A Practical Guide to Securing Gallery Representation

On-Demand Course | Exclusive to VAA Members

Securing gallery representation is a pivotal step in building a successful and sustainable art career. Often securing representation can feel mysterious, intimidating, and out of reach – especially when you’re unsure what galleries are looking for, how to approach them, or whether your work is ready.

Getting Gallery Ready is a practical, on-demand course designed to guide you through the gallery system, help you present your work professionally, confidently, and strategies; and approach galleries and agents with confidence.

Led by industry experts and working professionals, this course shows you how galleries think, how decisions are made, how you can position yourself as an artist galleries want to work with, and how you can build meaningful, long-term relationships within the art world.

👍 100% Positive Reviews

👨‍💻 200+ Students

📚 4 On-Demand Lessons

📄 Additional Resources

💻 Online, at your own pace

♾️ Unlimited Access

Course Structure

This on-demand course is divided into four focused sessions, designed to guide you step by step through the process of becoming gallery ready.

Course Format:

– On-Demand Access – watch anytime, anywhere
– Learn at your own pace
– Clear, jargon-free explanations

What Artists Say About This Course

SPEAKERS

VAA Panellist & Host

Artist Mentor, Art Broker, BBC Art Advisor.
After many years of supporting and advising artists, collectors, galleries, publishers Karen is now working with the Visual Artists Association team as an art mentor. 

Karen has worked alongside artists for many years of her career, she has experience curating artists, selling artwork on the floor, judging competitions, and much more. This has made Karen an excellent and supportive artist mentor, whose advice you have the opportunity to learn in this masterclass.

Tabish Khan is an art critic, writer, speaker, podcaster, and curator who passionately believes in making art accessible to everyone. He visits and writes about hundreds of exhibitions a year, covering everything from the major blockbusters to the emerging art scene, both in London and beyond. He writes regularly for Londonist and FAD and has written for Artsy, Elephant, Stir World, and the New York Observer.

He is co-host of the podcast The Good, The Bad and The Arty and has judged many prizes.

Tabish is a trustee of the prestigious City & Guilds London Art School and Discerning Eye, which hosts an annual exhibition featuring hundreds of works. He is also an honorary trustee of ArtCan, a non-profit arts organisation that supports artists through profile-raising activities and exhibitions, and a critical friend of UP projects that brings contemporary art to public spaces.

Rebecca Thumy, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, began her career in the art world working in small galleries and in educational programs at museums such as the de Young Museum. In 2017, she moved to France to complete a Master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Art.

For the past five years, Rebecca has worked at Singulart, a leading online art gallery. She began in sales and client relations for the U.S. market before leading the expansion into the German-speaking market. She now serves as Director of Sales and Gallery Partnerships, where she oversees the global sales strategy for the online marketplace and manages an international network of gallery collaborations.

Her teams support sales for more than 7,000 artists worldwide and partner with over 100 gallerists and curators — including Perrotin and Almine Rech — to provide valuable feedback and guidance to artists. Rebecca’s passion lies in empowering artists to reach international audiences and build sustainable careers by connecting with collectors and galleries across the globe.

Maeve Doyle is an internationally renowned art critic, broadcaster, and Global Artistic Director of the Maddox Gallery group. Studying at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Vancouver, Canada, Doyle previously founded London gallery, Doyle Devere, and was a Director at Mayfair’s infamous Bankrobber gallery, an institution best known for its sale of the Banksy mural ‘Slave Labour’ and ‘Girl with Balloon’.

Currently working at Maddox Gallery, a globally celebrated contemporary art gallery based in Mayfair, Doyle provides the team with unique insights and a wealth of industry knowledge, helping the gallery situate itself in the ever-changing landscape of the art world. She is both a BBC Arts correspondent, as well as the host of her own podcast, ‘A Private View with Maeve Doyle’ on Soho radio’s culture channel.

An esteemed thought-leader within the industry, Doyle has led panel discussions at many art fairs, including Wimbledon Art Fair, London Art Fair, The Other Art Fair & Art on a Postcard.

Mimi Spendiff is the Gallery Manager at Print Club London, a vibrant screenprinting studio and contemporary online gallery located in Hackney, East London. In her role, she works closely with the studio’s community of artists, helping to showcase a wide variety of limited edition screenprints, original artworks, and curating exciting drops for collectors. Prior to joining Print Club London, Mimi was a curator at Artfinder, an online art marketplace, where she curated unique collections and collaborated with artists to refine and expand their portfolios.

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With a First Class Honours degree in Photography from the University of the West of England, Mimi brings over three years of experience in both sales and curation to her work. Her career also includes roles at a contemporary art gallery featuring artists like Billy Childish, and as an Artist Liaison at Art Republic. Driven by a passion for creating dynamic art collections and fostering artist development, Mimi is committed to connecting collectors with fresh, engaging art.