Should Artist’s Add Online Collections to Their CV

Should Artist’s Add Online Collections to Their CV?

Definition: An online collection would be a website that your work has been juried into.

Not a free-upload-your-images and be apart of your 1000’s of artists portfolios.

Read the full article on why artists should add online collections to their CV.

Weigh in, leave your opinion. Have you ever submitted to an online collection. If so and you were accepted how did you promote that? Is it on your CV?

Grant Writing Example and Tips

Kim Bruce (that’s me) was awarded an A.F.A. (Alberta Foundation for the Arts) Art Production Grant. I learned a lot going through the writing process and wanted to share those tips.

My biggest wish when putting the proposal together was to be able to read another similar grant proposal to see how it all goes together.

I never got my wish but I did receive some great tips from other artists which were a tremendous help.

I decided to post my actual grant proposal to my fine art website as I think it would help others to have a visual reference.

The tips and proposal are posted on my blog at https://kimbruce.ca/art-management/kim-bruce-awarded-afa-grant/

Feel free to share.

Kim Bruce Art Blog

Maybe you knew but maybe you don’t; I have a blog at kimbruce.ca my fine art site.

It seems that most of what I write about here at Artbiz is on WordPress and how you as an artist can use it for your website.

Over at KimBruce.ca I talk about my art but I have also have a category called “Art Management” which really doesn’t fit into my mission here at Artbiz. So I decided that I would expand myself and you by writing about the in’s and out’s of being an exhibiting artist.

AND if you subscribe to my feed (Delivered by Mail Chimp) either here or there you will get posts from both sites combined into one email, once a week. You only have to subscribe at one of the sites to get both. No mailbox clutter from me!

In honour of this tie in I decided to give my fine art site a fresh look.

Head on over to my fine art site and let me know what you think.

How to use your website as a submission tool

10 tips on How to use your website as a submission tool

Do your research. Find a gallery that fits your work.
Respect and follow the submission guidelines that are posted on the gallery website.
If submission guidelines are not posted then contact the gallery and ask if they are accepting submissions and if they accept website submissions. The more we as artists ask for our websites to be used as a submission tool the more likely it will happen.
Write a cover letter in the email introducing your self and stating why your work fits with the gallery.
Address your email letter to the appropriate person. If that person is not listed on their website perhaps phone and ask who you should address your submission to. This will show that your are professional and respectful.
Read my post on Writing there are some good resources to help you put together a letter.
Attach at least one image into the body of the email, preferably at the end to encourage the gallery to click-through.
Wait a couple of weeks and send a follow-up email (unless they state specifically not to – don’t call us – we’ll call you) and ask about the status of your submission. Include your URL which should be part of your signature – read “Shameless Self Promotion for Artists”. Be respectful and thank them for their time.
If you don’t hear back, well you don’t hear back. Let it go and carry on to the next.
Please have your site up to date. That means your CV, contact info and your images.

What you should not do…

Throw your URL into an email and say “I am submitting my website for review”, click and send.
Address your email letter to “Dear Gallery So and So”.
DO NOT batch email to a number of galleries at the same time.

The procedure for submitting via your website is really no different from what you would do normally. You still need to do your homework, write your words and take your pictures. Perseverance Furthers!

Let’s Talk Image Quality

Since the art world is moving more and more toward website submissions it is very important – no – it is paramount – that your images are high quality. That does not mean that they are large file size and 300dpi. That would take forever to load and your visitors will leave your site before the image finally gets there.

What is does mean is that your original digital photograph is of high quality because when it is reduced in size and made web ready it will hold that same quality even though it is a smaller image (around 72dpi).

Here are 5 tips:

Read my article on re-sizing images for the web
Always resize your images to be the same height by their proportional width. The next and previous links will be in approximately the same position making it easier for your visitors to find and advance.
View your images and website on different computers with different monitor sizes. What looks good on your gigantic screen make not look so good on a 14″ monitor.
Group like genres together in the same gallery.
Have a read through this photography resource site on how to photograph artwork.

https://mgreerphoto.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-photograph-artwork.htm

If the gallery or collector is interested in your work they may request higher resolution images. Then you can send them that 3MB 350dpi image.

Shameless Self Promotion For Artists

Here are some ideas: self promotion for artists to increase the traffic to your website (If you don’t promote your website who will?)

People need to know that you actually have a website. Tell them, publish your website address on everything include adding it to the signature of all your emails. I know one gallery whose business card has only their website address on it and nothing else. Certainly this may drive traffic to their site if only to retrieve their phone number and address. You may not want to go to that extreme but do put your website address on everything that goes out including on the back of your paintings.

An artist I know keeps prospects and clients informed of new work by creating a postcard that announces new work on her website. The postcard cover always includes her website address as well as an image of the new work. The message on the postcard back encourages her clients and prospects to visit the site. This sends the message of her continual success to her client/prospect base and brings more visitors to the site. VAAA has a great postcard printing program for their members.

Another artist client of mine includes an image of her work in all her emails. Clever girl!

Artist websites tend to be heavily weighted with images, as they should be. But search engines (Google and the like) are looking for text and will not extract text from a jpeg (just so you know). Consider writing a short statement on your gallery page that briefly outlines what that particular body of work is about.

Search also engines like new and fresh content. If you have something to say consider writing a blog. If that doesn’t appeal to you create a news page and post your upcoming events or even create links to your favorite art sites and tell us why you like them.

Links are also important especially one way links that point to your website. Try listing your site in some art directories like artistincanada.com