Woodworkers’ skills are always evolving. Through magazines, books and especially online forums (where precise feedback is just a few keystrokes away), ambitious amateurs are improving all the time. And, as they improve, their horizons expand as well. At some point, many woodworkers-probably most-decide their work is good enough to sell, begging the obvious questions “Where?” and “How?” Some opt for commissioned work, some for craft shows, but for those whose work is truly unique, the lure of the art or craft gallery is hard to resist. This month, I asked our visitors, “Have you ever exhibited your work in a gallery, and, if so, what was your experience?” The answers were illuminating, and encouraging as well…
“A friend exhibited in a gallery. She wasn’t a ‘name’ so the amount of space and publicity was minimal. But the reality is that you have to display and get your name out to the public in some fashion. They aren’t going to beat a path to your door if they don’t know where the door is.”
“I always found that having a ‘name’ is not nearly as important as quality of work and commitment to a gallery. A name might get you in the door, but if your work is second rate, it’s not going to help sales. Most galleries are always looking for new work that is from reliable craftsmen and women. My first experience was with Gallery of Fine Woodworking in Sausalito CA. I learned so much from the owner; she would give me praise, advice, and, if I made a mistake, she would let me know about it. It was a sad day when she closed.”
“I’ve been in galleries since 1988. Most of my experiences have been good. There is so much upside to showing in a gallery: many more people can view your work and appreciate it. Galleries can do publicity that is hard for a one-person shop to do. Some of the nicest articles I’ve been in were because the gallery sent the author to talk to me about my work. You need to establish a relationship with the owners. At this point, I am fairly picky about where I show, and it is more important to me to have a really good relationship with a gallery than to be in as many as possible.”
“Next week, I will be showing work at my first event of this type, but the internal part of it has been interesting. For over ten years, what I visualized was always inspired by seeing other people’s finished work. These get filed away more often mentally than anything else, and show up in bits and pieces on the work I do. I have been asked what my ‘style’ of work is, and I still stumble for words because I don’t feel I have arrived at a style that can be set apart. But I have turned a corner. There was a point where each piece that I made was ‘my last piece of furniture.’ I realized that would mean I have nothing left to learn or display. My focus now is to just build the ‘best next piece’ l can and not worry about what isn’t in the piece.”
“As my skills as a serious hobbyist advanced, the looming question became ‘how do I know my stuff is good enough to sell?’ The only way to tell is to attempt to market the work. There are three ways to sell woodworking: (1) Hang out a shingle. There is no middleman, but if sales are not good you may have more at risk. (2) Art Fairs/Craft shows. Here you have overhead, trying to get accepted by juries, travel costs, hassles of setup and possible damage to your wares during the process. The upside is, all the profit is yours and tons of people see your work. (3) Galleries. They pay all overhead for display and marketing. The downside is they get 40% to 50% of the sale [or more]. I chose to go the gallery route. They give me a chance to make things on my schedule and help me network to the target clients that I am seeking. They also provide marketing for commission work. If I get a commission, the gallery gets 30% of the sale.”
“I am now an artist in residence for the best art gallery in the area. I am halfway through a solo show, and sales have been very good. I have been contacted for commissions as a result of the show, but it is far too early for me to have a comfort level in the local market and I cannot hang my laurels on the status quo. I’ll keep my day job, while polishing and expanding my portfolio. Lastly, I do not consider myself in competition with big box furniture stores. My clients want quality, and they want unique. If you make high quality stuff that is well designed, there will always be a market for it.”
“I am dabbling with variations of this idea, though I’ve not crossed over into that territory yet. The hardest part, by far, of successfully entering this market is design. Most of us have no training in this area, and it shows. The skills for excellent design are apparently difficult to learn from scratch. I know because I have tried and failed to generate interesting designs, even though I consider myself reasonably skilled at critique.”
“My limited experience with galleries has been that they are a great form of marketing. I’ve never sold a piece through a gallery, but I have gotten commissions from customers there, who are comfortable with the pricing and happy with my style. So, I wouldn’t put anything in a gallery that I didn’t want to make variations on.”
“I sort of exhibited in a gallery. I took a couple of tile-topped tables to a local gallery, and the owner bought them. Artists in my neighborhood have another option: twice a year we have an event at which local artists can either open their studios/shops to the public or take their wares to any of several locations. It is well publicized, very high quality and very well attended.”
“The owner of a local gallery was familiar with my work and begged for pieces to sell. I declined for a long time, mostly afraid my work wouldn’t sell. When I finally consented, my work sold immediately, and I couldn’t produce pieces fast enough. Obviously, gallery owners know their stuff.”
“I attend about 30 craft shows a year. Last year, I was contacted by a gallery who wanted to handle some of my pieces. I agreed. No consignment: I sell to them for 20% off my retail price. I am having a difficult time keeping them supplied. They far exceed my craft show sales, and next year, I will cut my craft show participation down to two or three a year. I will, however, try to pick up another gallery.”
“I’ve sold quite a lot of my furniture and bowls through galleries, but also sell direct to customers for whom I’m doing other work. I’m looking at doing more shows just to help get my name out there. Seems my biggest problem is do I want to be a bowl turner or a furniture builder. I find it hard to try and do both well.”
“Most of my ‘fun’ is sold through galleries or at art fairs. Some of the problems that I have with galleries are that the owner, manager, or sales people are not well informed about wood. If it doesn’t hang on a wall, it ain’t art. Also, pricing. Try to place your work in galleries with work of similar quality by other turners, and with competitive pricing.”
“I currently sell through five galleries and have cut my craft show appearances completely. I also do two studio tours, which I find very different from craft shows. The two galleries that sell 80% of my work know wood, promote it well, and pay on time. Both started as co-ops, and the owners are aware of the needs of artists/craftspersons. Problems arose when I dealt with galleries run by real businessmen. They have little interest or understanding of the work. A bowl is like a slab of beef or loaf of bread. The studio tours that I still do attract a good level of potential customers, and I have done quite well. I have given up on craft sales. The bottom has fallen out of that market, and the clientele has changed. People who are working and have money go to the galleries. They know they are paying a premium, but are content to do this because they value their time.”
“I got into my first gallery after one and a-half years of turning. It went broke after about a year, but I only lost two pieces and rescued three. I am in a local gallery and was in another local cooperative gallery, but it required manning the gallery eight hours a month and had a low return. I am also in another gallery in Kentucky. All are consignment ranging from 30% to 40% commission. I have found it rather easy to get into galleries, and the only problem with multiple galleries is keeping them fed.”
“At one time, I had my work in nine galleries. I don’t turn out that much work anymore, so at present I’m dealing with four galleries–one of them since 1985. All of them pay on time, display my work well, and all have insurance on my work. Over the years, I’ve had a few bummers: not paying on time, work poorly displayed, etc. I would advise anyone contemplating putting their work into a gallery to check them out well first. Insurance is a must. Look for proper lighting, and that pieces aren’t overcrowded. I ask my galleries to not put my work behind glass. It won’t sell if it is. Contact some of the artists represented and ask questions. Some galleries work on a 50/50 basis, others on 60/40. The bottom line is: what will your net be.”
“I was asked to exhibit some of my work in a local gallery. A table was provided in a good location on the first floor. I asked and was assured my work would not be displayed in open sunlight. After I dropped off my work, I made the mistake of not checking in often enough. Several months went by without a word from the gallery owner. I finally got time to stop by and found all my work piled on top of one another in an out of the way corner. The gallery owner said no one showed enough interest, so he ‘moved’ it. I had a list of all objects on display there, so I reclaimed my work, inspected it for damage, and packed it up. That experience really colored my thinking, but I learned that the next time that I display work in a gallery, I will get some type of written contract or agreement.”
Thanks to our Editorial Assistant, Barb Siddiqui.
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