What Does it Mean to Represent an Artist - With Nick Smith

What Does it Mean to Represent an Artist - With Nick Smith

This week I chat with Nick Smith, founder and director of N. Smith Gallery in Sydney to talk about what gallery representation looks like; What does a gallery really do? How do they decide who to work with? And what makes a gallery relationship successful over the long term? Since opening in 2021, Nick has built a gallery that represents 26 artists across Australia while exhibiting internationally through museums, art fairs and major projects.We talked about what representation means beyond simply hanging work on a wall. Nick shares how his team supports artists through pricing, museum relationships, public art commissions, publications, marketing and career planning. We also discuss what artists often misunderstand about representation, some of the ways artists can approach a gallery, what to include in an email and how artists living outside major cities can still get noticed. We also dive into international art fairs, the realities of running a commercial gallery, what happens when an artist's career plateaus, and why timing, trust and honest conversations are so important. One of the things I appreciated most about this conversation was Nick's willingness to talk about the relationship between artist and gallery as exactly that: a relationship. It's built over years, evolves over time, and works best when both sides communicate openly about their ambitions, expectations and challenges. You can find N.Smith Gallery at nsmithgallery.com [http://nsmithgallery.com] and on Instagram at @n.smithgallery [https://www.instagram.com/n.smithgallery/] and @nw.smith [https://www.instagram.com/nw.smith/] Find the Art Wan [https://open.spotify.com/show/6yfxTroTkbtqzjln0ljDc5?si=80d4c3b147194789]k Episode with Nick here [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OB6Bfut3QAVyAQWZLucMk?si=XRBrDOTRSXqPgpsEWE-sew] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Copy That: Rachael Parsons on copying in Art, copyright & AI

In this episode I sit down with Rachael Parsons, Director of the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), to talk about copying and copyright in visual art. We trace copying's long history as a teaching tool and talk about the point where it tips over into forgery or passing someone else's work off as your own. Rachael breaks down what copyright law actually protects (a specific artwork) versus what it doesn't (style, colour palette, subject matter).  We discuss how a reputation for derivative work can affect an artist's exhibition and grant opportunities & what artists can actually do if they think they've been copied. Rachael talks about some of the bigger historical cases of mass forgery & we also touch on the impact of AI in this matter- how training data complicates copyright, why some art prizes now have no-AI policies, and whether AI-generated art will end up as its own category altogether.  Links mentioned: Find Rachael Parsons here [https://www.instagram.com/rachaelnp/] on Instagram, and here [https://www.instagram.com/p/Da-CRmMgvQ6/] at NERAM * NERAM: https://www.neram.com.au [https://www.neram.com.au] * Tamworth Regional Gallery here [https://www.instagram.com/tamworthregionalgallery/] on instagram and here https://tamworthregionalgallery.com.au [https://tamworthregionalgallery.com.au]  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The 100 Day Project with Amanda Billing

In this episode, I'm joined once again by Amanda Billing, who has completed several 100 Day Projects over the years. This time, she reflects on what happened when she spent 100 consecutive days working with clay, why she invited a community of artists to join her, and what she learned from watching dozens of people move through the same experience. We talk about why the 100 Day Project can be used to learn an entirely new medium, deepen an existing practice, or simply create space for something that's been sitting quietly in the background for years. Amanda shares why she believes the most successful projects aren't driven by external outcomes, but by deeply personal motivations that keep you coming back, even on the days when the excitement has worn off. Our conversation explores the reality of showing up every day: the boredom, the resistance, the unexpected breakthroughs, and the moments where you discover that the project isn't really about the work you're making at all. It's about the habits, stories and assumptions you uncover about yourself along the way. We also discuss what Amanda observed while guiding a group of artists through the process together. From experienced professionals to complete beginners they talked and shared their experience together - the uncertainty, self-doubt, periods where it felt like nothing was happening, and eventually, a growing confidence that extended well beyond the creative work itself. Amanda Billing is an actor, portrait photographer, and artist based in Auckland.  Find her at amandabilling.co.nz [http://amandabilling.co.nz] and on Instagram @amandabillingnz [https://www.instagram.com/_amandabilling_/] Find her 100 day project page here @_householdgods_ [https://www.instagram.com/_householdgods_/] Mentioned in this episode: * The 100 Day Project is run by Lindsay Jean Thompson. Find the Instagram at @dothe100dayproject [https://www.instagram.com/dothe100dayproject/]and the Substack at https://the100dayproject.substack.com/the100dayproject.substack.com [http://the100dayproject.substack.com]. * Wendy Mac find her substack here [https://club.drawtogether.studio/archive] and her instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/wendymac/?hl=en] * The podcast Make Art Not Content : find the episode here [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0cTBmOpKO9gjGEGev2WTq9?si=rY-IPcpXRZu1aemmp02D0g] and the Instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/makeartnotcontent/?hl=en] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Art Friendships with Sam Michelle & Debbie Mackenzie

Sam Michelle and Deb McKenzie met more then a decade ago when they were both given studios in a shared space through their framer. What started as five or six days a week working alongside each other quietly became one of the most important relationships in both their practices. In this conversation we talk about what it means to have someone who genuinely gets it, not just the excitement of a new show, but the pre-show spiral, the post-show crash, the gallery relationship you're not sure is right, the decision that feels too big to make alone. We talk about vulnerability and whether you actually move through self-doubt faster when you've got someone to be honest with. We talk about the art world feeling opaque and why having one person you can call and say "is this normal?" matters.  We also get into what it means to have someone who can give you an honest perspective without any competing interest, someone who knows what's normal in this industry and what isn't, and who will tell you either way. Find Sam here on her website here and her instagram here: sammichelle.com.au [https://www.sammichellepaintings.com/]and on Instagram @sammichelleartist [https://www.instagram.com/samichelleartist/]. Find my previous chats with sam here [https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/sam-michelle-the-importance-of-consistency/id1738378716?i=1000669596642]  Find Debbie McKenzie on her website here and her instagram here debbiemackenzieartist.co [https://www.debbiemackenzieartist.com/]m and Instagram @debbiemackenzieartist [https://www.instagram.com/debbiemackenzieartist/] Find my previous chat with Deb here [https://shows.acast.com/the-creative-kind/episodes/building-a-body-of-work-with-debbie-mackenzie] You can find the podcast her [https://www.instagram.com/thecreativekindpodcast/]e on Instagram & here [https://thecreativekind.substack.com/] on substack Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Inside the Affordable Art Fair with Georgia Huestis

Most artists know the Affordable Art Fair exists. What it's actually like to be there as an artist, on the floor, in the booth, talking to strangers about your work for four days straight, is a different story. Georgia Huestis is the Fair Director of the Affordable Art Fair in Australia, with Fairs in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and she was so generous with information this week in our chat. In this conversation we get into the mechanics of how the fair actually works for artists, be it with a gallery, the collective model, the Young Talent program for unrepresented artists under 35. We chatted about the sort of support the fair offers around selling, hanging, and getting your booth to land. Georgia is refreshingly practical about what a slow day means, what a first fair is supposed to feel like, and why bringing someone in as your support person might be one of the best decisions you make. you can find Georgia on instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/george_mccann/] Plus find the Affordable Art Fair Australia here [https://www.instagram.com/affordableartfairau/] on Instagram and their website here [https://affordableartfair.com/] The Melbourne Affordable Art fair is on soon- August 27-30 [https://affordableartfair.com/fairs/melbourne/] SYDNEY: 5-8 November BRISBANE: May 2027 Links * Affordable Art Fair Australia [https://www.affordableartfair.com/australia] * Georgia Huestis [https://www.instagram.com/george_mccann/] * Alice Palmer  [https://www.instagram.com/alicelaurapalmer/] * Rich & Strange Gallery [https://www.instagram.com/rich.andstrange/] * Angela Moritz [https://www.instagram.com/angelamaritzart/]  * Vandal ltd [https://www.instagram.com/vandal_ltd/]  [https://vandalartworks.com/] * Rachel Rush [https://www.instagram.com/rachel_rush_art/] * Diego Faivre [https://www.instagram.com/pekin_roasted_duck/] * Claudio Kirac [https://www.instagram.com/pekin_roasted_duck/] * Anna Price [https://www.instagram.com/annaprice_art/] You can find the podcast her [https://www.instagram.com/thecreativekindpodcast/]e on Instagram & here [https://thecreativekind.substack.com/] on substack Thanks so much for listening! Feel free to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it, this helps other people find the show ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.