I have some questions for those of you who show work in galleries, work in a gallery or have worked in galleries.
Would you be willing to share with me:
*Guidelines for framing work to be shown in gallery and how these guidelines are worded.
Most of the galleries I'm part of have no set criteria for framing and the photogs who contribute are all over the map. One of us is into pretending that his photographs are watercolors or guaches and he has them inkjet printed on watercolor paper and then lacquered, and frames them without a mat in gilded frames. I mat generously and frame almost exclusively with black matte finish aluminum as thin as I can buy. The visually most capable of us is very poor and recently submitted a great mass of inkjet 5x7s and 8x12s shrink wrapped against corrugated cardboard with high prices. The work is gorgeous but the presentation is embarassing.
*Sample contracts for the artists (photographers included, of course).
Oh dear. That's a big project. I'd have to do some scanning.
*Promotional services the galleries provide for the artists.
Some do some don't. Postcards to the mailing list of the gallery with a small additional allocation to the artist, but generally only when it's a one or few-person show. Newspaper advertising routinely as part of doing business, also advertising in local arts rags, reception at the expense of the gallery, some do pot luck.
*The gallerie's guidelines for choosing work to be shown.
All over the map. Some jury each show, some take whatever you bring, some look it over when you bring it and say yes or no. Depends on the nature of the gallery. Generally the more the gallery owner intends to make a living, the more agressive the criteria.
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Emily L. Ferguson
mailto:elf@xxxxxxxx 508-563-6822
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races, press photography http://www.vsu.cape.com/~elf/
