FAQ's for Artists
Please
click on any of the questions below...
Are there any exclusivity limitations on artists?
No. This is a non-exclusive deal. We do not wish
to restrict any of our Artists. We want to enable
you to build real careers and want to become a
significant part of the strategies you employ to
achieve this. Originals that are being used by
Ovenden Contemporary for exhibition purposes must
be available to us exclusively for the time
period that is agreed between us, but that is the
only restriction.
We will be working on a publishing arrangement soon after launch and will require exclusivity on images selected for publishing but this will be agreed with selected Artists at the appropriate time. As Artists, you will be able to sell your originals in any way you see fit.
We will be working on a publishing arrangement soon after launch and will require exclusivity on images selected for publishing but this will be agreed with selected Artists at the appropriate time. As Artists, you will be able to sell your originals in any way you see fit.
What commission rates do you charge on sales?
Normally, our commission rate for sales of an
original piece of work is 30%. That commission
rate is divided between the venue, the
introducing Artist and Ovenden Contemporary. This
compares quite favourably with the 50% charged by
most mainstream Galleries.
There is a difference between an 'Artist Price' and a 'Retail Price'. When we agree to exhibit an original by you, you will tell us what your Artist price is and we will add our commissions to that figure. We will discuss with you at the appropriate time the likelihood of achieving the price you are hoping for and make sure that we are all happy with the pricing strategy.
The commission rates quoted assume that the participating venue is a non-gallery venue. Gallery venues are accommodated on a case by case basis as we negotiate with any that are interested in using our services, based on their own commission levels. If you are invited to contribute to an exhibition that is held in a Gallery venue, you will be notified of the commission rate applicable to that venue, if different to the above, prior to agreeing to participate.
There is a difference between an 'Artist Price' and a 'Retail Price'. When we agree to exhibit an original by you, you will tell us what your Artist price is and we will add our commissions to that figure. We will discuss with you at the appropriate time the likelihood of achieving the price you are hoping for and make sure that we are all happy with the pricing strategy.
The commission rates quoted assume that the participating venue is a non-gallery venue. Gallery venues are accommodated on a case by case basis as we negotiate with any that are interested in using our services, based on their own commission levels. If you are invited to contribute to an exhibition that is held in a Gallery venue, you will be notified of the commission rate applicable to that venue, if different to the above, prior to agreeing to participate.
Do I need Public Liability Insurance?
Not for works exhibited by Ovenden Contemporary.
You should be aware that, if you install an
exhibition at any venue yourselves, you should
have suitable Public Liability Insurance cover,
unless the venue has expressly agreed (in
writing) to assume liability should something
untoward happen as a consequence of the
exhibition.
Ovenden Contemporary has it's own Public Liability Insurance cover for all of the exhibitions and events we install & arrange.
Ovenden Contemporary has it's own Public Liability Insurance cover for all of the exhibitions and events we install & arrange.
Is there a limit to the number of venues I can nominate?
There is no limit to the number of venues Artist
Members can introduce. It is in everyone's
interest to get as many venues participating as
possible. The more venues you introduce, the more
will be accepted on to the programme and the more
exhibitions you will be offered.
We are preparing some 'Guidelines' for Artists to use when approaching or considering venues, so that you don't waste too much of your time introducing those that are unsuitable. You do not need to nominate any venues at all, if you prefer not to.
We are preparing some 'Guidelines' for Artists to use when approaching or considering venues, so that you don't waste too much of your time introducing those that are unsuitable. You do not need to nominate any venues at all, if you prefer not to.
How do I 'introduce' a Venue to the programme?
We provide all Artist Members with a pack of
leaflet brochures to present to venue owners or
managers that you have chosen to introduce to
Ovenden Contemporary.
The best approach is to actually hand one of the brochures to the manager or owner and leave it with them to have a look at. It would be quite good if you could obtain an impression of how they respond to the idea, but you do not need to do any selling yourself.
If they have any questions they can contact us directly so that we can start a line of communication with them and arrange an assessment. Once you have spoken with them you should let us know their details so that we can follow it up.
We are preparing some 'Guidelines' for Artists to use when approaching or considering venues, so that you don't waste too much of your time introducing those that are unsuitable. You do not need to nominate any venues at all, if you prefer not to.
The best approach is to actually hand one of the brochures to the manager or owner and leave it with them to have a look at. It would be quite good if you could obtain an impression of how they respond to the idea, but you do not need to do any selling yourself.
If they have any questions they can contact us directly so that we can start a line of communication with them and arrange an assessment. Once you have spoken with them you should let us know their details so that we can follow it up.
We are preparing some 'Guidelines' for Artists to use when approaching or considering venues, so that you don't waste too much of your time introducing those that are unsuitable. You do not need to nominate any venues at all, if you prefer not to.
What if I'm no good at finding new venues. Will that be a problem?
Those that introduce more potential venues have
the chance of more exhibition opportunities.
Having said that, as it is just a case of handing
a brochure to a venue manager or owner as a way
of introducing them to Ovenden Contemporary, it
shouldn't really be something that is too
difficult for members to do.
There will be no selling or promotion required by the Artist. The more information you can give us about the venue and its' owner the better, of course. But, to be honest, if an Artist is unwilling or unable to try handing a brochure over to a venue, we will send one through the post if necessary. So a simple list of venues local to you that may be suitable could be enough to secure you local exhibitions. However, it would be better if you could give us more information than just name and address of a venue, as this will help us to 'pitch' the presentation appropriately.
The reason that we believe in the 'introduction' system is that we have learned from experience that it is much easier to gain exposure for an exhibition and encourage people to attend a Preview Party event, if there is a local Artist involved. There has to be something in this for the venue and the majority of the benefit for them is wrapped up in the Preview Party, as this is the part of the process that would gain the most publicity.
There will be no selling or promotion required by the Artist. The more information you can give us about the venue and its' owner the better, of course. But, to be honest, if an Artist is unwilling or unable to try handing a brochure over to a venue, we will send one through the post if necessary. So a simple list of venues local to you that may be suitable could be enough to secure you local exhibitions. However, it would be better if you could give us more information than just name and address of a venue, as this will help us to 'pitch' the presentation appropriately.
The reason that we believe in the 'introduction' system is that we have learned from experience that it is much easier to gain exposure for an exhibition and encourage people to attend a Preview Party event, if there is a local Artist involved. There has to be something in this for the venue and the majority of the benefit for them is wrapped up in the Preview Party, as this is the part of the process that would gain the most publicity.
How do I earn money from introducing venues?
As the introducer of a venue, you would earn 5%
commission on all original art sales that take
place at that venue, all the while you remain a
member of Ovenden Contemporary. You do not even
have to contribute to an exhibition at a venue in
order to be entitled to the commission, if you
were the original introducer. However, if your
membership runs out and you choose not to renew,
your entitlement to this commission will
cease.
How much involvement will be expected of me in
handling the arrangements for the exhibitions?
An introducing Artist will not be required to
handle any arrangements for exhibitions that take
place at venues they introduce. We will take care
of all the arrangements, negotiations, marketing
& promotions, installation, sales and
removals for the exhibitions at venues that take
part.
Having said that, the Artist & the venue owners/managers will need to assist with guest lists for the Preview Party and suggestions for potential marketing opportunities, especially local press contacts. If you want more involvement we will happily discuss this with you on an individual basis.
As a contributing Artist, it is your responsibility to get the selected artworks to us in good time for the installation of the exhibition. If you are local to the venue, we may be able to arrange a time for you to deliver your artworks to the venue directly, on the day of installation.
Having said that, the Artist & the venue owners/managers will need to assist with guest lists for the Preview Party and suggestions for potential marketing opportunities, especially local press contacts. If you want more involvement we will happily discuss this with you on an individual basis.
As a contributing Artist, it is your responsibility to get the selected artworks to us in good time for the installation of the exhibition. If you are local to the venue, we may be able to arrange a time for you to deliver your artworks to the venue directly, on the day of installation.
Why do you prefer 'alternative' venues to conventional galleries?
It's not that we 'prefer' one type of venue over
another. We want to promote our Artists and their
art, in as many places, to as many people that we
can. This will raise our Artists' profiles and,
hopefully, create sales momentum so that, later
on in their careers, they can approach the
established Galleries with a solid sales record
and an impressive exhibition CV.
One of the benefits of using 'alternative' venues is that the commission rates can be kept at competitive levels for all those involved. The commission rates we quote assume that the participating venue is a non-gallery venue. Gallery venues are accommodated on a case by case basis and we will happily negotiate with any that are interested in using our services.
We don't expect participation from established Art Galleries to be especially high as we would be replicating what they should already be doing themselves. Having said that, we do have several Venue Members that are existing Galleries. We are happy for Galleries to use us on a flexible basis, to fill gaps in their exhibition programmes that they don't have time to fill themselves, or start-up galleries that need a degree of variety in their stock that they can't achieve quickly by themselves. We also have Gallery clients that have given us full control of their exhibition schedules so there is obviously a demand for our range of services from those already established within the Art industry.
One of the benefits of using 'alternative' venues is that the commission rates can be kept at competitive levels for all those involved. The commission rates we quote assume that the participating venue is a non-gallery venue. Gallery venues are accommodated on a case by case basis and we will happily negotiate with any that are interested in using our services.
We don't expect participation from established Art Galleries to be especially high as we would be replicating what they should already be doing themselves. Having said that, we do have several Venue Members that are existing Galleries. We are happy for Galleries to use us on a flexible basis, to fill gaps in their exhibition programmes that they don't have time to fill themselves, or start-up galleries that need a degree of variety in their stock that they can't achieve quickly by themselves. We also have Gallery clients that have given us full control of their exhibition schedules so there is obviously a demand for our range of services from those already established within the Art industry.
I use an on-line gallery already. Why should I join Ovenden Contemporary?
We are certainly not trying to replicate the
services of on-line Galleries. There are a few
on-line gallery services we admire very much and
would recommend using some of them as an on-line
selling tool, if you wish to represent yourself.
The Ovenden Contemporary focus is squarely in the 'real world' and our aim is to build your CV's. The on-line aspect of our web-site is more of an 'added-value' bonus, rather than a focus. That is not to say that we don't recognise the power of the internet, we most certainly do. As we will be developing a database of member Artists anyway, we can easily develop an on-line presence to help you gain more attention and, hopefully, sales.
We will be looking at the benefits of 'on-line exhibitions' in the future and would welcome any suggestions as to how you would like to see Ovenden Contemporary develop in the future.
The Ovenden Contemporary focus is squarely in the 'real world' and our aim is to build your CV's. The on-line aspect of our web-site is more of an 'added-value' bonus, rather than a focus. That is not to say that we don't recognise the power of the internet, we most certainly do. As we will be developing a database of member Artists anyway, we can easily develop an on-line presence to help you gain more attention and, hopefully, sales.
We will be looking at the benefits of 'on-line exhibitions' in the future and would welcome any suggestions as to how you would like to see Ovenden Contemporary develop in the future.
Is there an exclusive online forum for artists or opportunities to meet up together?
It is important to raise the issue of
'community'. We have no current plans for an
on-line forum for member Artists. We would much
rather develop a 'real world' sense of community
amongst our Artists. Our member Artists take part
in exhibitions together and we encourage them all
to attend the Preview Parties, if at all
possible. We try hard to bring our member Artists
together, notwithstanding geographic limitations,
and we do this face-to-face, surrounded by each
others' artwork. Our members get to know each
other better than they ever could in a forum or
chat room.
We have introduced an Ovenden Contemporary Artist Blog, intended to serve as a means of keeping all members up-to-date with company developments, exhibition opportunities, forthcoming Preview Parties & sharing publicity successes. It also serves as a means of communication between member Artists. We are currently trialling a system where all members are able to contribute articles to the blog to share advice, comments, ask questions, inform others of career progress etc. All members will have the ability to comment on articles and notices that interest them. We believe that this will be a more effective 'community' communication tool than any forum or chat room facility as there is little opportunity for threads to degenerate, as is so often the case with on-line Forums.
We have introduced an Ovenden Contemporary Artist Blog, intended to serve as a means of keeping all members up-to-date with company developments, exhibition opportunities, forthcoming Preview Parties & sharing publicity successes. It also serves as a means of communication between member Artists. We are currently trialling a system where all members are able to contribute articles to the blog to share advice, comments, ask questions, inform others of career progress etc. All members will have the ability to comment on articles and notices that interest them. We believe that this will be a more effective 'community' communication tool than any forum or chat room facility as there is little opportunity for threads to degenerate, as is so often the case with on-line Forums.