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APPLIED ART & CERAMICS
The
Craft Centre & Design Gallery is renowned for the superior quality
and diversity of contemporary ceramics, glass, wood, metal and textile
items on display.
There are two major exhibitions held annually, one in summer with a
particularly strong educational angle and one over the busy Christmas
period.
The showcases are intended as an introduction to a new designer or to promote new work from an established designer.
The showcases are seen not just as promotional activities but have a strong educational bias. Individual work is accompanied by technical details and a short statement, this information is available as a handout to take away with purchases.
The Craft Centre & Design Gallery aims ' to advance and encourage the creation of works of fine craftsmanship and to foster, promote and increase the interest of the public in the works of craftspeople and the accessibility of these works to the public.'
How is the work sourced?
About
50% of the time we are approached in writing. The letter should be addressed
to the Director, Hayley Walker and should include good visuals (slides,
photographs or digital images) a recent CV, a short statement and an
SAE for return of the slides. Your letter will be replied to as soon
as possible by the Director, if you have not received a reply within
a couple of weeks then you could make a follow up call.
Other possibilities include seeing work at another exhibition, at a trade show, a degree show or in a magazine.
Selection
Procedure
There
are lots of different aspects that the gallery needs to take into account
before making a decision.
What kind of work do we specialise in or sell?
Can we accommodate the work?
Is it suitable for our market?
Is it suitable for the time of year?
Is the work of a good quality or does it fulfil it's function?
Is it priced correctly?
Can we sell the work?
Does it support an educational aspect that we are pursuing?
Pricing
Pricing
will always be a challenge for artists.
Generally material costs are low but labour time can be extensive.
You need to consider different points: material costs, labour time and
most importantly the perceived value. (Set a realistic price in line
with what you believe people will pay.)
At first it is wise to get advice from others, lecturers, friends, other
makers and gallery staff and also try to keep your prices in line with
similar items that are on sale.
One off items are priced higher than limited run or batch produced pieces
as the design time and the fact that the piece will not be repeated
has to be reflective in the price.
Postage
and Packaging
Be
aware of deadlines and keep to them. Consider how to package the work
very carefully, you have made the items so you know how delicate they
are and would like them to arrive at their destination intact.
Use a very strong box and a combination of bubble wrap, polystyrene chips or shredded paper. Make sure that things cannot move around and that they do not touch the sides of the box. Count the number of pieces as you put them in the box and make sure that they tally with your comprehensive delivery note, which you will also enclose. Securely tape the box and address clearly.
Unbreakable items, such as textiles can be sent by Royal Mail Parcel Force. Royal Mail will not insure certain items, which may include ceramics and glass, therefore it may be advisable to use a courier service.
