The following blog is the second in a series of articles from our guest, Ruth Payne. For many of you in the Vancouver area, Ruth Payne will need no introduction. Ruth is the curator at the Ferry Building Gallery and the Visual Arts Coordinator of West Vancouver Cultural Services.

Art Fairs, Outdoor Shows, Tradeshows, One-Of-A-Kind Shows, Festivals, Markets
In exhibiting your art, you certainly are not limited to commercial and public galleries. There are endless opportunities and venues for both selling and showing art if you become creative about researching prospects.

Many artists despair when turned down by a jury or when they get a 'sorry' letter from a commercial gallery. They then go into hiding, so to speak, wondering if the world of art lovers and buyers will ever find them.

If you look, you will usually find an opportunity for exhibiting in your own neighbourhood. First of all, consider home studio/gallery exhibitions. Host your own show and reception, or team up with fellow artists. Buyers love to visit the working space and creative homes of artists and this is often where the most sales will occur.

Don't forget to display a painting on the outside of your home or studio. Why not? Hang a piece that you will delegate as a promotional piece and don't mind if it gets beaten up by the weather, right on your front door. It is very appealing to see art on the exterior of a home and it immediately brands what you do. If you work is 3-D, I suggest the same thing. You can display art in the garden, in an outdoor entrance alcove, in the apartment building foyer…there are many more possibilities.

Alternative Venues

An array of alternative commercial venues exist for marketing art, and many buyers prefer the demystified and relaxed atmosphere of these for purchasing art. The following are some options, and you can add your own to this list:

• Shopping mall exhibits, merchant windows
• Offices: doctors, dentists, law offices, accountants, SPCA, veterinarians, investment firms.
• Real estate offices, movie sets, homes for sale (staging)
• Wine shops (often will display your art; then host a reception to celebrate both your art and their wine- -a winning combo!)
• Cafes, restaurants
• Hospitals, airports, banks, retail clothing stores, design shops, textile stores, shoe stores
• City halls, hotels, public facilities, day cares, schools, universities.

In the next part of the article, Ruth discusses further exhibition venues.

Best of success with your summer art sales!

Artfully yours,
Ruth Payne, Visual Arts Coordinator,
West Vancouver Cultural Services, Ferry Building Gallery
Email: [email protected]

About Ruth Payne
Ruth brings 25 years of experience as a gallery curator, visual artist, stress management consultant and teacher and runs the popular Arts Connection Networking Salon for visual artists.

This article first appeared in the My Art News Letter #22