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Exhibition venues and costs

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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The venue at which I have exposed last April, a small independent café in my neighbourhood, charges a 40$ fee for exhibits. It covers the time spent on the administration, and works as an incentive to discourage flaky candidates.

I've been looking around at other places, and another café a few blocks away, similar in size and prestige to the one I just mentioned, charges instead 300$. The owner told me that she is matching gallery prices, who charge a similar amount for exhibits and often require you to be a member as well.

What does it look like compared to your experience in your neck of the woods? I'm more partial to the 40$ venue than the 300$ one, simply because of my budget and because hunting sponsors is time-consuming for a small exhibit.

I would not be surprised that an established gallery with a decent network of contacts would charge some hundred and more for an exhibit, but for a café that opened last year, it seemed presumptuous to me.
 
I have yet to pay to show at a café..In my opinion, you'll be bringing in customers, sprucing up the place.
One asks for 10% of sales if any...the other didn't care. Both are highly trafficked areas too..

It benefits them to have good work showing. $300 to show in a café is bs...They aren't a gallery, and should not try to get the same.
 
I've shown in a few cafes and never paid them anything. In fact thye don't even take a commission on sales.

Cheers,
Bill
 
mhv said:
. . . I would not be surprised that an established gallery with a decent network of contacts would charge some hundred and more for an exhibit, but for a café that opened last year, it seemed presumptuous to me.
Click to expand...

Yes, indeed. There's a big difference between someone getting artwork to decorate their cafe and a properly run gallery. I wouldn't even trust the food in a cafe that gouges their victims for all they can. There may be other venues in your community: churches, businesses, senior centers, schools, etc. Donating a photo to an auction for a non-profit arts organization led to a small exhibit in a gallery. I'll be in a camera club group exhibit in a metropolitan library this spring - no charge!
 
I agree with other member's sentiments; you shouldn't be paying to show your work in a cafe or restaurant. At most, a percentage of work sold could go back to the space for costs they incur, but it should be reasonable.

$300 is a bit silly, really. I would inform them of that. The last thing artists need is more costs, especially when you consider what you've already paid out of your own pocket to get the work up to standard, mounted and framed. You're making their establishment look good, and giving it cred, especially if your work is quality.

Mind you, if you think your going to sell thousands of dollars worth of work at this place, then forget everything I've just said, and get a move on!

Good luck,
 
I have had several solo shows in cafes and never had to pay. There is one place here in town that charges "rent" for wall space. It used to be the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. They built a new building and the Arts Commission took over this huge building. You have to be a member to show at this space. That is $50 a year. Then you have to apply and the exhibit has to be approved by a panel. You then have to select the space in the building. There are about 9 or 10 spaces and pay the fee for that particular venue. I think they charge by the square foot as most of the venues are different sizes and different prices. So, you are renting wall space and you are responsible for the snacks and wine if you choose to have an opening. As an aside, it is not unusual to have several opening nights on the same night in that building. Most of legitimate galleries in Fort Worth are really not photo venues and are essentially jewelery shops.

I would not pay for a coffee shop or cafe.

lee\c
 
Well, that echoes my original sentiment. I don't personally mind the 40$ café, after all they're as poor as I am, and they're a small, fun business.

Somehow, the 300$ deal reeks of a behaviour I observe often in local classifieds. It's probably not specific to Québec (although I like to think so), but people here have no sense of devaluation. They're ready to sell an old plasticky Canon for 400$ because they paid 500$ for it.

Likewise, the café venue must have a high opinion of themselves to charge that much. People believe they are the Museum simply because they have wall space.

I'll keep shopping around, then.
 
Definitely don't pay to show in a cafe or restaurant. It's not normal to have to pay for exhibitions space and in many cases better galleries will pay you when you exhibit (at least in the UK). There are excections and I have paid to exhibit in two commercial galleries, but both exhibitions were large group shows and we had arts funding which covered the costs.

Look at it another way even the muzak they play in the background is paid for, cafes, shops, restaurants , airports etc all pay royalties for any music they play to the public so why should they charge you for people to see your work. (Mechanical Performing Rights).

Ian
 
Are either of the cafes going to spend some money on advertising that references your work. If so, a fee might be appropriate.

My $0.02, as usual.

Matt
 
We have held many shows in restaurants and other public places. Never have any of them charged a fee. Some will collect a commission on sales, but not all. They also vary in terms of how much promotion they give the exhibiting artist, whether they underwrite an opening cocktail, invitations, etc.
 
MattKing said:
Are either of the cafes going to spend some money on advertising that references your work. If so, a fee might be appropriate...snip...Matt
Click to expand...

For $300, I would expect good PR provided, the cafe handling any sales (w/o a commission), and quality food supplied for the opening. Then it would be a good deal.

A cafe around here charging for wall space would have blank walls.

vaughn
 
Do you really like that cafe that charges 40 bucks? I mean, do you hang out there a lot or see any big advantage showing your stuff there at all? If so, if it's like your home, 40 bucks is nothing. But don't go more than that.

By the way, how long can you show your stuff in there? I'm assuming it's two weeks at least...
 
In Japan. small galleries charge anywhere between 30 and 50 bucks a day and take up to 50 percent from each print sale. But cafes and restaurants, like the ones in the U.S. as far as I know normally don't charge and/or take anything from the artists.

I personally don't mind doing an exhibit (I did one before) in a cafe as long as it's strictly a place for drinks and smoke but no food...
 
At the 40$ café, my prints are on display for 3 weeks. I patronize the place regularly, and don't mind giving them the money. Also, in Canada, you can't smoke in public venues anymore since mid-2006. I only exhibit RC prints over there, toned in selenium. Even if they degrade a bit, it doesn't matter much. At any rate, I always sell copies, that's the beauty of photography.
 

Sounds like a perfect plan. Good luck with your show!
 

This has been my experience, too. Pay the $300 only if the venue has a track record of achieving huge sales for artists that show there and also puts a good effort into promotion!
 
How are all you folks displaying your prints?

Framed?

Glass or plastic over a mat, with "Swiss Clips" holding the lot together?

Matted & shrink wrapped only?

How are you hanging them? Existing nails in the wall? Anti-gravity tape?

Reinhold


www.classicBWphoto.com
 
I'm a minimalist. I glue RC prints on a large foamcore, and hang on the wall with a piece of metal wire.
 
Archivally mounted, matted, and framed in aluminum frames. If they don't sell in one place, they're ready to hang in another. If they never sell, it's easy to change the photo.
 
The places where I've hung work have not charged anything. That said, I won't object to a modest charge to offset the cost of hangers, or perhaps goodies if there is an "opening". $40 might be OK - $300 seems to be entirely too much.

I mount and matt my work, and then put it in aluminum frames for formal shows.

My major (and current) frustration is with venues who issue calls, requesting previews either as slides or digitally on CD, but then don't have the courtesy of responding with a "yes", "no", "maybe" or even "go away".
 
I have not approached that many places, but cafes and restaurants have not asked for money to put up images - they see it as free and changing decor. Some, but few, want a percentage of sales. One dumpy little place wanted 45% of sales just for hanging - no "show", no opening, no promo, nada. Needless to say I walked away.

Another gouge has cropped up: after applying for and participating in some "art shows", I have been receiving calls for artists for various shows. Once you read on, it becomes obvious that the "galleries" are charging a per piece submission fee (usually $30-50), and if you are lucky, your piece gets hung, in amongst many others. Seems to me that this is objectionable - you are buying a lottery ticket, and the prize is getting a piece or two hung, in among many others. Seems like a sweet racket - getting $50 for looking at a JPG of an artwork! Silly me, Ive been doing it for free all these years!

Seems to me that these venues are just exploiting artists' desperation to get exposure. They should be outed and boycotted.
 
Most of the cafes around here charge nothing for hanging, some will take a small commission. Most of the large group "art shows" I've participated in are organized by artests and there's usually a small jury fee, about $20.00 - $25.00/per person to offset the cost of food and space rental. I curate a small lobby gallery in a local live theatre and we take a 20% comission - but we also give the artist comps to the current play.
 
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