Your art has been sitting in your studio unseen for months and you are desperate for a gallery show. Then you see it: a “Call for Artists” or “Competition” in a gallery which sounds wonderful and very esteemed. You apply and are accepted – only to realize that there is an X thousand dollar fee for exhibiting at the gallery. Should you pay to exhibit or is it not worth the expense?
The amount of galleries who charge artists for exhibitions has been steadily increasing over the past few years. In many cases, these galleries charge fees to cover their own expenses so they don’t have to rely solely on sales commissions to survive as a business. However, there are plenty of unscrupulous galleries who prey on desperate artists and profit directly from the so-called exhibition expense fees.
Successful galleries do not need to charge artists for exhibiting. They utilize good business practices so they can be sure to make a profit from the show or at least build up a good reputation for themselves for exhibiting your work. Yet, there are some cases in which you may want to pay for an exhibition. For example, there are several large art fairs which charge for a booth. Some of these fairs may attract thousands of visitors. The sales you make could outweigh any expenses. Further, they could provide great exposure for furthering your career.
Before you pay for an exhibition, it is vital that you take some time to do research in order to determine whether the show will be worth the investment. Do not pay for an exhibition until you have visited the gallery several times throughout the year! Also, you will want to investigate the gallery with the Better Business Bureau to see if it has any complaints against it.
Here are some of the questions you should ask of the gallery or investigate before paying for an exhibition:
- Is there a contract? And does the contract protect your rights or just the rights of the gallery?
- Do the gallery owners act respectfully towards you and are they willing to provide you with all the information you ask?
- When looking through past shows, is the quality of exhibitions consistent? Were the exhibitions presented in a professional manner with quality lighting and arrangements?
- What promotional materials are covered for your exhibit? How much of the fee goes towards these materials?
- How successful have their past shows been in terms of sales?
- Are past artists happy with the gallery? Have any of the artists remained with the gallery and, if so, for how long? Is the gallery willing to give you the contact information of their past/current artists so you can ask them questions?
- Will the gallery proactively work to sell your artwork (such as through contacting collectors, advertisements, mail, or networking) or will they rely solely on gallery visitors?