Creating a Virtual Art Gallery

To the online artist, it might seem a paradox, at first glance, to hear a recommendation to hold back work. The artist on the Internet often overproduces and displays their entire body of work. In essence, by placing it for casual viewing, known as "shopping" the work, devalues its worth by defying the Law of Supply and Demand.

How can the artist benefit by applying the advantages of the Internet with the successful business practices of the traditional gallery? Let's look at the traditional gallery's sales structure.

At the Preview, in an inner gallery, and by invitation only, previously unviewed works are presented to the gallery's selected collectors. The works are tagged as sold, but left for viewing. An aspect of human nature, wanting what one cannot have, has been accommodated as well as a relationship to supply and demand.

To paraphrase Israel A. Kirzner, the, almost, universally accepted theory of supply and demand shapes production and consumption, and is, not only the skeleton, but the flesh and blood of the economic system which determines the artist's survival in the marketplace.

["The Law of Supply and Demand", by Israel Kirzner At the time of publication Kirzner was an economist at New York University. http://www.libertyhaven.com and The Freeman, a publication of The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., January 2000, Vol. 50, No. 1.]

The show opens to the general public. As the show closes, unsold works are then considered shopped, since the public has viewed them. Then, they are placed in an outer gallery for the casual onlooker. Those traditions have held true, stemming from the basic nature of human beings and how market prices are determined.

This brings us back to the question of how might the traditional practices be adapted to the Internet? The artist could, for instance, set up a number of galleries.

The Inner Gallery would contain works previously unseen. A collector might pay a one-time fee, the purpose of which is to discourage window-shoppers. The fee could then be applied to their purchase. Those who purchase are the collectors who go into your special Guest Book to receive Preview invitations, thus, eliminating the major pitfall of current Internet based galleries, the window-shopper.

How does one structure a Preview Page? Obviously, for your Preview Page you wouldn't want just anyone dropping in. This could be accomplished through a member login given only to your private collectors. By closely monitoring their login dates, you can determine when the Preview is over and it's time for the show to be opened to the general public.

A Middle Gallery is for works that didn't sell in the Preview, but are only available to those who have registered in the Guest Book and agree to receive future newsletters and updates. Finally, there is an Outer Gallery, that is for browsers and only contains images that have been sold, their price, but never to whom it was sold.

Although there will be many window-shoppers, as the exclusive nature and as the reputation of the site grows, the more exclusive collector will come to the site, sign the Guest Book, and come to the Preview ready to collect.

Perhaps Museum Directors, Curators, Critics and Reviewers could be contacted as well. Given passwords, they could actually look at the work online, without the artist having to physically move the works as in a land-based gallery. Their reviews could be then added to the Preview Page and the artist's resume for future use.

Anyone with experience on the Internet knows you can't just create a web site and expect people to show up. The site must be properly marketed as well as have something the web surfer desires. Go to ARTNews and see how the ads are structured. Ask yourself what it is about that ad that makes you want to visit that gallery. What makes it desirable?

Look at the size of the images in the ad. Are they thumbnails or full-size images and details? Collectors want to see brush-strokes and have the monitors to do so. Remember, that the majority of the nation's assets lie in the hands of those over fifty years of age. Many of them wear eyeglasses. Accommodate their eyesight. Bigger is better.

Of course, not all artists who put up a web site are going to be worth collecting, just as galleries will not find all artists suitable. Not all collectors will want a given artist's work. Without demand there are no sales.

Therefore, critical analysis of the web statistics should be carefully monitored. If you get a lot of hits and no sales then the problem is not in the marketing. Conversely, no hits, or very few, would indicate poor marketing. At some point you have to figure whether or not you're no good at marketing or the work is not collectible.

As for meeting with the artist, the web cam, if not a personal visit, makes for an enjoyable time. With the development of Japanese graphic technology, one day soon the collector and others members of the art community will view the minute details of the artist's work in truly a virtual gallery without defying the laws of human nature which drives all mankind.

About The Author

Cynthia Houppert is an art consultant in Atlanta, Georgia and the author of "Art Gallery Safari: Bagging the Big One"

(c)2003

cyndij@cowboyenterprises.com

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:48:44 GMT What’s Next For OJ Simpson? - WJBF-TV BBC News What’s Next For OJ Simpson? WJBF-TV - 37 minutes ago OJ Simpson is back behind bars, convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery, and 10 other charges. Jury questionnaires, released Saturday, reveal 5 jurors disagreed with Simpson’s 1995 acquittal for murder. Video: OJ Jury: We Didn't Need Witnesses to Convict AssociatedPress Ostler: With a prison term, maybe Simpson can find real killers San Francisco Chronicle The Associated Press - Los Angeles Times - United Press International - New York Times all 3,272 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:11:20 GMT Brooke Burke: Misty May Is ‘Out of’ DWTS - People Magazine United Press International Brooke Burke: Misty May Is ‘Out of’ DWTS People Magazine - 1 hour ago It looks like Dancing with the Stars will be down one competitor when it airs Monday night. Misty May-Treanor, 31, has injured herself and is out of the competition, her castmate Brooke Burke confirms. DWTS: Will Kim Replace Injured Misty? E! Online 'Dancing with the Stars' contestant injured The Associated Press United Press International - News10.net - Baltimore Sun - Reality TV Magazine all 179 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:35:17 GMT Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 - The Associated Press Washington Post Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 The Associated Press - 1 hour ago BOSTON (AP) - Josh Beckett waited four extra days for a chance to show his postseason brilliance. That shine wore off with his very first pitch. Video: Angels, White Sox Each Force a Game 4 AssociatedPress BoSox attempt to finish off Angels and advance to ALCS Sports Network Washington Post - Bleacher Report - FOXSports.com - MLB.com all 3,413 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:41:31 GMT Campaign Attacks Intensify in the Wake of New Ads - Washington Post BBC News Campaign Attacks Intensify in the Wake of New Ads Washington Post - 1 hour ago By William Branigin and Michael Abramowitz The campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain went after Barack Obama again today over his past association with a 1960s radical leader, and the Democratic contender struck back by highlighting ... Video: Palin Defends Terrorist Comment Against Obama AssociatedPress POLITICS-US: Asian Americans Tilt Heavily Toward Obama Inter Press Service The Weekly Standard - Christian Science Monitor - San Francisco Chronicle - The Associated Press all 4,086 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:46:43 GMT Hamsters, turtles and other exotic pets can pose danger to kids - New York Daily News AFP Hamsters, turtles and other exotic pets can pose danger to kids New York Daily News - 1 hour ago Think that furry little hamster spinning on its wheel in your child’s bedroom is just a cute benign pet? Non-traditional household pets, including hamsters, mice, turtles and monkeys actually pose a health risk to young children, according to a new ... 8 Pets That Pose Major Health Threats to Kids U.S. News & World Report Exotic Pets Pose Health Risk To Children NBC 10.com AFP - eFluxMedia - The Associated Press - Mom Logic all 380 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:20:52 GMT IBM's cloud initiative repackages its familiar offerings - InfoWorld eFluxMedia IBM's cloud initiative repackages its familiar offerings InfoWorld - 1 hour ago By Ephraim Schwartz Mixing together a mélange of services, software and marketing, IBM's announcement this week of its Cloud Services Initiative is about putting an organizing construct around all of its cloud offerings, according to one IBM executive. IBM Puts More Tools in the InternetNews.com IBM unveils cloud computing offerings TG Daily CNNMoney.com - eWeek - CRN - VNUNet.com all 52 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:22:31 GMT European Researchers Win Nobels for Medicine - Washington Post Washington Post European Researchers Win Nobels for Medicine Washington Post - 1 hour ago By Rob Stein Two French researchers were awarded a Nobel Prize today for discovering the AIDS virus, bypassing an American researcher who played a key role in the discovery. Nobel is postscript to bitter 1980s HIV dispute The Associated Press Three Europeans Win the 2008 Nobel for Medicine New York Times Los Angeles Times - MSNBC - Chemical & Engineering News - Daily Mail all 843 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:12:15 GMT RSStoBlog RSS For Web Pages

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Europes New Jews

They inhabit self-imposed ghettoes, subject to derision and worse, the... Read More

Carly Patterson: What Makes A Champion?

If you have been following gymnastics for any length of... Read More

How Many Chinese Characters Are There?

Let's trace the number of Chinese characters from Han Dynasty... Read More

Medieval Siege Weaponry: Castle Walls Beware

Medieval siege weaponry was required in any self-respecting war leader's... Read More

Mars, the Mighty and Marvelous

Martius, the month of March, is named after him. So... Read More

Violence

Flashes of memory stream into my consciousness. They take me... Read More

History of the Royal Barges - a Timeless Tradition

The history of the royal barges dates back to the... Read More

Paul Hamm: Did He Deserve Gymnastics Gold in 2004?

What was the controversy all about?In the 2004 Olympics, an... Read More

Amber Mysteries Revealed

Amber, the gem of a stone that's not really a... Read More

What is Y Ddraig Goch - the Welsh Red Dragon?

The red Dragon was introduced to Britain during Roman times.... Read More

Precious Stones ? The Big Five - Part 3 The Sapphire

The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of truth,... Read More

A Look at the Heart of American Beauty

Sam Mendes' darkly comic portrayal of suburbia in his first... Read More

Mythology and Parables in Modern Communication - Part 1

Today there is a growing need to examine all our... Read More

Family, Incest, and Law

Family Values in Ancient Times:Many people of the present make... Read More

My Introduction To Northwest Coast Native American Art

I had lived in Vancouver very briefly as a child... Read More

Top 10 Questions about Body Piercing

Body piercing has grown so much in popularity in recent... Read More

The Daily Show is a Must See on Comedy Central

Doesn't it seem that today there is nothing but bleak... Read More

A Defense of Cultural Intelligence

When humans set off to address fundamental issues about what... Read More

Insider Tips to Quadruple Your Art Show Sales

At a recent art show, I could not help but... Read More

The Man Who Loved Jail

Around my twentieth birthday life became a series of incredible... Read More

Fictions Galore

FABULOUS: - Many 'fabulous' personages and concepts are created by... Read More

The Wandle Trail - Announced Regeneration Project

The River Wandle is sourced from the North Downs above... Read More

African Americans: Get the Winning Edge

Everybody wants an edge that will give him or her... Read More

Native American Life After Prophetstown

My name is Luksi Humma, I am Choctaw or, Chahta,... Read More

How to Clean Your Civil War Uniform

How necessary is cleaning your Civil War Uniform?The every day... Read More