Getting Listed

1 How do I sign up for an Open Studio account?
- 1.1 Signing up for an Open Studio account
- 1.2 Getting listed on a particular Open Studio page
2 How do I sign up for Portfolio?
3 How do I sign up for Artist Studio?
4 How do I sign up for Artist Gallery?
- 4.1 These questions must be answered before starting the custom design of your Artist Gallery:
- 4.2 Artist Gallery time frame
5 How can I get listed in more than one art category?
6 When will my website appear in the search engines?

How do I sign up for an Open Studio account?

Signing up for an Open Studio account

With an Open Studio website, you can extend your exposure and reach more potential buyers. Invite everybody to see your art on the Web without risk - the Open Studio package is free, and it is a great oportunity to promote your art.

To sign up for an Open Studio account:

Click on the 'Sell Art' button at the top of the MesArt homepage, or click on this link: http://www.mesart.com/openstudio.
Create your account using our online forms and following the step-by-step instructions.

With images and texts ready, your whole website can be set up in a matter of hours.

If you have any difficulties or questions, send us an email. We will be happy to help you!

Alternatively, you can do a mail-in setup. Print out the MesArt mail-in form: MesArt mail-in form for the Open Studio package Fill out the form and send it to us at: MesArt P.O. Box 31804 San Francisco, CA 94131-0804 Please send the form accompanied with slides/photographs/digital images, a personal photo and the necessary texts for the website (biography, artwork descriptions) with a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). We will digitize (scan) and prepare your images for the Web and create and set up your account. Mail-in setup fee (for scanning and uploading): $5 per slide/photo/digital file and $5 per page. Mail-in setup usually takes 1 to 3 business days.

Getting listed on a particular Open Studio page

To get listed on a particular Open Studio page:

Login to your account. From the MesArt homepage, click on the 'Member Login' button and enter your username and password.
Click on the 'My Open Studio' button. If your listed address is only a city without street name and address, delete what is listed on the right and scroll down to where it says 'Choose Art fair/Open Studio'.
Pick country, state and city.
Fill in the 'My OPS Address', including your street name and street number. Your county, state and city are already filled in.
Click on the 'Choose Open Studio' and scroll down to the appropriate dates.

How do I sign up for Portfolio?

To sign up for a Portfolio account:

Click on the 'Sell Art' button at the top of the MesArt homepage, or click on this link: http://www.mesart.com/portfolio.
Create your account by using our online forms and following the step-by-step instructions.

With images and texts ready, your whole website can be set up in a matter of hours.

If you have any difficulties or questions, send us an email. We will be happy to help you!

Alternatively, you can do a mail-in setup. Print out both parts of the MesArt mail-in form: MesArt mail-in form for the Portfolio package, Page 1 MesArt mail-in form for the Portfolio package, Page 2 Fill out the form and send it to us to: MesArt P.O. Box 31804 San Francisco, CA 94131-0804 Please send the form accompanied with slides/photographs/digital images, a personal photo and the necessary texts for the website (biography, artwork descriptions) with a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). We will digitize (scan) and prepare your images for the Web and create and set up your account. Mail-in setup fee (for scanning and uploading): $5 per slide/photo/digital file and $5 per page. Mail-in setup usually takes 1 to 3 business days.

How do I sign up for Artist Studio?

To sign up for an Artist Studio account:

Click on the 'Sell Art' button at the top of the MesArt homepage, or click on this link: http://www.mesart.com/artiststudio.
Create your account by using our online forms and following the step-by-step instructions.

With images and texts ready, your whole website can be set up in a matter of hours.

If you have any difficulties or questions, send us an email. We will be happy to help you!

Alternatively, you can do a mail-in setup. Print out both parts of the MesArt mail-in form: MesArt mail-in form for the Artist Studio package, Page 1 MesArt mail-in form for the Artist Studio package, Page 2 Fill out the form and send it to us to: MesArt P.O. Box 31804 San Francisco, CA 94131-0804 Please send the form accompanied with slides/photographs/digital images, a personal photo and the necessary texts for the website (biography, artwork descriptions) with a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). We will digitize (scan) and prepare your images for the Web and create and set up your account. Mail-in setup fee (for scanning and uploading): $5 per slide/photo/digital file and $5 per page. Mail-in setup usually takes 1 to 3 business days.

How do I sign up for Artist Gallery?

Artist Gallery is a custom-designed website which involves some initial consultation with you by the MesArt staff in order to create the best possible site for you and your work. It is an easy-to-update website which is promoted by MesArt on the Internet and comes with several options for online sales. It is feature-rich and can include an unlimited number of artworks.

You can find more information about this package here: http://www.mesart.com/artistgallery.

Here are some examples: http://www.mesart.com/artistGalleryExamples.

For the complete list of Artist Gallery features, click here: Artist Gallery Information.

Artist Gallery has a setup fee of $600. This covers custom web design and setting up the website. The subscription fee is $20 per month. 50% of the setup fee is due in advance; the remaining 50% of the setup fee is due upon completion.

These questions must be answered before starting the custom design of your Artist Gallery:

1. Do you have a logo in the form of a digital image or a typeface/font?

2. What colors would you prefer for your website?

3. What would be the names of the categories and subcategories of your website? There are some predefined categories where the names are not alterable and some categories where names can be customized:

The following categories can be customized: GALLERY ABOUT THE ARTIST MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST (e.g. More About Artist, My Writings, Personal Photos...); The following categories are not alterable: ARTIST CALENDAR GUEST BOOK CONTACTS Subcategories: The ARTWORKS, ABOUT THE ARTIST and MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST categories can each have a up to seven (7) different subcategories. Subcategories can be named according to your preference.

4. Would you like to present your work? Some examples: by series, theme, medium, or year?

5. For online sales, which of these options do you prefer:

Order art via direct email to you
PayPal
MesArt e-commerce - credit cards. (There is a 15% commission.)

6. Would you like to include a picture of yourself? A biography? An artist statement?

Please let us know what else would you like to have on your website.

7. Send us the links to websites that you like, and why. This can help us better understand your preferences.

Artist Gallery time frame

First stage:

To begin, we need the texts/images/slides/photos of you and your art, and descriptions of your artworks. After receiving all the materials we will have a meeting by phone or in person.

We will provide sketches with two alternative graphic design approaches to review with you. An approach will be selected for further development of your site.

Second stage:

Developing your Artist Gallery website with custom design, based on the selected design approach.

Third stage:

Testing your website for different platforms, such as PC and Macintosh, as well as for different browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Netscape and AOL. Activation of the account for the general public.

How can I get listed in more than one art category?

If you do work in various media, it is possible to have one MesArt account and be listed in different categories.

In your Profile, specify your main art category, for example the one in which you are the most active.

When you fill out online forms for particular artworks, you may choose other categories in the ‘Category’ field. You will then be automatically listed under that category as well.

When will my website appear in the search engines?

Google, Yahoo, AOL and MSN regularly scan MesArt, so the new MesArt websites are regularly added. Usually it takes about two to three weeks from the time your site is activated.

Please understand that we do not control Google or any other search engine, and therefore we can not make any statements or promises about search results in Google or in any other search engines.

If you have unique titles for your works and include specific descriptions for each of your pieces, this will greatly increase the frequency of search engine results for you and your art. Collectors will often search according to a specific theme, subject matter or idea. Additionally, completing the keywords field on the “My Artwork” page will also help improve your web presence by providing search engines with the specific information which increases your relevance in search results.

Your MesArt website is a valuable promotional instrument, but it is up to you to make it powerful.