O'Keefe Studios and Legacy Fine Art Publishing for launching their businesses in the teeth of arguably the worst economic times the business has seen in most people's memory.

Getting started is more important than when to get started

In the days I sold tradeshow space, there were always those newbies who fretted in anxiety over when to get started or that they were missing an important show, such as the Atlanta Decor Expo as it is now known. I counseled them in the long run it was important they got started and not when. In other words, if you have a good plan, adequate finances and art that sells when seen, it's where you will be in 5 or 10 years that matters and your start date would be of near zero importance. The same could be said for these new publishing operations. They are starting now in tough times, but today's economic times won't determine their ultimate success.

Take a tip from Time magazine founder, Henry Luce

The main story in AWN's May issue is about a gallery owner in the St. Augustine, Florida area. Len Cutter has not one, but five galleries. He says the only businesses that are suffering are those not working hard enough. I would add to that smart enough. But, it brings to mind that Henry Luce, the great publishing entrepreneur who brought us Time and Life magazines. He audaciously launched Fortune magazine in 1932. This was right in the heart of the Great Depression. Inarguably, this was the worst economic times the U.S. has ever seen. At the then princely sum of $1 per copy, he was not giving it away either. Nearly 75 years later, Fortune remains one of the most important business magazines in the country, if not worldwide.

Conceive it, believe it achieve it!

If you have been feeling down about your prospects or anything else for that matter, let these examples raise your spirits and enthusiasm for your business. We only have what we have to work with. What we do with it rests largely on our perceptions of our prospects. The adage, "Seeing is believing" holds true here. A quote from sculptor Constantin Brancusi is apropos, "To see far is one thing, to get there is another." Art World News brings us real life examples of those who are getting there. You don't have to look far to find inspiration to change your attitude from doom to zoom. See you at the top!

Jen Bekman's Hip Happening 20X200 Art Print Gallery & Website

One of the most highly promoted and talked about art print ventures this year was the launch of Artaissance. With the ownership and accompanying marketing muscle and budget of the world's largest picture framing company, Berkshire Hathaway owned Larson-Juhl, it was certain to make an impact on the business. It's still too early to know just how extensive the impact will be. But, it's a corporate play and while there is nothing inherently wrong with it as the art business needs captial injection from that sector, what the art print market most needs to move the market and stir things is energy that comes from entrepreurial innovation and investment.

Jen Bekman is the kind of artrepreneur that gets your attention. One you instantly root for and admire for doing what she does. For the past four years, she has championed emerging artists in photography, art on paper and original works promoting them in her pocket-sized Lower East Side Manhattan jen bekman gallery. In an effort to help more artists find collectors and get to market, she acted on a brainstorm and launched the 20X200 Web site based on this proposition:

large editions + low prices + the internet = art for everyone

The art print market could use many more innovators like Jen Bekman, especially ones with her vigor and drive. She also produces the Hey, Hot Shot! photography competition and publishes the influential design blog Personism. We wish much success with the gallery, Web site, competition, blogs and any other worthy projects she finds herself doing.

Rather than rehash her story, the copy below is straight from the OUR STORY page of her Web site. She can tell in her own words better than I to let you in on what a great idea she has developed: