Vanity Gallery

Warning: mkdir() [function.mkdir]: Permission denied in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 12

Warning: mkdir() [function.mkdir]: No such file or directory in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 12

Warning: fopen(/home/templatecore2cache//*cluesnet.com/b6/b6256f78d08be93a7a3c905abbb132b8e9b59a06.tc2cache) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 130

Warning: fwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 131

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 132

A vanity gallery is an Contemporary art gallery that charges artists fees in order to exhibit their work and makes most of its money from artists rather than from sales to the public. Some vanity galleries charge a lump sum to arrange an exhibition, while others ask artists to pay regular membership fees and then promise to organise an exhibition with a certain period.{{cite book|title=187 Tips for Artists: How to Create a Successful Art Career - and Have Fun in the Process!|author=Kathy Gulrich|page=57|publisher=smART Business Coaching|isbn=0974653306|year=2003--> There is debate as to whether galleries that ask artists to contribute to expenses, e.g. by arranging for announcements of the exhibition themselves, fall into the same category.{{cite web|title=Vanity Galleries, Artist Co-ops, Slides, Announcements, Juried Shows, Advertising... Just how much do I have to pay to be an artist?|author=Sylvia White|url=http://www.artspan.com/newsletter/artsMart_Newsletter03.htm|publisher=artspan.com|accessdate=2007-06-05-->

Derivation Vanity galleries are an offshoot of Artist-run initiative (also called artist-run initiatives), galleries which are operated by artists who pool their resources in order to pay for exhibits and publicity. Unlike cooperative galleries, which carefully jury their members, vanity galleries will exhibit anyone who pays.{{cite book | last =Michels | first =Caroll | title =How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: A Complete Guide to Career Management | publisher =[Henry Holt and Company | date =1983 | pages =p. 67 | isbn =0-8050-0238-3 --> In ''[Village Voice'' reporter Lisa Gubernick posed as an artist and "within 20 minutes" of contacting the Keane Mason Woman Art Gallery was handed a contract for "$720 for 16 feet of wall".{{Citation | last =Gubernick | first =Lisa | author-link =Lisa Gubernick | title =I Was an Artist for the Village Voice | newspaper =[Village Voice | pages =71 | year =1981 | date =[October 7-13, 1981--> Occasionally a vanity gallery will appear to have a selection process. This is because "if every participant is promised a one- or two-person show every two years, the number of artists on the membership roster cannot exceed the available time slots for shows."Debora Melz (1995), "Vanities: Caveat Exhibitor" in ''Getting Exposure: The Artist's Guide to Exhibiting the Work''. Art Calendar Publishing, Inc., p. 182. ISBN 0-945388-04-7.

Commercial art galleries derive their profit from sales of Visual arts and thus take great care to select art and artists that they believe will sell, and will enhance their gallery's reputation. They spend time and money cultivating collectors. If the artwork sells, the gallery makes a profit and the artist is then paid.

Vanity galleries have no incentive to sell art, as they have already been paid by the artist. Vanity galleries are not selective because they don't have to be. Many professional artists recommend new artists avoid exhibiting work in them, primarily because professional critics and reviewers tend to avoid them. Vanity Galleries by Lenny Campello, 10 August 2004.

See also

Vanity press

References