Have any of the artists on here ever been approached by a gallery that charges a fee to display your art? I never really understood that idea. Has anyone ever displayed in a such a gallery? I've been approached a few times, but never really went for it. This latest one is in LA and the last one was in Hong Kong. I've turned down the one in Hong Kong and I'll probably turn down the one in LA. It just seems kinda fishy when the address in LA is a PO Box.

I agree, turn those down. You shouldn't have to pay to get your work in a gallery. If your work is good, you'll you'll be asked/invited to participate in one. If not, then there's probably a reason why.... shouldn't have to pay to squeeze yourself in

Depends. If it's a juried show with a reputable person or persons doing the jurying, etc. than it's not at all uncommon to have to pay an entry fee. However they are usually nominal being somewhere in between $10-$20 for up to three to four pieces of work being submitted.

Those fees are used to sometimes pay the juror as they (if it's a good gallery doing the exhibit) can be someone of importance in the art world. Those fees are also normally used as prizes for selected artists work like Best in Show as judged by the juror or jurors. Most of these galleries tend to be non-profit though.

Anyway, if you Google juried art exhibits or something close to that you can find an endless supply of websites that post these types of shows and the entry fees.

Bottom line is there are 10,000 + artists to galleries or spaces to exhibit work. It also aint cheap to run a gallery and let's face it, artists can be lazy. In the artists defense, galleries can be too.

That's the thing, John. The few times were not juried shows. I remember the one you were part of some time last year and I had no problem with that because of the format. These are just gallery spaces that are saying "Hey, we like your stuff. Would you like to send us some pieces...and by the way, it will cost you $30...and the show is online only." That is what makes it sound fishy. It's an online show...and they're charging an entry fee?

would it make sense if a hooker paid a pimp?

i don't think so.

BUT strippers often pay the house to perform. Little known, but true.

And I agree with you. This space sounds fishy and I wouldn't show with them. My explanation as you read starts with "depends" and the only real reason you would have to pay any sort of entry fee is for a jury. Professional spaces that use a juror tend to use as I said persons within the art world who are respected and may be of importance in a particular medium. And like most professionals require payment for their services. This is usually where the entry fees are explained. A lot of artists like to do these shows because having their work shown in an exhibit by some sort of professional in the field tends to look great on an artists resume. It's a lot like an artist having their work shown in a museum setting rather than a gallery. I don't care how low on the proverbial food chain a museum is, like that of a (recognized) community or city museum, it will always look better on an artists resume than even the most respected gallery.

I'm not making excuses for fly-by-night, shady galleries in the slightest. I'm just trying to explain the difference between those who ask for an entry fee for the right reasons versus those like the ones coming after you. Furthermore, if the exhibit is online only, why do they need to hang onto your work? That is even fishier in my book. My guess is the minute you send it to them it will be gone. You will never see it again...



If she knows what's good for her

You should ask Kist, he helps with a gallery here that works that way. They don't actually go after artists, but they charge for you to be in their monthly show (they can of course turn pieces down) but in return you get pretty much your full asking price back. It seems to work for them, they've been doing this for a while now...