Publishers give art galleries a promotional boost: from slick consumer magazines to free public relations services, many art publishers are chipping in to help their galleries survive

Art Business News, Sept, 2003 by Debbie Hagan

More than ever art dealers are relying on publishers and art suppliers to help them sell art. They are looking for support--through printed educational materials, public relations, events, buy-backs, discounts and any brainstorm that will drum up sales and attract new customers. When times are tough, as they are now, dealers need whatever assistance they can get. Publishers realize this and know that by helping dealers succeed, they're ultimately helping themselves and their artists.

When Sharon Roos' original painting sales started to slide, she decided to mix lower priced, yet high-quality art into her Houston gallery, Latitudes. After considering her options, Roos signed up as a Washington Green USA partner. Now, in addition to selling paintings, she sells the British-imported limited editions and sculpture.

"I'm not a great marketer," Roos said, "but they gave us everything in the world to market their items." They gave her a quarterly, slick consumer magazine/catalog called "Fine Art Collector," which includes 68 pages of color spreads on artists and their work At no charge, Roos receives 25 to hand out to clients. She can buy more, at cost, if she wants. In addition, Washington Green gives her postcards, pre-printed artist's biographies, co-op advertising opportunities, buying incentives and great marketing ideas.

One such idea came from Beth Blankenship, vice president of Gregory Editions/Washington Green USA. She suggested Roos host a charitable event for a local animal organization, such as the Houston Humane Society. Roos could promote Govinder Nazran's whimsical animal prints and sculptures and give 20 percent of those sales to the charity.

Roos loved the idea, and she anticipated that many of her customers who bring dogs into the gallery would like the idea too. In May, Roos hosted the event. She sold $13,000 in art, giving $2,300 to the humane society. She also Roos attracted many new customers that night. About Washington Green, Roos said, "They don't just say, 'come in and buy our things,' they take some of the responsibility for selling them."

The Special Treatment

Though a newcomer in the American art market, Washington Green sprang up decades ago in Great Britain. Mark Eaker, c.e.o. of Gregory Editions, described the company as "the single most successful publisher in Europe and one of the strongest publishers in the world." Three years ago, he tried distributing Washington Green's artist Doug Hoffmann, an American figure painter. The work sold so well in the United States that Eaker tried some of the publisher's European artists. "It translated well," he said. Now he's the exclusive Washington Green distributor in the United States and has partnered so far with 250 American galleries.

"I don't think there's anything inventive about what they've done," said Eaker. "Instead of looking at the art from a publisher's perspective, they're looking at it from a retailer's perspective. They're thinking, 'If I were a gallery owner and had unlimited funds, what would I do to promote these artists?"'

Thinking like a dealer, Washington Green also keeps its edition sizes low, averaging 95 prints per edition. In fact, for Govinder's recent edition, "Three Lollies and a Dog," the publisher printed only 50 on board and 75 on paper. It immediately sold out.

"We want to sell it out," said Eaker. "We want to get it in dealers' hands, get them excited and know it's very special."

To re-emphasize this feeling of "very special" art, Eaker organizes what he calls "art tours." They are tours of special editions that only those Washington Green dealers who sign up for the tour can show and sell. A typical show includes close to 20 new images, 500 personalized show catalogs, invitations, posters and badges. And sometimes the artists may make appearances on the tour.

American Art Gallery of Hot Springs, Ark., participated in a Govinder tour last summer and not only sold out the show, but even had to track down an extra giclee for an enthusiastic customer.

Reinventing Support

While such dealer-publisher promotions may be on the rise, they're not new, according to Amy Wesson, vice president of sales and design for Bruce McGaw Graphics. "We have always had all of those things," she said, referring to McGaw's 850-page catalog and its willingness to work with and support customers. "When customers want to have an artist signing, we send them out. It's a given," she said. "It's a normal business practice. It may be new to other people, but we've been doing it for 25 years."

Kathleen Bulloch, director of marketing, communications and publications for Greenwich Workshop, echoed this sentiment. "We're always reinventing ourselves," she said, referring to the publisher's new efforts in dealer support. For many years, Greenwich has produced a consumer collector magazine, "Showcase," which is mailed to 250,000 art collectors and custom imprinted with each dealer's name, address and phone number. If dealers choose, they can mail their own newsletter with the magazine.