You have the opportunity to participate in an art contest. But you wonder if you should send the works to the contest or to your regular dealer. What should you do?

As a former art dealer (who has been known to wiggle with excitement about a great work of art), I would encourage artists to place their artwork in the venue that has the most "eyeballs." Ultimately, it's about getting your work seen by as many people as possible. I feel that those of you who are blessed with "the gift" have a responsibility to show your work to as many of us "ungifted" as possible. Sometimes the viewer can be more moved by a painting than the painter.

If the contest will show your work to more people than would see your work during the same time period at your dealer, then do it. In fact, if the contest is a prestigious one but gets little viewer traffic, then you might do it anyway. After all, different people will see the work at the contest and the works can always go to the dealer if they don't sell. Again, MORE people will have seen your work.

Bottom Line: show your work in front of most "eyeballs" possible: it's better for you, it's better for your career, and ultimately, it's better for your dealers too.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson
Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic

PS - If participating in the contest will damage a relationship with a GOOD dealer, then ignore everything I said above. Never ruin a good dealer relationship. However, my suspicion would be that a good dealer wouldn't have a problem with your contest participation, since she would already know that it would help her sell more of your work in the long run.