Communicating With Your Galleries

Often artists find gallery representation without even knowing what a gallery's real responsibility is in this relationship.You know your responsibility is to create artwork and get it to them, and it’s easy to assume that their responsibility is to sell it. Frankly, the gallery’s roll is one of representation, which means to show, market and sell your work. That would mean advertise it, promote it through social media, have shows to invite their clients to meet you and see your work.

In this relationship, it’s also their responsibility to communicate with you. To let you know how your work is being received, giving you comments which may allow you to adapt to their market or change up your framing.

I feel though, that it’s also your responsibility to communicate with them, even if and especially if they are not good at communicating with you. After all, a gallery doesn’t own your work, it’s yours and it’s yours right up until they pay you for it. If they have a painting out on loan or off site for any reason, it’s their responsibility to communicate this and if it sells, or is damaged, until you’ve been paid, your artwork is yours. Communicating on a regular basis shows you care about your business and your artwork. If not, maybe the gallery sells a painting and instead of sending you a check right away, they don’t tell you it’s sold and use your money for a few extra weeks or a month. Remember, they usually get around 30 days to use your money anyway in the cycle of things and it’s unfair to take advantage past that time. But if communication is light in both directions, this type of thing can happen.

Your gallery or galleries, should be calling or emailing you at least every month or so and if not, you should certainly be contacting them. Through this you both will have a better understanding of your relationship which can only help, not detract from your ultimate goal of selling your artwork and both of you making money in the process.

Live an artful life,

Tom