Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dan Dean on September 10, 2008 at 1:10pm

One thing to beware of is that many artists - especially established artists - most likey will require you to assume responsibility of the work when it is on your wall - especially if you are taking a portion of the sales ... I prefer the lesser know artists that are trying to make a name for themselves - we do not take any portion of the sale nor do we accept responsibility. All sales go directly through the artist. It is ( I hate to say the phrase - a win, win ... We get nice art at no cost and they get the opportunity to display their work) We also will help with an opening night - with flyers and some kind of discount for attendees.

On the other hand we also have a display of photographs on our wall from a fellow photographer that I work with during my "day" job. In that arrangement - I asked him to display the work and I paid to have it matted and framed. We do sell and keep the proceeds up to the price to cover the framing and matting - we only accept check or cash. It was a way to actually get a longtime display of work that fits our shop wonderfully without having to spend a ton of cash.

Hope this helps. I am sure there are many other opinions and/or options. You could talk with a local framer for their input as they are more than likely in contact with the art community on a regular basis - also try local art groups, schools etc. to see what policies they expect when showing their work.

Permalink Reply by Melinda Pensinger on September 11, 2008 at 5:27am

Thanks Dan, that was very helpful. I also like promoting the local artists. In the first part of the year, I was displaying high school student's work and that was very rewarding. I think the local adult artists who displayed this summer were not as rewarding because the price of their pieces was too high, and the type of work did not add to the "community atmosphere."

Can you tell me the price range where most items seem to sell?

Appreciate your input!

Permalink Reply by Dan Dean on September 11, 2008 at 1:26pm

Melinda -

I really like the idea of the high school kids - we had a couple students paint our window for Christmas - it was a big hit - customers loved it and we made the front page of the daily newspaper.

The photographs are for sale at $75. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11302402@N00/1928237314/) should be a link to the photog's site on Flickr. The artwork is all over the board but the way I look at it - they don't have to buy anything and they don't have to go a downtown gallery to look at really nice art - just enjoy it with a great cup ...

We have a limited amout of wall space and hangers - depending on size it could be 6-12 pieces of work. They can leave it up for a month and then until the next person comes along wanting to show their stuff or we get tired of it - we move the photos to the back hallway and can always move them back up front if we don't have anybody lined up. We are pretty casual about it.

If you are looking for a great way to hang the art without putting a bunch of holes in your walls check out walkerdisplay.com

Dan

Permalink Reply by JAVA MOJO on September 27, 2008 at 8:02am

I agree with Dan, using local artists... and by this meaning those as he said trying to make a name for themselves is the way to go. I myself am an artist and could cover the walls with my own artwork if I wanted to, but prefer to get more exposure for the community artists out there. High schools are a great way to get art, and promote the community as well.
As far as percentages go, the only time I would do that is if we were to put on an individual/group exhibition of some kind as some sort of event. But doing this, as Dan said usually gets into some hassles with responsibility for the work etc. You would need to have it as a policy that the artist would be aware of that they would sign, stating you are not responsible in order to prevent any responsibility for loss... but that again is or can be a hassle you dont want to deal with (seeing as how just running the shoppe can be enough to deal with at times.)
Agree with Dan, getting the art to display is typically the best way to get it up, and for artists to want to put it up. If there was a huge demand you might could charge for a 'wall space'... meaning for a portion of the wall that only their work would be displayed on... they could pay you a small fee. Which could give them a bit more exposure than just randomly hanging them around everywhere, mixed in with other artwork.
As for the pricier pieces... I wouldn't limit the price tag on it, after all it IS the artist's work and you never know when someone might be the type who can afford it. But even though it doesn't move as well as lesser costed artworks, it still adds to your shop's decor and atmosphere. I would just add that as a suggestion to an incoming artist... that they might want to consider works of lesser prices to put in, and use them along with contact info to allow interested persons to explore and find more of their work... via the artist's website, studio etc.
Also, be sure to get the artist's name, email/contact info, artwork info etc., and make a card/label to put along side the pieces so those interested can contact them directly.

Permalink Reply by Melinda Pensinger on December 30, 2008 at 3:24am

I had someone buy a painting from a local artist at my shop - it was a gift for her husband. When I called the artist, she did the same... came right over and talked to the woman about the painting. Just so happened when the woman next came in the shop with her husband, the artist was there and she was able to introduce them. It is a cool thing, keeping it local.