Letting People Know
Congratulations! You found a venue for your exhibition and they’ve agreed to display your work. You are excited to let everyone know, and hopefully make some sales. Let’s talk about the most strategic way to get the word out. [This is Part 3 in my series on Creating Your Own Exhibitions. If you haven’t yet, please read my blogs Out on Your Own and The Perfect Proposal.]
Create a Timeline. First things first. Get all your ducks in a row and any other clichés. When organizing an exhibition, it is crucial to give yourself a schedule. List all of the things that need to happen and assign each task a deadline. In this blog, I’ll just be talking about publicity – but you can also include dates for framing work, signing loan forms, prepping the space, delivering work, making wall labels and price list, buying refreshments, etc.
If you’d like more specifics on exhibition timelines, head over to GYST Professional Practices. You can also follow the link below to download a summary of my timeline (right click on list and print to use)
Crucial Information. For all of your promotions, you’ll need the basic exhibition information. Keep this handy. You’ll put this on the postcards, press release, online calendars, evites, posters, Facebook events etc. So, make sure you confirm everything with the venue and check your grammar and spelling.
Name of Artist(s):
Name of exhibition:
Name of venue:
Venue website:
Address of venue:
Venue phone number:
Dates for the exhibition:
Date and time of the opening reception:
Cost of opening reception:
Days and hours open for viewing:
Artists website(s) or contact info:
Artists Instagram or Twitter ID:
3 MONTHS OUT
Start with a press release. Even if you don’t have press contacts yet, this is the document that will contain all of the info you want to broadcast. You can also hand it off to the venue for their publicity. If they offer to write the release, be sure that you get to approve it first.
A good press release will make it effortless for the media to share your announcement. Here’s how I recommend constructing one.
Start with a great headline (but wait until the end to write it). You want it to sum up the info but also draw in the crowds.
Put the crucial information (listed above) in the first paragraph.
Include one paragraph that introduces the artist (It’s best to write in 3rd person). Emphasize any special connections you have to the location or theme. I’ll use the example of my client Nancy Willis who just had a show of her paintings and prints of Paris:
“Napa artist Nancy Willis leads artists to Paris on her annual painting tours to France. Throughout the years, she has tuned in to the ebb and flow of street scenes, watching and recording the light and life of Paris café culture. After the terrorist attacks in 2015, Willis felt tied to those whose lives where shattered that day. This series of paintings and prints is Willis’ way to honor the resilience of Paris and its people.”
Try to describe some of the work so that the reader can envision it. Describe the media, scale, texture, colors, mood, etc.
Include a quote from yourself or a curator/critic who knows your work (get their permission!)
“Nancy Willis has captured a quintessential picture of modern Paris as an act of resistance. She states, “By painting the verve and vital essence of Paris café culture, I am championing the courage to live our everyday lives and not to succumb to fear.”
Add an “About the Artist” section with further biographical information—where you studied, awards you have received, other places you have exhibited. You should be able to just scoop this up from your website. Also include an “About the Space” section if there is a relevant mission or history of the venue.
Don’t forget to include contact information and a place to find more images. You can say “images available upon request” or better yet, create a Dropbox folder with a set of images and a list of the image titles, dates, dimensions, and send a link along with the press release.
Update your website. Since your press release, and eventual announcements will lead eyes to your website - make sure that your CV/Resume is up to date. If you have a News section, add the exhibition as an upcoming event, with the dates and a brief description.
Another nice idea is to have a “splash page” or a temporary front page for your site that features the exhibition. If you haven’t designed your own page - this should be an easy ask for your web manager. Visitors can click through for more specifics or go right to your regular site. Here’s what we did for Nancy’s homepage:
10 WEEKS OUT
Save the Date! Let your contacts know that your exhibition is coming up and they should mark their calendars. I recommend using a direct email platform such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Get Response to organize your contacts and send out formatted messages. (Just remember that only a portion of the recipients will actually open and read emails.)
Create a Facebook event. Just get the basic info and an image up on Facebook to share with friends. You can track interest, invite others, and add messages and details as the date approaches. If the venue is posting their own FB event, ask them to add you as a co-host.
Design & print your postcards. This is the time to pick out your featured image (Hint: The first piece that sells at the opening is usually the image on the postcard). Remember to stick with this image for your social media and other advertisements to create familiarity with the image.
PS Print is my go-to printer for fast and cheap turn around. Modern Postcard is another popular resource.
See these examples by up-and-coming Sacramento artist Aliyah Sidqe who recently curated her own exhibition at The Brick House Art Gallery. Aliyah titled her show “And the Beat Goes On” with a disco image that sums up the energetic vibe of her work. The original piece is horizontal, but she was able to crop it in various ways to suit print, Facebook and Instagram.
8 WEEKS OUT
Send your press release. Unfortunately, there is no magic spell for gathering press contacts. Organizations and PR companies are protective of their lists and contacts change so frequently, it’s almost impossible to keep a list current. So, if you haven’t started your own list already – go back in time and jot down all of the local news and art publications that you read, visit their websites and get names and contact info for reviewers, critics, and editors.
Here are a couple of directories for finding newspapers and magazines:
http://www.baywideweb.com/Bay-Area-Newspapers.shtml
https://www.ranker.com/list/best-art-magazines-for-artists/ranker-books
For radio station contacts, visit http://www.radio-locator.com and enter your zip code.
If this seems like a painful process – it is. So, if the venue has a list, ask if you can borrow it. If they don’t want to give you the list in digital form, perhaps they would provide mailing labels for one-time use and you can mail hard copies to their contacts.
Online calendar listings. A more direct way to have your event published is to submit the info to online calendars. These are generally free and easy to access. Make sure you have an image ready to use and something to link to (the exhibition website, or your website with the event info).
SpinGo is a good place to list, as well as SFArts, Bohemian.com, TheArtGuide.com, EastBay Express
6 WEEKS OUT
Activate Social Media. Depending on your comfort level, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn can be your best channels for drawing attention to your exhibition. You don’t have to use them all – but focus your energy where your followers are.
Post once a week for the first few weeks, then increase the frequency. Mix up the posts with interesting insights into your experience. For example, @artbyaliyah took videos of her trips to the framer; paintings in progress; self-interviews on IGTV; videos about creating prints, etc.
Strategically tag people/media/organizations who are already affiliated OR you want to take notice of your work. For @nancywillisart we added hashtags that would attract Francophiles like #parisfrance #cafeculture #marieantoinette #frenchiesofinstagram. Have fun with it – just start to type in relevant words and see what comes up. You can also mention galleries, museums, cities, nonprofits (just be careful tagging private individuals you don’t know).
Use surprising resources. Do you live near the venue? Post an announcement to Nextdoor.com and tell your neighbors to come by. Write an article on LinkedIn – this will create a link that can be shared on other platforms – like this.
Send another email announcement. It’s been a while since your Save the Date. Resend the crucial information, but elaborate with more details. Will there be music? Special attractions? Related events? Share this new information with your followers and be sure to include new contacts you have gathered since the first email.
Get by with a little help from your friends. The great thing about the creative community is that they are always willing to help. Don’t be shy about asking fellow artists and other allies to share your emails, invitations and posts. Usually a text or email reminder is enough to set the matrix in motion.
Media follow up. Is anybody out there? Check back with the journalists, editors, radio stations in your area. Make sure they received your press release. Ask if they need further information and offer to do interviews or give further quotes and images.
4 WEEKS OUT
Mail your postcards. Depending on how long your list is, you can print your own labels, or have the printer mail them. The ones you don’t mail can be distributed at your favorite coffee shop, grocery, library, school, and other businesses that display announcements. Make sure the venue gets a pile to hand out in advance.
Start the social media barrage. Increase the frequency of your Facebook and Instagram posts.
Facebook Boosts are an effective way to get more eyes on your event for little expense. Be strategic about selecting the audience (you can narrow it by location, age, and interest). This also works on Instagram (if you have a business account) – just hit the Promote button below your post.
Check in with the venue. Depending on your arrangement, the venue for your will hopefully be promoting your exhibition. Ask if they have or/would do the following:
Post the show on their website
Send/Hand out postcards
Put up signage (offer to design it)
Share it on their social media channels
Host an event after the opening like an artist talk or networking event
Contact media outlets
2 WEEKS OUT
Flyers and posters. This may seem old school, but if you have striking images, get them out on the streets! Place your posters in public parks, on community bulletin boards, utility poles and other public property. You can also hand flyers out directly to passers-by on the sidewalk, so long as you do not harass them or obstruct their paths. PS Print also makes magnets, stickers and banners.
Keep up the social media posts and shares!!!
Final email invites. If there are people that you absolutely want to be at your opening – make sure they hear from you. Bulk emails might get missed, so send a direct request, beg if you have to. Get a commitment from them that they will come see the show.
Send out teasers. Once you have the work delivered and installed. Snap some nice sharp images or details and preview the show for followers. This will help create a buzz and remind people of the date. Be sure to tag the venue or other artists in the space so they can help you promote.
AT THE OPENING
Find a photographer. If you can’t afford to hire someone, assign a friend to the task of recording your big event. Be sure they get photos of the crowd and photos of you with VIPs.
One final tip from @artbyaliyah – ask attendees to record video statements or greetings to share online. This is a great way to memorialize the event and celebrate your achievements.
I know this has been a long journey – but you did it!
If you have further ideas or thoughts about curating & promoting your own exhibitions, I would love to hear them. Please email me at ann@anntrinca.com