From the outside, the art industry seems like it’s small with the central focus on being a gallery-represented artist.

The myth goes something like this:

Once upon a time, we all train to get to the castle in the clouds — that is, the art world — and to be represented by a gallery — preferably a blue chip. From where we stand, the castle is within sight and seems perfectly within reach and reasonable to get there. Just like any story, we — the main character — set out on our hero’s journey (we get that degree); we meet a few people (our classmates); we do a few things (hone in on our practice, get PTSD from crits); we kill the villain (spoiler alert, it’s ourselves) and then we live happily ever within the safe walls of the castle. The End.

It’s just this story isn’t true. It’s more like, ‘Good luck, you’re on your own. You’ll figure it out.’ And no one, neither institution nor educators, tells you this. There is no map to identify the overlaps, the relationships, the breakdowns or why things are the way they are. And nothing in the art world is ever straightforward.

To establish these connections, I pursued a PhD to research the breakdown between the artist and the art world; to illuminate the gaps; and to build the map (quite literally) for artists to know their value and what is expected of them. During this research, I learned that artists and the art industry are, in fact, in a symbiotic relationship, yet there is significant misrecognition between artists and the art world. 

The concept was so strong that my dissertation, Art World Hegemony and Access: Competing Perspectives on the Value of The Creative Class, was awarded with no corrections, and my pursuit developed into The Practice Playbook programme. 

The Practice Playbook is for artists who feel blindsided by the gap between themselves and the industry, offering those with barriers to commercial literacy the essential tools for career development.

Ultimately, we’re here to help you position yourself and navigate the ins and outs of the art world.

Dr. Erika Wong, BFA, MA, PhD, FHEA
Founder