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 - news

More than at any time art dealers are relying upon publishers and art suppliers to help them put up to sale art. They are looking for support--through printed educational materials, public relations, occurrences buy-backs, discounts and any brainstorm that will tympanum up sales and attract of recent origin customers. When times are tough, as they are now, dealers ne whatever assistance they can earn Publishers realize this and know that by means of 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, still high-quality art into her Houston gallery, Latitudes. After considering her options, Roo signed up as a Washington virid USA partner. Now, in addition to selling paintings, she exchanges the British-imported limited editions and sculpture

"I'm not a great marketer," Roo 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 upon artists and their work At no charge, Roo receives 25 to hand without to clients. She can purchase more, at cost, if she wants. In addition, Washington verdant gives her postcards, pre-printed artist's biographies, co-op advertising opportunities, buying incentives and great marketing ideas.

single such idea came from Beth Blankenship, vice president of Gregory Editions/Washington verdant USA. She suggested Roos entertainer a charitable event for a local animal organization, of the like kind as the Houston Humane Society. Roo could further Govinder Nazran's whimsical animal prints and plastic arts and give 20 percent of those sales to the charity.

Roo lov the idea, and she anticipated that many of her customers who bring dogs into the gallery would like the idea too. In May, Roo entertainered the event. She sold $13000 in art, giving $2300 to the humane society. She also Roo attracted many of recent origin customers that night. About Washington verdant Roos said, "They don't just say, 'come in and purchase our things,' they take more [i]or[/i] less of the responsibility for selling them."

The Special Treatment

admitting a newcomer in the American art market, Washington virid sprang up decades ago in Great Britain. Mark Eaker, ceo of Gregory Editions, described the company as "the single greatest in quantity successful publisher in Europe and individual 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 with equal reason well in the United States that Eaker tried a certain quantity of of the publisher's European artists. "It translated well," he said. Now he's the exclusive Washington verdant distributor in the United States and has partnered for a like reason 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 possessor and had unlimited funds, what would I do to help these artists?"'

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

"We want to put up to sale it out," said Eaker. "We want to acquire it in dealers' hands, achieve them excited and know it's real special."

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

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

Reinventing Support

While similar dealer-publisher promotions may be upon the rise, they're not novel 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 throw them out. It's a given," she said. "It's a normal business practice. It may be novel to other people, but we've been doing it for 25 years."

Kathleen Bulloch director of marketing, communications and publications for Greenwich Workshop, repercussion of sounded this sentiment. "We're always reinventing ourselves," she said, referring to the publisher's fresh efforts in dealer support. For many years, Greenwich has produc a consumer collector magazine, "Showcase," which is mailed to 250000 art collectors and custom imprinted with each dealer's name, address and phone number. If dealers make choice of they can mail their possess newsletter with the magazine.