Art Still Selling

With all the folks bemoaning the economy it is easy to believe that no one is buying art these days. Well, that is just not true.

A painter recently told me, it is all about knowing your market. True in any business. He found where people are buying art and contacted galleries in those areas, and he is selling.

The Loveland Sculpture Invitational and Sculpture in the Park shows, which were held last weekend, are like huge, outdoor, temporary galleries. Sales happened there, too. Figures haven't been released yet for the Invitational, but the Park show has been holding steady at about $1 million in art sales for several years. Not bad for a 2 day show! 2 days of active showing and lots of months of preparation before that.

One of the reasons so much sculpture sells at these shows is the reputations of the shows. People come from around the world to both exhibit and to buy sculpture. Collectors know they will find a variety of quality art at these shows and they will be able to see it all in one place, in one weekend.

So if you want to sell your artwork, do a little homework. Getting into a gallery is good, but is the gallery selling? Are the staff members real sales people or are they just keeping the building open? Does your work fit in well with the gallery and the community? Is this your target market? If the answers to these questions are no, then it is time to find a different gallery--even if that gallery is in a different city or state!