By Ethan Murrow
THE most important thing any young or emerging artist can do to share their work is focus deeply on their craft and concept. Document this work expertly and write about these projects with care. Most curators will tell you they are looking for artists with passionate connections to their material and subject matter and artists who are working hard to connect their projects to larger societal issues and questions. You can have an amazing link to a gallery, but it means nothing if your work is lacking clarity and focus. Build your work with pride and conviction and dive deep into your projects.
Make your own opportunities. Getting recognized by curators and gallerists is a great goal but your position of strength and ability to show your work will often begin with your immediate peers and artist communities. Think about starting a collective, renting a space with friends to show your work or curate others. Use the power of numbers to help you find a collaborative space where you can start conversations on your own terms and invite curators, gallerists, the press and your community.
Researching the art landscape that exists around you is important. Who are the artists, galleries, curators, writers, funders, non-profit spaces and organizations that drive the arts in the places you live and want to connect with? What are their approaches, goals and philosophies? Use this research to actively track and learn more about them. In addition, go to their events and if possible introduce yourself in a relaxed way over time. Being a presence at those events can’t hurt and will help you think about who you want to be in the art worlds that surround you, and whether and how you want to participate in those worlds.
Cold calling / submissions without request almost never works. Most galleries will tell you that they scout new talent by going to events, fairs and shows. This means that doing things like participating in open studios, art sales, and easily accessible exhibitions where gallerists and curators might easily walk through can be very important.
Cold calling other artists and creatives sometimes works. Many artists with more experience or at a different stage of their career welcome the chance to help those who are newer or younger in the field. Reach out to artists you admire via social media, their websites and so on. Don’t push for anything specific, but share a bit about what you connect with in their work and let them know you’d be thrilled to get the chance to connect if they ever felt comfortable doing so. They can always say no or ignore your outreach and sometimes they might reply and be helpful!
Participating in programs outside of your normal community can be very useful. Apply to residencies, fellowships and grants and attend workshops far and wide when and if you can. This can help emerging artists build their peer network and link with like-minded people who might be able to recommend their work to other spaces of exhibition and opportunity. Many connections to galleries are formed through the artists that are already represented by the space or the network that gallery has of acquaintances and collaborators in the art world.
Build Partnerships with organizations, spaces, groups and individuals in your community even if they don’t neatly fit into the art world. Operating as a collaborative team, asking to partner with local non-profits or corporations, small businesses and public entities like cities and towns, or individuals in other professions can be a wonderful way to build opportunities and connection to place and issues of importance for the public.
There is never ONE way to occupy or intersect with the art world. There are many different artworlds, regional, national, international, cultural, political, community etc. Many of the most important spaces in the art world don’t fit a mold and/or exist outside of the norm. A good example of this is the world of comics which often cross over into the contemporary art and gallery space but also exist comfortably and defiantly on social media, in niche stores and conventions and in cheap self-published ways. Build your own art world and community.
Ethan Murrow is an artist and Professor of the Practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.
