Congratulations! A curator, collector, gallerist, or consultant has agreed to a studio visit. You read our article on Getting Noticed by Galleries and things are now in motion. You’re halfway there to potentially have a body of work make its journey outside the studio and into the world! But now what? Below I will outline a few tips to make a studio visit go smoothly, successful, and memorable for both you and your visitor, from the eyes of a gallerist. 

I think this goes without saying – yet I find myself repeating this over and over in my articles  – be prepared and organized. First things first is your visitors will need as much pertinent information at the ready as possible: well-organized CV, an equally organized website if you can, and a copy of a portfolio your visitor can take with you. These are all things the Artist Ally team can help you with in our sessions, or will be topics in future template articles. Beyond that, here’s some informal, and perhaps obvious tips, but still ones you should consider when having a visitor to your studio. 

Prepare a Narrative:

I always find it is best to show any collector a focused series of work rather than presenting a larger, sometimes disparate oeuvre of artwork. You can always show your visitor older work or a different series if prompted, but having a consistent, coherent group of work to show I find is usually more effective. Is there a story you’re trying to tell? Is there a thread that weaves between your works? The artwork of course needs to be visually appealing, but narratives and storytelling always make any body of work compelling and magnetic. Knowing the creative impetus behind the work allows one engaging with the work a closer, more personal relationship to the art. Arrange your studio in a way, if possible, to tell a visual narrative. 

Tidy Up and Prepare Your Space(But Don’t Worry):

If you’re hosting a dinner party or having guests over, of course you’re expected to tidy, so same goes for having someone over to your studio. There should be some expectation of presentation, however, artist studios can be inherently messy, so don’t stress too much. It’s nice sometimes to see behind the curtain,to lift the veil, and to see the tools that allow the magic to happen. I’ve been on studio visits and personally love knowing about “the process”. Seeing works in different levels of completeness can also work to your advantage. How does the artwork make its way to its final form? What is your preferred oil paint? Do you have a unique underpainting technique? Why do you particularly like this type of canvas? Why do you prefer one embroidery thread over another? Again, as talking about a narrative helps, the process and your technical journey the artwork takes can be equally as fascinating, and going through the paint spills, the inevitable re-painting of one of your canvases, how you tried this new thing out that you liked, showing me your favourite palette knife, what worked, what didn’t… all these conversations breathe life into your practice and make a studio visit more memorable. Again, as part of the ethos of artist ally, connecting with your soul and purpose as an artist will always pay dividends and set you on a path of success and actualization.  

That all being said, please do make sure your studio is presentable as if you’re having an important guest. Don’t be afraid to offer water, tea, coffee. I would typically avoid offering wine or alcohol on most occasions unless you have a rapport and are a quite a bit more familiar with the person you are meeting. Example being, I recently went on a studio visit with an artist I consider a friend, been around town with, had gone to other gallery openings with, they had come to our events, and clinked glasses and said “cheers” to on mulitiple occasions, and on the visit had a glass of wine with them and it was lovely. This is a great example and bypoduct of the “Be Around” section of my previous article referenced in the first paragraph. However, if I’m meeting you for the first time I might be a bit more uncomfortable. Avoid the alcohol in all other cases.

Also, be considerate of your visitor’s time. Are they swinging by on their lunch break? Do they have kids they have to get back to? Did you agree beforehand to an alotted amount of time? It is sometimes best to pre-arrange an agreed to time period that way they don’t leave too quickly or feel like the visit is dragging on. 30 minutes to an hour is about the sweet spot for me (depending on the amount of work you’re trying to show).

Side note: Your studio doesn’t need to be a space within an arts building or industrial area, it can be your garage, your spare bedroom, it could be your living room, don’t be afraid. For emerging artists, we’re used to a variety of different spaces being used as your studio space, as long as you make a visitor feel welcome and that you prepared for their arrival you should be in the clear.

Be curious, be open, and be honest about your experience and what you want:

If you are meeting with a gallerist or a curator, this is the first opportunity to see if you’re the right fit. Now its your turn to ask some questions. If you’ve had exhibition or residency experiences, what did you like about them? What worked for you? Make sure you’re aligned philosophically with the curator or gallerist. Are they offering a show? And if they are is it themed, and does this theme potentially betray what you are trying to say with your work. Once art goes out into the world its, in some cases, “no longer yours” and people are free to interpet and understand it any way they want so having a curatorial direction that meshes well with your work is something to think about. Ultimately, this is kind of like the art world version of a job interview so now is the time to understand if working together will be the best “work environment” for you.

This is also the best time to get the technical questions out of the way. How does the gallery or space operate? Is it a commercial gallery? Are you getting an exhibition fee? Are you getting a commission / net percentage of the sale and is it reasonable? How long will it take you to get paid? Have frank discussions about your pricing or exhibition fees here so you don’t get burned later. If you’re still unsure about pricing, feel free to reference our previous article on Pricing Your Artwork.

I know I have filled this article with a lot of potential questions to ask rather than some things to do, but what I want to drive home is that this 1-on1 experience is always the best opportunity to get as much information as possible both from the artist’s side, as well as the gallerist / collector / curator / consultant’s side. Getting to know each other is imperative and the foundation to a good, fruitful, and long term relationship with any industry professional or collector. 

Want to know more about studio visits or have any further questions about how to prepare your studio?

If this is something you’re interested in knowing more about, including how to set up a CV, how to structure a website, or how to speak with industry professionals confidently, never hesitate to reach out to me, Blake, a gallerist and your friend.

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