When showing your art with a gallery, you are going into business with the gallery. While this is an obvious statement, as an artist one is often emotionally attached to their art work and forgets the concrete facts of business. When starting one's career, an artist may be immature in artist gallery relations, leading them to form relationships with galleries that in hindsight one may not gravitate towards as strongly. As an emerging artist how do you avoid this and still get gallery shows? I’ve put some questions you may way to consider before submitting work to a gallery. I recommend writing out your answers as a way to thoroughly reflect on your answers & thoughts they lead to.
How do I describe my art?
What direction do I ultimately want to move towards?
What other artists do I see myself showing next to?
What types of establishments do I want to see my art in?
What types of print do I want my work in?
Who (publications/news) would I want covering/writing about my work?
How much time am I willing to put into a show?
How many pieces do I have currently that are cohesive together?
Am I willing to frame my work?
What new element does my art bring to the art world?
Why is my work so unique? (if you don’t think it is, brainstorm ways to make it so)
Is my art something people want to hang in their house? Sellable?
Is my art more museum-compelling?
Why do I want to show my work?
