1. Create a Signature Style

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, what makes an artist stand out at exhibition—anywhere really—comes down to one thing: You need a signature style. Every great artist you know about has a recognizable style, technique, color palette, or subject matter. You can look at the work and know immediately who did it. Make sure the work you select reflects a streamlined style.

2. Select Only Your Best Work

Although there may be a desire to show off your entire range of abilities and interests—don’t. At least not at a show. Unless you’re a gallery owner representing many artists at once, don’t fill up the booth with a variety of work and styles. Buyers and collectors are informed. They don’t want a one-and-done painting. They’re looking to see if an artist has staying power and a signature. If you are working with a gallery, make sure you send them your best and most current work.

3. Presentation Is Everything

Art shows are a great opportunity to expose your artwork to masses of potential new clients and trade buyers, but there is always A LOT going on. Maximize your booth. Create beautiful wall layouts that don’t overwhelm the visitors. Letting a few pieces shine makes an impactful statement to the buyer.
Preparation is key. Come ready with handouts that have a description of your work, an artist statement, and your contact details. Make sure you spend some money on quality framing and hang your work properly. Presentation is everything. You need to give your art—and buyers—room to breathe.

4. Build Relationships with Clients

Becoming a successful, well-known artist is not something that happens overnight—for anyone. You need to build relationships with your buyers. Take time with your visitors. Get to know them and what they’re interested in. Exchange cards. Encourage visitors to follow you on social media or sign up for your newsletter. Don’t sit down in your booth. Don’t eat in your booth. Don’t look at your phone. Give visitors your full attention. They may not buy this time, but if they come back, they will be more likely to come to your booth again because they have built a rapport with you. Your buyers want to know you as an artist with staying power. They are investing in you and your work. Give them a good reason to.

5. The Price Has to Be Right

Another key aspect of success is pricing the work. Every piece of work should have a title, artist, size, and price information clearly labeled. Don’t go to a show not knowing how much your work (and time) is worth. This is always a starting point and encourages the consumer to ask questions such as: Where did the title of this piece come from? Who is this artist? Where are you from? Questions such as these open the piece for discussion and allow you or your dealer to engage the consumer, encourage sales, and get a feel for the type of pricing the market will support. A piece that you feel was priced on the higher end might be a no-brainer for an interested and seasoned collector. Or, perhaps you’ve out-priced yourself, given the reaction of passersby. Either way, you’ll know for next time what works best.

If you’re thinking about attending a trade show but the logistics (setting up and selling the work), not to mention the cost of attending as a solo artist, intimidates you, consider partnering with a gallery to show your work. My team at ADC and I have been doing it successfully for years. We work hard to prepare the booth, ship and install the art, and spend every minute of our day during the trade show making your work stand out to buyers. We can focus on selling your work so you can focus on creating more of it.

Let us take care of all the details for you! To learn more, visit blink.adcfineart.com/pages/shows or contact Chelsea Tucker Moore, our artist relationship director, at chelsea@blinkartresource.com.

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ANNE & MARK’S ART PARTY
San Jose, California
Billed as an “Occasional and Irrational San Jose Arts Fest,” Anne & Mark’s Art Party is an amazing art happening. The most recent unveiling was this past September, but no matter when it happens, the Art Party is an integral part of the Northern California art scene. It’s been described as “Mad Max meets Moulin Rouge” and “Burning Man meets Venice Biennale.” You’ve got to experience it to understand it. That is, whenever it comes around again.

ART DESIGN CONSULTANTS’
“ART COMES ALIVE” AWARDS
Cincinnati, Ohio
Art Design Consultants proudly sponsors Art Comes Alive (ACA), an annual fine art contest and exhibit that awards the brightest and best artists working in North America in a variety of categories. The awards provide a great opportunity for artists to be acknowledged for their talents, to gain exposure, and to win purchase awards and gallery contracts.

ARTBLEND
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Artblend takes a new approach to every artist who comes into their gallery or who is featured at one of the many art shows where the gallery exhibits. Artblend is a full-service, art-related business based in Fort Lauderdale, giving emerging, mid-career, and established artists the marketing expertise that they need to build their business.

CONTEMPORARY ART
PROJECTS USA
Miami, Florida
Headquartered in Miami, Contemporary Art Projects USA is dedicated to nurturing new contemporary art by providing exhibition opportunities and resources for emerging artists and curators. Their mission is to promote art appreciation within the international community and to generate resources that support artists’ creative endeavors. From biennials and gala auctions to exhibitions and major international art shows, they are always on the scene.

GALLERY EDEL
Osaka, Japan
Gallery Edel is committed to a completely new interpretation and perspective on exhibiting the most significant and important art trends in Japanese contemporary art and international contemporary art. The foremost objective of Gallery Edel is to enhance the experience of both artmaking and art appreciation by embracing the culture of art worldwide. The gallery’s approach is exemplified by their 2016 exhibitions at Art Santa Fe and Red Dot Miami, where they are showing the work of recent Japanese art phenomenon Yayoi Kusama.

MARC STRAUS GALLERY
New York, New York
Marc Straus is one of New York’s leading contemporary art galleries, located on theLower East Side of Manhattan. The gallery identifies and fosters some of the best international talent, representing 17 artists from 13 different countries, most of whom have not been shown in the U.S. before. Additionally, the gallery has taken a position of showing older artists who have not for decades, or in some cases ever, been looked at in the proper light. Their show and exhibition of artist Todd Murphy exemplifies the impact of that position and vision.

SFMOMA
San Francisco, California
After years of great anticipation and with a blizzard of red confetti, one of the most anticipated openings and art events of the year came to fruition. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) opened its doors to the public in May 2016, and changed the look and feel of exhibiting modern contemporary art for years to come. Attended by dignitaries, renowned artists, and members of the art community far and wide, the festivities included a gala celebration and a grand public opening.

TEFAF
New York, New York
Founded by art dealers in 1988 and run as a non-profit foundation, TEFAF has a proud history of showcasing masterpieces in every category of art and design – from antiques, Old Masters, and Haute Joaillerie to contemporary painting, works on paper, and 20th century design. It presents two fairs in New York: TEFAF New York Fall and TEFAF New York Spring, held in October and May, respectively.

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