It is essential in fine art photography and illustration to target your marketing efforts to those most likely to respond positively to what you are offering. It is also imperative that you consistently communicate through your print and online materials in the “language” of the audience you choose to pursue.

Here are guidelines and recommendations for researching and marketing your work to the contacts you have identified for exhibition opportunities, representation in the fine art arena, and/or sales of your fine art work.

Art Galleries

If you wish to display your fine art images in galleries or museums, and/or secure gallery representation for print sales, the initial step is to research which venues are most likely to be receptive to your work.

Study the work of artists that art galleries currently represent towards gaining insights on the venue, the artists, price point/editions, industry activities and overall target audience.

Websites are an excellent starting place, along with general Web searches, to find reviews of gallery exhibitions in trade publications. Gauge the level of visibility, and participation in the industry, of your targeted galleries. Do the galleries invest in print and/or online ads? Do they have booths at major gallery expos and art fairs? Have their artists had more than one exhibition at the gallery? You want to target venues whose activities are talked about in the press, and that have a committed relationship with their artists and communities.

There are advantages, however, to approaching galleries that have been in business a shorter period of time. They may be more open to considering additional individuals, as the roster of artists they represent may not yet be full. They will still be developing their collecting audience and more likely to have group or thematic exhibitions. You may have an opportunity to secure an in-person meeting with them. When you work with “younger” galleries, you can grow your careers together.

Always fully explore a gallery’s website before making contact, paying careful attention to the Submission Guidelines.

Museums and other public venues

Having an exhibition at a museum or other not-for-profit space will allow a broader audience to experience your work. However, the financial constraints that museums are currently experiencing can translate to fewer exhibition offerings that remain on view for longer periods of time. Exhibitions and acquisition budgets are down, and in many cases venues are renting traveling exhibitions as a means to fill out their calendar and bring more diverse content to their communities.

If your completed body of work explores a subject that is of special interest to a museum’s particular community, if the work is ready for presentation (museum-quality prints on hand, no large shipping or framing costs required), and explores content that lends itself to educational programming for audiences of all ages, it will likely be of interest to public spaces.

Keep in mind that, given the structure of larger or board-driven institutions, decisions can take several months; museums often plan their schedules two to three years in advance. You can usually find this information on a museum’s website within the Submission Guidelines pages; try to locate answers first before contacting the curatorial office.

Corporate Art Curators

If you wish to display or sell your work to corporations, you can take a similar approach to researching private or public corporations that purchase contemporary art.

Businesses acquire art for the purposes of décor, and/or as investment (the art pieces are assets). Look into the companies and their collections to determine whether your work would be appropriate to their collecting strategy and if they are likely to have an interest in your work. This would involve reviewing their websites for any mention of display of art or the existence of an art collection.

If a company’s art acquisitions program is sizable, they probably have staff committed to buying, installing and caring for their works of art. Smaller programs are likely to work with independent corporate art consultants. Find out who they are by researching on the Web and locating listings via such publications as:

Be sure to conduct further research to determine if the individuals listed are a likely match for you and your work prior to contacting them.

Interior Designers/Décor Market

Interior designers are increasingly choosing photographs as the primary artwork in residential, hospitality and corporate locations, and in the healthcare environment. While some may secure art through local galleries, many designers will also buy artwork for their clients directly from regional artists.

Research company websites, as well as firms that are winning industry trade competitions (check out the American Society of Interior Designers list of Awards and Competitions), paying close attention to the ones that prominently feature photography and illustration within their design environments.

While an interior designer may share an artist’s website with clients at planning meetings, it is best to send print pieces to professionals in this marketplace rather than email introductions and links to artwork online. The members of this group of professionals are prominent in most cities, enabling you to develop a relationship through in-person meetings.

Specialty Sales Opportunities

You should research opportunities that match a specific audience to your type of work. For example, many galleries and public and corporate collections are organized around a certain subject, theme or diverse cultural group such as the environment, Native American traditions, urban life, etc. These venues can prove to be good sales outlets because the clientele who shop in these venues are clearly interested in your subject matter. Special occasions, anniversaries such as corporate founding dates, can also lead to opportunities for exhibitions or custom book sales.

Creating a Targeted List

It is wise to focus on the most appropriate opportunities based on the subject of your work matched to the core audience of the venue. It is crucial to be highly selective in your research and promote your work only to those galleries, museums and corporations that are appropriate for you.

A mass-mailing to a general group would not be suitable or profitable for fine art contacts. Personalized, memorable mailings will be more effective in conveying your work to your targeted list. A database, whether acquired or built by you, that has value to your career and potential for a wide audience, will contain current names of gallery directors, museum curators, in-house and freelance corporate art consultants, interior designers, graphic designers, art directors, photo editors, directors and curators at non-profit spaces.

Next Article: Promoting Your Fine Art Photographs

© 2010 Mary Virginia Swanson