I have been consigning my work in the same gallery for a number of years now, and I just realized they don’t have a policy in place for items broken by customers. You know, “You break it, you buy it”? Another artist’s glass ornament was knocked off of its display by someone passing by, and the gallery owner ended up in a lengthy argument with the man. What is the standard policy at galleries (and shows for that matter)? I don’t want the gallery to have to cover it, but I don’t want to absorb the loss either. Yet it seems rude to ask someone to pay $100 for something that is broken and is now worthless to them. What can I suggest to the gallery owner?

Consignment is always tricky and can create a number of situations that can cause a craft person a problem. I would suggest that you only work with stores that have contracts that clearly state their consignment terms. Or better yet write your own contract. You can search on line for sample contracts, read each carefully, create one that suits you and then insist that the shops you deal with sign onto your contract.

Here are my thoughts on your specific breakage question. I think there are three different scenarios this could take. First, an item belonging to a shop is broken. Second, a consigned item in a gallery is damaged. And third, a consigned item in a shop is broken. In my mind the owner of the venue where the damage occurred is unquestionably financially responsible for any damage to items in their possession. If they own the item it’s quite simple, their merchandise is no longer saleable. Whether the consigned item is in a shop or gallery the owner is still responsible for the work of their artists whether it is in the gallery or any other site where the gallery may be showing the work. A good consignment contract would state this very clearly.

Now your concerns about making the customer who caused the damage in the first place pay for the item. It is pretty universally understood that if a customer damages an items in a retail venue it’s their responsibility to pay for them. Fortunately I have only had to deal with this situation a few times. I don’t feel we should try to make money off someone’s bad fortune so my approach is to ask the customer to pay 50% of the selling price. This either gets back the cost of the item or if it’s consigned the money to pay the artist. Only once did a customer refuse, at his point I realized it wasn’t going to be fruitful to push the issue and we paid the artist ourselves.

I currently make decorative ceramic platters, bowls and vases. I was asked recently why I don’t use food-safe glazes, and I guess I just never thought about it. Would my products be more marketable if they were food-safe? Or would they lose their artistic edge as a decoration-only piece? What if some were food-safe and some were not? I just want to be sure I am offering the best product possible to my customers.

Well, maybe you use the glazes you do because you can’t get the colors you want with glazes that don’t contain lead. That would be a good reason to continue using your current techniques. However, if you’re using these glazes because you always have it may be time to consider a change. We are aware of the health risks of continued exposure to lead found in some glazes and it is impossible to import functional pottery that contains lead. Potters in this country who produce functional work long ago moved away from lead glazes. So if you want to make your work food safe you need to change glazes. I’m not a potter but I know this can be complicated, but it may be worth undertaking.

There are certainly reasons to want your work to be both functional and decorative. First, the duality would open up a larger market for you. Second, marketing guru Pamela Danzinger is telling us that the consumer is becoming less interested in items that don’t function; we don’t want to dust stuff any more. You could begin with the platters and bowls, lead is not an issue with vases. Customers might be confused if some of your work is food safe and other of it is not. A good goal could be to transition as fast as possible. On the other hand if you have a solid market for your decorative pieces you may want to produce two lines and use Angela Fina’s approach. Angela a potter in Amherst, MA produces a line of Ikebana containers and sometimes uses glazes that are not food safe. Some of her forms could be mistaken for serving bowls, she writes “Not for Food” on the bottom of these pieces with a ceramic pencil. If you chose to change your work be aware that it may take your customers a bit of time to catch up with your new ideas.

I am looking to participate in my first show, but I’m not really sure what shows to apply for. How can I find a show that will be successful for me? What kinds of questions should I ask the show promoters, or should I just go by the information on their website and brochures? There are a number of shows in my area, so I’m not too worried about location. Is it better to start off with a small show or jump head-first in with the big guys?

Think about the acorn and the mighty Oak. How small at the beginning and how proud and powerful at maturity. I would choose to participate in a smaller show first. This will allow you to get your act together as a booth designer, set up person, salesperson and most importantly as a product designer. We work in the protection of our studios, produce items we think are great, the best we’ve ever produced, but the real test is when we present them to the buying public. I think it’s always best to start small, have a positive experience and grow a business based on the markets response.

A thorough read of the show brochure will probably answer most of your questions, if not get on the phone with the show producers. You would want to know attendance information especially where the attendees come from, is this a local show or do people interested in buying crafts travel to see this show. It would be good to know the promotion plans, how much is being budgeted for paid ads and where they will run, especially on line. You might also ask about special events that will bring people to the show. You may also have questions about the number of artists working in your media. While it is always appropriate to contact the show producers with your questions I think the people you really want to talk to are the crafts people who have been in the show. They’re the ones who can give you the clearest information about the show and their success there. You can ask an exhibitor if they are returning, why or why not. They should be able to provide information about the best price points and the type of items they sold well. Then you need to weigh this information carefully, the show that was good for the jeweler may not be good for you, the potter, for instance.

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I would like to design and construct a unique, hard-walled, indoor booth suitable for some of the high-end fine art/craft shows. I have been able to locate a wealth of good information on tent-style outdoor booths, but very little on the more elaborate hard-walled displays seen at many of the national shows. Do you know of a comprehensive source of such information? I would greatly appreciate any information you may have in this regard.
-Anthony, via e-mail
How smart of you to want an upscale booth to showcase your work to its best advantage and add immeasurably to the quality of your brand. Often the hard walls seen at high end shows are provided by the show owner. However I think you can make your own as long as you have the ability to move them around. I would suggest you consider using hollow core doors. They are available in a wide range of heights and widths. Consider making your booth 8’ high, the extra height helps isolate your work and creates an elegance you can’t get with lower walls. You will want to have a selection of widths that will allow you to make a booth to fit the various booth sizes you may encounter. Structurally you will need to have right angles to hold this together, corner brackets can be used behind the back corners to hold the walls together. I have seen door booths that use baseboard at the bottom and crown molding at the top to hold the straight sections together. You get a bit of elegance and structure at the same time. Walls that are perpendicular to outside walls can be secured with brackets that go on under the moldings; these walls may also need a return on the top going back to an outside wall on an angle. You will also want a top brace that goes across the top of the open/aisle side of the booth. All the components can be precut and finished at home, including predrilling for screws and of course painting. It will be impossible to put this booth up alone. You’ll either have to bring a helper or perhaps a friend is also an exhibitor and will trade setup time with you.

I just got back from an indoor show, and I was quite annoyed with my neighbor across the aisle for most of the weekend. He was displaying a number of intricate ceramic tiles, and displayed them underneath a large, intense light raised high on a pole at the corner of his booth. Shortly after he turned it on, I asked him to tilt it downward or move it, as it was blinding me and my customers. The man did not speak English well, but I still thought he understood. However, he left it there for the whole three days! What should I have done? I would have felt like a tattletale bringing it up to the show staff. And I would have felt rude asking him to move it again. What is the proper etiquette here?

This is too simple, let’s think it through. You designed your booth to enable you to sell your work under the best circumstances. You have paid to be in a show you feel is a good fit for your work and you will sell well. Are you willing to compromise the success of your business for the sake of being polite? Here’s how I would have handled this. A second strong request would have been appropriate and this time done in a way the exhibitor without good English was sure to understand. If this didn’t work the next step is to go to the show promoter. It is their job to provide you with a booth space in which you can conduct your business without outside distractions; this is what you paid them for. Bright lights shining in your face and those of your customers are certainly a distraction and a deterrent to sales. I would also put music that can be heard outside the booth in this category. Anything that takes away from the ambience you create in your booth is a distraction and will affect your ability to sell your work. We should not be hesitant to speak up for our businesses and ourselves.

I have been following several galleries that I think would be good fits for my work. Can you give me an idea of the questions I should ask as I try to make a choice? Also I’m a bit concerned about consigning my work. Any ideas will be appreciated.

I’m always encouraged when I read about an artist systematically analyzing galleries and being careful about entering into relationships with a gallery. So let’s think about why you want a gallery in the first place. The obvious answer is to sell your work so you will want to know something about their sales record. However, I want to suggest there are other equally important reasons to have a gallery. One of the most important jobs of a gallery is to build the careers of their artists. To this end effective galleries work very closely with collectors to place their artist’s work in private and public collections, so be sure to ask about the gallery’s relationship with collectors. You would also want to know if the gallery works with other galleries to get their artist’s work before a larger audience. The press is essential to an artist’s career. Ask about the gallery’s ability to get information about their artists in print or online. Speaking of print you will want to know who pays for any materials that may be printed to promote your work.

Now let’s look at the consignment issue. Since galleries do not purchase art this is the only way to work with then. A gallery operates by presenting a series of shows, each with a specific starting and ending date, unlike a shop that purchases work, puts work on its shelves and keeps it there until it gets sold. You will want to carefully read the consignment contract. Among other things it should be very clear about the % you will be paid, when you will be paid, the dates of the show and any extension of those dates during which the gallery intends to control your work. You will want the work insured while there and of course return shipping costs, if necessary, paid by the gallery. Discounts are a common tool used by galleries to sell work; you’ll want to know your financial responsibility if the gallery grants a discount on a sale. A gallery relationship is totally built on trust therefore you are wise to be considering this move very carefully.

I overheard one of my fellow gallery artists discussing her new press release. I haven’t done one before, and I am wondering if I need to. Are they just a fancy newsletter or are they only sent out when you have something new? I have an e-mail list of customers and potential buyers, but I’ve never sent them anything. I figured I would keep the list if I ever really needed to contact all of them at once. If I do write a press release, what are some things I should include and what should I leave out?

The function of a press release, PR, is to present information the writer believes the public wants to read. There would be no reason to have a PR unless you have news to spread. Appropriate reasons for writing and sending a PR could include winning an award, teaching a class, being in an exhibition, release of new product, an open studio or giving a public demonstration of your technique. The PR needs to be to the point, not filled with complimentary over the top statements about you and your work. You, and the media, want it to answer who, what, why, where and when. You also want to include a contact name and phone number. Most releases today go out digitally and many include high quality 72 dpi images. You will want to develop a list of press contacts since you don’t send press releases to client lists. Your press list should include both local and national publications. In addition think about using your email lists for eblasts that announce something new you are doing for spring 2009. I would also suggest you begin using your client list to announce new product, shops carrying your work and shows you will be in. Why have this list if you aren’t going to use it?