What are some good gallery towns?

[woodmobius]

I'm from out west; just happen to live next door to Carmel, and happened into a gallery there that has been doing pretty well with my pieces (wood, non-figurative, small, $700-$1000) (they sell about 20 of my pieces a year). The owner of the gallery said Scottsdale is a good place to try, so I'm trying there. Others have suggested Aspen and Santa Fe. All out west. Any other suggestions?

[woodmobius]

Well. I really am surprised! 81 (as I write this) views of this question, and zero thoughts/replies/answers. As readily as gallery people suggested Scottsdale, and Aspen, and Santa Fe - I would have thought this would be a topic of general knowledge. Oh well.

[Ries]

What you are describing are more gift shops than galleries- and I dont say that in a negative way- as I spent over 12 years selling limited edition pieces to stores and "galleries" like the ones in Carmel.

My definition of a "gallery" would be a place where you could have a one man show, for a month, where they pay for cards, opening, and actively sell work that costs from your $500 up to say, $50,000 or more.

My definition of a gift shop is a place that buys outright stuff up to a grand in wholesale price, and sells all kinds of stuff from $5 to $5000.

that said, I have had good success with places calling themselves "galleries" in Scottsdale and Portland Oregon, Seattle and Palo Alto, Fort Lauderdale and Naples Florida, Washington DC and Chicago. I used to sell a LOT of work in New Hope Pa, and in Baltimore. I did well in South Carolina, in Houston, and in New Orleans.

Usually, depressed, low wage areas are not good. Michigan, aside from the affluent suburbs of Detroit, or the farm states of the midwest, were usually pretty dry.

You look for vacation destinations of people with money. I have a friend who is a jeweler in NYC- she sells a ton of work to a gallery in Puerta Vallerta, Mexico, and not cheap stuff, either.

I would recommend you take a look at the buyers at the Rosen Shows, in Philadelphia, and the ACC wholesale craft show in Baltimore- both of these shows attract the top couple of hundred "galleries" in the USA.

It does not sound like your work is the kind of thing galleries in Chelsea, or at Art Basel in Miami would be interested in, but what do I know?

Art Basel, which just ended, is a yearly art show where several hundred galleries, in a half dozen art fairs, exhibit- it might be worth your while to go, next year, and see if you can find some potential galleries there. Its pretty avante garde, and modern, in a NYC headline grabbing kind of way, but with the number of galleries there, there is something for everyone.

[woodmobius]

Well, I thank Ries for the info, and the clarification. (And if you haven't, go have a look at his web site!)

[Ries]

Hope I didnt come off sounding too snotty- I sell what I make, and I make what I want- so whatever is the right sales outlet, I use.

The "craft show" circuit of Rosen and ACC is night and day different from weekend booths selling $5 suncatchers and color xerox postcards.

I have seen craftspeople, or artists, or whatever you wanna call em, sell unique, handmade objects costing $5000 to $25,000 at both shows. Sure, there are also lots of booths selling $25 objects, but the big stuff does indeed have an audience there.

The wholesale only shows are interesting-
here is the link to Rosen-
http://www.americancraft.com/BMAC/index.html
and here is the ACC-
http://www.craftcouncil.org/baltimore/
If you can scam up a business card, and pay to enter as a "buyer", you will get quite an education.

Not all of us can afford to only make "fine" art.
Me, I make lots of not so fine stuff, and enjoy it immensely.

[woodmobius]

Your advice was just what I was looking for. I call myself a craftsman; I like the process of working the wood, and I don't have "fine art" - type ideas. There aren't words in the language that make clear the distinction betwen $5 suncatchers and craft objects that sell for $5,000. It certainly is nice to be able to make what you want, and for there to be places where people who like it (and have money enough to be able to buy it) will be able to find it.

[tonofelephant]

Wood,

You might also want to try in Asheville, NC. They have some very high end galleries that cater to the crowd that you might be interested in. Try the Blue Sprial gallery.

Also there is a group in NC that you jury into and that allows you to sell all your work through their gallery network. I have forgotten the name of the group but the group can be contacted through the Grovewood Gallery. Grovewood gallery would also be another excellent choice to try.

Agree with Ries, look up the resort towns - they are great places to sell craft items not fine art. People who go to resorts are buying mementos of their visit. If you can hit their sweet spot of between $20 - $250 you can make quite a good living. My wife and I used to sell all of our work that way, before we switched to painting and sculpture. We live in the outskirts of a resort area so we are very familar with the tourist trade. Used to plunder and pillage them ourselves when our store was open.

There is a magazine that every year has the 50 or 100 best craft towns, it is AmericanStyle Magazine. It is a good place to start. AmericanStyle caters itself very heavily to the high end craft trade - even though they say art all the time. It is a great resource on many levels.

Also check out if your state has a craft marketing arm. The great state of WV has one called Tamarack. It markets the goods of craftspeople statewide, nationwide and even goes overseas. It even pays the craftspeople within 30 days like an homnest to goodness business would. Kentucky has a similar program.

Hope this helps Wood.

Carl