Are you dreaming about getting your first art show?
Art students, you will soon, or maybe already have reached a time when you want to present your artwork to the world. You may be thinking, how does one go about becoming a famous artiste in today’s society? Well we have some tips for you!
#1 Do your research!
Unless you take great pleasure in creating copies of your art portfolio, do not send it to just any-old gallery. Make sure you’re targeting the right gallery for your work and not the ones that only deal with well-established artists.
pic by Shea Georgina
#2 Know your gallery
Once you’ve found a gallery that suits your artwork, attend any exhibitions they have, know who their current artists are, listen to talks by them and try to establish as many connections as you can.
#3 Make contact
Try to form a relationship with the gallery, contact them to explain that you’re a practising artist and your type of work.
#4 Put on a group exhibition
Gather your fellow artistic friends and put on your own group exhibition, publicise it through friends of friends and try to create a buzz about the show. Working with friends will save you money and allow you to experiment with locations and styles.
#5 Watch out for those ‘in-the-know’
Look out for young assistant curators as these are the people who are always looking at what’s going on and what’s coming up in the future.
#6 Enjoy and take pride in your artwork!
You may need to put on a number of exhibitions with your friends before you hear anything from your chosen gallery, but there could be another gallery following your artwork that just haven’t made contact yet. So always remain positive about your work and your time in the gallery will come!
You may also want to have a look at our post about the Sky Arts Futures Fund 2014.
