jb at PRC: Questions Please!
The Photographic Resource Center at Boston University
This whole seminar thing I’m doing seemed a long way off till right about now. I’ve done some preparation, but generally speaking I prefer not to be enslaved to some Powerpoint deck. I like to get a feel for what people in the audience are actually interested in hearing me talk about, so I encourage questions. Here’s the description of the seminar from the PRC website.
Tips on Breaking into the Gallery and Marketing Yourself
with Jen BekmanMonday, March 19
7pm
Boston University’s Sargent College, Auditorium 102,
635 Commonwealth Ave., Boston $5 Members/$10 Non-Members/Free for StudentsJoin Jen Bekman, founder and director of jen bekman , a pioneering fine art gallery in New York City, and this year’s juror of Exposure: The 12th Annual PRC Juried Exhibition , as she offers tips on how to market your work and break into the gallery world. Ms. Bekman will discuss several critical dos and don’ts including how to decide where to submit your work, approaching a gallery, editing your work for the most effective presentation or submission, grassroots marketing strategies, and the importance of a web presence. The gallery exhibits the work of emerging artists and provides further opportunities through its quarterly photography competition Hey, Hot Shot! This is a great opportunity to learn how to get yourself out there. Be sure to bring your questions.
I am best served by at least a minimal outline though, which I’ve made some progress on. (Thanks to photographer, Pratt student, jb intern Gemma Burgio for her help with that.) I have a few things I know I’ll talk about for sure. For instance, I have a short list of absolute DON’T that happen far too often. To fill out my outline a bit more I thought I’d ask my Personism readers to chime in too. Here’s what I’d like to know:
- First and foremost: Specific questions you’d love to have answered, post ‘em below.
- What kind of handout would be useful to you? I am assuming that people will take notes, but I always like a handout to take away myself. Right now I am planning on a list of URLs for people to refer to, and I’ll also be including some advice from the inimitable Ms. Mary Virginia Swanson.
- I’d love to hear a wish list from emerging photographers too. I do what I think is right and most appropriate to support the community, but it could be that you might have some easy to implement idea that simply hasn’t occurred to me. So, it’s sort of a wish list question: What would be a great tool/resource/event for you?
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- Published:
- 03.13.07 / 3pm
- Category:
- Events, Field Trip, Ideas, Photography
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- Alec’s Work in W Magazine
- Newer:
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March 13th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
I know I’d love to hear more on the following:
- what ‘makes’ a body of work
- how do you promote yourself beyond fine art (assignments, commissions, editorial)
- what do you think the best avenues are for self promotion
March 13th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
I agree with Alison’s suggested topics, and I’d add to it the following:
-From a gallery owner’s perspective, what makes an “ideal” artist that the gallery is either representing or considering taking on? (I’m talking beyond the body of work and more about what you’re looking for in terms of conduct, communication, or anything artists seem to be unaware of. This could fall under the list of don’ts, but it could also be a list of do’s.)
-What are you looking for in an artist’s statement about a project? How important is the statement when you’re reviewing a photographer’s work?
Thanks, Jen!
March 13th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Thanks Jen! This is a GREAT idea - We look forward to having you at the PRC! I will be sure to send the link around and have Michael send it out in our email blast to gather more. I’ll also send post some questions I always get asked in portfolio reviews here.
The final count for the juried show….drum roll….317 entries–the highest number of submissions EVER! Looking forward! Leslie
March 13th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend this seminar but I would still love to get insight on how to promote myself as an artist and navigate the gallery world with a little bit of success. Will you be sharing highlights on your blog? I’m really curious to get the perspective of a gallery owner, esp. since you specialize in emerging artists. Thanks and good luck in Boston!
March 14th, 2007 at 1:55 am
My wish list is a list of photo organizations and important competitions outside of United States.
I love to have a handout actually before the lecture starts, so I can circle, cross and make note on the handout.
March 14th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Im so glad to see a chance to ask question. Thanks jen.
First off a link for you to add to the list would be http://www.womeninphotography.org/ -this is a women only site and has done well by me.
question:
Do you refer work that might not hang in your gallery to other gallery’s. Who most influenced you in college and how has that helped you in the art world as an artiste and owner. Have you ever written a grant for gallery shows.
as an emerging photographer how do you chose what shows to enter?
what value would you say is having your profolio review by someone like Mary Virgina Swanson. Is it worth the money? Is it best to have a variety of subjects in a profolio or only a few and sizes of photo.
Thanks for asking for question Look forward to hearing you talk
March 14th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I think you have a good list of questions to start with above but if you are looking to fill in more time and/or some more particular gaps, here you go:
Why is there so much more digital color photography featured in shows of emerging photographers than black and white silver photography? I know that “b&w versus color” has been a topic here recently but do you think that is representative of the galleries’ preferences, the market, or the photographers’ preferences?
When organizing a body of work, should photographers be concerned with edition-ing their prints?
Do paper/printed portfolios still outweigh digital portfolios? Are there benefits to offering both to a gallery?
Where “fine art” photographic prints are concerned, it seems that bigger is better. Do you think this is true? Why or why not? Does size matter?
Thanks Jen! Have a good trip!
March 14th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
[...] Original post by Jen Bekman [...]
March 14th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Here are some questions I often get asked in my monthly PRC portfolio reviews:
* Where do I fit? How do I figure it out?
* At what point does one start and stop entering juried shows and how do you know which ones are the best bang for your buck?
* What kinds of things does a gallerist look for in their roster? (i.e., if they have a person who does big color faces and you do big color faces, would the gallerist pass you by as you are too close in style?)
* When and how does a roster get “full”?
* How do editions work?
* If you have a gallery in Boston and one in New York and another on the West coast, how do they divvy things up, or do they?
* If you started a relationship or the footwork for a sale, then you got a gallery, how does that work?
* In what cases and when does a gallery pay for framing or mounting?
* In this world of the internet, how effective are postcards?
* What are some good do’s and don’t for posting, navigating, and networking on the internet?
Handout - links, links, links! Good examples of great artist websites and places to get involved!
March 19th, 2007 at 10:13 am
I have two bodies of work: older black & white large-format landscape and portrait photographs, both silver and inkjet prints; and current digital color, some straight, some experimental. How do I decide which work to present at a portfolio review or to a gallery? Can I present both?
March 19th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Hi there,
I’m looking forward to tonight’s presentation. Leslie and others raised most of the questions I have. However, here are my questions:
At what point do you have a sufficient body of work to consider approaching galleries? I agree with Alison, I am curious about what constitutes a “body of work” from a gallery’s perspective.
Do you have advice for marketing fine art to other channels besides galleries (e.g., magazines, book/cd art)? Do you need a rep to break into these markets? Does success in these areas help or hinder your success in a gallery market?
When do you consider using a rep/agent to market your fine art work? How do you find a rep/agent to work with?
At what point do you transition your career from entering juried shows to seeking gallery representation? How do you best achieve this transition? Is there a point in your career in which you should no longer submit to juried shows? (Since I am still early in my career, I don’t think I’m anywhere near this point, but I’m curious about this topic!)
Thanks so much!
Best,
Isa Leshko
March 19th, 2007 at 11:25 am
1. What is the best format (including size) in which to submit images if you work in a large format and making prints very large is essential to reading your work because of how the viewer is able to relate to and “enter” the image?
In my case I am a landscape photographer making prints anywhere from 30″ x 40″ on up.
2. It might be difficult for you to be objective on this one, but I would welcome a discussion about how a photographer ought to enter into an agreement with a gallery. In particular, I am interested in fairness as it applies to things like the percentage of a sale that the artist receives versus the gallery’s take, and any other information related to artists’ rights.
For example: What are the industry standards for making agreements between galleries and artists? How often are those standards deviated from as a gallery perhaps takes advantage of a naive artist? Who can the artist enlist to protect her/his rights? How does one find special artists’ lawyers? How does a young artist afford a lawyer? Are there artists’ rights groups which can help instead? Also, from the artists’ standpoint, how long should a contract be for? Are there other issues to consider, like a guarantee for a certain number of shows for example?
I suspect that by the time most emerging artists confront these issues for the first time, it may be too late. They learn the hard way.
Many thanks.
March 19th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I spent many years and lots of money sending out slide portfolios to galleries, museums and magazines. I have appreciated how over the best few years almost everyone has begun to accept CDs. Over the past year though many galleries have stop accepting portfolios entirely. Is there a alternative way of getting work seen for a similar cost? Recently the Museum of Modern Art has stopped accepting CD portfolios. I really don’t want to go back to sending out slides again considering the costs of doing this with a mailing list of over 100 carefully researched venues. Is there any alternative?
March 19th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
I’ve been doing street photography for a number of years, and would like to know if there is any market for this as fine art photography.
http://www.johnsidlo.com
March 19th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Hey Jen-
Would love to know, when you are presenting a portfolio of work to a gallery or reviewer, what is the right amount of work. Should you concentrate on a specific theme or direction, or should you present a smattering of everything that you do. Breadth vs Focus?
March 19th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Super job Jen! and thanks for rolling with the av punches. A huge crowd and huge success. Cheers, Leslie
March 20th, 2007 at 1:12 am
Jen-
thanks for the great talk despite the Technical issues. Many great tips . WOW what a turn out..
March 20th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
I left last night abuzz with ideas. I especially loved the Moo Cards! I also am quite intrigued by self-publishing via blurb.com. Thank you!
March 21st, 2007 at 3:25 am
Hi Jen,
For those of us who couldn’t be in the audience Monday night, is there a chance that some form of your talk will make it to the web?
Thanks!
March 24th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Shane Lavalette provides a nice summary of the evening on his blog, http://www.shanelavalette.com/journal/2007/03/19/jen-bekman-talks-galleries-and-self-marketing/
Results soon, but first, I must get over my sinus infection. For more, visit my blog, just a click to the left.