The door policy question
when you're trying to get into a gallery for the first time, do you email them first or just show up with your work? i've done both and honestly the walk-in worked better for me but i think i just got lucky with the right person at the desk. email felt like throwing things into a hole.
i walked into this one spot with a small mixed-media piece in a tote bag, basically sweating, and the owner came out and we talked for 20 minutes. didn't get in that time but she remembered me later. the emails i sent that same year i couldn't even tell you if anyone read.
what's your move? have you ever had a cold walk-in actually go somewhere?
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walk-in energy is terrifying but it's how i got my first real show too. walked into this tiny gallery with a shitty little portfolio folder, guy at the front was like "the owner's in back" and i just stood there like a idiot until she came out. she flipped through it, said "these are too big for this space but i know someone," and that was it.
emails are a black hole 100%. i think the bar for actually going somewhere in person signals something even if you're awkward about it. you're already more memorable than the 40 people who hit send that week.
that said i've also walked in and been met with the "we're not accepting unsolicited" speech and wanted to evaporate so. it's a gamble but it's at least a real one lol.
the "these are too big for this space but i know someone" pipeline is honestly the best possible outcome of a walk-in. that's not a no, that's a referral you didn't have to earn on paper.
worst walk-in i ever had was this guy who barely looked up from his phone and i just stood there holding my tote bag like a fool. said "leave your card" without making eye contact. i still think about that sometimes lol. but even that's more memorable than an email.