1. VAI Get together 2012
Limerick College of Art and Design
Presenting yourself
Kerry McCall

2. Successful people believe their
success is attributable to a pattern of
mutually beneficial interpersonal
relationships, as much as it is due to
technical skills or business
knowledge.
This session will look at some key
tips that can be applied across a
variety of situations.

3.  mutually beneficial interpersonal
relationships
◦ consider these ‘networks’
 as much as it is due to technical skills
◦ artistic ability
 or business knowledge
◦ management, communication,
understanding of context

4.  Common Artist Questions Answered
 Q: I keep sending my art out to galleries and no one is interested. What am I
doing wrong?
 A: If you send your art to galleries you don't know or who don't know you or who
aren't familiar with your work, this won't be productive and chances are slim that
ever you'll get a show. Or if you send your art to out-of-town galleries without first
establishing a local or regional profile, this likely won't be productive either. You have
to network in your community, target specific galleries, make sure they sell art that's
similar to yours, and be able to state clearly and concisely why your art is right for
them.
 (http://www.artbusiness.com/osoquestions.html)
networks

5.  Common Artist Questions Answered
 Q: Should I invest in a website to show my art?
 A: Yes, but don't pay a lot for it (unless you're rolling in bucks), and if
you're not well known, don't expect to make sales anytime soon after
going online. The problem with getting traction for a new site is that
people who don't know who you are can't type your name into search
engines…….
.
 Best procedure is to design a basic website and combine it with traditional
face-to-face networking in your art community. A good starter website
should include your statement, bio, resume, images of your work with
prices, and how to get in touch with you.
 (http://www.artbusiness.com/osoquestions.html)
networks

6.  Q: but shouldn’t my art speak for itself?
◦ A: Yes, but only if you make talking art. Otherwise, you
have to speak (or write) for it-- contextualize it-- so
that viewers can better understand and appreciate what
you're doing.
◦ “It's like the difference between watching a play with
actors dressed in street clothes on a stage with no set,
and then watching the same play with actors in full
costume and the stage completely set.
◦ The script is identical in both cases, but your depth of
understanding and immersion in the experience is far
greater with one than the other.”
 (http://www.artbusiness.com/osoquestions.html)
artistic ability

7.  Presenting yourself involves
 Considering what you need to say
 ...about yourself
 …about your work
 N.B.
 Exhibiting opportunities relate directly to where you are in your
practice
artistic ability

8.  Presenting yourself involves
 Thinking strategically and building the blocks in relation to
presenting yourself and in relation to your practice
 Thinking clearly and specifically about the words that you use
in articulating your practice
artistic ability

9. Presenting yourself involves
RESEARCH
…Galleries/funders you want to target
IDENTIFY
…Which you will approach
PLAN
…where you want to locate yourself
artistic ability

10.  Presenting yourself involves
 Who
 What
 Why
 Where
 When
 What is your story?
management, communication,
understanding context

11.  Where are you in your Career and What
to you want to achieve?
 „To a large extent you will have to create your
own opportunities, but you can only achieve this
by truly understanding what your own ambitions
for your practice are.‟
‘Exhibiting with Galleries‟ by Hugh Mulholland,Info Pool, www.visualartists.ie
understanding context

12. talking talking
 How far into listening to someone talking, do you get
before you form an opinion?
 Which speakers stick in your mind?
◦ emulate
 Do you find spoken presentations more interesting than
written ones?
 What do you think are indicators that your audience‟s
attention is starting to wander?
communication

13.  talking art
 Be clear about the purpose (of whom you are
meeting/communicating with)
 Work out:
◦ the key message- what are your trying to convey
◦ make your answer as clear as possible
◦ what do they already know?
◦ what technical expertise do they have?
◦ what are they thinking about the subject?
◦ who else are they considering?
◦ who are the key opinion formers/decisions makers?
◦ The impression you want to make + leave
communication

14.  talking art
 How will you follow up?
 Consider the next step
 Keep the engagement professional
 Keep communicating
 Keep providing information, on time and in formats required
 Eye contact and a relaxed manner are crucial
 Endeavour to engage and be engaging
◦ Be welcoming- Use a Joke/Expression of Feeling
communication

15.  talking art
 Speak clearly and confidently - this only happens with
practice
 How do you practice?
 You take all the trouble
 Is an exercise in persuasion
communication

16.  talking art
 Achieve Clarity
◦ Avoid abstraction + verboseness:
 „We‟ll make sure you can hear properly..‟ rather than
 „We will give special attention to the provision of
adequate sound reception facilities..‟
 Best talkers are most natural
 Write spoken english
 Can use vernacular
communication

17.  talking art
 Avoid technical terms
◦ Unless required/appropriate
 Use your own words and phrases
◦ Cut out jargon
◦ If you can‟t be understood, that‟s all you will be
remembered for
 Do use adjectives liberally
◦ Develop an interesting narrative
communication

18.  Presenting yourself involves
 Seeing your work as separate to you
Positioning your work away from you
What does it look like….feel like..
 literally and metaphorically
Do the words you use correspond with how it looks
communication

19.  can you say easily, clearly quickly and confidently:
◦ what you do
◦ how you do it
◦ why you do it
communication

20.  If this is difficult…
 Write down 5 words that you feel about your work.
 Incorporating:
◦ How it looks
◦ How it makes you feel
◦ Its conceptual nature
◦ Your inspiration(s)
◦ Perhaps materials…
◦ Can you build this into a narrative?
communication

21. Presenting yourself involves
Deciding what profile you want to develop around
your practice
Deciding what narrative you want it to have
Developing the language and the look
communication

22. Presenting yourself involves
being in control of this information
be politic
be precise
be professional
management

23.  Consider the presentation of your written work
Who is it to?
 Find out the specifics
 What do they expect in your cover letter?
 Do consider who will be receiving your document?
 Who will be reading it?/Judging it?- Find Out
◦ How will they judge it in light of the criteria set?
 Do consider others whose opinion will have a
bearing on your proposal
 The intended audience
◦ e.g. are there community groups involved? Is there an
educational angle? Is it the „process‟ or a tangible piece that is
important?
management

24.  It is important to have a clear strategy for the promotion of
your work
 And to identify galleries which are compatible with the
development of your practice
 Perhaps begin locally or with artists led spaces and
then develop into more established galleries
 Established galleries have very clear operating policies
- research
Presenting yourself- galleries

25.  Ask for gallery policy and preferred method of submission
 Develop a profile-do make yourself known
 Network
◦ ..gallery openings, conferences, questions= public profile
 Start locally and build
◦ …less transport costs, easier to develop a profile
Presenting yourself- galleries

26. ‘.. approaching galleries can be an
intimidating prospect..’
artists sometimes find themselves not only trying
to navigate their way through a complex network
of galleries, but also having to second guess the
motivation of the individuals running them’
 ‘Exhibiting with Galleries‟ by Hugh Mulholland,Info Pool, www.visualartists.ie
Presenting yourself- galleries

27.  Funders require an anonymous approach
 Letters/application forms
 Personal approaches can be viewed as soliciting
 Research funder‟s guidelines/criteria
Presenting yourself- funders

28. Crucial aspects of any proposal?
 That it meets the criteria set by commissioning/
awarding/funding body
 That it is professionally presented i.e. containing no
spelling, proper grammar and is clearly laid out
 That it is conceptually relevant, clear and substantial
Presenting yourself- proposals

29.  A clear vision for the presentation of yourself as a
professional entity and your artwork is the
manifestation of this
 Consider all as a professional visual, verbal & written
package
finally