Exhibit opportunities.

This is from a new blog I am following.  Linda Crane has a an amazing story.  I think you will find her a wonderful artist to follow.  Her web address is:  http://lindacranefineart.com  Her blog address is at her web site.

I found it interesting and I hope you can take a little information out of it that is useful!

Getting exhibit opportunities is a lot of work!  Especially at the beginning.  Here’s a quick and dirty bullet list of ways to streamline that:

• Join a local art association (if there isn’t one, start one) and have your own group shows.
• Libraries, Universities (particularly local ones), Hospitals, and so on often are excellent venue choices. 
• If you have a local paper, let them know what’s going on in your studio.  This called a press release and doesn’t have to be about a show. 
• Host a group show in your studio.
• Host a well-publicized studio show of your own work.
• Get yourself listed in gallery/studio guides.  Split the listing with friends if necessary or possible.  Publish one of your own if none exists for your area-although this will take a lot of time because you then have to get it distributed.
• If there is a First Friday or similar art event, get yourself on the schedule, ask to become a “Featured Artist” in one of the available sites.
• Join mailing lists for galleries and put them on yours (so they can see your work).
• Show up at openings and artist’s receptions so your face and name become known.
• Tell people (everybody) you are an artist.  Your barber, kid’s teachers, next-door neighbors, local business owners, the community calendar at your TV station, the newspaper, your blog, your doctor, (I recently sold a piece to my cats’ vet because I had the chutzpah to invite them to a one-person show. And I'd had to force myself to send them the postcard invitation because my old tapes always tell me not to “bother” people). 
• Ask if you can hang your work in a local business (Think about the appropriateness – If you paint gory-looking abstracts, a vegan restaurant might not be very receptive!). 
• Donate (within reason) to local charity events that will get excellent publicity (if you want to donate work because you believe in the charity and want to support them, that is not what we are talking about here).
• Subscribe to websites and publications that list appropriate venues and report on them.  This is particularly important for fairs and juried exhibits, since the financial outlay of reserving multiple fairs and jury submissions can become burdensome with little reward if you don’t do your homework.  Google or go to artists’ information sites, check the back of your art publications and, if necessary, contact the venue directly with an inquiry, then research them, research them, research them.  Your library has copies of publications, the web has e-mags, state arts organizations often have opportunity listings.