FAQ for ARTISTS

How do I get involved with Juniper Rag?

We are grateful for your interest in working with us. We host several calls for artists exhibitions all year long for emerging and mid-level artists. We host international virtual and in-person shows for local artists in central Massachusetts, where we are based. Artists, please do not send unsolicited emails or message us on social media to submit artwork for any reason. What you can do is share our calls with artists you think would benefit from a relationship with us. Sharing is one of the most valuable thing you can do for us or any business or artists you want to support. It’s free and cool! Scope out our calls for art. You can find all the information for our calls for art on our website or Submittable.

Stay Connected

We hope you stay connected by following our social, sign up for our newsletter and check out our blog Art Vérité for insights and stop back often to find the latest opportunities to show your work with us. Our collaborations and opportunities arise and we choose specific artists from our arsenal to fit the bill when needed. We work with galleries, art organizations and different offices, who have a mission to bring art into their world. Stay connected with Juniper Rag, your diligence and participation in our shows means everything to us, and we keep those artists on the tip of our hot list.

What sets Juniper Rag apart?

Payal Thiffault and Michelle May—that’s us. We have spent the last 25+ years working in the art industry. We have been promoting artists and designers on nationwide e-commerce sites for the greater part of that time. With an eye for talent, we leveraged our position working for one of the top 5 stationery companies in the country, to identify and bring new talent on in the industries largest group selling platform. We were early adopters of a visionary and successful e-commerce website that invited competitors to sell together. We saw the priceless value of social media and sold it to upper management and we were two of the leading invitation designers in the country. This combination as artists, trend researchers, art buyers and professional marketers we put all of their experience to work for fellow artists. We formed Atelier ID Global in 2017 and launched Juniper Rag in 2020, timed with the disruption in the art markets and gallery showings around the world. We saw the need for artists to have options and a professional team behind them to launch them past their own networks. Invested in artists, as founders and coordinators of key award-winning community art events in our local area, and an annual global event, Slow Art, we knew we could make an impact for artists.

Reciprocation

Our business model is based on community building —and so should yours. Artists that work with us know that we support you on social media and follow your careers. No matter how many artists we promote, we loyally follow your accounts and share to our feed. While we do have marketing packages that boost artists efforts even more, we believe that sharing, reciprocation and transparency are just good people skills. We know who shares about us, and we reward artists by going above and beyond, exceeding expectations. Plus, our community is pretty rad. We appreciate our artists, who become friends, collaborators and partners in our growing art world. Kindness is key.

The Art Market

Art Market

All of our calls for art are juried by either Juniper Rag curators, Michelle May and Payal Thiffault or our guest curators. This results in a preselected group of artists that have been through our curation process with success. Your support and participation means everything to us, so one of the benefits is being able to list work on our Art Market. You must have been curated to participate. We are updating our platform all of the time. We hope to add additional artists to our online market in 2024, and our open call may close at any time when we reach our quota.

Are all Juniper Rag artists accepted on the Art Market?

Maybe. All Juniper Rag artists are invited. We try to accept all artists that have shown with Juniper Rag, but we will do an assessment of the art before it gets listed and work with you to merchandise a cohesive arrangement. We will work with all of our artists to help set you up on the art market. We hope for a smooth and bump-free arrangement, to sell work and to get things done in a timely manner so we can serve you best. Artist should be organized, efficient and on time with assets. Schedules are important. Obviously, there are perks to being stellar. Artists who are super pro and have all their ducks in a row are the 1st to be called on when an opportunity arises.

International Artists

While selling art locally in the US is our main goal, please contact us if you would like to sell your art to our American audience. We can work out a program specifically taylored to fit the logistical parameters. We believe in showcasing your art to sell to new audiences, so even if we have to jump through some hoops, we are game.

Art Market Commission Split

Selling art on Juniper Rag is not like selling art on other platforms. Our artists will receive 65% and we take a 35% commission of your retail price. If the artwork is valued at under $199, we will take a 20% commission). We will offer buying terms for anyone who wishes to own your original art and can make installments, but we can only pay you in full when the piece is paid in full. We will notify you in each case. We incorporate unpaid social media to promote your work in most cases. We are known for our repeat unwaivering support of our Artists on social media. This is a benefit of choosing to work with Juniper Rag. Artwork under $100 is not really viable for our Art Market, as logistics to run the work up exceeds the value.

Pricing

Your retail pricing should be consistent across the board. If you list your artwork on your website or any where else, your prices should be the same everywhere for comparable work. Creating trust with you and our collectors is a priority. Creating your pricing is an important business aspect and if you need advisory services, please inquire. For a small fee we can assess your work and history to create a viable pricing structure for you. Generally, our best practices are pricing by the square inch. There are outliers in every collection, but consistency is important for your buyers. Artists who inflate their pricing will not be admitted. While it is wonderful to receive a full 100% commission from your personal website, collectors must never be disappointed to see your work for less anywhere, period. It only hurts the artist.

Exclusivity—can I show on your Art Market and put the same piece in a gallery show?

Short answer, yes. Communication is the key here. The work you show exhibit on our Art Market should be cataloged and tagged by you visually and in your inventory system. You should always know where your art is and notify each party when some thing sells. While we allow artists to show work in in-person gallery shows while a piece could be shown in our Art Market, it is up to you to notify us if a piece should come down due to another party’s contract or let us know asap if you sell a piece you have in a show. We can easily change your work out. Our goal is for you to sell. While this policy may change in the future due to time to manage this, we firmly believe now, we will go the extra step to help you sell your work.

Art Market 101

We list 3 or 6 pieces of art for you on our market at retail pricing. Once a piece sells, we notify you immediately by email. You are responsible for packing materials and packing your piece to ship safely to your new collector. Please notify us with your tracking information as soon as you drop your item. The cost of shipping was estimated by you and included in the price of the artwork, so please make sure estimates are accurate. The collector pays for shipping ultimately. Packing materials are your responsibility, however. Any artwork valued at over 5K will be added on a case by case system. We must know the artist and your pricing history as well as your quality to sell work over this amount on our website.

Accepted Art on the Art Market

Curated artists may submit either 3 or 6 pieces of artwork. If you would like to submit more you may discuss at our contact meeting, after we receive notification of your submission. The Art Market is curated as well, so please submit work that is cohesive or part of a series so that it will look nice merchandised on our page. The best way to sell art is to have a great looking spread with art that all works together. We may make adjustments. Not all art is guaranteed to be selected for the Art Market. Please think about your selection. We accept 2D and 3D work in all mediums. We will create a Google folder for you to share your work, your descriptions, artist statement and bio. Please see our Digital Marketing Services if you need assistance or updating of your documents.

Art Market Asset Collection Management

We create Google folders for sharing files for all of our Art Market artists. We ask for specific files and give deadlines so that we can plan and efficiently upload all of your work to your profile. This work takes us hours of time. Please, please read your instructions and adhere to the schedule so that we can be as efficient as possible. Each touchpoint and email costs us valuable time. Keeping our $199/year price for this opportunity is important to us. We want the Art Market to be accessible. Artists who manage our collaborative time well are always remembered when we need artwork for specific private events or opportunities.

Images and Framing

While artwork does not need to be framed to sell with us, we do expect your images to reflect the item as the collector will receive it. We will state that it arrives unframed or framed and any installation photo that shows it differently will have a disclaimer. Please be clear in your description about framing. Most people want to personalize with a frame of their own taste and decor, so don’t feel like you have to frame a piece. The value is often not transferable to all people. It is a matter of taste. Image specs will be given once you have submitted.

Payments from Sold Art

Once our contract is in place with our terms agreed to, your tax ID given then your art will go live. Once a piece sells and you ship it, and it is delivered, you will receive payment within 30 days. We use Venmo, PayPal or we can do a digital transfer to your bank.

Shipping / International Shipping

Our shipping prices are included in our end pricing. We ask artists to estimate by size and weight plus the furthest US location for domestic shipping. For international collectors, we would need a notification of intent to buy so we can ensure proper pricing and manage expectations for all parties. Contact us if you have questions. info@juniperrag.com

OUR BACKGROUND

JUNIPER RAG is an independent visual art and lifestyle platform, founded by Atelier ID Global—Michelle May and Payal Thiffault founded the boutique marketing agency in 2017.

Our mission with Juniper Rag is to showcase significant work and exceptional creatives to deepen their relationship with viewers and to simultaneously offer up a curated collection of art for those who love to collect or consider original art for interior design. We celebrate creative business and lifestyle, as well as curate some of the most sought after contemporary visual arts. We feature Visual Art & Design, Photography, Fashion, Music, Technology, Travel and Lifestyle profiles--all facets that relate to building a creative culture. A curated selection of artists is the highlight of each issue, chosen on merit by a an industry professional. A different guest curator is invited for each issue. We publish quarterly.

For artists and creative businesses looking for next steps or new avenues to share their work, Juniper Rag is a viable option to a physical gallery show. Print is permanent and does not disappear when the browser closes. Social Media is a fundamental shift in how we can communicate and it has changed the rules of the marketplace. Our two-fold marketing strategy between influencer articles, print profiles and social will bolster your brand and increase your presence.

We have a past...

After over two decades of design and marketing success, we founded Atelier ID Global. We wanted to continue our magical creative partnership. In our past lives we designed some pretty snazzy work for a luxury brand stationery company that twice made Inc. magazine's 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. We have worked directly with editors of the finest magazines on product design and marketing campaigns.

Our past designs have also been featured on Brides Live Weddings, The Today Show and Good Morning America. Additionally, some pretty prestigious organizations and celebrities have enlisted our designs, like presidents and royalty, rock bands, movie stars, famous chefs and even muppet makers. 

Locally and more recently, Atelier ID Global has designed the branding and websites for Juniper Rag, Kelley Square Lofts, Worcester Public Market, The Market Pantry, Starr Home Care, and Nivi / AskNivi in Nairobi and Delhi. We helped launch ShardSecure and celebrated 11M funding round and the startup Tern, who is taking the Bay Area by storm with at-home return pickups.

GIVING

We are also committed to giving back to the community and collaborate with local businesses and non-profits.