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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

NY Arts magazine, The Broadway Gallery NYC and Beijing Gallery Scam

Ah the delight of getting an email waxing lyrical about your work and inviting you to participate in a New York art exhibition PLUS be included in the latest edition of NY Arts magazine.. (All for only $1,900!)


The email: 
Dear Ann,
I am pleased to inform you of an exciting opportunity to exhibit your artwork in New York City.

My name is Abraham Lubelski, the publisher of NY Arts Magazine, and owner of The Broadway Gallery NYC and Beijing Arts Space in China. Recently my staff came across your works while researching for upcoming projects, and by their recommendation I would like to invite you to exhibit your works in New York City in July 2011. I am interested in your work "The Diet" and I believe it would be an important addition to our program.  Your figures are so funny and so thought provoking and true at the same time. They show us so much of our reality through nice interpretations. By paying close attention to the intuitive works of each artist, we are hoping to construct an exhibition of works that truly speak to the viewer. 

The promotion/publicity project also offers an exhibition and an international publicity program for a fee ($1,900 see details below). This promotion/publicity is a media driven event and offers both emerging and established artists the broadest media coverage possible.

*Exhibit your work in the major art capital of the world.
*International media exposure/publicity on web & in print
*Two (2) catalogues within our magazines, with bookstore distribution, web, and print directories.
*3 million plus Internet hits per month (major Internet sites).
*Three major international print publications.

Thank you,
Abraham Lubelski
Publisher
NY Arts Magazine 
473 Broadway, 7th floor, NY, NY 10013 | 212-274-8993

However, I've been around long enough in the art world to sense SCAM. So I Googled it and lo and behold, the words 'Lubelski' 'NY Arts Magazine' and 'scam' appear together rather more often  than is comfortable. Certainly enough times to make me keep my cheque book in my handbag. So be warned, it appears this setup is just legal enough to allow it to continue to operate, but its not all it appears to be.

Here's some of the info I received:
World Art Media in New York is absolutely a scam! They target impressionable naive artists thousands of dollars to be a part of NY Arts Magazine. The introductory fee is $500. But they charge thousands for articles and other silly projects like having one slide shown on a screen during an art fair for 0.5 seconds. Don't give into them..they will buy your soul and shame your artwork.” http://dart.fine-art.com/aqd-asp-im_108336-buy-m.htm
And from: http://www.helenansell.com/_blog/Blog/post/World_Art_Media_and_NYArts_magazine_a_scam!!/
And finally, after I out a few questions myself out on line, a anonymous person was kind enough to write to me and tell me what I really needed to know:
Dear Helen I saw your question in the blog about NYArtmagazine and World Art Media. I worked for them, don`t make any agreement with, it's a scam company Wish you Good Luck a new yorker friend”

and then another email;

"Yes, World Art Media is a completely scam. Besides they deceive naive artists, they do the same with naive candidates who apply for a position.They promise you a high comission (10%) that you must achieve in a short period of 30 days(impossible goal for so short period) and a payment of $ 1,00 for each  e-mail you send. You must send 40 e-mails by day, besides research,( the time you spend looking for web sites of artists), what means that you work 8 hours non stop in front of a computer and in the end of the day you receive the fantastic amount of $40,00 dolars.After a month sending 800 e-mails and receiving the "huge" amount of $ 800,00 dolars for 160 hours of work,  without close any deal, of course! So, as you couldn't reach the "golden goal" of 10% comission, you are fired! After I left the company they post in craiglist at least one/two adds by month looking for a "energetic sales associate" with a promise of a great  earning based on comission,goal that you never will achieve in a periodo of a month. After 30 days you ended with a misery salary of $ 800,00 dolars and leave to them a big data base of artists around the world, this list they keep forever in their files.What a "great deal".! Better to get a job and work in Mac Donald's, so you can get a higher payment by hour(more than $ 40 dollars by day) making a mindless work and at least you won`t be working under stress, pressure and  won`t be deceive with promisses of high comission percentual, a impossible goal that you never will reach in a short period of 30 days."
And from another blog:
It appears World Art Media and NY Arts magazine (same company) send out thousands of unsolicited emails each month to artists on their websites promising art representation via online sources, publications, gallery shows etc. for a FEE. They do not advertise their fee on their website anymore, but I learned from other artists the fee starts at $500 and goes up from there to $4000 and $6000 depending on what they say they are doing for you.

World Art Media does publish your work in the NY Art magazine. However, it does not have the millions of viewers, buyers, and following that they claim. One New Yorker said it is sold only in the newstand down the street from their NY office.
NY Arts Magazine promises promotion, publicity and articles in their magazine and an art show in their gallery, 450 BROADWAY GALLERY, which, although it exists is in the inaccessible, interminable, unclimable 4th floor walkup at that address. The gallery isn't even listed on the local Gallery Guide. However, It is listed in, where else, the NY World Arts Magazine.
It is also my understanding, that even the so called 'Marketing Associates' get ripped off. Most of their positions are continually advertised on Craig's List. When they sign on, they are promised wonderful commissions. After working like crazy soliciting artists, they are not given these commissions. One guy wrote, that after working for World Art Media, he could have made more money had he been employed flipping hamburgers at McDonald's.
World Art Media seems to be just 'legit enough' to keep from getting arrested. However, they operate in an unethical manner. They don't tell the entire truth about what they can/will do for artists and actually charge you ridiculous fees for their services. This is not the kind of company I choose to do business with ever! My advice? Run.....run far away.

47 comments:

  1. Hi Ann,
    just wanted to thank you for always taking the time to post all these valuable information! Scams are happening everywhere unfortunately so one always has to be aware. Thanks again for this and the previous posting about your gallery dealings...

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  2. Thank you - its all about awareness. The more artists can assist each other and work together, the less vulnerable we are to scammers etc.

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  3. I've just received the same Scam email. Glad I googled it. As soon as I saw how much I knew there was something wrong with it.

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  4. Ann, thank you so much for the warning.
    What seems fishy almost always is, I had my doubts but now you confirmed them.
    Shame on them and that kind of modus operandi.

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  5. I just got this invitation too. I was skeptic when I got to the $1900 fee and then was curious. Thanks for this information!

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  6. Thanks so much for posting about this. I found this article quickly with a Google search and I'm so glad I did! I won't be wasting any more of my precious time wondering and researching. Thanks once again!

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  7. thanks for posting this Ann, it's great to get this information. I'll be adding your blog to my own site - An Artist's Business Guide - http://www.anartistsbusinessguide.com

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  8. Thank you too!! I got it and you helped me :)

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  9. I received the same email today but sent by a person posing as Peter Caine, curator and publicist based in NYC... Nice critque of my work which I would love to use for my publicity... but sadly since the guy is not a real curator or publicist then it all worthless.
    Artists beware

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  10. The Internet is such a great tool for sharing information about these kinds of things . . . thanks!

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  11. This site and many like it are simply desperate to generate their own traffic and make business for your selves. If you want a career in policing and investigating you should do exactly that. You should research and even contact the business referred to make sure these are legitimate complaints. We are transparent and provide you all the contact information necessary so we are not hiding anything. Our fees and services are clearly stated. These site and postings are simply a form of therapy for frustrated and disgruntled individuals.

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    Replies
    1. re "making business for myself" there are no adds on my site, so no business to be made.
      I am neither disgruntled nor am I frustrated, as I have been fortunate to be succesful as an artist and would like to encourage other artists to achieve the same.

      Delete
  12. the new name to watch ut for is peter caine

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  13. Exactly, I just got the following email via my website contact form:


    My name is Peter Caine and I am a curator/publicist based in NYC. I'm interested in your work entitled "Immaterial State of Being". I really enjoy your figurative works. I find that each piece culls directly from nature replete with a humanistic narrative and unique style. Using an amazing array of colors, shadows and contrasts - your light-filled paintings express a range of emotion that stimulate the eye and the mind. I find your work to be fresh and contemporary and I'd love to know more about them. I am working with the owner of NY Arts Magazine and we would like to publish a full page of your work in print and online. In addition I also want to exhibit your work at Broadway Gallery, representing your work for an entire year. This is a strong opportunity to promote and present your works. The fee for a full years’ worth of publicity and promotion is $1,900 for online & print media, publishing and production costs. Here is a sample of our work: Kristina Sretkova's New Article Please click this link for the full publicity proposal and exhibition invitation. We look forward to working with you.Kind Regards,PeterPeter Cainepetercainearts@gmail.com212.274.8993Monday - Friday / 10am - 6pmAbraham LubelskiPublisher & OwnerNY Arts Magazine/Broadway Gallery473 Broadway 7th FloorNY, NY 10013212-274-8993lubelski@nyartsmagazine.com -- Peter Cainepetercainearts@gmail.com212.274.8993Monday - Friday / 10am - 6pm NY Arts Past Contributing Writers: Arthur C. Danto, Saul Ostrow, Enrico Pedrini, John Perreault, James Kalm, Christopher Chambers, Enrico Pedrini, John Perreault, Thomas Girst, Mark Daniel Cohen, Achille Bonito Olivia, Kenneth Rinaldo, Rachel Youens, Elizabeth Newman, Julie Fishkin, Brandon Krall, Horace Brockington, Tony Zaza, Carter Ratcliff, Irene Small, Shin Yi YangNY Arts Current Contributing Writers: Robert C. Morgan, Joe Fyfe, Nina Zivancevic, Jonathan Katz, Iddhis Bing, Claudia Eve Beauchesne, Edward Rubin, Shirin Neshat, Kristen Dodge, Kathy Grayson, Beverly Knowles, Sue Hubbard, Matthew Hassell, Valery Oisteanu, Sheila Pepe, John F. Moore Jr, Paulina Tala, Jamie Dalglish, Eveliina Nieminen, Paul Foss, Paul Black, Noah Becker, Jill Conner, Sonia Coman

    Thanks you for posting this article. It smelled like a scam and now I know it is.

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  14. Dear NY Arts

    I received the 20 copies of the limited edition cover version and I am more than happy! You made me very proud.

    It looks wonderful. Thank you so much again!

    -- Marcel Bastiaans

    To read more about our satisfied clients please visit:

    http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/thanks/acknowledgements-and-thank-you-letters

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  15. Artists beware - Peter Caine works for NYArts which is a NY "Art Magazine" and is owned by Abra­ham Lubel­ski who is also the owner of the Broadway gallery - this art gallery is a cemetery... seems like Abraham bought this place many years ago when it used to be a gallery district... there are no galleries around and no one comes to see the artwork - in addition there is a consensus in the art work that these guys are scam artists - stay away!!!!!!!!!!

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  16. Dear NY Arts

    I love to create particular works that speak about specific concepts.

    I hope we can have a great cooperation!

    Have a great night

    -- G.G

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  17. Yep I got this email today too! And from googling it- its good to see that lots of people are getting the word out that this is a SCAM- though obviously there are still some poor artists who are not taking the time to do this. Will spread the word......

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  18. Yes, dear Peter contacted myself, husband and daughter all in the same week with these email with delightful tacky 'art' speak:

    My name is Peter Caine and I am a curator/publicist based in NYC. I'm interested in your work entitled "Africa in Red 2". I really enjoy your visceral, landscape based paintings. Each piece conveys a sense of endless wonder and imagination. Your stylistic approach reminds me of reflections, memories and dreams combined with reality. I find these works to be thoughtful, moving and I'd like to know more about them.

    I am working with the owner of NY Arts Magazine and we would like to publish a full page of your work in print and online. In addition I also want to exhibit your work at Broadway Gallery, representing your work for an entire year. This is a strong opportunity to promote and present your works. The fee for a full years’ worth of publicity and promotion is $1,900 for online & print media, publishing and production costs.

    Here is a sample of our work:

    Kristina Sretkova's New Article

    Please click this link for the full publicity proposal and exhibition invitation. Let me know if you have any questions and I will help you right away! We look forward to working with you.


    Warmest Regards,
    Peter

    and the one to me....
    My name is Peter Caine and I am a curator/publicist based in NYC. I'm interested in your work entitled "The Stockmarket". I love your surrealist imagery. Each of your works has a mysterious, otherworldly quality to the works that I find incredibly intriguing. I feel like your work comes from a subconscious place that illuminates hidden desires, thoughts and feelings.

    I am working with the owner of NY Arts Magazine and we would like to publish a full page of your work in print and online. In addition I also want to exhibit your work at Broadway Gallery, representing your work for an entire year. This is a strong opportunity to promote and present your works. The fee for a full years’ worth of publicity and promotion is $1,900 for online & print media, publishing and production costs.

    Here is a sample of our work:

    Kristina Sretkova's New Article

    Please click this link for the full publicity proposal and exhibition invitation. Let me know if you have any questions and I will help you right away! We look forward to working with you.


    Warmest Regards,
    Peter

    and another...
    My name is Peter Caine and I am a curator/publicist based in NYC. I'm interested in your work entitled "The Rainbow Nation Jamming". I really enjoy your geometry inspired abstractions. Your patterns and color relationships create exciting formal compositions. Each piece keeps my eye moving around the painting in a mesmerizing way.

    I am working with the owner of NY Arts Magazine and we would like to publish a full page of your work in print and online. In addition I also want to exhibit your work at Broadway Gallery, representing your work for an entire year. This is a strong opportunity to promote and present your works. The fee for a full years’ worth of publicity and promotion is $1,900 for online & print media, publishing and production costs.


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  19. Global Projects at Broadway Gallery is an artist-minded initiative and way for artists across the globe to gain exposure in a New York art market. Broadway Gallery seeks to give passionate art makers the opportunity not only to display their fine work in a SoHo gallery but also to appear in the pages of NY Arts, a contemporary visual arts magazine that has been in circulation for over fifteen years. Despite what you may have gathered from the internet, there is no doubt that we are an artist-minded gallery, meaning that the artists as our clients are our number one priority. We at Broadway Gallery hope to provide a leg up for those who desire for their name and work to be seen by the New York and global market.

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  20. Dear NY Arts

    Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate your opinions on my work.

    My best regards

    -- R.S.

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  21. Thank you so much for this info! I have been contacted by them twice now. The looked really legit. I almost bought in to it. Here is my art site for any one interested. Www.redbubble.com/people/lgalutia

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  22. The first time they contacted me they wanted $3000 to publish my art for.a year and show my art in the gallery. I couldnt aford it at the time due to buying a new house. This time they wanted $1000 for two shows + the contract says that they keep the art afterward. I asked if i would get paid if my submittion sells after the shows... They said that they would let me know if any one expressed interest in it and that they would take 30%commition. It sounded really legit. Thank you so much for the heads up on this.

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  23. The facts are that NY Arts & Broadway Gallery are legit entities. We have and continue to work with artists at all levels worldwide. Here is one of our latest satisfied clients.

    Dear NY Arts

    Thanks for forwarding all the links. You had a great opening last night at Broadway Gallery.

    I am looking forward to hearing about future projects we can work on together.

    -- R.Q.

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  24. Came to me!
    Fortunately I read your speeches. I had almost believed.
    Thank you!

    Maristella

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  25. They also came to me twice. Fortunately I found your blog to make sure it´s a scam. I was suspicious, when iI received the email but goggled NY Arts& Broadway Gallery. I got no money to waste.

    Uwe Behrens, Berlin

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  26. Hello to everyone,

    My name is Jessica Hopkins and I am so happy I clicked on this link about NY Art Magazine and Broadway Gallery scam. I was definitely about to send a payment to Abraham Lubelski. The publict/curator name is Paula and she nearly fail for it. I researched her name and I could not find any information relative to art, NY Art Magazine nor the Broadway Gallery.

    It is funny because she contacted me through a site called Art 3000, which I am apart of. So I thought this opportunity was legitimate .Paula started contacting more after I told her I would participate. Again I am glad I read this because 1900 is the exact amount she asked for. The information from the other bloggs on here are similar to what she sent to me. This happened just four days ago.



    Thanks again,
    Jessica Hopkins
    jessicagopkins83.net

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  27. I just received the same type of email from them.

    Dear Manuel Sanchez,

    My name is Anna Hewitt and I am a publicist/curator in NYC. NY Arts Magazine
    and Broadway Gallery are very interested in representing your work and would
    like to open a dialogue on significant international exposure, publicity and
    exhibition opportunities. Kindly view our proposal for full information
    (http://www.broadwaygallerynyc.com/march-form/). Please contact me at your
    earliest convenience to discuss this further. Thank you and have a great
    day!

    Warmest regards,
    Anna Hewitt.

    --
    Message From Anna Hewitt - anna.nyartmag@gmail.com
    Time Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:40:33 +0000

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    Replies
    1. Dear Manuel,

      As I've already stated before in my email to you, we are not just a gallery, our main goal is publicity/marketing/exposure of our artists works for an entire year with international print magazines and internet sites. And of course there is a fee for such services. As an added opportunity we also offer to exhibit their works here in New York. But what we offer first of all is a promotion, and our team does our best to deliver the services that we offer.

      Thank you.

      Delete
  28. http://www.broadwaygallerynyc.com/

    473 Broadway, 7th floor, NYC, NY 10013
    212.274.8993

    Artists that have any questions or concerns regarding NY Arts Magazine are more than welcome to call or come visit our gallery whenever they are in New York and check us out for themselves :)

    Thank you.

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  29. Oh my word ! I nearly fell for it too, It sounded fishy, so I'm glad I googled and found your blog.
    Thanks
    Sarah

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  30. Thank you very much for the info. I received the same exact email one day ago. I googled the gallery and I got this. thank you. I will forward this.

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  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  32. I am a French artist living in France and I got the same message yesterday; I have noticed that they went on my website also yesterday to be sure of talking about the right work. It is very hard to hear your comments because I have been searching for a couple of years a gallery in NY to exhibit my work, so i wanted to believe it. But thanks for your comments...I will conytinue my research further....


    Hi!
    My name is Lilly Rocca. I am the Publicist and Curator for NY Arts Magazine in New York City. I came across your work and found it quite compelling. I would be very interested in representing some of your pieces in our magazine and our SoHo gallery.
    I would like to include a selection of your work in the upcoming issue of NY Arts Magazine, both in print and online. Additionally, your artwork would be installed in our exhibition space at Broadway Gallery. This would be a unique opportunity to display your work and gain international exposure. There is a production fee that would cover the costs for the print, online and gallery campaign for a full year.
    You can take a look at our publication’s website at http://www.nyartsmagazine.com  and our gallery’s website at http://www.broadwaygallerynyc.com .  

    Please email me so I can send you an attached document — which can also be viewed through our website — with a full publicity proposal and exhibition invitation.
    I am looking forward to working with you.
    Kind Regards,
    Lilly

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  33. Still going, as he has been for years. My email was from "Sarah Browning". But see my blog - http://davidabse-art.blogspot.fr/2013/10/art-scams.html . And I don't need the traffic - I don't make money out of my blog either. Lubelski probably thinks we're suckers for not doing so!

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  34. i got same from Lilly Rocca,

    I am working with the owner of NY Arts Magazine and we would like to publish a full page of your work in print and online. In addition, I want to exhibit your work at Broadway Gallery, representing your work for an entire year. This is a strong opportunity to promote and present your art this way as well. The fee for a full year of publicity and promotion is $1,900. This includes both online and print media, as well as, publishing and production costs.

    I am glad that I came cross with this site, Thanks!

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  35. I'm an artist from Finland, and I received the invitation a week ago. I asked an artist about his experiences regarding a similar invitation from New Art Center in New York. This is what he wrote: "I would stay away from them. It is a vanity gallery that makes its money from artists paying to have a show. They did not follow through on their promo. Never wrote a press release. Never sent any cards or anything like that. They did not get any reviews. Communication was terrible. They changed the opening 3 weeks before the show was supposed to open. Once they have your money they don't care about promoting the work.

    In the end there was a show. The catalog produced was a huge waste of money."
    ----

    Dear XX
    My name is Sarah Browning, I am the publicist/curator for New York Arts Magazine in New York City. I came across your work and found it really amazing. I would be very interested in representing some of your pieces in our magazine and our SoHo gallery.

    I would like to include a selection of your work in the upcoming issue of NY ARTS magazine, both in print and online, as well as physically displayed in our Broadway Gallery. This would be a unique opportunity to display your work. There is a production fee that would cover the costs for the print, online, and gallery campaign for a full year.

    You can take a look at our gallery website at www.broadwaygallerynyc.com and our magazine website at

    www.nyartsmagazine.com.

    Please email me so I can send you an attached document which can also be viewed through our website to view the full publicity proposal and exhibition invitation.

    Looking forward to working with you,

    Best Wishes,
    Sarah Browning
    --

    Sarah Browning

    Publicist & Associate Curator

    NY Arts Magazine

    473 Broadway 7th FL

    NY, NY 10013

    (212) 274-8993

    ReplyDelete
  36. Bummer, I received the exact same letter this morning and hoped it was real! That someone stumbled upon my website, truly liked my art and wanted to have it in their gallery. I am pleased that I came across this blog and read all of the comments especially the comment from M Holm who did go through with the exhibition.
    ... still bummed that it isn't as real as it could be.

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  37. I received a email to, from Sarah browning a week ago. I'm a Dutch artist, I got suspicious while she mentioned a wrong site about my work. Thanks for the warning on your blog!

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  38. reac'd a similar letter viz email today from a Ms. Rousseau. They must be desparate!

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  39. I got an email from an Olga Rogoff-Jones. Same story. I would NEVER pay a gallery a fee up front. My agent takes a %age post sale, but does all the selling and framing for me. That's a pretty good commission rate. If something seems to too good to be true-it probably is.

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  40. I also received an email from Sarah... So I shared this post on my blog: http://ingakaupelyte.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/ny-arts-magazine-the-broadway-gallery-nyc-scam/
    Thanks, Ann!

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  41. I got a similar email from Sarah Browning too. I replied to her as I thought it might be legit. The price did put me off and as I was doing a search for the magazine to see what it was like and if it was worth spending the money and I found all this info regarding it being a scam. So glad I did. Here is what she said to me:

    Dear Janice,
    I am glad to hear from you! Your work is very impressive. The colors and textures are captivating; I am especially drawn to Lining Up.
    My main focus is to work with artists to help gain international publicity and attention. We offer a three part publicity program with exposure online, in print, plus an optional exhibition in NYC (please see attachments). Our magazine and websites offer a level of exposure focused on the artist, (unlike other galleries who do not offer international publicity through a print magazine and websites and if they do the publicity it's for the gallery and not for the artist.) This is a strong opportunity to promote and present your art to the world.
    The fee for a full year of publicity and promotion is $1,900. This fee includes a year of publicity in our print and web media, a full web page feature on our website, a full-page in NY Arts Magazine (sold internationally in major bookstores), and an optional gallery exhibition in our Soho Gallery.
    Here is a sample of our work with Lee Claremont (http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/?p=8156).

    I have attached the contract and documents; please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any help or have any questions. (Feel free to call me at the gallery (212) 274-8993 Monday - Friday 10am-530pm EST.)

    I think your work would make an amazing addition to our publication and benefit greatly from the exposure.

    I hope to hear back from you and that we can work together soon.

    Best,
    Sarah

    Sarah Browning
    sarah @ nyartsmagazine .com
    Senior Publicist & Curator
    NY Arts Magazine
    473 Broadway 7th FL
    NY, NY 10013
    (212)274-8993
    www.nyartsmagazine.com
    www.broadwaygallerynyc.com
    Sign-up NY Arts Newsletter

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  42. Thanks you guys !!
    god bless.

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  43. Why are you so angry and hostile. You should concentrate on being more positive. You are just revealing some frustrations of your own. I have been to Broadway Gallery years ago and have found them very legit and supportive of artists.Naturally the internet is a way of attracting attention to yourself.

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  44. Broadway Gallery and NY Arts I knew for a long time and they help me a lot with my art promotion .

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