Since youre only asking if theyre accepting proposals, theyll be more willing to provide a yes or no answer (and have less of an incentive to ignore your email completely).Not only is it a great way to mark the completion of a body of work, but its one of the best ways to get your art in front of a large, art-loving audience.No doubt, a solo exhibition is a huge milestone, but it can be tricky to achieve.
There are lots of factors to consider, many of which are out of your control. And often, galleries are booked out months, even years, in advance. But if you feel like youre truly ready to exhibit your work, then creating a strong proposal and approaching gallery owners and decision-makers in the right way can make you stand out from the competition. To give you the very best chances of landing your own solo or small group exhibition, Ive broken the whole process down in 5 steps, from start to finish. So take a look, get to work, and let me know if you have any questions 1. Research exhibitions spaces in your community Before you start working on your proposal, youll want to find out which galleries actually accept submissions. Many formal galleries tend to rely on curators and gallerists to find artists to exhibit, and some still work off of a representation model (meaning that they only represent a certain number of artists, and work to promote and exhibit their work; because they rely entirely on sales for revenue, theyre much more selective and tend to lean towards more experiencedwell-known artists). But today, the gallery world has drastically changed, and there are lots of alternative exhibition spaces that you might want to consider, especially if you havent exhibited before. These are typically hybrid spaces, like coffee shops, music venues, or office space. They dont entirely depend on art sales to keep their doors open, so theyre more likely to exhibit early-career, emerging, or student artists. One of the best places to begin looking is in nearby arts districts. What galleries do you frequent Which ones exhibit artists that are a similar point in their art career as you, or produce similar work It helps to be a familiar face if you regularly visit local galleries, it shows that youre active in your arts community. You can also check your local city, arts, and culture councils to see if they have any open calls for proposals. And if youre willing to exhibit your work nationally, you can check websites like to see if there are any opportunities in other states. Ask if the gallery is accepting proposals If any of the galleries youre interested havent publicly posted information about accepting proposals, youll want to reach out to them. Hands down, the best way to contact the gallery is through email. Galleries, both traditional and alternative, can be tricky to get ahold of by phone. Sometimes the person in charge of curating isnt there full-time, or the gallery might have odd business hours. And Ive been to enough gallery openings to know that going to a gallery in-person and asking about their exhibition selection process is a big no-no. It puts the owner or gallerist on the spot, and implies that youre there in your own self-interest, not to enjoy their current exhibition. By all means, introduce yourself and strike up a conversation about the current exhibiting artists, but hold off on your inquiry until you get to a computer. So when youre ready to contact the gallery, youll want to hit a few key points in the email: Share your name, medium, art background, and portfolio website Mention a recent exhibition you saw to show youre familiar with their gallery Ask if theyre accepting proposals and if they have any guidelines to follow Briefly describe the body of work youd like to exhibit Keep this email brief, friendly, and to-the-point.
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