Selection of Artists and Media

Selection of artists and media is the sole responsibility of the Red Tulip Gallery executive team and standards committee, and is done with regard to maintaining an appropriate balance of media in the gallery, as well as the availability of display and storage space.  Work is selected on the basis of the following criteria:

• Work should exhibit a good quality of execution and materials.
• Work must be hand-crafted.  Any work that is made on your behalf by others must be completed under your direct supervision and be based on your own designs and direction.  
• Work must be of your own design.  No commercial kits, commercial patterns, or copies of others' work will be accepted.
• Work must be viewed as marketable in the gallery and in the New Hope, PA area.
• We are not accepting applications for fine art, consumables (soap, candles, etc.) or food-based crafts. 
  

When applying, please provide photos showing the full range of the work you would like to include in the gallery.    Your photos should include work at your lowest and highest price ranges, as well as your average range.

Your application will be judged primarily by the photos you submit, but you may also be asked to provide samples of your work.  Work in all formats is judged solely on its own merit, but we reserve the right to decline specific items presented for inventory that directly overlap with another member's work, do not meet our quality standard, or match the medium presented in your application.

Contract

Artist contracts are for a 12-month period, beginning on the 1st calendar day after your acceptance, unless otherwise indicated on your terms of acceptance notification.  

Payment of your security deposit constitutes acceptance of the terms of your contract.  Your security deposit will be retained by RTG if you should withdraw from your contract before reaching the end of its period. Otherwise, half of your security deposit serves as your last month's rent and the remaining portion is returned to you when your final commission is paid.

We require 90 days notice prior to the termination of your contract if you choose not to renew.

Commissions

You set your own prices on all of your items and retain 77% of the final sale price. RTG retains 23% of the sale price to apply toward utilities, promotions, packaging, and other gallery-wide expenses.

Fees

There is a one-time, non-refundable application fee of $25, payable at time of application.  

$200 security deposit, payable at time of acceptance.  Half of the security deposit serves as your last month's rent, but is forfeited if you terminate your contract prior to the 12-month contract period. Remaining deposit is refunded to you at the time of your final commission payment.  Security deposit must be paid before your work can be displayed.

Monthly rental fee is $105.  Rentals are due on a monthly basis, payable before the beginning of the rent month.  By default, your rental fee for the next month will be deducted from the commission you are paid at the end of each month (and will be detailed as rent payment on your monthly statement).  You may opt out of rent deduction by paying the next month's dues any time prior to the last day of the month. 

For incoming artists, fees are paid on the following schedule:

• At time of application:  $25 application fee, non-refundable
• At time of acceptance (and no later than the 1st day of the month on which membership begins):  
• $200 Security Deposit
• $105 First Month's Rent
• There are no other fees associated with membership.

Periodically, as appropriate to reach business goals, RTG Gallery Management may organize special sales events or offer coupons. The costs of offering these discounts or coupons may be either taken from RTG's operating funds or split between RTG and the artists.  If funds are to be split between the gallery and artists, the initiative will be proposed in advance and artist participation will be by agreement.

RTG handles all accounting and pays PA Sales Taxes under the RTG sales tax license.  You do not pay any sales taxes on the commissions you receive.

RTG pays all credit card and bank processing fees as part of the commission on sales we retain.  You are not charged for these fees.

RTG pays artist commissions monthly, on or about the 20th of each month, for the previous month's sales. For example, sales from June 1 - 30 are paid on or about July 20.  

If you receive $600 or more in payments (commissions minus any rent withheld) in any calendar year, you will receive a 1099 form for your tax filing purposes.

Return Policy

RTG's return policy is exchange-only, within 14 days for store credit for undamaged/unused merchandise.

In the event that a customer presents an item for return due to a defect in workmanship, the customer will be placed in direct contact with the artist to negotiate a replacement or repair.

Work Requirement

We hear daily from our customers how important it is for them to connect directly with the artists whose work they are purchasing.  This is something that sets us apart from other galleries in the area, and something we feel passionate about preserving. We recognize that this is time out of your studio, but without your work gallery costs are considerably higher, the fees to you will have to be as well, and we likely will not be able to be open as many hours to sell everyone's work.

All full member artists are required to work about 2 days per month staffing the gallery.  Our hours of opening vary by season, and during holiday seasons, we may ask for slightly more staffing. The number of hours needed for staffing each month are posted for the year in the online staffing calendar, and all are encouraged to sign up well in advance.

Our high seasons are typically June - Sept and Nov - early Jan.  During these periods, we try to be open 7 days a week and usually from either 11 or 12 until around 5 PM. Off season, we reduce our opening days, usually closing on Tuesdays and sometimes Wednesdays, depending on holidays, traffic, and other events in town.

* During holidays and high-traffic times, the gallery's hours may be expanded to include some evenings until 8 or 9 PM and additional days during the week.

Having difficulty finding a way to make the work requirement work for you? Consider trading dates or bartering with another artist.  If you aren't going to be available during a specific month, offer to trade with another artist.  For example, you would work twice in April and they would work twice in March.  Note that this needs to be worked out in advance as you will need to note on the staffing calendar whose work shift you are taking so that you both get credit. Some artists also choose to pay another artist to take on a work shift on their behalf; these arrangements are purely between the two artists.

As you know, there are many other tasks that also go into making a retail establishment successful.  Any assistance you're willing to give on committees such as marketing, operations, display, standards, events, etc., is extremely valuable, and we require that each artist actively participate on one committee throughout the year, but we welcome you to serve on more than one if you wish.

Display and Packaging

RTG provides retail packaging, including bags, tissue, bubble wrap, and boxes.  RTG also handles the display of your work on shelving, wall hanging, display cases, etc.   For online sales and customers who request shipping, RTG provides the shipping boxes, wrapping/packing and transport of the package to the appropriate UPS or USPS location.  Normally each artist ships his or her own orders unless an order includes items from multiple artists. RTG reimburses shipping costs up to the amount that the customer has paid. 

If your work requires specialized display or packaging, you are responsible for providing it and it is subject to review by the Display Committee to ensure that it fits in both size and style with the gallery's displays.  Please let us know if you anticipate needing anything specialized.

We highly recommend that all artists provide "artist cards" or small cut sheets that we can give customers when they purchase your work.  These cards typically include basic information about the artist, the work process, etc., and make the purchase much more personal and valuable.  Many customers request these cards with their purchases.

Window and shop displays are rotated periodically and are the responsibility of the Display Committee.  

Insurance

RTG carries liability insurance that covers the gallery in case of personal liability such as slip-and-fall accidents.  The landlord carries fire/flood/property insurance on the property.   

​Member artists are NOT covered by the RTG or landlord policies for theft/damage/loss of their products or for liability arising from a customer using one of your products.  Those losses are typically covered by mercantile insurance, which we recommend that all artists consider for themselves.  Contact a local insurance broker for information and policy requirements.
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Special Events / Opportunities / Trunk Shows

To build community knowledge and boost sales, we schedule special events throughout the year.  These can include "openings" or "theme nights," as well as trunk shows and special displays of featured products.  We solicit artist ideas as well as participation to make these events a success for all.

We do print and online advertising, as well as social media campaigns, on an ongoing basis for the gallery at large as budget allows, and feature pictures of as many artists' work as possible throughout the year.  Payment for these campaigns comes from the gallery's portion of sales.

We may also engage in specially themed "co-op" advertising or unique publicity opportunities when warranted. Past examples have included jewelry advertising and pottery advertising, as well as targeted print ads.  In these cases, we may ask if you are willing to participate in the co-op ad for a specific fee.  These are optional activities, but designed to boost your sales.