Gradually build up a relationship with galleries that you are interested in. Start this by looking up their past exhibitions and see if your work could be of interest.
Through your research, get to know their priorities as a gallery. What kind of work do they show? What artists have they shown? Do they show work by artists at the same career stage as you? What kind of gallery are they?
Galleries all have their own individual way of working. There are general categories of gallery, but each may work in a number of different ways. You need to research the galleries that you are interested in working with. This will mean you will only approach galleries that might work with you, with your art, and with your profile as an artist.
Researching galleries
Most galleries and independent curators have a particular style of art work they are interested in. This might be by:
- medium – the materials that the art work is made from. For example, The Photographers Gallery or The Drawing Room.
- artist career stage – some galleries will show work by artists at the start of their career. Others will only show work by artists who have been practicing for some time.
Search online for the kind of work and what kind of artists a gallery shows before you get in touch. This will save time, so you only approach galleries who might be interested. It will also show the galleries you get in touch with that you understand what they do, and show an interest in their work. Most galleries list their previous exhibitions and projects online which will tell you about the kind of artist they show.
Gallery ethics
As well as looking at a gallery’s past exhibitions, you might search for information on their sponsors, company directors, and board of trustees. This will tell you, for example, if they receive money from fossil fuel companies, and what businesses their trustees are in. You can also find out if they get public funding, make sales, or how else they make money.
As well as the gallery website, other places you can search include:
- Companies House – this will tell you about the sponsorship income, directors, and the board.
- The Charity Commission – this will tell you about charitable income and activity, and more information on how the gallery works. Their annual report to the Charity Commission gives a good overview of their most recent activity.
Use these sites to find out the other business interests of the board and directors and build up a picture of the ethics of the gallery too.
Getting in touch with a gallery
A good way to build a relationship with a gallery is to add them to your email mailing list. Send them updates on your projects, and invite them to self-organised shows. After a while, when you have new work that they might be interested in, you could invite them to visit your studio.
After you have researched a gallery and made sure your work fits with its programme:
- Send a personal email to someone specific at the gallery. Find someone specific to send it to and use their name.
- Include your artist statement, some pictures of your work, and information about the size, materials, and the year it was made.
- Send any exhibition reviews or exhibition texts from previous shows.
- Don’t send large files that will clog their email inbox, or too much information. Don’t hassle them for a response. Galleries are usually very busy and could take many weeks to get back to you, if they are able to at all.
Artists and gallery relationships
All of the gallerists we have spoken with mention the need for trust in their relationships with artists. Trust that both sides will behave professionally and with integrity. For commercial galleries mutual respect with their clients is also important.
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