Marketing Mondays: Don't Fall For It

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Image from The Great American Disconnect Blog

P.T. Barnum was not thinking about artists when he issued his famous maxim, “There’s a sucker born every minute,”  but sometimes artists get sucked in.  We are not gullible—if anything, we tend to be a bit cynical, given the circumstances under which we labor—but we want so much for good opportunities to come our way that occasionally we may find ourselves in situations that are not in our best interest. When I read “information” of the sort described in the first example below, or the “opportunity” like the one in the second example, my back goes up. Then a post goes up. So . . .

Sell it once. Pay a commission . . . twice?

This is from an artists' group whose members are apparently operating without much real-world gallery experience. Their information, specific to juried shows, starts out logically enough:  “It is vital that all work you enter in a show be available if the work is accepted."
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OK, so far so good. What’s the point of entering a juried show with work that’s unavailable?  But here it starts to get complicated:  “Your entry is a commitment.”  
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Uh, no. A contract is a commitment. A juried-show entry is just an entry—this is your work we're talking about—but read the fine print before you sign and submit the entry form to make sure you’re not being suckered into something.
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Now for the Barnum: “If you hang work in an exhibition and it has been sold prior to the exhibition, you will still owe the gallery its full commission even though they are not the ones who sold your work.”  
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So let me understand this: Merely by entering a juried show--presumably one to which you have paid an entry fee--you have contractually committed to participating? And if a work sells before it is shown in the juried venue, you would still have to show it and have to pay that venue a commission on the sale made by another gallery (or on your own)?  
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Are you effing kidding me? It's one thing for two dealers, working together by agreement, to share in the commission, or for a gallery-represented artist to share a commission with her dealer if she makes a sale on her own (though it's better she let the dealer handle the sale). But no artist should be entrapped by an organization or gallery into showing work she has already sold and then be required to pay a commission on it. This is not just unprofessional, it's exploitative, possibly even illegal.  
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My suggestion: Any organization claiming to support its paying members by suckering them into a situation like this is not supporting its members.  You might ask the leadership why they are working against your interest as an artist. Who exactly is benefitting here? Precisely what are you paying dues for? Find a group that really supports its artists with projects that benefit all its members.
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Your Work in a Book!

This one is from an international book publisher: “I visited your portfolio and I liked your work, so I would like to invite you to submit art for inclusion in Volume VI of International Contemporary Masters, a leading juried annual art publication presenting noteworthy artists from all over the world.” 

First thought: Mmm, sounds good. Hey, everyone wants to have their work be recognized and included. The "international" part is particularly enticing. Who doesn't want to be considered an international contemporary master?
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Now for the Barnum: “Please note that this is not a free inclusion.”
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A lot of opportunities come with a financial requirement, so what's the big deal? Let’s examine the opportunity, shall we? One page will cost you $985. Gulp. Six pages--a feature, essentially--will run $5910. Discouraged?  You can pay in 10 monthly installments. That’s right, close to $600 a month for almost a year. Want the cover? It’ll cost you $9800. Now tell me: Have you ever heard of International Contemporary Masters?
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My suggestion:  If you have $5910—or, you money bags over there with $9800, or you Baby Buffett with the dough for six pages and a cover, to the tune of $15,710—to spend on a publication, why not put together a killer catalog raisonné of your work? Hire a designer. Hire a great art writer to place your work in context. Have your work photographed fabulously. And with the money left over visit an international art fair in Miami, London, or Basel, or the galleries in New York City, Los Angeles or Berlin, to see where your work might fit in. Bring a few catalogs with you. (Note I just corrected my math, which showed lower figures in the first posting.)
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Or, in more modest and realistic financial terms, consider a good  and legitimate opportunity such as New American Paintings, which runs several regional competitions a year. Yes, you have to compete for a spot, but not only are the jurors at the top of their field, the publication is on the bookshelves of dealers, curators and artists. This is a publication of proven worth, with visibility, currency and stature. 

I've talked about  getting suckered before. Here's a short list:

Should You Do an Artists’ Fair?

The Barnum: Visibility and sales

The Reality: Maybe. This post presents a range of views of artists who did participate in one such fair. But consider the costs: The room fee will run you about $2000 (read the fine print) and your expenses could go as high as $6000 if you have to pay for a flight, hotel and art shipping.

Should You Pay to Show?

The Barnum: Visibility and sales

The Reality: It will cost you thousands for the gallery, plus a flight, hotel and art shipping if you live out of town, which is likely, because in New York City especially, no New York artist is going to get sucked into a pay-to-show situation--aka a vanity gallery. On the other hand, co-op galleries have potential, depending on the quality of the gallery and where it’s located. New York City co-ops offer many artists the opportunity to show in a community of like-minded participants, and in Boston co-ops get reviewed along with the commercial galleries. But vanity galleries anywhere have no reason to sell anything once they take your money.

Should You Donate Your Art?

The Barnum: Visibility and the opportunity to show with established artists

The Reality: If you have a relationship with an organization, sure, donate a small piece once a year. And points to those organizations which offer you 50% of the selling price; they understand the sacrifice you are making with your donation. But when institutions that have never given you a second look ask you to help them out, you might ask why. Or you might just say no.

What questionable advice or practices have you encountered?

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