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Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist

by Constance Smith
ArtNetwork, Nevada City, CA 95959
350 pp. Paper, $24.95
ISBN: 0-940899-32-9.

Reviewed by George Shortess
3505 Hecktown Road, Bethlehem, PA 18015, U.S.A.

george.shortess@lehigh.edu

This book and others like it raise an interesting question about the nature of art. This is somewhat unintentional, I think. While there are some disclaimers, the book assumes that art can be treated as a commodity, like a washing machine or a pair of shoes. This, of course, is not necessarily bad, since many collectors also approach art as an investment and as a commodity to be bought and sold, hopefully at a profit. But in order to use the book effectively, the artist must accept this mentality. If, however, you believe that your art is primarily an expression of yourself, and you are the sole arbiter of what you produce, you will have trouble getting the most from the book. You may also have more difficulty making a living from your art. The assumption is that since you will sell what the market wants to buy, you must do some form of market research and try to find a market for what you produce. If there is no available market for your work, you might want to consider changing what you produce in order to sell. This is, of course, what successful shoe companies do.

Therefore, for anyone who intends to sell art work and especially if one wants to make a living at it, this is a very useful book. It is not limited to just marketing and advertising help, as the name might imply, but it covers legal protections, taxes, record keeping, shipping and other related issues. It is very thorough in treating these subjects. By following the suggestions, an artist should have no problems in setting up a business and promoting ones work. This will increase the likelihood that an artist will sell work, but as the author points out, there are no guarantees of success.

It is admittedly weak on the treatment of computer systems and web based marketing tools but does refer the reader to other sources.

Surprisingly, there is no discussion of short term art residencies in schools by teaching artists. It, of course, takes a special kind of artist to do this successfully, but there are many artists who supplement their income with these opportunities. As I have found out, these teaching experiences often have the added benefit of forcing the artist to rethink his or her own art.

I would recommend d the book to any visual artist who wants to sell art work and is willing to accept the idea that art is a commodity.

 

 




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