pay to play

[The_Traveler]

The unfortunate reality is that talent is a judgement call and doesn't always necessarily align with sales.
Galleries are usually not social welfare organzations and they want and expect to make a buck.
Art sells poorly and sporadically and there are lots of pay to play organizations.
Many are actually cooperatives and, although they make a pass at seeming to evaluate the portfolio before welcoming new members, there are other issues at work.
The local coop guarantees some level of exposure if one is a member but my guess is that they are usually vanity plays but their members.

I've had a look at two and didn't see any real benefit for me in the $700-1000/year and my ego isn't that needy.

 

[bribrius]

Good post lew. You seem like somewhat of a insider in the art world. Are certain galleries flagged for this type of thing and not taken as serious? Or if a artist uses a certain gallery that is along these lines and declares it in his/her bio do insiders ever kind of black flag them?

 

[bribrius]

It's simple if you don't like it don't pay

don't intend to. I have considered joining a coop as lew mentioned. seem decent way to support the arts and the membership fee is reasonable.

 

[runnah]

The thing is that most tourist area galleries are designed to move product. They know their market is seasonal, has lots of money to spend and is normally impulsive. So galleries like that are in every coastal town in Maine. Each one is chock full of loons, moose, coast and light house shots. That is what sells and that is what they want.

 

[bribrius]

The thing is that most tourist area galleries are designed to move product. They know their market is seasonal, has lots of money to spend and is normally impulsive. So galleries like that are in every coastal town in Maine. Each one is chock full of loons, moose, coast and light house shots. That is what sells and that is what they want.

okay, so clearly we shouldn't take these places seriously.

 

[runnah]

The thing is that most tourist area galleries are designed to move product. They know their market is seasonal, has lots of money to spend and is normally impulsive. So galleries like that are in every coastal town in Maine. Each one is chock full of loons, moose, coast and light house shots. That is what sells and that is what they want.

okay, so clearly we shouldn't take these places seriously.

Depends really. If you walk in and see any of the subjects I mentioned above you should just walk right out. There are serious galleries but they are far outnumbered by the tourist ones.

 

[bribrius]

The thing is that most tourist area galleries are designed to move product. They know their market is seasonal, has lots of money to spend and is normally impulsive. So galleries like that are in every coastal town in Maine. Each one is chock full of loons, moose, coast and light house shots. That is what sells and that is what they want.

okay, so clearly we shouldn't take these places seriously.

Depends really. If you walk in and see any of the subjects I mentioned above you should just walk right out. There are serious galleries but they are far outnumbered by the tourist ones.

i haven't been to the one in the article. last place I went I think was the boston museum of art.

 

[bribrius]

well no, I went to a local gallery to I guess but not even the same thing..

 

[The_Traveler]

There is a series of books by Jonathan Gash about an antiques dealer named Lovejoy who has the inborn ability to recognize a real antique; he feels a 'bong' deep in his chest when he sees one.
The difference between most attempts at art and real art is an unmeasurable something that affects you when you see it.
See something from one of the great masters in a museum and you'll understand that there is a concatenation of skill and talent and creativity and vision that isn't present in any way in 99.999999% of the crap one sees in 'art' galleries.
This site is lucky enough to have at least one person posting here who has the vision and creativity to be great. I have a local friend who is on that track.
It is almost painful to go into galleries and see the total crap that infests most of them, people replacing creativity with new technique, people with no skills at all, let alone talent, who believe that because they believe themselves to be an 'artist.' that anything they touch is a piece of art.

I've almost stopped going to shows just because I just don't want to see stuff like that.

 

[bribrius]

There is a series of books by Jonathan Gash about an antiques dealer named Lovejoy who has the inborn ability to recognize a real antique; he feels a 'bong' deep in his chest when he sees one.
The difference between most attempts at art and real art is an unmeasurable something that affects you when you see it.
See something from one of the great masters in a museum and you'll understand that there is a concatenation of skill and talent and creativity and vision that isn't present in any way in 99.999999% of the crap one sees in 'art' galleries.
This site is lucky enough to have at least one person posting here who has the vision and creativity to be great. I have a local friend who is on that track.
It is almost painful to go into galleries and see the total crap that infests most of them, people replacing creativity with new technique, people with no skills at all, let alone talent, who believe that because they believe themselves to be an 'artist.' that anything they touch is a piece of art.

I've almost stopped going to shows just because I just don't want to see stuff like that.

we have some great artists locally here. But one woman surely stands out to me. True authentic talent and a painter. Is it worth joining the coop for the one particular artist that stands out the most? Because she would be the ideal, locally anyway, that I scale art by. The others are mostly great all have contests/gallery work to some extent and many credentials (schooling and experience), but she stands out head and shoulders. Least to me in her simplicity and way of capturing life.

 

[Umberrella]

So you basically pay rent for the place? You might as well find a place in the mainstreets yourself. Plenty of realestate property that doesnt get a new contractor right away. usually you can deal your way in. I have been a Real Estate student before I got pro and did many of those deals with artists and designers during my internships back then. popup stores getting hot nowadays so the galleries may put themselves in a way more competitive business this way. In for a month.. maybe two... and out.

 

[snowbear]

Music venues [in London] have been doing this for years. There are a lot of "promoters" who say to bands, "Bring in X amount of people to the venue and you'll be paid X amount of money per head after that, but if you don't bring enough people in, you owe us money".

I've heard this is pretty much the norm -- the artist pays for the venue then everyone else (band, backups, roadies) get's paid after that.

 

[Village Idiot]

sounds like they just want to make money. like before they curate and choose to back certain artists. But even if the artist is good the chit don't sell. On the other hand they have to explain why a suckier artist has more popular appeal and they take that persons work Instead in the next open slot. which requires some explaining to critics perhaps "the other guys chit just don't sell so we took this person on instead because the images have more popular appeal people buy this chit" kind of thing.

in his model, they are paid no matter what and have less explaining on why they chose to back a certain artist as you know this all turns into a gallery critique as well and people can be harsh...

just thinking out loud..

Keep in mind some of the greats weren't appreciated until long after they were dead. Photography is the same as art: A photo or painting that looks bad to some may be the most amazing and inspiring thing others have ever seen.

 

[minicoop1985]

I've sold stuff through a gallery before. The way it should be: you present your work to the curator, get their approval, put your stuff up, when it sells they take their cut and you get yours. That's how it should be, at least. That's how it was for me. People PAYING to put their stuff up sounds like absolute narcissism.

 

[bribrius]

I've sold stuff through a gallery before. The way it should be: you present your work to the curator, get their approval, put your stuff up, when it sells they take their cut and you get yours. That's how it should be, at least. That's how it was for me. People PAYING to put their stuff up sounds like absolute narcissism.

maybe they just aren't making the money. why go buy at a hardware store when you can have a thousand more tools to choose from online at a lower price? why go to a galley to buy when you can order online from a billion choices?

I wonder if galleries will slowly go out of business and eventually they will all have to go this route to pay bills. course why would you pay to hang stuff in a gallery that can sell anything.