VANITY GALLERIES: WHAT ARE THEY?
I was approached by a gallery in New York and became very excited. Exhibiting in New York, this is it, it’s my big break! But then I thought, this seemed too good to be true, After my initial excitement wore off, I did a bit of sleuthing and discovered it was a vanity gallery.
WHAT IS A VANITY GALLERY?
A vanity gallery is an art gallery that charges the artist to exhibit in their space. These spaces make money off of you (the artist), not the sale of the work. Vanity galleries are pay-to-play. Usually, it costs you more to exhibit and work with the space than it does the space. They often disguise themselves as offering representation for a fee. This fee can be anywhere from a few thousand dollars to 20 thousand plus. Basically, you are covering the cost to rent the space and the other operational costs. Vanity galleries make money off of you regardless if you sell art or not. They can also take a commission off anything that sells making it very difficult to break even.
HOW TO SPOT A VANITY GALLERY?
Vanity Galleries Find You: These galleries approach and contact you via email or reach out via social media. Read their approach letter or email, and discover how they found you. My email stated a local curator found me. No curator’s name and no sources were mentioned. A vague reason why they reached out and how they found you should be a red flag.
Social Media Stats: Take a look at their social media numbers. Check out their followers, and the number & quality of posts. This is where more red flags emerged. The gallery that approached me talked about their successful marketing, but only to find they had fewer social media followers than I did.
Google the Gallery: A simple google search can usually field a good response to who this gallery is and whether or not you want to work with them. I found my letter was the same exact approach letter that other artists have received, word for word. Ask your fellow creative colleagues if you still need another opinion.
WHAT ISN’T A VANITY GALLERY?
The intention is everything, There is a difference between money-hungry spaces and gallery spaces working hard to thrive and align with artists who run a tight budget. Don’t mistake collectives, emerging spaces, or artist-run spaces for vanity galleries. Smaller non-profits and groups may also ask artists to pay a fee to apply or participate. An important factor is looking at the cost-benefit between you the artist and the space to see if equal work, collaboration, and partnership are occurring.
The decision you decide to work with any space should be because the gallery aligns with your work and is in tandem with your career trajectory. Be careful to not let past criticism or rejections be the reason why you work with a vanity gallery or pay to exhibit your work.
WHY WOULD THEY CONTACT ME?
It’s likely many of these spaces have probably reached out to many local or nearby artists already and have passed on their offer due to their unfavorable business model. Locally, the “shtick” is up. These spaces have made a reputation for being a vanity galleries and need to reach out past their local regions to artists who don’t know their model.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THEY CONTACTED ME?
There is no need to point out the fact that you know they are a vanity gallery. Maintain professionalism and simply respond with a thank you and polite declination of their offer.
WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF VANITY GALLERIES?
The exploitation of artists is the major negative effect of these galleries. Removing funds from artists gives money to these spaces that continue to draw resources from creatives.
In addition to the financial burden of these opportunities, a potential secondary negative effect of exhibiting in a vanity gallery is hurting your professional reputation. Quality curators and established galleries also know who these people are and tend to avoid business relations with such models and opportunities. This is why it’s important to have done your homework and research the space before you agree to work with them.
IM WORRIED I PREVIOUSLY SHOWED IN A VANITY GALLERY, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
One exhibition mistake won’t tarnish your creative career; mistakes happen. And sometimes it’s difficult to discern all of the possible challenges and experiences with a gallery before agreeing to work with them. If you have worked with a vanity gallery, here are four things to do after the fact:
Reflect: Looking back on the experience, note what worked and what didn’t work.
Learn: Determine what your own criteria is for future opportunities so you do not repeat a similar experience.
Curate: Although this was an opportunity you participated in, you don’t have to list it on your resume or website. Curate your professional art portfolio and highlight the experiences, shows, and opportunities you are proud of. Remove pay-to-play and vanity galleries from your achievements.
Voice: When you’ve had a poor experience with a group, business, or organization, share this experience with others. A private conversation with fellow creative colleagues or a well-written blog post is more effective and professional than an online rant. Be mindful of how you share your experience and warn others.
