I'm a painter in New York City, how do I find an agent to look at my work, or get considered for a show?

Question

I'm working a day job in the city and have been here about 3 months, was a art major in college but originally came here to pursue acting. That disire has faded from the picture and now all I like doing is my art and music. I'm doing about a painting a month right now. I've never really had alot of desire to sell my work till recently, but when I was going to school I never really researched how since I was doing the acting thing. So I really don't know how it works other than knowing the right people helps, buts thats for everything.

Answer 1

There really aren't any 'agents' who represent visual artists like there are agents for actors or writers, etc.

What a typical artist usually can do is:

Make yourself a portfolio (something like a 'head shot' portfolio), taking as perfect photographs as possible of your art. Then you contact a local gallery in your area and take them your portfolio. Because you live in NY there are hundreds of galleries you can seek out. But be selective in who you contact. If your paintings are abstract it won't do any good to contact a gallery that specializes in early American art. If your work is figurative a gallery that only shows abstract expressionism probably wouldn't be interested.

(In the old days galleries expected artists to submit slides of their art. But with e-mails and digital cameras and CDs few still expect you to send them in slides.)

Besides the standard portfolio you can also scan the photos of your art into your computer (make sure you take very good photographs) and burn samples to a CD that you can either mail out to a gallery or drop off in person.

I haven't had an updated portfolio in years because I do the CD thing myself.

Some galleries will let you e-mail samples of your work to them. Again, make sure you take good photographs. If you have a digital camera that's even better because you can upload the photographs directly without having to scan them. Just make sure that you aline the painting as perfectly square as possible when you photograph it so that you can 'crop' away everything in the background. Few gallery owners are interested in seeing what your apartment looks like. They want to see the art. Do this for either a CD or an e-mail. Crop out the background. It takes a little practice to frame in and aline the painting you're photographing it but you'll learn how.

And you can set up a blog, like Live Journal (which is free) or web site and post samples of your art there. Then when you contact a gallery that seems interested you can also provide them with a link to your on-line gallery.

Below is a link to my Live Journal Gallery that will give you an idea of how to set something like this up. It's easy and it's free.

http://pics.livejournal.com/unmired/gallery/00002xgc

Answer 2

New York has the largest art market in the country. You will have a lot of competition.

1. Get a portfolio together of 12-20 of your best works. Get your resume and bio together as well.
2. Research galleries. If you are brand new, try and find galleries that will look at brand-new, emerging artists. Many galleries don't look at newbies, so save yourself the time.
3. Call galleries that fit and ask the following questions: 1. Are you looking at new artists? if yes, 2. Ask for their prospectus and follow the submission guidelines.
4. Wait.
5. While you're waiting, research other art venues outside of the traditional agent/gallery relationship. Look up your local art league, art groups and co-ops and hook up with them to get connections and gain experience.

Answer 3

There is such a lot whilst you distinction each areas that it's an excessive amount of to enumerate. They are not anything alike and I have lived in each towns. I dont comprehend why persons continuously asking approximately those 2 towns in combination. I suppose NY is a lot more like Los Angeles considering the fact that L.A. is filled with NYers and is quick, gigantic cash, and the land of possibility in the whole thing like NYC. San Francisco is slower, tinier, purifier, like Boston in lots of approaches, well mannered persons, small transit process. I might suppose you might evaluate Seattle with NY, now not San Francisco considering the fact that this is a gigantic town.