Promoting and selling the art of Earl Wilkie

It’s been a couple months since David Raine started marketing the artwork of his father, Philadelphia artist Earl Wilkie.

When Wilkie died in 2009, he left behind a legacy of paintings, sculptures, sketches and poems, but he didn’t leave behind a well-known name. Wilkie was an artist and educator who spent time during the 1960s with such notable Philadelphia artists as Ellen Powell Tiberino, but then retreated into his art.

Now David is trying to change that. I met him about six months ago at a reception honoring his father’s 30 years as an educator at the Elwyn Institute, an organization that assists people with special needs. The family donated a sculpture called “The Window” to the program.

David checked in with me recently to tell me how it was going. I asked him to answer some questions about the process with the hope that it could help others like him. It’s also a chance for people to offer suggestions to him about marketing the art and the artist. Here is what he had to say:

What types of things have you done to promote your father’s work?

As an experienced, touring and playing singer/songwriter, I quickly learned both the differences and similarities in promoting visual art and music. Of course, it is more expensive for one to collect visual art than it is to collect music.

My first thought was to contact artist-friends for advice. Unfortunately, many had either passed away or my father had been estranged from them for too many years. In the 1980s, Earl Wilkie began to find his way back to the Bible. The challenge of a strict Christian path created great distances between him and many contacts in the art world. He became leery of the basis of man friendships, but mostly felt that in order to succeed as an artist, he would have to commit to a role that would harm his spiritual and physical integrity – pulling him further from God’s plan for him.

I had to be mindful of where and how I would go about promoting his work. Creating a Facebook page seemed to be a great, free and safe way to expose some of his work to at least my list of friends, but also as I meet new people, it provides a place to send them to view his work. In addition, I get a feel of what collectors and other artists think of Wilkie’s works.

I also got involved with an annual fundraiser for a cause he had been passionate about since the ‘60s – mentally challenged adults and children. I donated a sculpture for one of the buildings and a couple of paintings that went into a charity auction to support Elwyn Institute. That led to some private sales, which became word of mouth promotion. I plan to develop a website as soon as I finalize the content and purpose of the site. Of course, funds will be needed, so there is a kind of catch-22 here.

What has been the most challenging?

The most challenging aspect has been creating time to be thorough about research in the art world. There was no pot of gold left after my father’s death. All administrating either comes out of my pocket or from sales of his work. I’m managing the security and upkeep of the art, then following up with potential buyers, galleries, and community art shows. This is a full-time job with no pay. Being an artist myself makes it a battle of priorities many times. Make no mistake, when I am managing my father’s career, I am not managing my own and vice versa.

What has been the most easy?

Hands down, the most easy part is that I truly believe in his work and purpose. It’s not because he is family. If a friend were to leave work of this caliber to me, I would still do what I could to share it on an international, lasting level. It also doesn’t hurt that his work is so powerful and beautiful. Not one person has had a negative or blah reaction to his work. People are instantly drawn to it. This makes it easy for me to communicate with people in the art world and learn what I need to manage the next steps. Other artists, curators and collectors have been so gracious and helpful.

How did you determine price? Did you have the work appraised?

I’m still working on getting the art officially appraised. In the beginning, I was warned of how expensive it was. That actually turned me off from it for many months. I put some trust in the opinions of some local artists and dealers, and of course, my instincts.

I also had to consider the condition of some of the works. In the last 10 years of his life, my father was quickly becoming legally blind so some sculptures have nicks. Some paintings have a little damage. That in itself creates difficulty. I cannot ask for the amount I feel it is worth if the buyer will have to restore it after the purchase. It gives a buyer a very strong bargaining tool.

The biggest issue is do I pay to restore them, or do I sell at a lower price to get funds circulating into the estate and foundation? At this point, I’m interested in selling some now, holding some to restore and getting some into institutions that may foot the restoring bill.

Determining a price was a learning process. I noticed that when he was selling his work in the ‘70s, he was asking for $3,000 to $6,000. After 30 years of silence, it was impossible to get those numbers. I had to create a plan to slowly build the value of his work. Pricing of the work is still something I struggle with.

Was the initial marketing costs expensive? How did you reduce costs?

The initial cost of marketing was almost nothing because I started off by testing the weight of my father’s name in the Philadelphia circles of art and education. This actually ended up educating me on the process of showing, sharing, and selling his work.

I started to develop a school program to teach about my father’s journey as an African American artist and educator. I soon learned that not enough funds are given to the schools to pay for these types of presentations anymore. The Wilkie estate would have to foot the bill. I was not ready for that and had to put the idea on hold. A plan that did work, and helped put his name in the minds of some collectors, was to join with existing charity art auctions that matched what the Wilkie estate would stand for. For now I will continue being a part of shows and events that are curated by established people in the business. This will grow the popularity of the Wilkie name and expose us to galleries that may be interested in taking us on.

Lastly, I shot a short documentary film of my father before he passed. I have been in talks with a producer about taking it to the next level by raising money to edit it into feature length and submit it to festivals. There’s no question of how much exposure will come from this.

Was the lack of a name – your father didn’t sell many of his works so he wasn’t well known – a hindrance? How did you gotten around that hurdle? Or have you?

Of course, there is the lack of a “name,” but the work is so striking and original that it should enable me to move in places that will grow the name. Plus, we all understand the importance of preserving our African American artistic history. I can’t see his work being left behind.

Any plans for an exhibition of your father’s works?

We will be showing the film and one Wilkie piece on May 20, 2011, at the Williamsburg Music Center in Brooklyn, NY. We will also put up a portrait exhibit at the Flying Carpet Cafe in Philadelphia (date to be decided).

I’m also planning on printing some Wilkie images on T-shirt s so that those who can’t afford the art can at least wear it. The other plan is to make images available for licensing. This will create a feeling of constant exhibiting. It will also make it all the more special to get to own a piece made with his hands when we do show in a gallery.