Ethel Hills asked for recommendation on art business magazines.
There are only a small handful of magazines focused on the business of art. Professional Artist is up near the top and The Crafts Report (now Handmade Business) as well. Sunshine Artist is good for those who do art festivals. But nothing more detailed than those three selections. I think there is more for graphic designers. (Feel free to leave your own or different recommendation below.)
I write for Art Business News, which is aimed primarily at galleries. For that same market, there is also Art World News.
There comes a time when artists will eventually outgrow these selections–a time when the business of art means keeping up with what is going on in the venues to which you aspire and the artists who are showing in those venues. Of course, I hope you can do this simultaneously with studying the business aspects of being an artist. They're very much inseparable since part of being good at your business means keeping up with what is current. To do this you will read publications like ARTnews, Art in America, Modern Painters, Fiberarts, Metalsmith, Ceramics Monthly, Sculpture, Southwest Art, and the like (depending on your media, your goals, etc.).
4 thoughts on “Art business magazines”
I have been getting “the artist’s magazine” for about a year now. Although it’s is not exclusively about the business of art, I find that, for me, it has a nice mix of aesthetic lessons, marketing ideas, and guides to different mediums and techniques. You can try a couple free issues before you decide if it’s for you. Go to: http://www.artistsmagazine.com
Thank you for the information. Art Calendar is also at the top of my list. I’m not familiar with The Crafts Report, but will check it out. Another one to add back onto my list is a local publication, Art New England, covering the art scene in this area of the country. I’ll check out the other publications over the next few months to find out what will help me out.
As far as magazines that help you keep up with current artists, I have found that W magazine is surprisingly good about writing articles about living artists. Even though it is primarily a women’s fashion magazine, I have read articles about artists like Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, Paul McCarthy, and John Baldessari.
There’s an American Art Collectors magazine )I think it’s just called American Art Collector or something close to that) that is very interesting to look at regularly because it tells who is doing what where. It profiles both artists and gallery owners and has lots of pertinent, up to date information. Though not technically an artist business magazine it may be helpful to those doing painting and sculpture. There are also more and more good regional art magazines that give a good picture of what is or isn’t happening locally.