How To Find Your Best Art Career Path: Gallery, Fair, or Independent? Part 1

[@nwagboeze6506]

Thanks!

[@DearGlorywithMoriahAlise]

Wow! Thank you so much! This means a ton!! 🤍🤍🤍

[@Afrikan_Zealot]

Kedu?

[@sphephelo_mnguni_art]

I'm a South African contemporary artist And I want to thank you for creating this channel I've leaned a lot THANK YOU Moriah

[@THULASIMECINA]

Same here, her content is so helpful

[@FilmChick2001]

Do you think it would hurt my art career if I started with the e-commerce route, selling decorative art to financially support myself, while still trying to get into a local gallery?

[@mattkayem1554]

How about the residencies, grants, biennales and museums route? I notice you are interested in the "commercial" art world.

[@DearGlorywithMoriahAlise]

That’s false. Residencies could be a part of a career for either of these routes. You could also be an artist who jumps from residency to residency. I have an entire video talking about residencies if you’d like to check it out. I speak about obtaining grants often. Whichever of these routes you take - you can apply for grants. Gallery artist can also be museum artist. And so can indépendant. This video is very specific to only 4 routes. I think it should also be noted that I work in this industry. Helping artist obtain residencies, grants, museum shows etc.

[@boitumelomagwaza7380]

@@DearGlorywithMoriahAlisewhat is the difference between gallery artists vs museum artists

[@DearGlorywithMoriahAlise]

@@boitumelomagwaza7380 they can intertwine. However not every artist that has representation by a gallery will have the opportunity to go into a museum. On the other hand I’ve seen independent artist have museum shows and not be signed by a gallery.

[@mattkayem1554]

@@DearGlorywithMoriahAlise Ah, interesting, you have your points and you are right. Maybe I would approach this video in a different way if I was talking about routes and artist can take. I would reduce them to just two; commercial artists and the "not-so commercial artists, gallery artists and museum artists. With gallery artists, this is where you would have most painters, like Amoako Boafo or John Currin who's work can be easily sold through galleries and art fairs. These sort of artists don't usually have strong or academic subject matter, they are also the types that are usually self-taught or don't have MFAs or PhDs...The other category which would be museum artists could contain artists that usually show at Biennales, Triennales or Documenta, these are also known for hoping around residencies, applying for grants and the like. There work is not strong commercially as it is usually experimental and academic, these also are darlings to museums because the academic art world is interested in this. Think about artists like the new Theaster Gates with his sound art, think about Ibrahim Mahama and others who work around experimental mediums of installation art, performance etc...

[@DearGlorywithMoriahAlise]

@@mattkayem1554 I agree, and thank you for your input. Perhaps this could’ve been approached differently. I like the idea of framing it from a commercial versus non-commercial perspective. I wanted to make space for those artists who don’t take the "prestigious route" and give them the respect they deserve. There are so many artists whose paths lead them from local fair to local fair, and their work is often dismissed by those within more institutional settings. It’s important to speak about that path as well, and speak about it in a positive light-not as secondary to other routes. Many artists may never step foot in a gallery, attend a residency, or be featured in a museum. The discouragement they feel in knowing that is disheartening, and my goal is to offer hope and validation to those pursuing success in their own way.

[@anitasewell3029]

C level student 😂