Hiya! Title is pretty self-explanatory. I’ve been working in the art world for about a decade, primarily at a gallery, and I’m starting to feel like it’s time to branch out on my own.

I feel like I have a pretty solid grasp of the industry and what it takes to run a gallery, but I’d love to hear from people who have actually taken the leap.
The upfront costs are definitely intimidating (New York), and while I’m excited about the idea, it’s also pretty scary!

Would love to hear any advice, lessons learned, things you wish you’d known before starting, or just general stories from your own experiences. All perspectives welcome!

I have 5+ years of experience at this point and I feel like there are zero jobs. For the gallery world, it feels like you are either an assistant, you’re extremely lucky to have some sort of Associate Director role, or you’re a Partner.

Hi everyone!
After spending quite a bit of time looking at artists’ portfolios from both a curatorial and art-management perspective, I’ve noticed a few things that are easy to overlook but can make a real difference.

These are some of the points I often discuss with artists I work with.

…hmmmm)) None of this is rocket science, but a few small things can make a surprising difference.

a) Selection of work. You don’t need to show everything. Choose work that gives a clear sense of your practice.

b) Structure. Group works into series or projects where it makes sense. Their order should help the viewer understand the connections between them.

c) Captions. Include the title, year, dimensions and materials for each work.

d) Artist statement. Keep it clear and specific. Explain the questions you explore and what connects the work, without making the text more complicated than it needs to be.

e) CV. List exhibitions and other professional activities in reverse chronological order, with the most recent first.

f) Images and documentation. Use good-quality images, compress them with Squash, and add descriptive alt text.
Make sure the information accompanying each work is accurate.

g) Search visibility. A well-structured website can also help search engines and AI tools interpret an artist’s practice more accurately. Curators increasingly use these tools to research artists for specific projects. Clear descriptions, meaningful page titles and useful image metadata can make your work easier to discover.

None of this requires an expensive website or elaborate design. What matters most is how the work is selected, contextualised and presented.

I approach this as both an artist and a curator, and I see supporting the visibility of independent artists as an important part of my work.

If you have questions about presenting your practice online, I’ll be happy to share my perspective.

Was pretty sure this would sell but no news yet! I’ve tended to be able to rely on 100% sales at this art fair but 2024 was crickets and my one very accessible piece this year seems not to have found a buyer yet. I’m a bit concerned about letting my gallery down, this having repercussions for my career, and for the piece being effectively burned because everyone saw it and no one wanted it. Have any of you had this experience and what followed?

I'm not asking about people who make a fortune in a single, radical way, but I'm talking to people who do various things in the art world and that's what makes them make a living… What do you do? What brings the most return and what brings the least? Where are you located? Are you very close to galleries or do you have ways of making money from art that are independent of them?

What real life art or art storylines are you hoping for in the new GTA? I hope they include Dan Grahams Miami pavilion

Hi, don't know if this is the best place to ask. I don't really know what to do at the moment. In the past I've been interested in going after my MFA and dedicating myself to create and push myself. But since finishing undergrad a few years ago and having my first MFA application denied. The struggles to find a job I just haven't had a big desire to dedicate many hours to make something. Just sketches here and there. But a degree in art direction caught my eye. Working on creative projects, helping create an overall look and feel seemed interesting.

If any of you are art directors or currently have or are earning your MFA id like to know your experience. I'm looking to learn more about what I may get myself into.

think phillips, sothebys. all i see about this, is that it's bad but people don't really further elaborate on why. i know it's probably intense but a lot of these prestige places are pressure cookers for that. would like to know what it's really like work there.

Thoughts on Bonhams opening a new flagship venue for their American market? Has anyone been to the space? Do you think it will disrupt the current Christie’s/Sotheby’s/Phillip’s foothold in NYC?

What do you all think about this? Which medium, like music, painting, dance, cinema, theatre, etc is getting all the hype, and which one deserves way more respect? (Sorry, for example, I said some, but I know more countries have unique and different art forms. I wanted to explore more so the community can learn new things.

Has an anyone attended or plan on attending Cady Noland’s newest show at Gagosian in London? Would love to hear any details you have about the work!

I'm trying to figure out what people actually do when it comes to insuring their collections (art mainly) and I'd really appreciate some advice!

If you've bought a few pieces over the years, do you insure them separately or just rely on your home contents insurance?

I'm particularly interested in people with smaller collections, where individual pieces might be worth anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds, rather than really high-end collections.

I've got a few questions:

• Do you insure your art, and if so, who with?
• Is it covered under your home insurance or a separate policy?
• If you don't insure it, is there a particular reason?
• Has anyone had experience making a claim?

I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to understand what people normally do, so any experiences or advice would be massively appreciated!

Thanks!

I'm going to a huge art fair next week, in a work capacity. In past years, I've sometimes struggled to deal with the unpleasantness of it all, especially working with people in my own team who tend to jump at the opportunity to moan and be extra difficult with everything- dealing with deadlines, having to accommodate less than ideal work conditions, and having their innumerable demands declined. I've been scolded for not running around with hot tea at a moment's notice, asking someone to rewrite an appallingly bad bit of text about an artwork, and other petty vendettas that demonic curators with huge egos love to wage around this time of year.

However, due to raging depression, no help from my manager who is too busy bending over backwards, and a hatred for my job (I am trying to get out best I can), I need advice for how people cope with a horrible art world moment which always promises to haunt my nightmares. I wish I could just wear my headphones and play the sound of crashing waves, but alas, this just won't be possible. How do you deal? What do you do to care for yourself? Are there any writers you recommend to read who will soothe my torn up psyche when it is all over?

Update: thanks for all the lovely responses and encouragements :) wishing all of you a good fair week!

Looking for some pointers towards artists that go out of their way to use environmentally friendly materials in their work. Ideally a range of mediums -- sculpture, painting, fiber arts, etc. I see lots of artists creating work that makes statements about the environment which is great (and that's what's easiest to find on Google), but I can't seem to find as many injecting that philosophy into their art making process overtly, which is what I'm looking for. Thanks!

I can’t tell if I’m just misremembering but didn’t Marc Straus combine with swivel? I checked their website recently for an artist they absorbed and couldn’t find him. That’s when I noticed there is no mention of affiliation. I expected to see them together at untitled Houston but it seemed like it was just Marc Straus gallery

Has anyone else gotten an email from this org? I received an email inviting me to a show in Barcelona but the email was very weird and felt like it was written by a bot. But it seems like they actually put on shows. Also comments are turned off on their instagram which is very suss to me.

I keep seeing art calls where that is offered. I can’t imagine it gets many eyes on the work, but hopefully I’m wrong.

I’m a brazilian artist and I’m wondering if the only way to have a career is through social media or local small galleries. Any thoughts?

I'm trying to write a story about a successful modern day contemporary artist, but I'm struggling to find clear answers online about how the art world works. I want to make sure my fictional scenario is relatively accurate regarding how representation works, press, gallery showings, collectors, and behind closed doors networking with gatekeepers, etc.

The story is about a successful modern day contemporary artist who is represented by a mega gallery (like the Gagosian). This artist has a piece of art that goes to auction (like Sothebys Auction House) where the art gets no bids, causing the artists value to plummet across the board.

The story follows the artist as she tries to maintain her relevancy in the art world and keep her reputation, oftentimes abandoning morality for the sake of fame.

1. How does representation work with massive artists at this level? If they're repped by a mega gallery, do they have one main point of contact that acts almost like a manager for their career?
2. Who are all the key players in this world and how do they interact with each other?
3. If an artist had an auction failure like this, is it realistic that their gallery would want to drop them if their value plummets?

In my scenario, the gallery decides to give the artist one last chance for her to stabilize her value through including her a new exhibit they plan to open, but she must fully rebrand and bring a collection of artwork that is completely unrecognizable from what she's done before since the market has exhausted her old work. At this exhibit, they want her to land a sale from a globally recognized collector in order to get her reputation back on track. If her new work tanks, then she'll be dropped by the gallery.

Is this somewhat realistic? I can't tell if I'm completely off base.

I'd love any input at all from people who understand the art world! How would a fading artist try to maintain relevancy in the art world? What relationships and dynamics exist behind the scenes? What kind of corruption goes on in that world? What is the "pay-to-play" side like? What elements am I missing? What realistically do they do for press, networking, charity galas, building relationships, VIP parties...?

Thank you!!

It kind of shocks me how much some artists blatantly copy. just blatantly rip off motifs and distinct styles and then sell it under their own name. it feels juvenile and i'm surprised it is allowed by the market. i'm not talking about being inspired by another artist...that's more like taking a song track you like, remixing into a different sound while still small borrowing elements of it. these people are just ripping the track, slapping a reverb sound, and then people are actually buying it for thousands of dollars.

I'm a freelance journalist writing a piece on the newly opened exhibition Someone Like You: Salman Toor at London's Courtauld gallery and would love to include any voices eager to speak to me about feeling represented/seen by his paintings.

Toor talks about 'coming out through painting', and I was wondering if anyone here had that experience too.

I will be replying to comments here and if there is interest, we can connect for an interview :)

I gotta say i really enjoyed this and just wanted to share it.

Thinking in what different ways a completed artistic residency can be documented, beyond simply recopiling materials from a final product (if any). There is a lot of material worth compiling, like reflections, itineries, photographs, etc, which can lead to further insights.

If anyone would like to share previous approaches (formats, thought process, etc), or even if they have their documentation online as an example, I'd love to see it!