Urgently need data - is this normal?

[solarbird]

So I went down to Pitcarn Scott Gallery today and showed a few of my pieces; the owner thought they were interesting; I'm not ready for a front-room showing, but they're interested in a three-artist show, with someone else up front, me in the second room, and a third artist in back in the small room. That's pretty cool; they're a Belltown gallery and the most I've ever done before has been a single showing in the back of Bothell Books. (Which was nice! But a different world.)

Here's the question.

They charge. For that, you get invitations (design, photography, printing), mailings promoting your opening (500 people, their clientele list), a page on their web site for a year, photography for that (which is different); they host the opening, and provide wine, food, a mini-bar and bartender. And press releases.

They also will do a poster, but that costs extra.

If this were print, it'd be a vanity press - albeit a nice one that does some actual publicity instead of the usual bullshit publicity. But this is art, and the world is worse for artists than writers.

So! Is this normal in the Seattle art world? Anybody know? Anybody? Help?

Comments

[kathrynt.livejournal.com]

Yes and no. There are certainly plenty of galleries that don't expect a dime from their artists, but there are also plenty who work this way; you essentially pass their audition and rent the space from them. It doesn't make them unrespectable. (That would be if they laid out the rental rates for the three different rooms and said "Pick one.")

How much are they asking for?

[solarbird]

$1200. I still have to pass jury, but I've passed the owner, so that's good.

He said he's never seen work like mine before ever, and he's been doing this for over seven years, and his parents did it before him and he grew up around it, so that's kind of neat.

[kathrynt.livejournal.com]

If you want to be sure, ask for samples of promotional materials for previous shows, and ask for some kind of criteriia list for what does and doesn't make it. Google the place, etc. etc. etc. But the basic principle is sound. $1200 sounds like a TON of money, but probably isn't substantially more than the cost of the promo materials and the space rental, and is probably less.

[solarbird]

Seen it - they have a lot of old posters and invitations and stuff in the back room. (The back room behind the back gallery room - the storage house, essentially.) I've already seen their web site and stuff and talked to him about what doesn't make it so I don't get the impression that it's a scam at all. It just feels weird because of my writing background. And it does totally sound like a metric tonne of monex. It's skerry!

[kathrynt.livejournal.com]

I've paid gallery rent for my textile work -- not that much, granted, but it was a different market. Also, you have to pay for space at a Con art show, right? It's pretty common.

If you can't afford it, you can't afford it, and don't sweat it. But it will DEFINITELY get your work seen by people who would not otherwise. Honestly, you could spend 8 times that much and not get the worth of their clientele's eyeballs on your work. (Hopefully not literally.)

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

if you've got their promo stuff for other artists, get in touch with the other artists and ask them what they think?

[loopback.livejournal.com]

liberpolly works/volunteers at a gallery in pioneer square, and he would probably be able to tell you if this is normal behavior. shoot him an email or something.

gallery stuff

[kvogel.livejournal.com]

While my experiance is a decade or two out of date, in the bad old days, a top notch gallery would cover everything, but expect 50% or more percent of the sales. Now, if they want to charge you, then I'd expect they would then not want to gouge you a huge commission on sales too.

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

Another thing to check might be contacting some of their past artists (you've seen the materials, so use the names/contact info) and ask if they felt it was worth it? Did they get sales/contacts enough out of the showings to compensate for the expense? Were they treated well once the contract was signed, and would they do it again?

Nothing like peer review for such things...