Artist Relations & Communications

As Ivan Barnett said in one of the other sections, your clients and your artist relations are your two most important assets your gallery has.  Losing any artist in your stable can have devastating impact, especially if they are exclusive to your gallery.  You have made an investment in them and their careers, and their livelihoods are often dependent on the relationship that you have created.  If they are a full-time artist, they live and breath in that rarest of air. They are among the one to two percent of the world’s artists that have arrived at a professional career often due to your commitment to them and their commitment to you and your gallery.

representing your gallery Artists

If both parties are doing the very best, you are promoting and representing them and they are happy.  In turn, they are producing strong, magnificent work that is fresh and inventive. It doesn’t sound like it’s complicated, yet it can be.  It’s not news that most if not all highly talented artists can be temperamental.  Which is the best word that comes to mind here? That temperament can look abrupt or even harsh, and often lovely and warm all in the same moment.  So there’s an “art” to representing an artist, and it is complicated and even frustrating.  Some of the most talented can be the most challenging.

Serious Play is able to help you understand and maneuver the conversations that are often necessary with artists.  We will talk about different means to do this.  Barnett has seen A-list artists bolt from a gallery because they were not properly represented. 

Artist Relations

Together we will discuss ways to engage and how to acquire the very best from your artist’s studios and artist relations. Barnett will also talk about some strong dos and don’ts around the subject of “supply and demand” when it comes to what they are producing.  Remember, he is one of the small minority of individuals, who is both a long-time studio artist and a former gallery owner/creative director.  Few in the industry can say this.  We will talk about the kind of active listening that artist’s need and we will also visit about the regularity of contact, meaning how best to execute a studio visit. And, very importantly, we will talk about creative ways that the artist themselves can be a brilliant salesperson but not in the way that you may think.

In these new times, you need finesse to confront the serious discussion of direct studio sales to clients. There is more than one way to have this discussion. If important artists sell a work of art to a client and do not include the gallery in the conversation, it can affect relationships with the gallery.  And, of course, a gallery’s bottom line is a huge issue here as well.  There is an epidemic of this happening, but there are solutions.  Often, artists and galleries are not communicating enough.  There are two sides of the coin here.  Then, when you Segway into the concept of contracts with artists you will unearth even more issues to discuss.

Discussing Studio Sales with your gallery

It can take years to develop a trusting relationship with an artist.  Serious Play’s goal is to review how you engage with this precious resource while maximizing their talents beyond making their art. Embrace them as another form of “brand ambassadorship” to help increase sales.  Ask yourself this question.  When you think of artist relations, are you in touch enough with your most important asset?