Join us live and online to make your next art show your best, design a paid workshop that's yours alone, or land your work in the right gallery. Register free.
---
How does an artist actually get their work into a museum?
In this episode of The Professional Artist Podcast, painter Elizabeth Barlow is featured by the Professional Artist Association (
https://professionalartist.com/join), the world's fastest-growing global community for committed fine artists.
Based in California, Elizabeth has built a career that has taken her work into museums, hospitals, churches, corporate collections, and the San Francisco Opera.
Along the way, she has learned that museum opportunities often begin long before an artist ever asks a curator to consider their work.
In this episode, Elizabeth shares how artists can build genuine relationships with museums and curators, what to do when you don't already have a connection inside an institution, and why supporting museums can be an investment in your own career.
She also explores a less obvious route into museum collections and why some opportunities need to be created rather than waited for.
“I view it as an investment in my art to get to know people, to support them and to support the museum.”
—Elizabeth Barlow
Timestamps:
01:38 Empress - From Portraits in Absentia to Flower Portraits
05:13 Getting Into Museum Collections - The Long Game of Showing Up
08:28 The San Francisco Opera Donation - A Gift That Led to a Commission
09:47 The Phoenix Rose - What Survived the Fire
12:20 When Donating Work Makes Strategic Sense
13:52 Approaching Institutions Cold
15:18 Transfiguration - The Church Commission
Connect with Elizabeth
Learn more about The Professional Artist Association:
Mentoring:
Apply to join 99 artists for unlimited 1:1 Coaching & Mentoring to grow your art income:
Membership:
Free Letter:
Join 50,000+ artists getting Free advice & inspiration every week:
Ready to take the next step in your art career?
We are hosting a free 4-Day Challenge online to help artists like you get back on track.
Whether that’s making your next art show your best ever, designing a paid art workshop that is uniquely yours, or getting your artwork into the next right-fit gallery…
…this live, virtual, and interactive challenge will help get you get unstuck.
If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with another artist and leave us a review/comment. We read every single one.
What is The Professional Artist Podcast: Art Business Transformations?
If you want to make it in the art world, talent is key - but so is mastering the business side. The Professional Artist Podcast is where fine artists and commerce meet.
Co-hosts Miguel L. Mayher and Cristina Demiany guide visual artists through an audio gallery, exploring how to show and sell your art, land commissions, apply for artist grants, license your art, and much more.
This is where your art career begins to grow.
Miguel L. Mayher is the Director of Education at the Professional Artist Association. Previously, he worked with Google Arts & Culture, striking partnerships with national museums. He is also a Global Economic Symposium Young Fellow and a One Young World Ambassador.
Cristina Demiany is a Senior Art Business Coach at the Professional Artist Association. She formerly served as Senior Program Manager at Sotheby’s Institute of Art and as Executive Director of the National Children’s Chorus.
The Professional Artist Association is a global organization dedicated to providing real-world education for visual artists, including painters, sculptors, and fine art photographers.