By far and away the question I get asked the most in the gallery is “Are you taking on new artists …?” There is a short FAQ answer to this on our About The Gallery page, but I thought I’d share the longer version with you all here.
I am approached by a high number of artists – there literally isn’t a day that passes without at least one new submission by an artist and sometimes I can receive as many as twenty in a day. I have always only wanted to represent a small, core selection of artists here at Cornwall Contemporary as it enables me to be really involved with each of them and to give them wall space and regular exhibitions. I aim to represent a few artists to the very best of my ability and to stick with them throughout their whole career. Therefore I don’t take on very many new artists but that isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy looking for a new artist to add to the Cornwall Contemporary family.
Submissions are only accepted via email. As tempting as it is to drop by the gallery with a portfolio or some framed pieces on the off chance of showing me – sadly I simply don’t have the time – when I am in the gallery I am looking after customers, designing the next exhibition catalogue, photographing artwork, uploading images to our website, responding to customer enquiries, organising overseas shipping … Much of my day is spent looking after the interests of my existing artists, so I tend to dip into my submissions when time allows. In the height of summer, it is rare that I have any time at all to respond to the large number of emails I receive from prospective artists, but I do look at each and every one, it just might take me a few weeks to plough through them all one by one and I do aim to reply to them all. But please be patient for a reply (and sometimes work can end up in my junk folder!) The only submissions I respond to are emails, so do feel free to email me at sarah@cornwallcontemporary.com (maximum of 6 images) do include a link to your social media sites and website. But please don’t send submissions via instagram or facebook, I get literally hundreds of messages via social media and your query there will get lost amidst the rest.
As a quick guide : I don’t exhibit photography | I prefer artists to have a link to Cornwall (live here, studied here, etc) | If you already show in lots of galleries in Cornwall, then congratulations! But I won’t take you on too | I prefer you to have a consistant style (but that’s not the same as repeating the same painting over and over again!) | I won’t want to take you on if you are too similar to someone I already represent | Most importantly – be yourself, I am interested in originality!
Often if I don’t think you’re quite right for Cornwall Contemporary, it will literally just be that there isn’t any room for anyone else right now and it’s not a reflection of the quality your work. Or sometimes your work may just be slightly too smiliar to one of my exisiting artists. I have turned down numerous brilliant artists and love to see them do well elsewhere. There are lots of galleries in Cornwall and I’m a firm believer that there is room for everyone – it’s just finding the right fit for you. Sometimes it’s easier for me to try someone new in one of our mixed exhibitions, or I may come out to visit your studio or give you a follow on social media to keep updated with what you’re up to. Even if I don’t have room for you right now, sometimes I can just be waiting for the right time.
It really does mean the world to me that you would like to see your work on our walls and I thank you for taking the time to submit your work to Cornwall Contemporary, I do love to see what you are all up to!
Sarah Brittain-Mansbridge, Director, Cornwall Contemporary
