Demystifying the art world workbook (Oct 2016) by New Ashgate Gallery

DEMYSTIFYING THE ART WORLD A participatory workshop

17th October 2016 New Ashgate Gallery / on-site at University for the Creative Arts Trainer: Susan Mumford, Founder of Be Smart About Art

Trainer: Susan Mumford [MInstSMM MA FRSA MPSA] Susan Mumford is a game-changer in the 21st Century art world. She’s an entrepreneur, mentor, speaker and author. While running a gallery in Soho, London, she founded the Association of Women Art Dealers (AWAD), a non-profit trade network with London and New York chapters, and members dotted around the globe. Several years later, she started a social enterprise called Be Smart About Art. The motto is, “Art is your life. Make it your living.” The mission is to provide online-accessible professional development for a changing art world. In late 2015, her first book was published: Art is your life. Make it your living.

© Be Smart About Art Ltd. www.besmartaboutart.com E: savvy@besmartaboutart.com | T: +44 (0) 20 7748 5212 | Twitter @besmartaboutart #besmartaboutart #bsaaff Be Smart About Art Ltd. | Company No. 8223803 | Registered in England & Wales | Registered Address: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX

This workbook is intended as a reference tool for participants of a Be Smart About Art Ltd workshop. No responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the content. Reference to any organisation or person in these notes does not indicate any form of endorsement. Be Smart About Art Ltd does not take responsibility or accept liability for any loss or damage resulting from using these notes or any other organisations mentioned therein.

Introduction to the ART WORLD WHO (is in the industry – consider both the the ‘art world’ and the ‘art business’) ___________________________________

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WHAT (are income stream options, including speculative & guaranteed) Speculative:

Guaranteed:

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WHY (do people go into the field) __________________________________________________________________________ WHERE (do things take place, including transactions and building your network) ___________________________________

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HOW (does one break in to the art landscape) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ HOW MUCH (time and investment is needed to ‘make it’) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ WHEN (do things happen in the industry) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ A changing landscape… Self-representation, collaboration and representation (including ethics) _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 3

WHAT ARE YOUR FEARS (OF THE ART WORLD)? Example: Mumbo-Jumbo! _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Roles in the Art World - Definitions: Art Dealer __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Gallerist (bricks & mortar/online) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Art Consultant / Adviser __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ (cont.) 4

ÂŠ Be Smart About Art Ltd. www.besmartaboutart.com E: savvy@besmartaboutart.com | T: +44 (0) 20 7748 5212 | Twitter @besmartaboutart #besmartaboutart #bsaaff Be Smart About Art Ltd. | Company No. 8223803 | Registered in England & Wales | Registered Address: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX

Artist Agent __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Independent Curator __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ In order for those individuals to take you seriously, you need: • • • •

A solid creative practice; A cohesive body of work; A clear idea as to your practice (expressed in your Art World Pitch); and A professional attitude.

And what else helps: • • • • •

Proven track record of sales (showing that your work is sellable); Credibility (with exhibitions, press, testimonials etc); An up to date website; Being active (exhibitions, online presence); and Continually developing creative practice.

YOUR ART WORLD PITCH You need to be able to answer the following types of questions: “What do you do?” “What kind of art do you make?” If you can’t succinctly answer this question, then it is very probably not clear in your own mind! It will only make sense to others once you have clarified the answer to yourself. And fantastically, this clarity feeds into your studio practice. Moreover, its important that you identify your niche, so that your works are recognisable for being by YOU. This can be the WHAT and/or the WHY to your practice – not limited to a single medium, either. Practice: Brainstorm keywords that describe your art practice. Prompts: Think about the viewer’s experience. What impact do you intend to have on the viewer? -- Keep it short! You need to be able to be able to say this in max 20 seconds! --

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Create a statement that you would be comfortable to say to an art collector, artist, interior designer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or even the cousin who has never stepped foot into a gallery!

_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ With more critique, write a concise version here (that you can easily memorise and say slowly in under 20 seconds): _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ ÂŠ Be Smart About Art Ltd. www.besmartaboutart.com 7 E: savvy@besmartaboutart.com | T: +44 (0) 20 7748 5212 | Twitter @besmartaboutart #besmartaboutart #bsaaff Be Smart About Art Ltd. | Company No. 8223803 | Registered in England & Wales | Registered Address: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX This workbook is intended as a reference tool for participants of a Be Smart About Art Ltd workshop. No responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the content. Reference to any organisation or person in these notes does not indicate any form of endorsement. Be Smart About Art Ltd does not take responsibility or accept liability for any loss or damage resulting from using these notes or any other organisations mentioned therein.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY TEMPLATE (for print and online) Your name (b. xxyearxx) (xxartist association lettersxx) Biographical text in 3-4 paragraphs: • • •

Start with a background story. Explain your art practice as a whole. Follow by describing differing bodies of work and/or selecting individual pieces as examples. Finish with what you are currently working towards.

•

Example image of your art

Notes on biographical text: •

Within the text, include quotations by a critic / academic / collector / gallerist / curator. Providing what others say about your practice is perceived as validation, as others ‘buy into you’.

Education and art training. State in order of what was most recent. This can include uncertified courses in which you developed your creative practice.

Solo Exhibitions 2-10 Nov 2017* 2012

Title of show, gallery name, city and country (country name if out of UK) Title of show, gallery name, city and country (country name if out of UK)

Selected Group Exhibitions Publications Press Commissions Awards / Prizes Residencies Fellowships Projects Collections (can specify different sections if applicable: Private, Public, Corporate) Notable sitters (for portrait artists) Footer: YOUR WEBSITE / TELEPHONE / EMAIL / ETC 8

BEING A PROFESSIONAL IS ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE, APPROACH AND BRAND. Break-out Exercise: Establishing credibility in your artist biography Remember: The world does not know about your expertise & experience unless you communicate it! Art societies of which you’ve been elected (ex: RP – Royal Society of Portrait Painters): _________________________________________________________________________________ Education and/or art training (if applicable, including specialist training): _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Solo exhibitions: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Group exhibitions (including artist fairs and open submission shows): _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Art prizes / juried shows, awards and other achievements: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Residencies: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Commissions: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Press & publications: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Collections â&#x20AC;&#x201C; countries and/or individual collections (public institutions, approved private collections): Ex. phrasing: The Art Institute, London; Private collections in the UK. _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Projects (the weird and wonderful, curation, participation in performance pieces, etc – things that don’t fit elsewhere in the bio) _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Auctions (charity) These can also go under ‘group exhibitions’ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Quotations on your art practice (critics, academics, collectors) _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Notes: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

PRICING (PROFITABLY) & EDITIONING What do you want to know about pricing?

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What challenges do you currently face in the realm of pricing / editioning?

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Let’s start with key principles… What is meant by ‘market price’?

_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Why is it important to consistently price works of art?

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Primary & Secondary Market – Definitions: Primary market: ____________________________________________________________ Secondary market: __________________________________________________________ What (or where) is your market? Do you have multiple markets (or might you in future)?

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Why might pricing stay the same or vary if you sell in multiple markets?

1. _______________________________________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________________________________ 12

Open Discussion: Wholesale / Trade Price versus Retail Pricing _________________________________________________________________________ The focus in pricing art: The market / audience Ask yourself: “What will the market pay?” And bear in mind: The PSYCHOLOGY of selling DEFINITIONS Product (or commodity): A thing which through its qualities satisfies human needs of whatever kind (Marx) 2 types of products: Goods & Services What products are you selling? Think about what else you can offer. Goods Anything that can be offered to a market that might satisfy a want or need (Wikipedia) For your creative enterprise, this includes:

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Services The production of an essentially intangible benefit, either in its own right or as a significant element of a tangible product, which through some form of exchange, satisfies an identified need. (archives.gov) For your creative enterprise, this includes:

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THINK ABOUT THE CONTEXT OF ALL OF THE ABOVE: Why is it important to offer multiple ‘entry points’ as well as options?

_________________________________________________________________________ 13

3 Golden Rules to Pricing Art: 1. ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Working with dealers: Commission split & related Two main ways that artists and dealers arrange payment amount for each party:

1. _______________________________________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________________________________ Another option (less commonplace):

3. _______________________________________________________________________ Notes on best practices for commission split etc: _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

ORIGINAL PRINTS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Essentials: What must you decide from day one?

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Key points on pricing, edition numbers and authentication: Set expectations.

SELLING ART ONLINE: Should prices of art be listed? ________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Does art sell online? ________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Examples of online marketplaces: ___________________________________

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What will be changing in the coming years: _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

THE 21ST CENTURY ART WORLD: COLLABORATIVE WORKING & THE DIGITAL AGE Overview: _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ What’s expected of artists in this new era? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ What do galleries no longer necessarily do? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ How are artists breaking through the traditional art world barriers? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ What can artists ‘bring to the table’? ___________________________________

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Examples: Artist who emailed Susan with enticing press offer & the artist who had a solo exhibition and wanted to wait for a gallery to do the selling. 17

WORKING WITH GALLERIES Example benefits of working with a gallery (including online and art consultants): ___________________________________

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What it does NOT do for you… ___________________________________

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Why it’s best to start with group shows: ___________________________________

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Top 3 ways to attain collaboration/ representation, based on Be Smart About Art research: 1. ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ p.s.: Never forget: It’s a two-way decision! 18

How else do artists attain representation? •

The cold approach

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ •

Gallery-run competitions

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ •

Social media

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Take note: •

You rarely get immediate results with representation (analogy: ‘The Dance’);

Q&A – Working with galleries _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

FAQs & final points: Should I have websites for different facets of my career? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ What about differing LinkedIn profiles? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Is it important that I only show ‘art’ related experience on my artist bio? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Taking the long-term approach with your art career: _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

General Notes _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How do you talk about your practice without being full of #artbollocks ? Writing by: Susan Mumford | Photography by Chris King | Nov. 10, 2013

I have worked with many an artist and gallerist who struggle with answers to the questions: “What kind of art do you do?” and “What type of art does your gallery show?” The thing is, whether or not people outside of the art world realise it, they are looking for what defines you as YOU. Artists need to establish a recognisable ‘style’, even as your work evolves into varying subjects and mediums. For galleries, it is paramount to develop ‘expert’ status in defined realms, be that contemporary Irish paintings or late 19th C Victorian watercolours. Recently I was working with an artist in advance of a portfolio review with a West End dealer. We determined the images and flow for her presentation. Then, I asked how she would describe her art practice to him, as this would undoubtedly be asked. The answer included a long statement that she couldn’t quite recall. It included words and phrases such as, ‘ephemeral’, ‘contemporary sublime’, ‘ambiguous’ and so on. Whilst these can be effective for use in written statements, oral communication is altogether a different ballgame. It is important to think about how you will answer this question in advance, and come up with a response that you can state clearly and confidently. Part and parcel of creating such a statement is the notion that YOU need to know what you do - otherwise, no one else will have any chance of understanding it. In essence, you are painting a picture with words, not relying on having a backdrop of art. In my meeting with artist, we started getting somewhere when I asked the following: “Do you have any cousins who don’t know a thing about art?” She smiled, laughed, and said yes. She has a cousin who has unquestionably never stepped foot into a gallery, so I asked her to imagine what she would say that would give him an idea about understanding her overall art practice. The resulting statement describes that her way of seeing is the result of spending 15 years as a scuba diving instructor. How interesting and insightful! This ‘why’ to her art enables the ending words,

“emerges and dissolves,” to make SENSE. It’s not some inaccessible art world mumbo-jumbo. Have a think about what you make or show. Consider what your style and expertise are. Think about WHY you do what you do. And then come up with a clear statement that you can SAY to someone who doesn’t have a clue about art. And rest assured, you can change what you say as your practice evolves.

How I opened the door to the art world Writing by: Susan Mumford | Photography by Chris King | Oct. 20, 2013

I had been living in London for a year, working as a retail manager in a natural foods shop. What was I doing? I wanted to get into the London art world. After submitting my CV to commercial galleries, it quickly became clear that I needed to open the door to the art world myself. Yet I couldn’t get any introductions, as I didn’t know a single person in the industry. In fact, I knew very few people in the country – that is, apart from others in a similar situation to myself, who were also hoping to get a break in the big city. I was serious about making the shift, and accordingly had already reduced my weekly commitment to the retail job. Thank goodness the shop was keen to keep me, and offered a promotion with an hourly pay rise to boot! This enabled financially viability. I had a favourite photography gallery in Notting Hill so walked in, CV in hand. I spoke with the gallery manager offered to work two days a week free of charge as an intern. I was in luck, and was recruited on the spot. For the next three months, I worked two days a week, staffing the front desk, talking with visitors, assisting with private views, starting sales conversations and generally assisting with whatever else needed doing. I was delighted to be getting the experience, although my retail colleagues saw it

differently. Everyday, they informed me that I was “bonkers” to be working free of charge. I had casually agreed with the director that my internship would last three months. However, no references were taken and no specific end date was set. I figured that as far as he was concerned, this green American expat was free labour. Without a formal arrangement of any sort, I mustered up courage as my time at the photography gallery approached three months. I invited the director to a coffee meeting the week that I had calculated the internship was due to finish. We discussed successful projects and sales that related to my experience to date. I then did that which quietly terrified me; I informed him that as I was now trained, he could either offer me a paid position, or I would be happy to find a gallery job elsewhere. And guess what? He offered me role of gallery assistant on the spot. Amazing! Was it really amazing, though? Was any element of luck really involved? I had opened the door to the experience myself, and personally ensured that we stuck to the (verbal) parameters. During our coffee meeting, I essentially offered my services, and he was welcome to accept or decline. The gallery was well positioned to make an informed decision, as they had trained me without incurring salary costs, and thus, effectively pre-vetted me for suitability. And the rest is, as they say, history. I stayed at the gallery for another year, hopped over to a sculpture gallery, and so on and so forth. How might work experience be relevant for you, or your business? If you do opt to get work experience, you must take responsibility and ensure that you are not taken advantage of by the business. Everyone should win, and you can effectively move forward in your profession if you set clear parameters, maintain professionalism and take action when needed.

RECOUPING FRAMING COSTS

The basics: How this arrangement works • • •

Set the price of the work of art unframed Add the cost price of the frame on top of the above unframed work of art price Upon selling a work of art, whomever has paid for the frame (artist or rep) should be reimbursed the cost of frame from the top of the selling price. The agreed commission split should be based on the remaining amount, e.g., unframed price of art.

Example: Unframed artwork price £1000 Frame (as paid by yourself) £100 Total selling price £1100 Upon selling, you are paid £600 (that’s £100 for the frame + 50% of £1000 at £500)

What makes this formula fair? If you hadn’t done the above, you might have sold the piece at £1100 however only taken £550. After the cost of the frame, your commission is only £450. Yet the other party has taken £50 extra! What often happens is that the price of the art is increased even more (so the client pays more), in order to enable you to recoup your framing cost and yet still make enough profit. Yet all the while, the other party’s commission increases for no good reason.

Paperwork – boring, but essential! When an artist consigns works of art to an art dealer using this arrangement, the Consignment Note should clearly state who has paid for the framed pieces (artist or rep) and the value of said frame/s. This is important for the rep to refer to upon a sale, so that the commission is correctly calculated. It is the responsibility of both artist and dealer to keep an up-to-date Stocklist detailing selling prices of art. Again for this sort of arrangement, have different columns for price of art unframed, cost of frame, and total selling price.