My
Insight On How To Organize A Successful Art Exhibition After Hosting One – Churchill
Ongere
That I am an artist
you probably know very well by now. Well art is about a lot of stuff, and a lot
of stuff is about art. A month ago while at an event organized by a marketing
company I intern for, I met Byron
Menezes. Guy’s uncompromisingly forthright, an altruist and a good
conversationalist. Has a lot of experience being here and there you know-with
work and places he’s been to. Being the Creative Director at this hosting
company, I happened to mention to him some project I was working on. So he
offers to provide a venue for a group exhibition that I had to organize
in two weeks with his and that of a couple other people. I developed the theme
of the exhibition and invited the top artists in Kisumu to come exhibit too.
Well here’s my insight for fellow young artists when hosting (like I did) or
participating in a group exhibition (like I also did):
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If you are organizing/hosting the
exhibition chose a strategic well known venue or close to a prominent building
or street. Also, keep the venue on the ground floor only if it is not further
than the second floor. You would be surprised that some people would avoid
going to a place just because of the stairs they will have to climb to get to
the venue. You know your town, so make sure that the environs of the venue are
safe areas and not insecurity hotspots in the town.
»
Have more than enough time for
marketing. An exhibition hall without guests isn’t good looking. Send actual
art cards to people you can physically reach in your mailing list. Do not over-rely
on online marketing. There’s a lot of saturation of information there already. It
is critical you have an online campaign too by the sides since you know, this
is the information age. Outsource online marketing services if possible. Get a
social media strategist or an online marketing company who have the right
contacts to invite to an art exhibition and not just any many Facebook friends
or Twitter followers. The few recipients of that invitation e-mail have to be
an exclusive group of people with a higher probability to turn up during the
exhibition than one thousand Facebook invitees who won’t even bother to check
the details of the exhibition after they have seen the entry charge.
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Have a solid promotional pack that
consists of a press release (if possible), an art card designed specifically
for your exclusive art customers and new targeted professional clients, flyers,
posters and an entry form. Also, add an additional information packet with
contact details for yourself and any other main event coordinators. E-mail your
local contacts: to schools, colleges, art schools, community groups and
organizations. Introduce yourself in the body of the e-mail and attach your
electronic flyer. Cut costs by sending a simple notification and invitory SMS
to 50 of your close friends and family in your phone book. In the text allow
them to forward the same text to 20 other people in their phone books. This
text should be sent once a week to these friends. The assumption is that since
they are people who are used to getting communication from you and support what
you do, they won’t mind having several messages from you in their inbox. More
importantly, request for contacts from your friends, of top professionals in
your town/city and send them customized art cards with the exhibition details. Get
to know a bit more about the six degrees of separation and how this can help
you market the exhibition more.
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Have ways of getting feedback from
your invited list of professionals so that you know whether they will be able to
make it for the exhibition or will need special reservations. Depending on the
kind of feedback you will get, make appropriate amendments to the event details
and logistics. Remember, it is you who is trying to sell and not the people you
are inviting. They know you want to get their money, so take it easy with them.
Create a good rapport with as many of your art clients and new guests as
possible. Therefore, if ¾ of the invited corporate guests have indicated that
they won’t be available on the set dates, why not postpone the event to a date
when at least half of the invited guests will be available?
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Depending on whether the exhibition
is invites only, free entry or has an entry charge, have a way of controlling
the crowd. Exhibitions are best when organized in a cocktail manner where
people meet, network and talk. If you have sponsors, get to know how to treat
them during the exhibition and whether they will need some acknowledgment from
you during your opening or closing speech in the exhibition. Professionals will
not be comfortable brushing shoulders with a bunch of fun seeking teenagers or unruly
university students. This kind of mix up shouldn’t extend to the kind of music
being played in the background. Keep it jazzy or soulful. Have a rehearsal of
the exhibition with your friends and an accredited photographer a day before or
in the morning of the day of the exhibition. Notice the loopholes and fix them.
Inform artists to be present during the rehearsal so that they raise any
concerns they might have about the exhibition set up for example the lighting
and arrangement of the art. Get the artists to record the art pieces they are exhibiting,
their contacts and accompanying prices. Artist bios shouldn’t miss.
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If you are simply interested in
participating in an exhibition, get in touch with the organizers as soon as you
get word about the exhibition. Get clarifications about the exhibition
duration, registration fees, medium on display, commissions, mounting of art
pieces and other exhibiting artists. This will help you make prior arrangements
about transporting your works to the venue and how it will be secured. Do not
miss the rehearsal of the exhibition.
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On the day of the exhibition, be
around your art pieces and talk to all guests who appear to be interested in
your work. Art buyers like to have a personal experience interacting with the
artists who they promote by buying art work from. Receive criticism positively.
Do not take negative comments personally. Explain to those who don’t understand
your work by giving them your background story about how you started doing art
up to where you are now and outstanding experiences during your career. Your
story as an artist will sell you more than your work as an artist. Successful
people like relating to people who are also successful or appear to have a promising
future. While doing all these, STAY HONEST.
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