ArtSites Updates

Geoff and I often receive emails from our artists asking about international galleries that have contacted them.

We've talked quite a bit about "spam" and I thought it might also be good to talk about these kinds of unsolicited inquiries.

We have seen art galleries, especially from Europe, essentially, spam our artists with various offers of showing work.

Sometimes these offers are just electronic showings and other times, a physical showing.

These offers aren't necessarily scams.

BUT, here are 5 Tips to Consider When Dealing with International Art Galleries:

• What's the Screening Process?
  Look at their website and do a search for clues about how discerning they are.
  
  As with many things, you do want to be careful about who you "associate" with. :-)

• Do You Have to Pay for Something?
  Some of the illegitimate "galleries" will ask for you to pay for a reception, printing costs, etc.
  
  Most legitimate galleries will use their commissions to cover such costs.
  
  So, this is a bit of a warning.

• Is Your Contact a Legitimate Representative for the Gallery?
  While the gallery may be legitimate, verify that the person you're dealing with is actually associated with the gallery.
  
  One clue might be whether they are using an email address with the gallery domain name.
  
  Or, is it just a gmail, yahoo, hotmail, or other general email address?
  
  Sometimes, it's as simple as offering to call the gallery! ;-)

• What Do Previous Artists / Exhibitors Say?
  If there is a list of previous artists, reach out to them and ask them how helpful the show / gallery was?
  
  Now, also beware, that these "artists" may be friends of the gallery.
  
  That said, it does help to get more information from fellow artists!

• Will This Benefit My Career?
  It's also really important to evaluate whether this opportunity makes sense for you and your career.
  
  Sometimes, we've seen artists use these opportunities as a way to go on a "working vacation"! ;-)
  
  So, while you may not sell any artwork, you might be able to learn more about an international art community.

In general, If people find you on the internet, look at how they contacted you and really evaluate how they talk to you.

If it's legitimate and they make their connection clear, it's not likely to be "just spam".

However, if the contact is very generic, it's probably spam and can be ignored.

If the opportunity initially looks legitimate and interesting, it might be worth further communication.

But, be very careful not to divulge much personal information.

Instead, try to investigate the parameters of the opportunity to see if you're really interested.

There's no use going too far, if turns out not to be interesting to you!

Most importantly, look for ways that they might be trying to scam you.

We do have a pretty good radar for internet scams.

So, if you ever want to send us a message you've receive, we would be more than happy to give you our thoughts on it!

Be cautious and when in doubt, please feel free to reach out to us! :-)