Comments on: Cutting Ties with a Gallery < Deep Thought Thursday

By: Katherine Tyrrell

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:13:48 +0000

Nickie – It’s such a pity to lose a gallery space when galleries are closing all over the place
Have you thought of an alternative option – which might help both you and other artists?
Why not rent out your space to artists who want to run their own shows? That way they have a place to show their work, you get an income from the space – and more people might buy a frame from you!
I’m sure you could work out a package for artists who might want to rent the space eg
$ = artist rents the space and organises and pays for everything
$$ = artist rents space and you contribute some help which it’s easy for you to provide (eg handling sales)
$$$ = artist rents space and buys a package of support from you at a realistic cost+ price
It may be that there’s an artists’ co-operative in town who could run the gallery for you.
Anyway I hope this gives you some food for thought.
(PS Sorry, I misread the comment and only realised after I had posted that you were not new to this)

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By: nickie

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:18:13 +0000

Thanks so much to all of you for your response and suggestions!! Truth is we are not necessarily new, the frame shop has been in business under a different owner for 25 years. My business partner and I both worked for the shop for many years before we purchased it and opened the gallery about five years ago. It’s still a never ending learning process though! : ) We are in more of a small city than small town that has a small, intimate art scene. We do all know each other and try to keep a good communication going. Incidentally, the artist did not tell the other gallery about his show here either. I agree with Katherine that we should have a formal contract, it was silly of me to assume every artist (he is a university art professor though) would know the unwritten rules. I think I was just taken aback by how unprofessional and nasty he was about it. As an artist myself I would never back out of a show on such short notice. I am really learning a lot how to handle my own artwork from dealing with the gallery. However, I pretty much think it’s impossible to run a frame shop, work on my own artwork, curate other artist shows in the gallery. It’s just too much. I have decided our next show which will be extended into the artist’s time who backed out will be our last. I really need to concentrate on my own work and getting it out there. Perhaps this artist was the straw that broke the camels back. I’m worn out! Anyhow, I’m soooooo happy I found this blog!! I think I am really going to learn a lot while exploring the site. Again, I soooo appreciate all of your smart words, advice and suggestions! Nickie.

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By: Mckenna

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:44:09 +0000

Aloha Nickie…Well, what a mess, heh? I can only assume that since this is a “small town” that the gossip mill is already in full swing and you are in danger of getting an undeserved reputation as being hard to work with. LOL. You clearly have learned some lessons the hard way. Sorry you are being victimized.
I have a middle ground thought that might bridge some of the (right or wrong) feeling this artist has generated. I am assuming that since this is a small town, you very likely know the other gallery that would have been still exhibiting while you were to begin your exhibit? If so or even if not, I think this as a GREAT opportunity for your small community to consider creating a league or some other kind of unifying group of gallery owners. Each gallery owner should consider the others as partners and even consider doing group events which would/could take the “competition” out of the equation and add a “support of the arts” attitude into a new equation. In such an atmosphere, you and or the other gallery would have been well aware of the dates, the possible conflicts OR (and I really encourage this idea) embraced the timing as a way for both galleries to be known to each other’s client bases as cooperative and supportive of this “artist”. As a framing facility, this could even bring you more business and certainly would endear you to the rest of the community. For example: In the middle 80’s in San Francisco, a fine jewelry store (award winning custom work) that I worked with as a consultant had sudden competition. A nearly mirror image quality shop open across the street. 6 months later another one opened two blocks away. This was a big worry! I put together a plan that involved all three shops sharing mailing lists and putting full page ads in the paper AND sending over-sized post cards quarterly with photos from each designer. That section of San Francisco became “The Place” to go for fine custom made designer jewelry and everyone saw better business and foot traffic.
Consider calling a meeting with the artist and the other gallery owner. What have you got to lose? Looking like you want a reasonable and open conversation can only put you in a better light. If the artist decides not to be in the meeting – well – you are still looking like the reasonable person and hopefully you and the other gallery (and perhaps the other one he showed with earlier in the year) can at least have a talk about protocols. The artist will be “on record” as being the one who created the need for this action and if he doesn’t even show up… just saying…
As for the small town getting bored: I must say that most small towns are always bored, yes? So the more “stuff to do” on a Friday night the better! They might get bored with this artist, but if he is popular (and 3 shows so far this year says he must have some appeal) and selling, that is probably not the case.
When I sold fine art years ago, we told people where they could find other galleries who also had Calder or O’Keefe or whomever they professed an interest. That made the art more important than a sale and that opened doors for trust and led to great long-term relationships. You have a lot to gain by increasing the communications around and about this person and these issues.
Hope this helps.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:23:37 +0000

In reply to nickie.

Nickie: You absolutely did the right thing. As Katherine says below, the artist was unprofessional.
I know it was probably difficult for you to confront him, but rest assured that you are correct in this instance. He needs to be taught how to behave more professionally.
In the future, definitely get a contract with these provisions in it. Sit down and discuss what you expect from your artists.
And I would truly reconsider the 10% thing. With all of the work you do, you deserve more than that.

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By: Katherine Tyrrell

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:00:29 +0000

Hi Nickie – I think the artist has been unprofessional – but as you are new to the gallery business maybe also you have also been naive about standard stuff in a contract for an artist and an exhibition?
Galleries which represent artists – in the sense that they give them a solo show – normally have a clause which states that you mustn’t exhibit with another gallery within the vicinity of the gallery – normally stated as within x miles. In effect the gallery erects an exclusion zone so that they can market exclusively within that area. Presumably you didn’t do this? You only really have scope to complain about the artist’s behaviour if they signed up to an agreement which included a clause like that.
As a new gallery it’s possibly better to put on group shows to start with – which makes you less dependent on one artist and more suitable for a situation where you’re not attempting to represent the artist beyond the duration of the exhibition. You shouldn’t have any difficulty attracting artists with a commission rate as low as 10%!

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By: nickie

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 06:30:45 +0000

Hopefully I made sense above. I felt it necessary to let you know that I also am an artist and opened this little gallery connected to my frame shop. The exhibit at my gallery would have been the third solo exhibit this artist would have had this year (and it’s only April 3rd!) in three different galleries in the same small city. I think that is way too much!

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By: nickie

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 06:18:24 +0000

I have a question as a gallery owner. We have exhibits, only take a 10% cut if anything sells during the show, pay for everything, do all promo work. However, we only “represent” the artist during the duration of the exhibit, not afterwards or in the traditional sense of gallery representation. I scheduled a show with an artist about 6 months ago. The exhibit was to open in approximately 2 months from now. This artist keeps adding on solo shows at other galleries in the same small city at the same times. In other words the artist exhibit would have opened at my gallery before it even closed at another gallery a mile away. This is a very tight knit art community so I really wasn’t comfortable with that. I told the artist my concerns but realized it was too late to reschedule so we will just stick to the dates we had and hope for the best. He sent me a nasty email and backed out of the exhibit scheduled with my gallery. Did I do something wrong by expressing or even having concerns of his overbooking and double booking exhibits in the same town? My fear was that he would have to be cranking out work which means it may not have the quality expected, in a small city there are only a few people interested in art openings and they may get bored. I find it a little disrespectful to all the galleries involved and think it does both the artist and gallery a disservice. Am I wrong? I would love to hear your honest opinions. Thank you!

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By: Sari Grove

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:03:25 +0000

Joseph quoted a legal saying about ‘how do you know when something is wrong ?’ to me the other day, that works here…”You’ll know it when you see it”…

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By: Karen Lynn

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:51:06 +0000

Problems can also include discovering that you’re being charged a higher commission rate than other artists and sneaking feelings that the price that buyers are paying is not what you set your prices at (i.e. higher)…. How do you discover that for sure without asking the buyer directly? It’s simpler to pull your work and hope that the next people you deal with are more honest with you.

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By: Linda Moran

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:29:58 +0000

I’d like to see another side to this addressed. I recently had work shown in an art show and it wasn’t returned to the pick-up venue when stated. A phone call revealed the work had gotten misplaced, and we worked out that the piece would be mailed. A week later still no artwork, and I emailed privately via Facebook messaging, asking about the status of the work. All very professional, no sarcastic remarks, etc. Was told life got in the way and she would get to it. Three days later I asked that the work be put in the mail by a specific date, as I had a potential buyer, no work to show her, and I had never had a problem with work being returned from shows entered around the country. Again, business-like, including saying I thought the mail option would have been the easiest for her, rather than driving a distance to deliver it. At this point she became quite unpleasant, telling me I was taking myself too seriously, that mistakes happen, and she’d handled 1000s of art pieces with never a problem, and even she had a problem with the Smithsonian returning work on time. The work arrived via certified mail yesterday, but the whole incident has left a very unpleasant taste. When I enter shows, I always read the prospectus carefully, meet every requirement, ship on time, etc. What else would have been an option for handling this? (Driving to get the work was tried…no one at the studio….) Inquiring minds…….

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