Location, location, location

Where is your work? At the studio? At the gallery? In the flat files? En route to an art fair? How much work do you have in storage? Is the total value in line with your insurance limits? Use Primer to track where you keep all your artworks, to see a piece’s current wherabouts and its location history, to figure the total value of works in any one place, and to manage the contents of your primary locations for storing and/or displaying art.

In addition, when it is time to move works, Primer makes it quick and easy to generate and store signed work releases, shipping invoices and all the documents required to keep artwork properly tracked. Primer art software makes it fast and easy for small or large teams at art galleries and art studios to keep on top of these details.

“Groundswell,” a major sculpture by Primer Ambassador Artist Rachel Owens has just moved to its newest location in the permanent collection of the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. This incredible piece was originally displayed at Socrates Sculpture Park in New York City before being acquired by a prestigious private collection for over a decade.

Don't stop at the sale

An art dealer’s service to their client doesn’t end at the sale. Serve and protect your collectors and your artists (and yourself!) by continuing to care for the artworks. When the client or their shipper picks up the work, have a shipping release ready to sign and store in Primer. Make sure the work has a label on the back with the full caption and your contact information. As the artist’s prices increase, provide letters of valuation. Finally, when the time is right, consign the work back in and resell on behalf of your client. Or facilitate a loan or donation to a museum.

All these activities can be easily tracked and managed in Primer, with the appropriate documents created in seconds. Art galleries and art studios of any size can accomplish these tasks and more with the help of Primer.

"Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed."

Inc Magazine posed the following questions to small business entrepreneurs: "So if we are working more hours than ever before, why then do most business owners feel like they don't have enough time to grow their business? That seems counterintuitive. You aren't short on time....you are short on attention. Sitting at your desk all day, doesn't create value for your company if you are focusing your attention on the wrong tasks."

Too many art gallery owners don't value their time highly enough and spend too much of it on tasks that should be automated, like making price lists, or copying/pasting jpgs and work labels, or searching through notes to find the collectors for a certain piece or artist. Likewise, artists lose creative time crafting pdfs of available works for their dealers or collectors, or figuring out where works are, or calculating how many sales they had last year.

Michael Mankins writes in the Harvard Business Review: "Our research indicates that the average company loses more than 20% of its productive capacity — more than a day each week — to what we call “organizational drag,” the structures and processes that consume valuable time and prevent people from getting things done."

Primer saves art dealers and artists hours every month through efficient admin tools, like fast document creation, excellent data organization, and easy yet robust search tools. Instead, our art professionals use those freed up moments to utlize Primer's easy to understand client analytics and offer tool. They have the bandwidth to make connections with their contact list, meaningful actions that lead to more sales and better relationships. As our users will attest: the monthly cost of Primer is a fraction of the value it produces in both time and sales. Primer is not just art software, it can be your gallery administrator, your sales manager, and your business's collective memory. Make your small team function like a big one with Primer art software.

“Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.” Peter Drucker, "The Effective Executive"

Primer makes it fast to find, organize, offer, and sell your artworks. Focus on what you do best.

Zwirner's Father Knows Best.

In a recent interview with Artnet Magazine, legendary dealer Rudolf Zwirner mused on the most successful galleries in today's challenging times, most especially his son, mega gallerist David Zwirner.

"With the pandemic is a real chance to start something new, while keeping on top of this virtual business—but they have to do it much better. One cannot just show inventory. Describe the major work, send texts around the major work, and do not send it to everybody. Send it people who will be interested on a personal level—it needs to be personal even if it is virtual. Very few people can do this. David and his crew are on top because they really explain and invite you in."

Presenting customized, thoughtful offers is THE key to turning your contacts into actual clients. Primer makes it easier to identify potential buyers among your contacts and quickly create personalized viewing rooms for every client.

Contact us to learn how Primer helps you sell more art and bring efficiency to the business of your gallery or art studio.

Where to find new art buyers. Hint: you already know them

Most galleries and artists have hundreds if not thousands of contacts who have expressed interest in their artwork. Ninety percent or more of those people have NEVER purchased something. Why? Because most art professionals don't take the time to understand their potential collectors better and use this knowledge to create compelling interactions and offers.

Many dealers and artists are so busy keeping up with necessary admin that they don't have time to cultivate their valuable contacts and relationships. When they do prioritze this important undertaking, they don't know where to start. That's why Primer has two main goals for our users:

1) Decrease admin time, including faster workflows and documents/viewing rooms that are quick and easy to make and edit.

2) Provide tools to find potential buyers and better understand their history, collecting habits, and general taste. Use your aesthetic instinct to predict what else they might like based on our analytics

We are happy to provide a demonstration of Primer that includes how these sales stratetgies work with the tools we provide.

The future of art sales is bespoke

The future of art sales is "bespoke," "carbon neutral," and "virtual" according to veteran art dealer Sean Kelly. Primer provides virtual tools and client analytics that stimluate productive discussions for our users with their potential collectors. These interactions are based on thoughtful analysis of past interests, leading to more successful offers. Plus, Primer's other features help decrease general admin time to allow for more collector outreach. Contact to learn more about our client relationship manager, easy to personalize viewing rooms and offers, advanced client searches and other features designed to inspire fruitful client relationships.

Stand out from the herd of email blasts and generic pdfs. As Kelly notes, "Galleries, many of which historically were sources of knowledge and connoisseurship, have morphed into global supermarkets, employing teams of salespeople on commission that function like incentivized call centers, inundating collectors with hundreds of scattershot and largely unwanted emails every day." (Sean Kelly, "It’s Not Too Late to Create the Art World We Want. Here Are Four Ways to Do It," Artnet Magazine, June 2, 2020)

Make your offers meaningful -- and convert them to sales -- with Primer.

Primer not only shows you what your clients have bought — but what they were offered and ALMOST acquired. These visual cues add to Primer’s arsenal of client analysis.

Artwork Donations (and utilizing your good karma)

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Primer ambassador artist Rachel Owens created this gorgeous piece for auction on behalf of Keep-A-Breast, a foundation started following the untimely death of artist Margaret Kilgallen. Artists and art galleries are known for their generosity, especially when it comes to benefit auctions. Primer users are ready to receive their good karma in return by accurately recording and tracking donations.

The donation page allows you to quickly document this activity, including the purchaser of the work, any known underbidders, the charity who benefitted and the event information. The status of the work is automatically changed to "Donated" and it appears in the collection of the auction winner. This charitable purchase can shed light on that person's collecting habits, providing insights on what to offer them in the future. The donation also appears in the transaction list for the charity, underbidder or anyone else you associate with the event.

Alternately, use Primer's donation transaction to record when you, the artist or a client donates a work to an institution's collection. The work is now shown on the collection's page and that donation is archived on both the artwork's page and the client's record. Primer is art software that understands the complexities of the art world and allows you to quickly and accurately track all your client and artwork activity.

Documents take seconds instead of minutes (or hours)

With Primer, instantly create, edit and produce all the documents you need for your art business. Every document template can be easily edited before saving as a pdf. No need for Adobe Pro or InDesign to make those tweaks. Your standard terms and conditions for every document type are saved and ready to load with a single click. Save multiple headers and footers to use for different documents types. Every activity in Primer has the appropriate document options. Our documents include but aren't limited to the following: Invoices, Consignments, Offers, Loans, Shipping releases, Certificates of Authenticty, Worksheets, Price lists, Exhibition previews, Work labels, Sales reports, Consignor reports. (Multiple layout options available for many document types.)

Users have this to say about Primer's documents:

"Invoices, offers to clients, loans, consignments in and out, exhibition checklists are all intuitive and take very little time to create. The speed with which it takes to output necessary forms and reports is a lifesaver." (Gallery owner)

"I love the ease with which I can create PDF proposals to share my work in a professional way. This has saved many hours of time so I can focus on painting." (Artist)

Survey says: Primer has the BEST customer support

The reviews are in from leading independent software reviewers like Capterra, and our users are thrilled with Primer's attentive customer support.

"First and foremost, the client service is tremendous. It would seem that they are on it 24/7. Explanations and fixes are dealt with practically immediately. I feel like Primer cares deeply about our experience with the product and they act on that." (Art gallery owner, Chelsea, NYC)

"The customer service and response to individualized questions has been outstanding. We had a big transfer of data from our previous software and the Primer team was very helpful in making it a smooth transition. They also continue to add services and options to adapt to an ever-changing art world." (Artist, North Carolina)

Customer support, updates, training tools, back-ups and more are included with every Primer subscription. The Primer Archives team is invested in our users' success and constantly strives to provide the functionality and support needed to increase sales and decrease admin time. No other service has the level of experienced experts on call to help you. Behind the best art software is the best team of art professionals.

primer users love our free customer support and training tools

Online Viewing Rooms

Now more than ever, it is crucial to provide clients a tailored online art viewing experience. Primer users quickly create custom online viewing rooms directly from their Primer database. These web pages have various options including a lead image, text, and a selection of artworks. In addition, each artwork can feature multiple images, pricing information, and/or a statement about that particular piece. Clients can favorite works, filter down to view only these pieces, and send a message back to the gallery with their selections.

These online galleries can be kept as private views for certain individuals, providing a personalized and exclusive experience. Alternately, you can post these links publicly to create dynamic virtual exhibitions for general audiences. Online viewing rooms can be edited or deleted, as needed.

Primer understands the importance of giving your collector base access to available work alongside your personal insights about these artists and artworks. Every Primer subscriber receives free online viewing rooms with their Primer database.

Working together while apart

During this moment of social isolation, Primer helps you and your team work together from your respective homes to keep business going during this difficult time. Whether organizing shows that will be promoted virtually, preparing custom offers to send to clients, or working on an artist's archive, every entry is keystroke saved, time-stamped and it is automatically noted which user created or modified any aspect of a record. Our dedicated client support is available to every member of your team and ready to help.

Finally, we'd like to say a big THANK YOU to all the healthcare professionals and other essential workers who are not able to work from home. We are grateful to you!

Primer for Artists: Manage studios, estates and collections featuring a single artist

Primer for Artists is a cloud hosted software tailored for artworks by a single artist. Manage activities like consignments to galleries, sales (whether direct to the client or through a dealer), shipping, framing, donations, and much more. Each artwork has a clear history documenting all actions, locations, exhibitions, price changes and so on. No limit to the number of artworks, transactions, contacts, or exhibitions (meaning no automatica price increases later as your database grows).

Primer for Artists starts at $45/month and like all Primer software, there is no initial fee and no time commitments. Back-ups, updates, and support are all included. See why artists, studio managers, agents and more are using Primer to improve business practices while simultaneously building a professional archive. Primer helps artists stay organized while freeing up more studio time.

No Photoshop? No Problem...

Primer knows that in the art world, images are everything, AND that images need to be the right size and format for emailing and pdfs. Primer has a built-in image convertor to turn those gigantic tiffs into handy jpgs. There are options for standard image sizes and file types. Once you have converted to your preferred format, you can rename, view the file size, and/or make notes.

You can also save as many images as you need! You will have option to include any or all on offers and preview documents. Plus you can always save those converted files back to your desktop for other uses.

Keep your images where they belong, on Primer's securely cloud hosted servers. Let Primer help you organize your art gallery, art studio or art collection and spend time doing what you love: selling art, making art, buying art, and the many other ways you show your passion by participating in our vibrant art world and creative economy.

Store multiple views, details, installation shots and more — with the right size, format, and file name. No Photoshop needed!

Exceptional customer support and training

Primer Archives cares about our clients, and we know that our company's success depends on the success of our clients. Our basic monthly subscription includes prompt technical support and a complimentary one-on-one training session. We also prioritize quick and thorough data imports to get new clients up and running as soon as possible. Primer was created from the point of view of the art galleries, art collections, and artists, themselves, to provide tools for greater efficiency and to encourage proactive and profitable business practices. If you have questions about how to run an art gallery, contact us today.

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” Pablo Picasso

Unlimited computer, iPads, iPhones & unlimited records at your fingertips

Primer's monthly subscription includes all the devices you use. No extra fee to have your data ready to go on your iPhone or your home computer or anywhere else you want to work. Plus no set-up charge or time commitments. Whether you are preparing for a show at your gallery, studio or museum, working in an art fair booth, curating a client's collection or even off working remotely, Primer helps you create exhibitions, consignments, sales, offers, shipping and anything else you need to get done, including customizable activities. Primer supports you and all your art world needs.

New updates for iPhone, iPad & more: all included

Primer art software keeps you updated at no extra charge. Primer issues new updates to clients as needed. Updates are done quickly and behind the scenes, so our clients can stay focus on their business. Most recently, Primer has updated several new features, including its iPad and iPhone apps. These apps are included at no additional costs to all our users, making their contacts, artworks, exhibitions and art world activities available to them whenever they need it.

Primer at the Art World Conference

We are pleased to be the exclusive art software representative invited to the first annual Art World Conference, a professional development experience bringing together 300 artists and arts professionals at all stages in their careers.

Art World Conference is a business and financial literacy conference that includes panel discussions, conversations, and in-depth workshops addressing many of the opportunities and challenges faced by visual artists and arts professionals who work closely with artists. Topics range from sales, marketing, grants, taxes, managing debt, and investing to managing public projects, new technologies, and growing and sustaining community. The emphasis of all programming is on personal development and empowerment.

Art World Conference is organized by and Heather Bhandari and presenters include top art world professionals. Highlights include a keynote by Deanna Haggag, President/CEO of United States Artists, on empowerment; a conversation on intellectual property and legal rights of artists with Mickalene Thomas and Maria Murguia, Licensing Executive and Marketing Manager, Artists Rights Society; and tech-focused workshops with Patton Hindle, Senior Director of Arts, Kickstarter and Amy Whitaker, Author & NYU Faculty Member.

Paddy Johnson, Writer and Founder, Art F City, will facilitate a discussion on goal setting and initiating opportunities with artist and educator Sharon Louden; Alex Paik, Director, Tiger Strikes Asteroid; Prerana Reddy, Director of Programs, A Blade of Grass; and Caroline Woolard, Founder, BFAMFAPHD. Larry Ossei-Mensah, Susanne Feld Hilberry Senior Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, will lead a conversation that explores how to identify and sustain an audience and community and share strategies and tools related to exposure, engagement and expansion with Kemi Ilesanmi, Executive Director, Laundromat Project; Hilary Néve, Head of Cultural Initiatives, Google; Shannon Stratton, William & Mildred Lasdon Chief Curator, Museum of Arts and Design; and Danny Baez, Founder/Director, Meca Art Fair. Esther Robinson, Co-Executive Director, ArtBuilt Brooklyn, a new, not-for-profit 50,000 square foot art studio and business space in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, will lead an evocative discussion with fellow artists about the modern fight to secure, build, and defend affordable work space in New York City.

We look forward to being a part of this incredible weekend!

Resolve to be as good at business as you are art

As our clients wrap up 2018, they look to Primer for an easy analysis of their business activities. Check your sales by time period, client, tax rate, and more. Track payables and receivables. Understand which artists or artworks were the most profitable. Being an artist or an arts professional is always a labor of love. Artistic and curatorial choices are often made without regard to profit or sales. This means it is all the more important to understand where your proceeds are coming from in order to make the smart business decisions that enable you to continue to expose exceptional art to the world. Wishing everyone a very happy new year and we look forward to being a part of your business plan for years to come!

Tis the season to celebrate not adminstrate

A client recently relayed that she used to skip out on family Thanksgiving as she was stuck in her gallery preparing for the Miami art fairs. She slogged away putting together Dropbox files of images and captions, pdfs for each artist with available works, configuring work labels, and formatting price lists. She spent hours culling through client lists to figure out who needed VIP pases. Since adopting Primer, her pre-fair routine is a quick two step.

First, it takes a just few minutes to compile a list of collectors she has seen in past years and send them emails offering complimentary fair passes. Second, she quickly creates her art fair presentation page by highlighting the works being brought to the fair. Now she can make pdfs of booth previews, work labels, price lists and more in mere seconds, all ready to email, print, or save. Once in Miami, no prep is required to use Primer to show available works not onsite at the fair – it’s always ready at her finger tips. Plus she has sent all her follow ups and invoices before she leaves the booth for evening events. Finally, as she departs Miami, she can relax knowing all contacts, notes, offers and sales are complete and archived in Primer. She even has reminders set up to follow up with potential clients in the new year. Now she no longer misses her dad’s pumpkin pie or potential sales opportunities.

With our quick data import process, it’s not too late become a Primer user and be Miami ready!

Want to show a client a work that's not in your booth -- no problem -- Primer has all your works ready to show.