Presenting Your Work to the Fine Art Community
Mary Virginia Swanson
During this workshop, Mary Virginia Swanson will provide insights into the most effective avenues for introducing your work to gallery and museum professionals. She will discuss the value of the national and international juried exhibitions, as well as portfolio review events such as Fotofest, Photolucida, Review Santa Fe and European festivals as realistic avenues to industry professionals. Important gallery trade shows such as AIPAD's The Photo Show and Photo LA / Miami will be discussed from the perspective of helping artists to determine which dealers will be the most appropriate representatives for their work. Effective self-promotion materials will be shared with participants, as well as visuals providing insights into portfolio review events toward making the most of their participation. Professional practices necessary to successfully present your work will be discussed, as well as "talking points" when given the opportunity to sign with a gallery for representation. Workshop participants will gain insights into copyright and assessing the value of their work when granting permissions to reproduce personal work in a commercial context. Lastly, there will be time allocated during the workshop for all participants to share their portfolios with the class.
All students will receive a copy of Ms. Swanson’s book as the course workbook. Attendance at the Thursday evening lecture is mandatory for workshop participation.
Mary Virginia Swanson (www.mvswanson.com) makes it her goal to teach photographers how to find the strengths in their work and identify appreciative audiences for their prints, exhibitions, editorial and licensing placement. Swanson has a diverse professional background, having coordinated educational, publication and exhibition programs for a wide range of institutions and businesses in our field. She is considered an expert in the area of marketing and licensing fine art. During her tenure heading special projects at Magnum Photos, she recognized the opportunities for artists to develop second markets for their work and founded Swanstock, an innovative agency that managed licensing rights for fine art photographers. Swanson currently works with photographers as a marketing consultant and is a sought-after portfolio reviewer at events such as Review Santa Fe, Fotofest and PhotoLucida. Her workshops and lectures on the subject of marketing opportunities and awareness have aided photographers in moving their careers to the next level. Swanson maintains a popular blog, Marketing Photos, and is the author of her self-published book, The Business of Photography: Principles and Practices and her forthcoming title, Finding Your Audience: A Guide to Marketing Your Photography. To view her website or blog please go to: www.mvswanson.com.
