You should never pay to exhibit
If your are an artist trying to get noticed by the right people, never pay to exhibit your art or be featured in a publication. This will actually hurt your reputation in the art world, not help it. Entry fees are different - they often cover the administrative costs of selecting artwork. The key word there is selecting. Even if the person reaching out to you says they found you based on the quality of your work - this is often untrue. They probably paid for your contact information and haven’t even looked at your portfolio.
Galleries that ask you to pay to exhibit do not care if your work sells, they have already made their money. In fact many will mention that they will not take a commission. At first glance, that sounds like a great deal, in reality - it means they are betting that your work won’t sell.
Beyond the loss of cash and the waste of time, the reputation of these vanity galleries are such they that the inclusion on your CV may turn serious galleries and collectors away. The same can be said for books like “International Contemporary Artists Vol XII” that will seem to be selecting work based on applications, but the truth is, you agree to pay - you're in. This concept devalues your work. In some cases they may go as far as saying there is no fee, but when you read the fine print, you are required to buy book(s) at a hefty price tag.
You are not alone if you have fallen into one of these traps, the important part is to learn from it and to erase the trail from your CV and website. Knowledge is power so sharing this article will help other artists avoid these situations. A good place to consult for authentic calls to art is the CLW white list.
Here is a growing list of known pay-to-exhibit or pay-to-be-published names to avoid. If you know of more instances, please comment below.
Websites:
100 Contemporary Artists
American Art Collector, Alcove Books
Art Addiction
Art & Beyond Publications
Art Biennial
Art-Competition
Art Connoisseurs
Art-Exchange.com
ArtExpo
ArtNetwork
Artoteque
Artist Portfolio Magazine
Artistsinfo.co.uk
Artworkinternational.com
ARTslant
Artspecifier
Artavita
Artery NYC
Art Unlimited
Best of Artists
Eiamagazine.com
The Genius of Art
Ilcuratore.it
Inspiration- International Art Book
International Prize Canaletto
International Contemporary Artists (ICA Publishing)
LarkGallery Online
Manu Sol Publications
Masters of Today
Modern Art Community
New York Art Group
The New Collectors Book
See.me
Show Artists
Shopvida.com
Studio 25N LLC
Working Artist Org.
World Art Vision
World Wide Art Books
New York:
A. Jain Marunouchi Gallery
Ashok Jain Gallery
Agora Gallery
Art Fairs International
Artifact
Amsterdam Whitney Gallery
Baboo Gallery
Beijing Arts Space
The Broadway Gallery NYC
Chelsea International Fine Art Competition
Contemporary Art Network
Creative Concept Inc
Ico Gallery
New Art Center
NY Arts Magazine
NY Art Marathon
Viridian Artists
World Art Media
California:
Art LA
The Artists' Alley
Galiara
Gallery Godo
Global Art Foundation
James Gray Gallery
Laguna Art
NorbertEllen Gallery
Townley Gallery
World Art Foundation
International:
3C Gallery
Amsterdam Showcase
Art
ArtworkX of Mann
Barcelona International Art Fair
Barcelona Showcase
Bienniale Internationals Dell'Arte Contemporanea
The Brick Lane Gallery
Brisbane Art Prize
Camden Art Gallery
Contemporary Art of Excellence
EAGL Gallery
First International Italian Biennale of Creativity
Florence Biennale
Gabriel Fine Art
Gallery Gora
Galerie 64 Atelier
Global Art Agency
Investable Artists
Iugte
La Galleria
Life Art Worldwide Art Expo Spectacular
Madgallerymilano.com
Marziart Internationale Galerie
New Art Awards
Oxford International Art Fair
Palm Art Award
Parallax Art Fair
Paris O15
Primo Piano LivinGallery
Printspace Gallery
Queen Gallery
Rotterdam International Art Fair
Temporary Gallery
Tokyo International Art Fair
Vienna Showcase
Whitepeaks Fine Art