gallery smell..
Out of context: Reply #9
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- ArtGuy0
I would like to state a few simple things that some of you may overlook about the art business. First and foremost, everyone is paying someone! If you are at a starting point in your career and lack a substantial resume you will be asked to pay for at least a portion of fees associated with showing (mailing expense, printing, distribution, invitations, reviews, print and digital ads, all cost MONEY!) THIS IS NOT UNREASONABLE! Artist love to attack galleries for lack of ethics, but I never hear anyone attack major art publications for the extreme expense of advertising and promotions. Reviews make or break an artist's career. Reviews are BOUGHT by spending significant amounts of money on ads! If you don't spend a fortune on ads, you won't be reviewed! Also, emerging artists are a greater risk to exhibit and much harder to get reviewed.
If you simply do the MATH you could figure out for yourself that charging artists does not even pay the monthly bills let alone make a profit in a prime NYC gallery.
Monthly rent/mortgage - cost upwards of $15,000 (which does not include utilities on a ground floor space larger than 3500 sq ft)
Minimal staff of 6 people - If you paid them $10 an hour is $6,000 (this is if they only work 5 hour days)!!!!!
Catalogue Printing - $5,000 USD for 1,000 copies (a ground floor gallery needs to order way more than this)
Postcards/Invitations - $250 USD for 1,000-2,000
Mailing expense - catalogues and press releases cost about $2 per package, send out 2,000 and you easily spend $4,000 dollars
Print ads - $5,000 - $10,000 for full page in Art In America or ARTnews (we sometimes advertise in both each month!)
Incidental (i.e., - lawyer fees, insurance, shipping, NYC taxes, office supplies, etc.) - AT LEAST $2,000 - $5,000 a month.This ads up to over $40,000 each month in expenses. This is an extremely conservative number to prove a point. If you think employees are all being paid $10 an hour you are a moron and thats the only way to keep this number below $50,000 a month. Stop bitching at galleries and investigate the numbers. You will see that its a very tough business and realize that galleries make money in many many many different ways and profit is not made from asking artists to cover some expenses which benefit them!
- Charles Finch: "98% of all art is shit"nilsnihil
- as for ads.. why cant you do Barter Agreement and go from print to digital adverting.
Audria - heheh this is the guy that sent the letter
SHAMAN - uh, yeah, Mr. ArtGuy, this sounds more like you are trying to justify your own extravagent spending.hargbine
- has ta beversion3