How to maintain an art gallery

Video: How to run an Art Gallery - Art Gallery Survival 101

Content

Steps
Part 1 of 2: Opening the gallery
Part 2 of 2: Maintaining a Successful Art Gallery
Tips
What do you need

Opening an art gallery is a daunting task that is meant for people who love art and its world. Most galleries are supported by the continuous sale of quality art to loyal collectors and their friends, while seeking new clients. The gallery withholds a portion of the proceeds from the sale, and the remainder goes to the artist. Gallery owners should build friendships with investors, artists, collectors, and the media. This career is suitable for the social, independent and business-minded person who is ready to fight for a place in an already vibrant art market. If you have all these traits, then create a business plan and be ready to work hard until your gallery is profitable. Read on to find out how to manage your art gallery.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Opening the gallery

1 Make contacts in the art world. These contacts should be with collectors, artists and art media in the city where your gallery will be open and beyond. It can take years (5 to 15 years) to go through an art school, pursue a career in the art, and develop connections in the museum and gallery environment.
2 Be fully committed to the art and desire to have an art gallery. In today's marketplace, many gallery owners believe that it is necessary to love what you do in order to be successful. Art sales are irregular, some months generate almost no income, and some are very profitable.
3 Decide what kind of art you want to sell and who your potential customers are. For example, modern, abstract, Western art, sculpture, photography, furniture, or a mixture of different kinds. The artwork in the gallery should be varied but have a main theme in order to attract people to become regular customers.
- You can decide to open a non-profit gallery and collect donations for charity. You might decide to form a collective gallery with other artists if you also work in the field. You might also decide to open a commercial art gallery that is focused on selling artwork at low, medium or high prices. This decision must be made before you start looking for artists or funding.
4 Make a detailed business plan. A business plan is the basis for creating a successful, profitable business in 1-5 years, and should include detailed steps regarding the artists' plan, marketing plan and financial plan.
5 Look for funding if it hasn't already been submitted. Your business plan, financial statements, and artist support will serve as a way to convince banks or business partners that you have a lucrative plan. If you want to attract business partners, try to select those that are also related to the art world and might recommend your gallery to collectors.
6 Get support from artists. Look for artists with advice from other dealers or museum curators, or you can post an open call for artwork for sale. Specify your percentage in writing, realizing that, in general, the newer the artist is in the art world, the higher the percentage of sales you can get.
7 Choose a location for your gallery in a popular or easily accessible location. This often means that gallery space is expensive, so be prepared to pay high rent to be in a location where non-local visitors and collectors can easily find you. The convenient location of the premises will also be useful when advertising the opening of exhibitions in the gallery.
8 Hire reliable employees. Gallery staff must have an art education, contacts in the art world, and experience in sales, business or marketing.The ideal employee has a degree in art history or administration and is ready for a variety of tasks, especially in the beginning.
9 Get good insurance and security for your gallery. It is very important that you are protected in the event of theft or other damage. Artists often require proof of insurance before agreeing to donate their work to a gallery.

Part 2 of 2: Maintaining a Successful Art Gallery

1 Don't quit your main job right away. Many gallery owners, especially in big cities, run the gallery at the same time as they work elsewhere, until the gallery becomes profitable. Assign a reliable, knowledgeable employee to look after the gallery when you are not able to be there, and work hard to comfortably switch to full-time gallery work.
2 Create a web page. Modern galleries must have a website, social media account, blogs and email list in order to be successful and acquire new clients. Invest in creating an attractive website that lists artists, some of the artwork, your location information, and a contact phone number.
3 Organize exhibitions regularly, promoting well their opening. Use your contacts in the art world to plan, advertise, and run exhibitions for your clients. Make advertisements via email, art magazine ads, newspaper notes, social media, and print invitations.
4 Create an accounting system to track sales, new acquisitions, and artist percentages. You may be able to do this yourself using the software if you have a small gallery, or you may need to hire a freelance or part-time accountant.
5 Consider advertising in several local and national art magazines and renting a booth at art exhibitions. Stands and advertisements help establish good relationships in the art world and introduce your gallery to new clients. Advertising in art magazines, while expensive, can allow you to cover monthly or yearly highlights of the exhibitions in your gallery.
6 Be prepared to cater to 2 or more types of customers. Have a list of "frequent" collectors who buy new art at the earliest opportunity or may ask for a special commission. Also, display photographs or cheaper art for visitors or young collectors.
7 Be open. You never know who is a collector and who is not when a person walks into your gallery. Make sure not to be arrogant and make a good impression on all potential customers.

Tips

Focus on what is most likely for sale. Remember that while an installation or experimental art may attract critics, you need to present the artwork that is most likely to sell. Accept small portions of new artists' work if you are not sure they will be popular.
Always bargain. Remember that in order to stay in business, you need to be primarily a business manager. Bargain for rent, commission percentages, freelance rates, and advertising rates.
Do something useful for the local community. From time to time, exhibit children's work. Organize Art Walks exhibitions, carry out an advertising campaign for the travel agency. Organize lessons, work discussions. Provide a meeting place for local outdoor artist groups. Organize this kind of group. Have an evening discussing the work of a particular artist.
Try running seminars.Get involved in creating a festival of outdoor artists in your area.
Change the artwork on display depending on the month. Try different genres of art depending on the season. For example: July? Surfing theme! December? Pictures with a snowy landscape! September? Colorful leaves! June? Alumni artwork, photography, local art school program demonstration.