Local businesses are generally the best places to advertise your aboriginal arts and crafts. If your ambition is arcade representation, bounded sales can body your reputation, and ample in your resume. In addition, assets from bounded sales can beat what you acquire with some galleries.
JOIN REGIONAL ART ASSOCIATIONS
Most communities accept an art affiliation of some kind. You'll acquisition them listed in the chicken pages of your bounded buzz book, and sometimes online. Look in categories such as "Clubs", "Associations", and so on.
These groups are usually a mix of professionals and acquisitive amateurs. At their meetings, I've apparent aggregate from gorgeous, $10K watercolors to crocheted dolls in aberrant colors & fibers. No two groups are the same. Visit as a bedfellow afore joining, and see if the affiliation or club is appropriate for you.
Most art associations sponsor approved arcade shows in their own affair abode or in a boondocks anteroom or library affair room. They generally accept at atomic one alfresco art show, at which you can affectation your art and conceivably authenticate your techniques.
Art affiliation affairs cover approved demonstrations (of art technique) by artists who will usually advertise some art to the members, too. This can be a acceptable aperture if you wish to do demos.
Start by creating a anatomy letter that you'll forward to every art affiliation in the buzz book. When the audience is announced, accomplish abiding that the publicity mentions that you'll accept art for sale, too. The art affiliation takes a agency based on how abundant you sell, and anybody goes home happy.
USE THE ART ASSOCIATION'S CONTACTS FOR LOCAL SALES
Many art associations accept alive relationships with bounded businesses, abnormally restaurants, bookstores, adorableness salons, and banks... anyone with bare bank amplitude that wants an "art show" to accomplish interest. (They use this to allure visitors and for columnist releases, publicity, etc.) Libraries are beneath acceptable to be able to action plan for sale, but it depends aloft the bounded laws.
This works best if the sales go through the art association. Next to anniversary section of art, abode the art association's business card. On it, address the appellation of the art, the artist, the price, and how to acquaintance the art affiliation for added information.
Of course, this should be something bigger than voicemail; anyone needs to be on duke to acknowledgment the phone. A affiliate who works at home is acceptable for this job.
If your bounded art club hasn't done this before, advice them to set it up. The art affiliation can accept a individual buzz number, and use Call Forwarding to whomever is manning the phones that day.
HELP YOUR ART CLUB TURN PROFESSIONAL
If you are in an art affiliation that doesn't accept a alive accord with bounded businesses, accompany it up at the next business meeting. Some associates may already plan at offices or shops that would affably affectation your art.
There are issues to array out, including how the art is insured, if it's adequate from damage, and so on. You can analysis with added art associations and see how they handle it.
Once you alpha contacting businesses about advertisement bounded art, you may be afraid at how simple this is.
ART ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT CARD PURCHASES
In a lot of cases, the art affiliation makes the sale, and has a merchant annual that accepts checks and acclaim cards. The art affiliation takes a allotment of the sales, usually about 20%. At the end of the month, the affiliation issues a analysis to anybody whose art awash that month.
IF YOU CAN'T FIND THE RIGHT ART GROUP FOR YOUR WORK
If you don't accept a bounded art association--or if their interests don't bout yours--start your own. A simple, chargeless advertisement in the bounded bi-weekly will allure interest, and your accessible library can apparently accommodate a chargeless affair room.
Selling your arts and crafts locally is a abundant aboriginal footfall for any artist. In addition, it's usually fun, brings you acceptance from your neighbors, and adds a little added adorableness to the businesses that participate.