How to Get Your Art in a Local Coffee Shop

Let me begin by admitting up front that I am probably the wrong person to write this post. I own an art gallery and my entire focus is on selling artwork out of my retail space. I am often asked by artists, however, what I recollect of an artist showing his/her piece of work in alternating venues – cafés, restaurants, banks, etc. The truth is that I accept very niggling experience displaying or selling art out of these kinds of venues. The right person to write this postal service would be an artist who has had success selling this way. I'm hoping that artist (or artists) volition leave their thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

That said, lack of experience or expertise has never stopped me from having an opinion in the past, so why should information technology now?!

I am a big believer in exposure, in whatever course it may take. For an artist early in his/her career, showing in a not-gallery venue like a eating house or café can exist a proficient way for y'all to begin to go your feet moisture. I would certainly rather have your work out where people can see it than collecting grit in the corner of your studio. At least if the work is showing, you've got a shot at someone seeing it and becoming familiar with your art and your name. Yous might even have a shot at a sale or two.

Allow'south admit upfront what anybody'southward motivations are and should be though, so that there is no room for disillusionment during the class of the exhibition.

The Venue's Motivation

Restaurants, banks and other alternating venues may accept many reasons to host exhibits in their spaces. The owners of the concern may have a great love for the arts and may exist large supporters of the arts in the community. They may as well feel that their clientele is interested in the fine art and might want to support the artists by making a buy. Primarily, however, I doubtable that these venues want to raise their decor with your astonishing art, which volition make their space look amend to their customers and help them practise more business. By hosting exhibitions they gain 2 huge advantages: Beginning, the art doesn't end up costing them anything. Second, they are not stuck with the art like they would be if they had purchased it. Every few months they can change the exhibition and have a totally new art collection to share with their customers.

In most cases, they are not looking at this as an opportunity to make a commission on sales and increase their revenue – consequently, they aren't going to have much motivation to actively promote or sell the work.

The Artist's Motivation

As an artist, you volition probably experience that your number i goal in showing in this setting (or any other setting, for that affair) is sales. Considering that doesn't align with the venue's motivation, y'all may be setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, I would suggest that you modify your expectations and, consequently, your approach to the bear witness.

I would suggest that you look at the brandish every bit an opportunity to increase your local exposure and make contacts with potential local supporters and buyers. With that in mind, hither are some ideas that could help you achieve this goal.

Inquire for a public reception at the opening and endmost of the show

We take a bank in our expanse that hosts receptions for the artists in conjunction with their showings. They send out a beautiful invitation to their client list inviting them to the reception. They handle the catering for the event. This is a win-win for the bank and artist. It creates an opportunity for the bank to have their customers in their banking space in a non-sales state of affairs. The bank has its top banking staff and management at the event to mingle with customers and build relationships. If the artist is known in the community it may also bring in some potential new customers.

The creative person benefits by having the opportunity to meet the customers and talk about the artwork.

I like the idea of having both an opening and endmost reception considering the closing reception gives people who have been in the depository financial institution while the exhibition was up to come dorsum and run across the artist.

This may not piece of work besides in a restaurant or buffet if they don't have a good mailing listing, but it even so might be worth the effort.

If you are in a smaller community, you might as well be able to get some printing coverage for the event. Exist sure and ship out a press release for the consequence and list information technology in local events calendars.

Print upwardly stacks of business organisation cards or postcards that visitors to the exhibition

Let's face it, restaurant and bank staff is not trained to sell art and they're probably non going to be very good at it. I one time had an creative person tell me of a conversation she overheard at a local restaurant where a patron was interested in a piece of art and a server not only told the patron that she wasn't sure if the piece was for auction or not, just proceeded to requite the patron an incorrect name for the artist.

By providing a stack of business organisation or postcards, y'all tin give the staff something tangible they can offer visitors when they want farther information.

The card can provide your contact data and an indication that the artwork is indeed for auction.

Using vistaprint.com or another online printer will permit you to create a custom bill of fare for the effect relatively inexpensively.

Create printouts that act as your salesperson

Considering the staff will exist unlikely to put much effort into selling your art (they're busy enough every bit it is) I suggest you try and anticipate your viewer'southward questions and tell them stories about your fine art using printouts that you lot display aslope your art. Nosotros use acrylic wall mount sign holders to display this kind of information in the gallery and information technology would work perfectly for this kind of venue as well.

You can get the displays for a couple of bucks from Amazon.com (click on the image to run into a larger photo and ordering information):

You should also include your biography and a display that includes a link to your website and telephone number. Ideally, y'all will take all of this information in a identify where people are waiting and have time to browse – the depository financial institution'south lobby, or a eatery'southward reception/waiting area.

Permit visitors to bring together your mailing listing by providing a election/comment box

I take long recommended that wherever an artist is – a prove, fine art festival or other art event – they should provide visitors an easy style to sign up for the artist's mailing list. Typically, the easiest fashion to exercise this is to have a invitee book. This works very well at events where you are present and can encourage your visitors to sign up, but it won't work as well in a bank or restaurant setting. The main problem with a guest book here is that your viewers aren't going to have a sense of privacy. I know I would not write my contact information downwardly in a guestbook at a restaurant where anyone can run across information technology.

Instead, I recommend you use a locking election/comment box and provide viewers with comment cards and a pen.

Hither'due south an instance of what the box might look like from Amazon (click on the image to see a larger photo and ordering information):

At present your viewers can become a sense of security and privacy when they leave their contact information.

Y'all can create the menu on your reckoner and it doesn't take to exist anything fancy. Ask for:

• Comments/Feedback about the artwork
• Contact information (including address, phone number, and email) – your visitor might non include all of the info, only information technology sure doesn't injure to inquire)
• Permission to add the visitor to your mailing list. If you don't ask for this explicit permission you really shouldn't add the name to your mailing listing.

If y'all use the box I've suggested higher up, you can run into that you lot have space to add together a description and instructions. I would include a photograph of yourself (to brand the request for feedback feel more personal) as well equally some kind of "I would beloved to hear what you call back of my artwork" text.

Be sure and stop by the venue regularly throughout the show to collect and replenish the comment cards. This is too a good opportunity to check on whatever other printed materials you have provided to the venue.

Try and build a rapport with the staff

I mentioned before that the venue's staff is unlikely to provide much support toward your sales because they have no motivation to exercise so. If you tin create a flake of a rapport with the staff, your friendship may be enough motivation for them to actually be helpful, and in some cases they may fifty-fifty become fans and big advocates of your piece of work.

Brand the Most of Every Opportunity

I don't believe showing in cafes, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, spa'southward or golf clubs is the road to fame and fortune. Nevertheless, they can exist a skillful apply of your excess inventory and tin assist you lot build relationships with potential local buyers. If you are going to accept advantage of this kind of opportunity, make the most of it by showing expert quality work and providing your visitors with the tools mentioned above. Find ways to optimize your display and don't exist agape to exist a bit unconventional or creative in trying to maximize your results from the opportunity.

Showing your Work in a Cafe is not Going to Ruin Your Career

Finally, I am often asked if showing artwork in an alternate venue is going to ruin the artist's chances of showing with galleries, or if it volition devalue the work in the eyes of collectors. I don't see whatsoever danger of either equally long every bit the artist maintains consequent pricing (see our recent podcast on pricing). The truth is that no gallery is always going to know you showed in your local coffee house, and even if they did, they wouldn't care. If that showing lead to some good contacts and a few sales, that increased awareness volition only benefit the gallery in the long run.

If a client runs into your work in their favorite eating place it's going to be a pleasant surprise and remind them of your work. They're going to brag to their friends that they already take i of your pieces.

The just consequence yous should be aware of is any conflict such an exhibition might create with the exclusivity clause in your contract with a gallery. Sometimes the contract will prohibit yous from showing your work in other venues within the gallery's merchandise surface area. Be sure and let a gallery know ahead of fourth dimension if yous are considering showing in this kind of venue in their locale.

Share Your Feel

As I said in the opening of the post, I have pretty limited practical experience in this area. I take shown some of my artists' work in alternating venues on a limited ground in the past, but my advice in this expanse is largely based on retail principles I use in the gallery.

I would dear, therefore, to hear from artists who have existent-globe experience in this area. Have you shown and sold your artwork in an alternate venue? Was the showing successful? What did you learn? What advice would you lot give an artist who is considering doing this for the first time? Would you do it again?

Share your experience in the comments beneath!

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Source: https://reddotblog.com/showing-your-art-in-cafes-restaurants-banks-and-other-venues-2/

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