Neighborhood Notes

When artists find out that I am a curator and a visual artist agent, they want me to represent them. An agent is the mouthpiece and marketing tool for a visual artist, who normally spends time making art, not trying to sell it. In fact, trying to sell, or market, is one of the most difficult aspects of the visual arts business. Most visual artists are shy, and just want to do their craft. Going out and finding venues and buyers is time consuming for them and takes them way, way, out of their personal comfort zone.

This is where I come in. I find places for artists to show their work. I negotiate with the venue management on the conditions of the show, and make sure the artist is fairly represented. I also design postcards and send out notices of the events. Unfortunately, I can't work with all artists, because they are not ready for me.

There are some key factors I look for when I choose to work with an artist. In addition to the quality of their work (a personal esthetic on my part), these are some of the indicators that suggest an artist is ready to move forward career wise.

• The artist has a website or a presence on the internet where potential buyers can see what the style is like and make purchases. For many pre-computer older artist, this one factor is lacking. Their computer-illiteracy is stopping them from meeting potential buyers. Many times buyers find artists on the internet and like to see examples of their work before making contact. With a visual medium like art, not having a website is a huge career road block.

• The work shows a consistent style, so the viewer can get a feel for who the artist is. Experimenting with one style and then another may be fun for the artist, but for the buyer; it is confusing. A buyer becomes comfortable with an artist's style and shares that information with friends. Many times, buyers will continue to purchase an artist's work because of the fondness of the style. An artist naturally goes through transitions as he/she develops professionally, and buyers understand that. But when an artist is all over the place with a personal style, it is difficult to maintain a following of buyers. Focus on one style, and then transition to another. Or, I'll put it this way—do you want to make art for pleasure, or to sell art?

• The artist has a body of work that is ready to hang for a show, and continues working on increasing his/her inventory. Depending upon the venue, an artist can show 10 to 30 pieces at a time. That's a lot. Some artists don't have that type of inventory because they can't afford the supplies it cost just to make the art for so many pieces and are stuck selling one and two pieces just to pay for supplies. The opportunity of having a show dramatically decreases due to lack of material.

• The work is priced consistently, and at "gallery" prices—even if a piece is sold directly from the artist—with the idea that in some venues there may be a 50% commission. This single factor is the most difficult concept for the artist to grasp. Many are afraid they will lose the sale if they raise their prices to "gallery" prices. What happens is that the artist can't keep track of the tiered prices, and buyers bounce from one venue to another trying to find a bargain. It is so much easier to establish a "gallery" price list. I work with different businesses. Some don't take a commission on a sale, some do. Commissions vary from venue to venue. Who can keep track of all those percentages? Figure a 50% commission on each sale. If the artist sells his or her own piece, that extra 50% is very nice.

• The materials that are used to frame and hang the pieces enhance the look of the art, not degrade it. Here is where the budget runs out. The artist has made a beautiful piece of art—now what? If money is tight, then the artist uses cost-cutting methods to finish the piece for hanging. They call it "creative." I call it tacky. People's eyes automatically find the fault in something. Always invest in the best. As an artist, you will be rewarded.

• The artist returns emails and phone calls in a timely manner. I can't work with someone who doesn't communicate with me. I only communicate if I feel the message is important.

• The artist has a toolbox with needed tools to hang pieces. Don't expect the venue management or the agent (that's me) to have these items.

• The artist shows up to hang the pieces at the requested time, and remove the pieces on the date asked by the venue management. This is just basic professionalism. The artist needs to know the hang and removal dates and times, and respect the venue's need to have special hanging/removal times. The artist doesn't show up too early or too late. Most importantly, the artist removes the art quickly after the show to eliminate damage to the art. I have spoken to venue managers who keep abandoned artwork for the "poor" artist. I inform the artist up front that there is a $200 a day storage fee if the artwork is not picked up at the agreed upon time. The art goes to my home, and I have a puppy who just loves to chew things!

• The artist will not back out of a show. If you have committed, you keep it, unless you can find a replacement which is acceptable to the agent and the venue management. I recently had an artist refuse to hang art the day of the event. She felt the venue site would hurt her professionally. This is a big mistake. When I make arrangements with a venue show for an artist, I inform the artist as soon as arrangements have been made. It is the responsibility of the artist to trust me, the agent, that I will not place art in a "bad" location. It is also the artist's responsibility to make a pre-hanging visit to "case the joint" and get an idea of what pieces would fit in what location.

• The artist will communicate with his/her Agent when asked to, and will notify the Agent if there are any changes to the Artist's schedule. I work best with people who share some of what's happening in their life with me. When I know what's happening, I can do my best for the artist. Life happens, just communicate when it does.

• It's okay if some people may not like the artist's work. This is like a modeling firm, or an acting firm. The buyer or venue management may have wants, needs, desires, and personal tastes that are different from the artist's. Deal with it.

• The artist is comfortable with success and won't self-sabotage. This is a really big one, and usually not realized until work just doesn't sell. Fear of success is one of the major hold backs to an artist's success. If the artist is frequently saying no to opportunities, or is not willing to take risks in order to have work shown, then my warning flags go up. As our friends at Nike say: Just Do It.