Artist Submissions and Applications to Red Rag Modern Art Gallery

Red Rag Gallery welcomes applications from British and Irish artists. The gallery is approached by hundreds of artists each year looking for gallery representation for their modern art. Many art submissions from are ineffective and waste both gallery and artist time. The guidelines and suggestions below are intended to help would be gallery artists to be more effective at approaching Red Rag Bath Art Gallery and other commercial modern art galleries about showing original art works and Limited Edition Prints.

Every Modern art gallery will have individual rules for artist submissions, so it is not possible to produce a definitive brief which is applicable for all art galleries. However, there are some basic steps that artists can follow which should help in approaching would be galleries.

Modern art by Ann Shrager at Red Rag Bath Gallery

Introduction

Applying to a modern art gallery is much like applying for a job. Art galleries receive dozens of applications from artists every week. It therefore important to make it easy for gallery staff to appraise your application and for you to make your application stand out.

Remember for many gallery people time is the most precious commodity so make your application simple and straight forward to appraise. Art galleries do not have the time to trawl through artist websites seeking out images. If you merely send a link to your website when submitting to a gallery, do not be surprised if some galleries simply ignore your submission.

First impressions count and typically artists have about 10 seconds to make an impression. Too many artists submit applications of their art work which are poor quality or just links to websites. Many galleries take the view that the quality of art work is equally poor and reject an artist application. Artists who professionally submit art works to galleries significantly improve their chances of acceptance.

Guidelines

Choosing the right modern art gallery

Before approaching any modern art gallery it is essential to have determined which galleries are most appropriate for particular types of art work. Only after doing this should artists consider approaching galleries about their work.

Presenting art works professionally

1. Make sure you have clear digital images of your art work. Images should be crisp and not blurred. It is usually best to take photographs of paintings and sculptures without a flash. Modern art work such as paintings should be carefully placed and photographed directly from the front or overhead to prevent creating a distorted image. For added clarity some artists use a camera tripod to photograph their work.

2. It takes time to produce a good painting and the present it in the right frame. Photographs of art works should be given the same attention to detail. Artists should ensure art works are well presented. Photographs of modern art works should not feature an art easel or be presented against a busy back ground.

3. Before sending images of art works artists should find out who to submit art work to. The easiest way to do this is to have a look on the galleries website. Most galleries will have a section where they explain the submission process or who to contact at the gallery. If a gallery does not have a comprehensive website, then a telephone call should be made to find out how to submit art work for consideration ' it is important to make contact when the gallery is less likely to be busy ie not on a Saturday or between 10- 12am and 2-4pm.

4. When submitting art works to art galleries the number of images sent should be limited. Most galleries require about 6-10 representative images of an artist's work. Many artists make the mistake of sending too many images of various styles. The majority of gallery people prefer an artist to focus on particular styles or themes. Send medium (not large ' they take too long to receive and load) size digital images of art works.

5. Along with the images a brief CV should be sent highlighting any modern art awards received and detailing art venues where art works have been shown.

Approaching Red Rag Gallery

Artists interested in approaching and showing their modern art works at Red Rag Bath Gallery art exhibitions and events should use the following link to email the gallery. Artists should note that Red Rag look for artists who are committed to promoting their art works solely through art galleries. Artists with their own websites which are designed to sell art work directly or that provide direct contact details will not be considered.

Red Rag Gallery ' Modern art and artists