As astounding as this may seem, there's a structure and a protocol to the art world, and to the gallery system in particular; it's a system that's been in place pretty much as long as galleries have been around, and one that's not about to change. So the quicker you learn the basics, the more time, money, and especially heartache you'll save when searching for galleries that are right for your art. The good news is that once you understand how things work, you can purposefully and effectively make your way through artland in order to get where you want to go, wherever that may be.

You see, artists proceed from exhibit to exhibit and gallery to gallery during the course of their careers in entirely orderly and predictable manners; nothing is random. There are always reasons why certain artists and certain kinds of art end up at certain galleries, institutions, museums, and other established art venues. Likewise, art careers advance step-by-step, deliberately, incrementally, and over extended periods of time. Sure, an occasional art star materializes suddenly out of nowhere, but this is by far the exception rather than the rule. And even these occasional materializations become orderly and predictable once the surprise wears off.

Just like in any other profession, as an artist, you have to begin at the beginning, and in the art world that means showing your art pretty much anywhere anyone will have you. The only criteria at this point is that no matter where you show your art, be sure that some segment of the general population will see it, especially people who have never seen it before. Possible venues include coffee shops, restaurants, furniture showrooms, fashion boutiques, hair salons, lobbies of buildings, renting an exhibition space with artist friends, private viewings at someone's home or apartment, juried or non-juried shows, open studios, and anywhere else you can get warm bodies through the door-- that's the key. Not only does this provide experience and feedback in terms of seeing how others react to your art, but it also maximizes the number of people who'll have opportunities to see it. And the more people who see your art, the greater the chances that someone will tell someone will tell someone, and one of those someone's might own a gallery or know someone who owns a gallery and like your art enough to either want to contact make with you or convince someone else to contact you. That's how gallery shows often originate.

Admittedly, those of you who've graduated from art school have an edge on the competition, at least during the early stages of your careers, meaning that during the course of your studies, you've likely been exposed to local gallery owners, critics, curators, collectors, and other notable members of the art community-- so you kind of know who's who. Learning your area art scene geography is one of the great benefits of a formal art education, but it doesn't mean any of these people are going to do anything for you, and it sure doesn't mean you can walk into Triple A Fine Arts and get yourself a show just because you met the owner once. You've got to work your way up the ladder just like everyone else, but at least you know where to find the ladder.

Those of you who've acquired your art-making skills outside the academic realm (and there are tons of you too) can circumvent this logistical disadvantage simply by immersing yourself in your local art communities. Go to gallery openings, museum shows (especially for local or regional art and artists), talks, tours, open studios, and other known art hangouts. Openings are especially good because you get to see large numbers of art people all at once. Don't go to one or two things and think you've done your duty; go to plenty and keep on going. You can either talk to people or not while you're there, although talking is better. Either way, the upshot of repeatedly seeing and being seen is that (a) you begin to see the same people over and over again, (b) sooner or later you find out who they are, (c) sooner or later they find out who you are, (d) conversations eventually break out, and (e) you end up learning how to navigate the art scene just like everybody else.

Perhaps an even greater benefit, in addition to becoming known, is you demonstrate your desire to participate and get involved, that you're serious about becoming successful as an artist, and that you're committed to doing whatever's necessary to achieve that end. So many artists think all they have to do is buy mailing lists, send out packets of information, invite gallery owners to look at their websites, make occasional calls or visits or emails, and generally invest minimal time and effort to get their art out into the public. They think all they have to do is hunker down in the studio and that opportunities for exposure will mysteriously ultimately appear out of nowhere. This "If I make it, they will come" approach to getting shows will not get you anywhere fast, and in fact, will likely get you nowhere at all. There is no easy solution and no substitute for getting your art out in public, frequenting local art venues and events, and meeting as many people as possible along the way-- wherever and whenever you can.

So let's say you advance from the "show anything anywhere" phase to participating in a handful of group shows at decent local galleries to maybe getting a solo show or two at entry level galleries that specialize in emerging artists to maybe even being favorably received by the local community. Now even a successful show or two does not mean you're ready to approach the best galleries in town. As in the non-art world, you don't go directly from stock clerk to head of the company or from being a local bar band to getting a gig at Madison Square Garden. You progress step-by-step and show-by-show; that's how artists get known. Are you beginning to see how this hierarchy works? Excellent.

For those of you who need a little more in the way of explanation, let's take a moment to examine how and why the best galleries in town come to show the artists they do. To begin with, these galleries do not randomly select artists who happen to walk through the door or make contact in any other ways (hardly any galleries anywhere do that). They don't even select artists based solely on whether they like the art or even on how good it is. That's the shocking part-- your art can be really good-- I mean really really good-- and prominent galleries will not show you no matter what. Why? In order to show at such a gallery you and your art have to be a total match. The quality of your art is only one step in the process. There's also your resume, your reputation, your profile and standing in the art community, how you are to work with, your previous sales history, the quality of critical reviews of your past shows, and much more.

Simply put, the best galleries show the best artists. That's why they're the best galleries. Who are the best artists, you ask? They're artists who've proven themselves over time, who started at the beginning showing wherever they could, painstakingly building their resumes one line at a time, establishing consistent track records of successful shows, convincing those who count that they're committed to making art, favorably impressing the curators and critics, demonstrating that they're capable of doing what's expected when it's expected, selling well, selling consistently, and so on and so forth ad infinitum. In short, they're artists with firmly established reputations. And here's the important part-- they established those reputations themselves. And here's the really important part-- galleries don't establish artists' reputations; they only enhance them. It's your job and yours alone to prove that your reputation is worth enhancing. And that's how the gallery system works.

Additional tips for getting yourself and your art out there:

* Make sure you list your shows on as many local events calendars as possible including local art and community bulletin board websites, newspapers (both online and hard-copy), and at places where art people tend to congregate. Exposing your art to as many first-timers as possible is critical to your success.

* Get to know those in the art community who are most involved with your type of art. When you meet or get introduced to these people, take it easy and talk about whatever. Save the hard sell for later. Good relationships take time to develop.

* Intern or volunteer at local galleries or non-profits that show art similar to yours, or also at local museums. These are excellent ways to meet people and get involved with the local art community.