How to Get into Art Galleries

Because fine art acquisition is a visual and emotional experience, art galleries offer a unique opportunity for buyers and collectors to get up close and personal, unlike anything the Internet can do.
Therefore, for the foreseeable future, art galleries remain important for artists seeking to sell their art and for those seeking to acquire art.
My wife, Bibi, and I own Ocean Art Gallery, a fine art and framing business in Ormond Beach, Florida, at the busy intersection of the easternmost coastal highway and a major four-lane east-west connector from I-95. In our 3,000 square foot space, we offer high quality fine art by Florida, national and international artists for homes and offices, plus professional framing and art workshops.  
We receive 5-10 artist inquiries a week. These come in all forms, usually not following the simple method we have provided on our website. As a result of not following directions, most of these artists do not get a serious look by us because we want artists who can work and communicate effectively.
Other artists who may not get our fullest attention are those who come into the gallery and expect to talk with us about how to get into the gallery. Why is this a problem?
We are simply too busy to stop what we are doing when an artist walks in with the intent to get us to look at his or her art and listen to why they want to be in our gallery. Our business is selling art, not explaining to artists during our prime selling time what they can learn elsewhere.
So, what is my advice for getting into a gallery? It’s simple: do your homework and follow whatever process galleries have established.
First, the homework art:
Visit your targeted galleries online to determine if they are where you want to be and whether they might want your art.
Ask yourself:
How will my art benefit the gallery?
Does my pricing align with the gallery’s?
How can I help the gallery?
What do I bring to the table? Have I been in shows, won any awards, sold my art, created a marketing buzz?
          Do I have an Internet presence with an attractive website      and, at the least, a Facebook Business Page or Instagram page?
Is my art at the level it needs to be for my targeted gallery?
Does the gallery have a strong Internet presence with its website, Facebook and Instagram?
Does the gallery have strong media presence in newspapers and magazines?
Physically visit the galleries you have chosen to investigate further without intruding on the gallery management’s time.
Ask yourself:
How does the gallery look? Is it attractive? Is the art crowded? Were you and other guests welcomed?
If possible, call represented artists and ask about their experiences in target galleries.
Have you established yourself and your art at a point whereby the gallery can verify your presence in the art world. Many galleries, such as ours, rarely take risks with unproven artists, but there are galleries that do. Seek out the gallery that is right for you.
Second, follow the gallery’s submission process to a T. Do what you are told to do in the way it is requested. This is not where creativity will work for you.
Our submission process is simple, yet it allows us to review artists on our time, usually nights and weekends, plus it shows whether they can follow directions, write clearly, make astute decisions about what is important about their art and themselves. In other words, we get an overall picture that allows us to decide if we want to know more through a personal meeting.
Here is our submission process direct from our website.
Artist Inquiries


Ocean Art Gallery Representation
Please submit the following to the gallery owner, Frank Gromling, at
[email protected] for consideration to be represented in the gallery:

• Your name and medium(s)
• List any awards or featured exhibits
• A little bit about yourself and art
• 3-5 jpegs of your pieces
• A link to your website(or Facebook business page)

There are several major factors at play when considering new artists:

• Quality
• Uniqueness
• Price cohesive with target market
• Must have sales & marketing experience
• Gallery space availability

Every gallery is different. If they do not have a submission process on their website, call to introduce yourself and ask how they wish you to submit your inquiry.
The All-Important Gallery Meeting
Be on time; look sharp; bring only the number and type of work you were told to bring; bring backup literature; plan on a 30-minute meeting unless management tells you otherwise.
Have a list of questions for management, such as how do they think you will contribute to the gallery, when could you display; may I have a sample agreement, etc.?
DO NOT ASK: where will my art be displayed, how many pieces will I sell, how much will I make, when will I be featured, etc. You have to build a relationship through performance.
Honor the 30-minute rule unless management extends it.
A few final comments:
Learn how to handle rejection. Not every gallery will be right for you at the time of your submission. Different theme, special show, lower or higher pricing levels, no room, etc. Learn why you are rejected, accept it, and move on.
Create a powerful elevator pitch for when you are in front of anyone, from gallery owner to art show public. While not everyone thinks elevator pitches are valuable, I have found them useful when time is short and I want to make my point quickly.
Who remembers what I said at the beginning of the blog about Ocean Art Gallery? It was, “We offer high quality fine art by Florida, national and international artists for homes and offices.”
That is an elevator pitch. Make one for yourself.
Maybe it will not be as memorable as one from 1975, but who knows?
“A police chief, with a phobia for open water, battles a gigantic shark with an appetite for swimmers and boat captains, in spite of a greedy town council who demands that the beach stay open.”