“BE SMART
ABOUT ART”
THE ART OF PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION IN THE ART WORLD
BY RUDOLF BEGER
Many references will be made in this paper to the
author’s standard-setting guide book: “Present-Day Corporate Communication“, in
particular to Chapter 8.8. “ART SECTOR COMMUNICATION” (www.public-relations-pro.com). The literature of these chapters will allow the
reader to dig deeper into the subject issue discussed or will put the texts
into a broader perspective. References will be made to the Guidebook and its
relevant chapters / sub-chapter numbers (example: read Guidebook: followed by
(sub-) chapter-No.).
1.
THE ART INDUSTRY IS DIFFERENT
The culture & art sector is an industry in
the sense that it groups people and institutions, which are active in one
specific type of business.
However, different to other more conventional
industries the art industry involves activities characterised by
- Creativity,
- Imagination,
- A
mix of tangible and intangible goods and, in addition,
- An
important influence of subjectivity with corresponding individual or collective
judgements.
UNESCO DEFINITION: The UNESCO has defined culture (and
art) as “a set of distinctive spiritual,
material, intellectual, and emotional features of society or a social group,
and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of
living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs”.
Culture is a social heritage. It plays a
significant role in the development of society. The way to bridge between the
arts and art consumers, to share culture and art is through COMMUNICATION (read
Guidebook: 8.8.1.1.).
In this paper, some of the governing principles
of communications in the cultural / arts sector are discussed and some more
detailed advice is provided.
2. MAJOR ART SECTOR PLAYERS
Major
players in the arts sector include, amongst others:
2.1.
ON THE ARTISTIC SIDE
THE ARTIST
Artists are talented people
who are engaged in the activity of creating and representing artwork in a
multitude of areas, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, pottery, photography,
video, film, performances, dance, installations, mixed media and any other
medium.
2.2.
ON THE COMMERCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE
2.2.1. THE GALLERY
Someone who runs an art
gallery identifies artists of interest, chooses artists and artwork and
presents it in the gallery for sale. Galleries may specialise in specific
areas. A gallery owner or manager’s responsibilities include managing both the
creative and business sides of running an art gallery, as well as organizing
and preparing / curating exhibitions, private sales and loaning out art. A
gallery manager’s skills should include an eye for art, creative
flair, an awareness of trends, business, financial, marketing, sales,
negotiation and communication.
2.2.2. THE CURATOR
A curator is in charge of
a collection of exhibits in a museum or art gallery, and is responsible for
assembling, cataloguing, managing, presenting and displaying artworks, cultural
collections and artefacts. The skills required to become a
curator are, amongst others: Research capabilities, art/cultural history knowledge
and awareness, organizational, project management, communication skills and the
capability for presenting art / artist to an interested public with a creative
flair.
2.2.3. THE ART AGENT
An art agent represents an
artist working on their behalf to promote and sell their work. The role
involves negotiating individual sales, commissions, licensing deals, as well as
organizing publicity, and seeking opportunities such as teaching and workshops.
An art agent needs negotiation skills and financial
acumen, knowledge in communication / PR, networking and marketing, and an alert
awareness of art trends.
2.2.4. THE ART CONSULTANT /
ADVISOR
Art consultants, also
known as art advisors, act as an intermediary between artists, galleries and
auction houses, and buyers by helping art collectors select and acquire
art for their home, business, or collection as well as help them sell
pieces they no longer require. The skills required include a great eye for art,
negotiation and communication skills, the “art of listening”, and
knowledge in sales practices, finances and taxes.
2.2.5.
THE ART DEALER
An art dealer is a person
or company that buys and sells works of art commercially with aim of making a
profit. Skills required include a great eye for art,
awareness of trends, negotiation, communication and networking skills, and
sales, finance and tax knowledge.
2.2.6.
THE ART AUCTIONEER
An art auctioneer works on
behalf of their clients to sell pieces of art for the highest possible price.
The art auctioneer is responsible for setting the (estimation) price of the
artwork. Art auctioneers need to be active in the arts by attending art
exhibitions at galleries and museums, as well as attending art lectures and
other related professional events to keep a high level of knowledge and insight
into a dynamic market. To be an art auctioneer one has to have
knowledge in art history relevant to their area of expertise, expertise in art
research, art valuation and art marketing as well as in business and
interpersonal skills.
2.3. ON THE SCIENTIFIC
SIDE
2.3.1.
THE ART VALUER
Similar to an art
auctioneer an art valuer gives advice on how much a work of art or a collection
of art is worth. Like art auctioneers, art valuers need to be active in the art
world, for example, by attending art exhibitions at galleries and museums, as
well as attending art lectures and other related professional events. To be an
art valuer, experience in art research, art history, the
(international) art markets communication and financial affairs are needed.
2.3.2.
THE ART CONSERVATOR
Art conservators are
responsible for restoring, preserving and analysing artefacts and works
of art. Art conservators tend to specialise in particular types of objects
or materials such as books, paintings, sculptures or textiles. An art
conservator must have experience in art research, art and cultural
history and, of course, extensive technical skills and a deep knowledge in
materials and relevant products.
2.3.3.
THE ART HISTORIAN
Art historians study art
created in the past, learning about artists’ lives and their societies, understanding
the context in which art was created and seeking to interpret and understand
these works of art for the preservation of future generations. Art
historians must have a deep knowledge and experience in academic research, art and cultural
history, fine arts, analytical skills and a writing talent.
2.4. ON THE ART CUSTOMER
SIDE
2.4.1.
THE ART CRITIC
An art critic specializes
in interpreting, analyzing and evaluating art. Art critics produce written
critiques or reviews that are published in newspapers, magazines, books,
exhibition brochures and catalogues and well as online (e.g. websites and
blogs). Art critics can become highly influential and can make or break artists’
careers simply by using their words. Skills required for art critics include
market knowledge, writing, editing and analytical talents.
2.4.2. THE ART COLLECTOR
Art collectors
are art lovers who connect with, are devoted to the arts or artist(s) and who
develop a certain expertise in the field of art they are specifically
interested in and who establish a collection either based on a concept, or
based on emotions. Most art collectors are people who love and value the pieces
that they purchase. They want to live with art and appreciate it on a regular
basis.
2.4.3. THE ART LOVER
Art lovers are those
people who feel attracted by and have an interest in the arts without necessary
being collectors / art buyers.
2.4.4. THE ART TOURIST
Similar to art lovers but
many art tourists are not really interested in the arts but feel attracted by
the social events surrounding the presentation of artwork. They see, for example,
gallery openings more as a social event at which they can meet people and get
free drinks and snacks than an opportunity to be introduced to artistic
work.
3.
EFFECTIVE ART COMMUNICATION
It cannot always be assumed that “art speaks for
itself”. Therefore, even successful artists should be keen on articulating
their creative vision professionally. Frequently, creative people can be weak
in communication as many of them are introverts, some of them egocentric or
even arrogant. They risk being misunderstood, rejected or are missing
opportunities when they ignore the fact that generally they are the most
credible advocate for their own work.
Successful
communication by an artist or his
representative (normally an art gallery) is to speak effectively and in a comprehensible
language about artwork.
3.1. PRINCIPLES
3.1.1. KEY ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION IN THE ARTS FIELD
3.1.1.1. STORY,
RELEVANCE AND VALUES
The above-referenced
additional complexity of communication in the arts market is best dealt with
when developing a communication concept the following three elements are
considered:
- Art
gallery managers must generate relevant “stories” (reference);
- “Communities”
should be developed around art events (reference), and
- “Dialogue”
with relevant audiences must be generated with the objective of creating
curiosity, interest, understanding and, if possible, a certain hype in the
relevant arts audiences (read
Guidebook:).
In addition developing a “story”, a communication practitioner in the arts field should deal
with two additional elements of a sound communication concept: “Relevance” and “values”.
3.1.1.1.1. THE STORY
For many people, the
concept “art for art” (“l’art pour l’art”) is not enough.
The art audiences expect a contribution by the artwork / either to the
community or to the prevailing cultural life in general or
specifically. Key elements of such a contribution are a story, which is
relevant for the targeted audiences and which is carrying values.
While a great
piece of art will attract a buyer, a great story will sell it. There are many
artists who feel they should let the art speak for itself. This ignores an
important human interest in narrative. While each buyer is going to bring their
own interpretation to a work of art, they are also interested in the artists or
an art expert’s inspiration. Some art lovers particularly want to understand
the process for creating the artwork. What the artist or the art expert tell
them about the art piece will become a part of the narrative people share with
friends, family and business associates who see the art in their home or
office.
The story and its
angle (frequently called the “hook”, read Guidebook: 1.3.5.2.; 8.4.7.9.) must
be developed in consideration of all multipliers’ (read Guidebook: 2.5.1.1.)
and social media influencers’ (rad Guidebook: 2.5.1.1.; 6.3.4.1.; 6.3.5.;
8.7.4.4.) needs. It needs to be asked, for instance, what specialised art journalists
want and are interested in and which story will trigger their attention in the
growing information overload (read Guidebook: 1.3.5.; 6.3.3.2.). The answers to
the questions will influence the content of the pitch (read Guidebook:
3.2.2.2.; 3.3.2.6.).
Digitalization and the universal access to the
Internet (read Guidebook: 3.3.), has substantially changed professional
communications. The development has gone away from traditional “one-way
communication” towards “two-way communication” (read Guidebook: 1.3.3.; 3.1.2.; 3.3.1.1.; 3.3.2.1.; 3.3.3.2.; 7.16.2.4.). This is in particular the case in the art
world, in which the creative development of “stories” and narratives
in which the “human factor” (the artist) is central.
Finally, it is
important to use online channels to tell a compelling story in relation to the
artwork, artist and gallery in the same way one would do offline. The cost of
getting into the online game is so much lower than ever before and the know-how
of layman users has grown in a way that the barriers to entry for galleries have
more or less disappeared.
3.1.1.1.2. THE RELEVANCE
Once the artist has a particular, unique and interesting story to tell
and the story is professionally developed, it can help to attract the specialised
media and relevant audiences’ attention. The condition is, however, that the story
is relevant for the target audience. It can frequently be observed that art projects and works are solely explained from
the point of view of the artist and / or his representatives. This is fine as
long as the story connects with the audience. The risk is that it does not in
case no balance is found between the importance of the cultural experience, in
general, the artwork, in particular, the artist and his gallery, on the one
hand, and the interest and expectations of the audiences (art lovers,
collectors, art critics, etc.), on the other hand.
3.1.1.1.3. THE VALUES
When one talks about value in this context, it is not only the monetary
value, which is referred to but also the spiritual value and the value of an
artwork in the context of an art movement or as part of an artist’s lifelong
work. Value in this sense is a key element of an artwork’s or cultural project’s identity and
appreciation. It is its inherent value what will make an artwork or an art
project stand out and gain special appreciation.
EXAMPLE: A highly talented German artist who lived in
Munich in the nineteen hundred thirties and forties was banned from working
under the National Socialist regime because his art was defamed as
“degenerated art”. A large part of his secretly painted paintings
burned in his studio during the allied bombing raids on the city during WWII.
After the war the artist could only paint a few pictures before his death.
Today these remaining paintings are scattered all over the world in private
collections and are hardly or not at all known to the broad public interested
in art. Only the work of an art historian saved the painter from oblivion.
Against the background of his destroyed work, the small remainder of rescued
paintings has gained a special (inner) value, which may not necessarily be
reflected in the selling price but in the appreciation of a knowledgeable
collector or art historian.
One of the additional
attractions of artwork is that beyond the emotional attachment to a piece of
art, the object is generally more likely to keep its value compared to most
consumer products. In some cases, the value can even grow, which is some
collectors’ dream or speculation when they see art merely as a good investment.
For other art collectors it is a combination of all, beauty, investment and lucky
chance.
3.1.1.2. JARGON (read Guidebook: 3.2.4.1.; 3.2.4.2., 7.10.8.; 8.8.1.2.)
Often art experts use
a screwed, high-sounding or artificially intellectualized language. This
happens under the premise that art is destined for an intellectual minority in
which it is communicated in a language that is incomprehensible to outsiders. Proper
communication should avoid the typical “art speak”, which frequently comes
with the art world. Art should be accessible and enjoyable to everyone rather
than confusing people with strange words and exotic phrases or languages. Under
the following website address one can find a guide which aims at helping art
lovers, collectors and laymen to understand some terms which they may be
unfamiliar with (https://affordableartfair.com/inspiration/glossary-of-art-terms/).
However,
this will not help with narratives used by some gallery managers, artists and
art experts, some of which need to be read three times or remain totally
incomprehensible. This is neither helpful nor understandable as clear thoughts
and concepts can easily be expressed in relatively simple language. If a text
becomes a mystery, it is a signal that the author is either pretentious or vane
or in love with his own words rather than interested in bringing his message
across.
EXAMPLE
1: “There is a gap in the existing
research on narrative by describing narrative as a form of intersubjective
process of sense-making between two agents, a teller and a reader. It argues
that making sense of narrative literature is an interactional process of
co-constructing a story-world with a narrator. Such an understanding of
narrative makes a decisive break with both text-centred approaches that have
dominated both structuralist and early cognitivist study of narrative, as well
as pragmatic communicative ones that view narrative as a form of linguistic
implicature. The interactive experience that narrative affords and necessitates
at the same time serves to highlight the active yet cooperative and communal
nature of human sociality, expressed in the many forms than human beings
interact in, including literary ones”.
EXAMPLE
2:….seeking a new artistic language that would combine
the spiritual and the physical, the solid and the fluid, the ephemeral and the
permanent, a melding of the rational and the instinctual, or of the human and
the animal minds out of a primordial state of organic chaos.
3.1.1.3. CONTENT (read
Guidebook: 2.6.; 2.9.5.4.;3.3.1.5.; 3.3.1.;3.3.3.; 3.3.4.2; 4.1.5.4.; 8.4.7.1.; 8.7.3.1.; 9.5.2.)
In communications, one has to establish, develop
and spread dialogue (reference). In the field of culture and art, dialogue
starts with “content”. We should be able to explain the content as
much as possible and deliver it to different audiences
Quality content is also
important and new hashtags have to be created. This will only be possible, when
there is a clear focus on quality content that people are prepared to share.
A hashtag (read Guidebook:
3.3.2.5.; 8.4.7.8.; 8.4.7.9.) that is linked to informative posts will make the
chances for getting trendy much higher.
3.1.1.4. MASS CONSUMPTION
A
new development, which has to be taken into account when planning communication
in the art field is, that in the world of art, cultural consumption has
developed much more towards mass consumption than in the past.
Today,
more music is heard and more videos are watched in an increasingly effective
and diverse way. New technologies and tools allow easy access, new platforms,
new formats, direct interrelations between artists and their audiences, and
combine face to face contact with online contact and individual experiences
with group experiences.
3.1.1.5.
KEY AUDIENCES AND COMMUNITY BUILDING
In
times of increasingly quick constant change, one needs to know who the key
audiences are, what they do, and what trends influence their thinking in order
to communicate with them effectively (read Guidebook: 2.5.; 2.5.1.; 3.2.4.1.;
3.3.2.6.; 3.3.4.2.; 8.2.3.4.; 8.4.5; 8.4.7.9.; 8.8.1.4.; 8.10.5.5.; 9.3.4.).
There are a number of questions, which help understanding key audiences:
- Who are the key audiences, based
on socio-demographic data?
- Why are they interested in the
arts?
- Are they art collectors or art
professionals or just art lovers? What are their motivations to be interested
in the arts and what interests and expectations do they hope to get fulfilled?
Based
on the responses to these questions the audiences should be segmented (for
instance into art professionals and art lovers). An effective segmentation
could for instance also be the frequency of interaction with the gallery: How
often does the group consume arts and culture? This can help distinguishing
between new, sporadic, recurrent and frequent audiences, which will provide
additional information about how to relate to this specific group:
- What art style, related gallery
services and gallery activities might interest them the most?
- What kinds of gallery offers and
promotions might draw their attention?
- How
often?
- What
priority media and channels do they use to communicate?
One way of
communicating with audiences effectively is to build communities around a
cultural project or event. Non-audiences are undoubtedly the largest
group. A non-audience groups people who do not know the art, the artist and the
event, or who are not interested in what is offered. Audience recruitment
strategies can be used to turn non-audiences into potential audiences.
3.1.2.
ART GALLERY COMMUNICATION (read Guidebook: 8.8.)
3.1.2.1. ROLE OF AN ART GALLERY
Because of the specific features of the art
world, the role of art galleries can best be described as an intermediary or
“bridge builder” between art and artists and their audiences.
Whether an artist is
well established or taking his first steps to introduce his work to an
interested public, a good art gallery puts his work in front of art lovers, collectors,
buyers, art critics and the art media.
The art gallery uses
professional means to generate new interest and sales, educates buyers about the
artwork and creates new opportunities for the artist. In addition, an art
gallery will allow its artists to spend their time creating rather than getting
involved in handling negotiations, payment procedures, administrative work,
logistics and shipping.
In this paper, it is discussed how to make this communication
with art audiences more efficient and to connect better with art audiences’
expectations.
Art galleries have to understand that, in the
field of arts, in addition to providing points of connection, emotions are at
play and need to be taken into account. This can make professional communication
in the art world more complex than communication in other fields.
Collecting art is not
just a hobby for wealthy people. This widespread perception is a result of
frequent media reporting on important international auctions or famous private
collections. There is a wide field of affordable art, which is not just
restricted to prints, re-prints, other forms of multiples, formulaic and cheap
work.
Art galleries
have to see each visitor as an individual who needs to be understood. This
requires work to get to know the buyer, which is best done by entering into a
dialogue with the goal to enter into a long-term relationship. The relationship
will be off on the right foot if the visitor understands that he is a person of
interest and that the immediate goal of the dialogue is not in making a sale.
This is
corresponding with many artists’ perspective that the process of creating and
presenting their art to an audience is not necessarily always about making a
sale. It needs to be considered that the evaluation of the final art work as
the end product of an artistic, creative process is not in all cases been meant
to become subject to evaluation by (expert) third parties. There are artists
who reject this process and do not care about market approval.
3.1.2.2. ART
GALLERY BUSINES MODEL TYPES
3.1.2.2.1. BY
TYPE
3.1.2.2.1.1. “EXPERT
NETWORK” ART GALLERIES
Art galleries
in the expert network are generally non-profit (non-commercial) galleries
integrated into a network of art institutions such as schools of fine art,
museums, artists’ collectives, associations, and local art institutions. In
these networks the characteristics of collaboration are joint exhibitions,
annual activity reports, the co-publication of catalogues and the provision of
accommodation for artists-in-residence. The networks provide artists with a
studio, financial support, relevant contacts and access to exhibition
opportunities.
3.1.2.2.1.2. “DEALER
NETWORK” ART GALLERIES
The dealer
network is made up of (commercial) galleries, which identify, select and
exhibit (mainly local) artists based on subject matter, quality, emotional and
decorative criteria. Normally there is little cooperation between galleries and
between galleries and other art institutions in this type of network.
3.1.2.2.2. BY
GALLERY TYPE
3.1.2.2.2.1. “POINT-OF-SALE”
ART GALLERIES
A
point-of-sale gallery acts as a typical intermediary between artists and buyers
/ art collectors. The majority of commercial art galleries follow this model.
Generally, they do not develop networks (in which they are the central point)
but use the artist as the centre of their activities. Their primary role is to
plan, organise and host exhibitions and possible accompanying programs, notably
the opening (“vernissage”) and the “finissage” at the end of the show. Usually,
point-of-sale galleries do not participate in art shows, salons and do not
produce catalogues.
3.1.2.2.2.2. “PROMOTION”
ART GALLERIES
Promotional
art galleries are normally headed by trained art professionals and primarily
support researched, innovative art. These galleries are typically part of
larger networks of cultural institutions (for instance museums or art
foundations). They often share the printing of art catalogues, the cost /
organisational work of joint exhibitions, art fair participations and
acquisitions of artwork.
3.1.2.2.2.3. “SPRINGBOARD”
GALLERIES
Frequently,
“springboard” galleries are non-profit organisations, which are financed by
subsidies and firmly integrated into institutional networks. Their primary task
is to provide an artist with a first step opportunity for getting noticed,
making career and by increasing his work’s market value. Collaborations with
exhibitors, participation in catalogue production and cost of artwork
production are typical activities.
3.1.2.2.2.4.
INSTITUTIONS OUTSIDE THE ART GALLERY SYSTEM
The promotion of artwork can also be done by non-art institutions who
use the arts as a communication / PR means to promote their business, attract
customers beyond conventional marketing and foster their (corporate) image /
reputation. Hotels, restaurants, association offices and corporate headquarters
are typical venues for these kind of art presentations. Typically, the art
shown at these locations is traditional, figurative and mostly decorative in
nature.
3.1.2.2.3. BY ARTIST TYPE
3.1.2.2.3.1. “SALON”
ARTIST
The typical
salon artist produces traditional art, executed with traditional materials and
using traditional techniques. The artists in this sector achieve commercial
success through sales and as many as possible exhibitions at galleries and art
fairs. The art gallery’s role is very much limited to the commercial,
informative and technical aspects, and less to artistic and intellectual
aspects. Therefore, the discourse between the parties is mostly technical and
not analytical or critical. The typical customer / collector is mainly
interested in the genre of the artwork, the art school / movement it belongs to
and the positioning in that movement of the artist in question.
3.1.2.2.3.2. “ARTISAN-ENTREPRENEUR”
ARTIST
Art
photographers are a typical example for this group of artists. Their character
is similar to the salon-artists’ but they are more entrepreneurial as they may
surround themselves with a team of assistants and technicians. Their market is
developed through websites, interior decorators, architects and communication /
public relations agencies.
3.1.2.2.3.3. “360°”
ARTIST
The 360°
artist can be compared to the artisan-entrepreneur artist, but his creativity
does not necessarily manifest itself in the production of pure artwork but can
encompass other forms of art such as performances, installations, audio-visual
presentations or other mixed-media performances and products derived from the
initial work which can then be merchandised. The success of a 360° artist
depends on the effectiveness of his network which is surrounding him in the
centre.
EXPLANATION: In a 360° deal, an art gallery typically
provides support to an artist in more areas than covered by a traditional
contract on the condition of receiving a percentage of revenue from these
additional areas. The 360° deal reflects the fact that part of an artist’s
income now comes from sources other than his art music, such as merchandising
reproductions, p.p..
3.1.2.2.3.4. “ART-FAIR”
ARTIST
Art-fair
artist essentially produce art work which is appealing to institutions and
collectors. Their recognition in the art market depends on the frequency and
visibility of their presentations at local, national and international art
fairs and art salons and the effectiveness of a professional curator.
3.1.2.2.
MARKET ANALYSIS
3.1.2.2.1. ART COLLECTOR ANALYSIS
Knowing what
motivates collectors can give an art gallery an edge when selling art. The
gallery should know that not all collectors are the same. Whether it is the
collector’s emotional attachment, a rational collecting concept or social
aspects, the gallery’s approach with each collector should be just as different
as the reasons they collect art.
Therefore, an
art gallery who comes across a true art collector should find out exactly about
the motivation of the collector:
- If the art collector cares about social
status, the art gallery should outline its
showing history and mention past clients to impress this type of art collector;
- If the art collector connects
emotionally with an artwork then the gallery should show more pieces of the
same genre;
- If the art collector admires the story behind
art then the gallery should have the details ready.
The
art collector appreciates to learn about the artist and the artwork, for
instance why and how it was created.
Some art collectors want to connect with the artist. The gallery should
understand that for these collectors, an artist’s story or an artwork’s story
can be as important as the artwork itself. After getting to know the gallery’s
expertise and after learning, for instance, how the artist became an artist,
how and when he developed his particular style, or what his source of
inspiration was such a collector may seriously fall in love with the artwork in
question.
Other
collectors simply enjoy the dynamics of the art community, which includes
meeting up with like-minded friends and enjoying being seen at art events, such
as gallery openings. In these cases the gallery has to go where these collectors
go, for instance art fairs, other gallery openings and museum receptions to
represent the gallery’s program
3.1.2.2.2.
STUDIES AND SURVEYS
If an art gallery has
funds available and wants to learn more about its relevant markets and target
customers, it can commission a number of research work to better understand the
environment it is operating in. Studies and surveys can include in particular:
- A customer satisfaction
survey,
- A socio-economic impact study, to identify and evaluate the potential socio-economic and
cultural impact on customers
and the community of a proposed showing of a selected artist, including
- A study on the
gallery’s target audiences (a socio-economic study), and
- A survey on who the
art gallery visitors / customers are (an empirical study),
- A communication audit,
which will help to understand the effectiveness of print and online
communications,
- An awareness survey,
- A pricing policy audit
(to be in line with the most recent price trends in the relevant art segment as
regards the artist in question),
- A partnership
research study.
Free tools like Google
Analytics can be helpful in this endeavour.
3.1.2.3. STRATEGIC AND BRAND POSITIONING
Right at the beginning of its activities, an art
gallery has to make a basic strategic decision: What will be the concept and,
following from this, the program of the gallery?
The most important choices to make are what kind
of program the art gallery wants to represent. For instance they have to make a
choice between different types of and types of art practised by the artists,
such as,
- Established
and emerging artists,
- The artist’s relationship with
innovation:
- Conceptional innovation
(precisely planned artworks),
- Experimental innovation
(undefined objectives, more trial & error),
- Conservative
(classic) art and contemporary art,
- Avantgarde
art and experimental art.
3.1.2.3.1. STRATEGIC POSITIONING (read
Guidebook: 1.2.; 2.1.2.)
It is erroneous to assume that any gallery is right for an artist, no matter
what kind of art that artist makes. Normally art galleries have developed a
concept for their gallery program and the artists they want to show. Gallery
owners can become quite particular about the types of art and artists they want
to represent, and, in the overwhelming majority of cases, only show particular
defined genres, types and styles of art.
3.1.2.3.2. STRATEGIC
GALLERY COOPERATIONS
A lot of art
galleries have understood that, if the gallery concepts are either
corresponding with or complementing each other, working together can be better
than competition. Nowadays there are a lot of initiatives, under which art
galleries are promoting each other’s weekend, late night or local art festival
openings and encourage cross-pollination of art lover audiences. The construction
of a cultural partnership can also be of interest if it is coherent with the
respective gallery’s communication objectives.
3.1.2.3.3. BRANDING
(read Guidebook on Self-Branding: 8.10.)
In
the past, the term “branding” was deemed a dirty word in art, museum and art
gallery circles. Increasing competition in the art market and the emergence of
social media and the corresponding information overload (reference) has led to
a change in thinking. Today, one can notice that art galleries, museums and art
exhibitions are increasingly embracing branding and are accepting that having a
clear vision and identity can be beneficial. A sound (visual) brand identity
can be used as a tool for reviving institutions such as museums and established
art galleries and art exhibitions to make them more appealing to a rapidly changing modern audience.
Main reasons for branding or rebranding include new development and
repositioning of brand image, changes in architectural arrangement,
commemoration of an occasion or the wish to increase gallery revenue through
increased visitor numbers, sponsors and donors.
However, the increasing trend
towards more identity building in an increasingly competitive art world has
created a dilemma. With commercial art galleries realizing the growing
importance of branding, the most important challenge for them is to find a
balance between their primary role of representing the artists and their work,
and the promotion of the art gallery / art exhibition’s own brand. The risk is
that art galleries push their own identity or the identity of the art
event so much that it overpowers the identity of the promoted artists.
In
the art world (this includes museums, art galleries, art events and
exhibitions) brand identity is created by design work, which encompasses logo
and stationery projects, and extends to broader intelligible brand identity
programs that include interior graphics and way-finding, catalogues, flyers and
posters. The design covers graphic identity reflecting and corresponding with
the featured art, unified by a theme and constructed and implied viewpoints
which are explored in a number of ways throughout the museum’s, gallery’s
or exhibition’s communications. The graphic identity should serve as a clear
unifying visual language to connect all printed material including title cards,
leaflets, catalogues and any exhibition graphics. It includes colors, distinctive forms, imagery, material
and types, such as italics and reverse italics, suggestion of light and shadow,
a play with positive and negative space, all with the goal to make the museum,
art gallery or art event distinct and providing a high recognition value.
3.1.2.4. ARTIST-GALLERY RELATIONSHIP
3.1.2.4.1.
ARTIST SELECTION
The
selection of talents in the art world is based on three criteria:
- The
market,
- Peers,
and
- Experts.
The
“market” and “peer” systems are effective for relatively formalised,
conservative artistic practices. It is foremost the quality, a pre-defined
definition of quality and underlying proven criteria for judging quality, which
form the basis for artists’ selection. For these systems it is complicated to
identify real innovation as, at least in theory,
- The
market system will have difficulties in recognising innovative artwork, which
is not in line with prevailing market evaluation criteria; and
- The
peer system will have a problem with innovation in art, which calls its
fundamental points of reference into question.
In
contrast, experts’ selection criteria seem to favour artistic innovation. The experts
system is more open and allows art experts to identify new trends and recognise
artists, who, in their opinion, are destined to play a role in art history before
other market players do. Therefore, experts can establish a closer relationship
to innovative artists, which allows them to play a more constructive role in
achieving the artist’s recognition and in establishing an initial value for
innovative artworks.
3.1.2.4.2.
ARTIST-GALLERY COOPERATION
Successful
artist-gallery relationships are built on mutual respect and understanding,
trust and a general cooperative spirit.
The
necessary relationship of trust presupposes that the artist and the gallery
owner protect each other and value their respective work. The artist has a
legitimate interest in the gallery owner making a lasting and not one-off
effort to make him and his artworks known to the relevant public and the
corresponding group of buyers.
It is a misconception to believe that art galleries are alone responsible for doing all
the work and all the publicity for their artists’ shows. On the contrary,
artists have to do more than just bringing in the art. Their active and ongoing
participation and involvement is an essential part of any successful
artist-gallery relationship. It will be in everyone’s interest if artists work
alongside the galleries that represent them in each phase of the shows planning
and implementation. every step of the way.
The
better artists are informed about the gallery’s commercial and artistic
concept, how professional art galleries work and what their constraints are,
the greater the chances will be that their relationship with the gallery will be
collaborative and successful.
Both
parties need to be clear about their plans, concepts and expectations and fully
transparent in their communications with each other. Otherwise conflicts may
arise as a result of misunderstandings, errors and misinformation, which have
the potential to generate an adversarial relationship which will not only have
a negative impact on the personal relationship but potentially also on the
success of the show. It is very difficult to imagine that a gallery will work
against its own artists. A gallery would only be hurting itself, its reputation
and track records of success if it did.
But
bad communications can have a similar bad effect on a relationship although the
gallery may believe that it is doing everything to maximize the success of the
artists they represent.
To do this job properly, a gallery must be genuinely interested in an artist’s
art understand it. It is the responsibility of artists to present their art
clearly, effectively and understandably to facilitate the gallery’s job.
Experienced gallery owners who continually see all kinds of art by all kinds of
artists have normally acquired the skills necessary to bridge between the
artist and interested gallery visitors and collectors.
3.1.3.6. ART AUDIENCE
RECRUITMENT
The art audience is one of the foremost concerns of
the curator.
A curator is not a creator but a facilitator for both
the audience and the artists and a messenger who delivers ideas from
contemporary society. A good curator needs to understand the audience and to
fully communicate with the artists to let their work speak out to the public. Focus
must be on the audience and what they could receive from the exhibition. The
overriding concern is to allow for an audience interaction with the artwork.
One of the best
things a communication practitioner can do is to build relationships and find
out (to a reasonable extent) what individuals prefer. Some people like a phone
call prefer an email an email.
Communication with
culture itself is precisely what distinguishes it from consumption as well as
from other, more commercial sectors. In the art sector “content” is created
and shared but not “products” marketed or sold. For that reason, an
art gallery has to adopt functional and effective communication strategies that
establish dialogue by describing the content, instead of advertising, marketing
and mere selling.
Against this background, the question must be
asked, how a gallery will attract the attention of its relevant public and how
does it achieve that people interested in the arts and art experts can be
convinced in participating in the dialogue enabled by the gallery.
The most important
condition to encourage participation in culture, in general, and in the gallery
program, specifically, is direct and regular communication.
As communication has
changed dramatically from conventional communication to a new mix of
conventional and digital communication (read Guidebook: 1.3.2.1.;
1.3.3.2.; 1.3.4.2.; 3.3.1.1.; 4.1.; 8.1.1.8.), the
way to recruiting attendees to an art event has changed dramatically with
digitalization and the social media playing an increasingly important role.
For an art gallery, recruiting
attendees is the benchmark value in measuring the return on investment (ROI),
and the measurement starts with audience size.
Reaching and
developing the proper audience/attendee list and number requires a
communication strategy that corresponds with the type of event, the personality
of the artist and the artwork he represents. In addition, it must be understood
how the audiences to be recruited usually learn about (art-) events. This
knowledge will help to tailor a communication strategy to do this most
effectively.
For a gallery opening (vernissage) or an exhibition closure event
(finissage), the tradition of mailing printed invitations accompanied by a
matching RSVP card is challenged by online alternatives and, in most cases,
replaced by email-based social-planning websites like
EVITE (www.evite.com), which is creating, sending, and managing online
invitations.
Tools, which art event
planners may use when recruiting an audience for an art event include:
- Telemarketing. This may be the most effective method in reaching
a target audience, but it is also the most expensive option,
- Direct mails. But they are no longer widely used. They
are costly may yield very little return on investment,
- E-mail is probably the most economical method to
reach the greatest number of people but one should know that recipients of
e-mails are becoming less responsive to e-mails and there is little guarantee
that the e-mail sent may end up in a SPAM filter and will not be seen. In
addition, one could count that about 10% of the email data base is out of date after
a few months already and a frustrating number of failure messages will flow
back to the sender,
- Social media are an economical approach to reaching a
target audience. Their potential for creating a viral marketing campaign is great. For
a social media campaign to be successful, building a social media presence online is important. This will help to establish a reputation for the
art, the artist and the art gallery in question (read Guidebook 3.3.1.4.;
8.8.1.9. about website traffic).
3.1.2.5.
ART GALLERY SOFTWARE
What
an art gallery ideally wants is a fully integrated multi-platform and
comprehensive software that provides a (cloud-based) data base:
- To maintain an artist database,
- That allows for customization,
- Provides easy sharing,
- Secures syncing abilities,
- Which is compatible with existing
software,
- Provides the ability to create
showrooms,
- Allows for developing marketing email
campaigns,
- Which has catalogueing
capabilities for artists and art collectors, Enables
customer relationship management (CRM),
- Provides iPad / iPhone sales applications,
- Inventory management,
- A sales pipeline,
- Can generate invoices,
- Track clients,
- Does collectors exhibition & art
fair list management.
- Manages the inventory and consignments,
- Does accounting, and
- Enables the development and management of websites and
online marketing & sales promotion and sales.
3.1.3. ART
COMMUNICATION TOOLS
3.1.3.1.
ARTIST STATEMENT
For
an artist, the first task is to write an artist statement, which will serve as basis for any written or oral
communication.
The artist statement
can be best compared with a so-called elevator pitch, which, in the business
world, is a very short 30-second sales
speech selling the product offered.
For an artist, the
elevator pitch is targeted at his main audiences, i.e. art gallery managers,
collectors, art journalists and art critics (read Guidebook: 3.2.2.2.; . The
art of preparing an appealing elevator pitch is to create a way (or a
“hook”, read Guidebook: 1.3.5.2; 8.4.7.9.) for attracting the
attention of the target person. This could be the artist’s specific niche in
which he is working, a unique (new) message, a compelling history of past work
or exhibitions, cutting-edge technique used, interesting materials or a totally
new concept of art.
3.1.3.2. IMAGES IN PRINT AND ONLINE
Great imagery will
get an art gallery’s story across when added to the gallery’s online presence,
in online and print communications, in particular press releases (read Guidebook: 1.2.; 8.1.1.) Ideally, a museum or art
gallery should use a wide-angle photo of the venue to convey the scale
of the display. Close-up photos are not helpful unless the object shown
represents the central message of the exhibition. Best for publication purposes
will be a selection of photos of the venue, the objects, and possibly the people
involved.
3.1.3.3. CONVENTIONAL COMMUNICATION TOOLS
3.1.3.3.1. DIALOGUE
A gallery’s press
release or social media press release (SMPR, read Guidebook: 1.3.1.; 1.3.1.7.; 2.9.6.; 3.3.3.; 8.8.1.10.) should be seen as
the start of the communication process and not the end. For this reason, a
press release should be designed to enable follow-up communications (dialogue) and allow the building of
good professional relationships with journalists based on mutual respect and
trust.
3.1.3.3.2. PRESS (NEWS) RELEASE
A press release is a
way of presenting the salient information to journalists in the first instance.
But frequently, there is the potential for them to have a much wider audience
and are often posted word for word for anyone to see. Therefore all rules about
the avoidance of jargon (read Guidebook: 3.2.4.1.; 3.2.4.2.), recipient
perspective (read Guidebook: 2.2.2.; 3.2.4.1) and all other general rules for
writing effective press releases apply (read Guidebook: 3.2.4.1.; 7.11.4.2.;
8.8.1.5.).
3.1.3.3.3. PRESS (NEWS)
CONFERENCE (read Guidebook: 3.2.4.2.; 7.11.4.2.; 7.11.4.3.; 4.)
In preparation
of an art exhibition a pre-opening press conference should be held. At the
press conference, complete press
kits should be made available that contain written texts explaining the
show’s concept, the list of the artists, informative background on the artists’
work, their professional history and a USB stick with selected images, a
detailed text (Word document not PDF to allow for easy editing, reference) and,
if relevant, good sound bites for publication. The gallery manager should
moderate the press conference and introduce the curator and the artists who
have to say a few words. He should allow for a short Qs&As session
involving the artist. For more details on organising and running a press
conference read Guidebook 3.2.4.2.;
7.11.4.2.; 7.11.4.3.; 4.
3.1.3.3.4. INTERVIEWS
/ TALKSHOWS (read Guidebook: 3.2.6.)
The gallery can also
promote the artist and / or the curator for participating in relevant talk-shows
or in interviews for local media (for more details read reference).
In addition, the gallery
has the opportunity to commission pieces of writing, podcasts and blogs,
preferably posted by well-regarded social influencers (for more details read).
These communication
platforms will allow for effectively contextualizing the artist’s work.
3.1.4.3.5. REVIEWS
The rise of the
social media has not made art reviews abundant. On the contrary, art reviews
will continue to be import as restaurant or hotel reviews are. The emergence of
the social media has only resulted in evolving the character of art reviews. In
the past, an art or gallery manager was keen on receiving good reviews of his
art show in the daily newspaper. At present, art reviews (printed or online,
e.g. in a blog) are more about offering diverse standpoints, discussion, providing
background, contextualise and highlighting broader perspectives relating to the
art presented. Today, it is more about creating a dialogue than teaching.
Giving those people interested in the arts additional reasons to want to come
to the gallery, exhibition or art fair booth is the most important goal of such
communication.
The art or gallery
manager must recognise that art reviews cannot be influenced. Under no
circumstances he can expect or request the reviewer to write a positive review.
There are no deals and to request that reviews be taken down if they are not
wholly positive is a no-go. All people involved on the artist’s side must
accept the integrity of the reviewer and allow him to give an honest appraisal
of the show.
3.1.4.4. ONLINE TOOLS
3.1.4.4.1. SOCIAL MEDIA
When a
gallery choses to run a social media campaign, the right people and the right social
networks must be selected (read more reference). Facebook, LinkedIN, Instagram
and Twitter offer a lot of opportunities but there may be alternative, more
effective platforms that the gallery can utilize. The gallery has to select
those channels in which their key target audiences and potential new audiences
are active.
One way to identify the right people is to developing and
keeping the profiles of potentially interested people
art-industry-specific (for example by using LinkedIn’s group “Art
Professionals Worldwide Noenga®”).
Part
of this approach is to establish connections with art journalists, art experts,
art critics, art foundations and other institutions active in the art domain.
There
are a number of programs, which enable galleries to personalize the
communication and to avoid generic communication. Particularly in the art
world, people are hyper-sensitive as regards mass communication / mailings and
it will be advantageous to opt for personalised communication. Otherwise the
chances to miss on the opportunity to connect with and attract interested people
is great.
An
important tool when using social media channels is the “word of mouth”. Its power has
not lost as a result of online communication but increased. A gallery, which encourages others to pass on their message are
very likely doing right.
For instance, on Twitter,
every Tweet or press release released via Twitter has the potential to generate
interest in an art show or an art event or an artist and can be re-tweeted, get
commented on, or cause a discussion amongst other tweeters who are interested
in the arts or this particular artist or show. Twitter hashtags used to
aggregate Tweets about a specific art event, exhibition or artist can so become
an effective way of showing people who else in the community is talking about
something they are interested in, and thus building a small one-interest community
around it. Read Guidebook:2.5.2.3.;3.2.9.3.; 3.3.2.5.; 4.4.2.7.; 6.3.4.6.; 8.9.6.1..
3.1.4.4.2.
WEBSITE / BLOG / PODCAST
The use of online channels
and tools is discussed in much detail in the Guidebook.
- Websites:
1.3.; 3.3.1.3.; 8.4.7.9.; 8.8.1.9.; 8.10.6.1.; 9.5.2.
- Podcasts: 3.3.4.1.; 8.4.7.6.
- Blogs: 3.3.4.2.; 4.4.2.6.; 8.7.4.6.;8.10.6.1.; 9.2.5.
For any online communication,
it needs to be remembered that always a link to the press release as well as
possible twitter info on #howtofollow must be included and low resolution
images must be made available (read Guidebook: 1.4.2.2.).
3.1.4.4.3. LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
A
contemporary new social media tool in gallery communication / promotion is live
video streaming, which gives the gallery an opportunity to hold Qs & As
sessions or give interested parties an inside view into the artist’s work, his work
processes and even a glimpse into his studio.
Tools like “PERISCOPE”
enable such live streaming even with the participation of the audience. This
tool is recommended as in general, and increasingly, people love behind the
scenes footage (remember the growing success of “the making of”…footage in the
movie and TV-industries). In
contrast, pre-recorded video clips do not offer that possibility. “PERISCOPE”
makes it very easy to do that kind of “look behind the scenes”. In particular it makes it possible to tailor the
content to appeal to a specific target group and thus help building an audience
or community, which the gallery can connect with again at other, following
occasions.
Video
live streaming also enables modifications “on the go”, based on the audience’s
feedback received during the live stream.
3.1.4.4.4. HASHTAGS
Hashtags
are powerful tools for increasing the scope of messages in certain social media
(read Guidebook: 3.3.2.5.; 8.4.7.8.; 8.4.7.9.). A good idea
for a gallery may be to identify the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram hashtags
that people follow who are art experts or art lovers interested in news from the
art world.
3.1.4.4.5. LinkedIn PROFILE
LinkedIn
(read Guidebook: 2.5.2.3.)has an important number of specialized groups or
communities that attract interest in specific fields, including the arts. Art
gallery activity in art groups or groups that are relevant for the art market
make it easier for the gallery to identify and attract the right people (see
above).
Another
option is “LinkedIn PULSE”, which give an opportunity to publish an article on any topic of
interest to art professionals and art lovers. The article can be highly
specialized, provide background on the artist and / or his art style or linked
to a specific gallery event or exhibition. High quality “PULSE” publications
are published in the relevant LinkedIn groups, which increases their reach and
fosters more target audience feedback.
For
instance, the use of “LinkedIn PULSE” can help the art gallery to clearly
position itself and its program in the complex art world (see above). This can
be helpful for the gallery to achieve one of its prime goals in an overcrowded
market: Building the right reputation, creating an interesting image and
showing its record.
This will assist the gallery in
- Attracting artists and customers effectively,
- Maximizing its recognition in the art
market and in the artists’ community,
- Establishing itself as an expert and /
or influencer in the respective art segment, and
- Make it much easier for the gallery to
connect with top talents and art collectors.
3.1.4.4.6.
INSTAGRAM
Instagram is an image oriented platform and therefore
Instagram is a preferred medium for connecting with people particularly
interested in the arts. A strategic selection of images can make it easier to
reach in particular Millennials (read Guidebook: 2.5.1.2.), who generally
strongly react to an emotional connection, which can be created by a relevant
and appealing story combined with attractive images. Millennials are the group
of people mostly used to looking for online information. Compared to their
predecessors the Millennial generation has more specific needs and preferences
and the visual character of Instagram is helping them in particular. This is
beneficial for the in the arts sector which is living from images of any kind. For
these reasons, an effective presentation covering the art’s / artist’s story
and values, beefed up by images can become very important to trigger this
specific target group’s interest.
EXAMPLE: One can show pictures around the artist’s studio, the gallery, show the
work done in preparation of the exhibition opening, present photos and
audio-visuals of the artist–art gallery dialogue and refer to other events. A
short video clip could even create more interest than a simple picture. The purpose
of the gallery’s Instagram presentation will be to show the Millennial crowd
how it is to collaborate with an exhibiting artist.
Once, prior to and in
preparation for the artist show, an Instagram following is built for the
gallery and / or the artist in question and when connecting with the right
people has commenced (see above), the art gallery can post an announcement for
the planned exhibition. Accompanying the announcement, with the right hashtags
in place, attractive images typical for the artist’s work can help maximizing
the reach of the message and even go viral. Since Instagram is more informal
than, for example, LinkedIn there is quiet a lot of freedom when it comes to
announcing the gallery news.
3.1.4.4.7. SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING (read
Guidebook: 3.3.5.4.)
If the non-commercial social
media efforts fail delivering the desired results, and provided there is enough
budget, a paid advertising campaign should be considered by the art gallery.
Advertising is quite similar
to the paid inclusions in Google search. All social media channels such as
LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter offer the chance to place reasonably
priced paid ads for maximum reach and thus become an affordable option for
reaching the right audiences.
The systems are generally
flexible and allow a trial phase, modifications and discontinuation in case the
results are not as desired. One can optimize the demographic profiles of the
audiences, the message and the budget any time.
It should be mentioned that
paid LinkedIn advertising can be more expensive than
publishing ads on social media like Facebook or Instagram. Still, the
business-oriented nature of the LinkedIn probably justifies spending a little
bit more in order to connect with professional in the art and art collectors’
field.
Generally, an art gallery
communication campaign that will bring together multiple social channels will
be the one that will deliver the best results in terms of both targeting, reach
and recognition.
3.1.5. ART GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
3.1.5.1. PLANNING & ORGANIZATION
3.1.5.1.1. PLANNING
When planning an art
event (the same applies for all other events, read reference), first and
foremost nothing should be assumed and nothing should be left to chance. A
well-organised plan requires a lot of preliminary work, some research, a
concept, an allocation of responsibilities and a realistic timetable for
structuring and controlling the implementation of the plan.
3.1.5.1.1.1.
TECHNICAL
It should be clear in particular from the very
beginning who is responsible for contributing, managing, delivering and paying
for what: Packing, freight, artist travel expenses (if any), installation,
dismantling, the curator’s fees and expenses, possibly translation costs,
catalogue and flyer / poster design and printing, press contacts and briefings,
media kit, and all other marketing activities. Insurance cost and potential
customs duties need to be accounted for.
There are two extra cost items, which are particularly
sensitive as they may get overlooked:
- Unexpected customs duties and importation delays) (if
the artist lives and works in a foreign country and has to import his works), and
- Insurance.
As regards the latter, it must be ensured that there
is a written confirmation of insurance before the artist’s works take to the road.
3.1.5.1.1.2.
CONCEPTIONAL
The art gallery has
to think of the idea and overall theme for an artist’s exhibition. A good
preparatory exercise is to write a mission statement (read Guidebook: 2.1.2.1.;
7.16.2.6.; 8.1.4.). This forces the planner to exercise a certain discipline, which can
become helpful in case of the emergence of unexpected developments.
The mission statement
should ideally cover the following items:
What is the (art
gallery’s) motivation and the purpose of the exhibition, for example:
- A show of progress made by an established artist,
- A showcase of a new talent,
- A cross-cultural exchange,
- An illustration of a theme or topical issue.
A gallery which is
operating in a foreign environment with a predominantly different culture,
mentality and appreciation of art must engage in researching the country’s
artists and audience, to understand the environment it is working in and what
subsequent issues may arise.
EXAMPLE: Working as a curator in Asia is
different from working in the West in that the social context is perceived as a
“totally money-driven phenomenon.”
Other elements of a
mission statement should include:
- An explanation for the choice of location of the
exhibition site, for instance, a museum or an art gallery,
- The rational for the choice of an alternative venue
for the exhibition such as a public park or a shopping arcade (see chapter
POPUP) versus a traditional gallery space,
- The positioning of the exhibiting artists in a
relevant art movement and the artists’ contribution to progress made in such
movement,
- Accepted sponsorship and its rationale and possible
conditions.
Other and some more
technical considerations must be given to:
- Using floor plans and starting mapping out the layout
of the exhibition (this includes building 3D-models of the gallery space and
artworks. Some art galleries use software like “SketchUp”).
- Ensuring a logical flow between the exhibited artworks
and a critical check on whether the audience will understand the message or the
rationale of what was tried to be conveyed,
- Creating possible intriguing juxtapositions between
artworks,
- Creating a dialogue amongst the artworks and the
audience,
EXAMPLE: An artist exhibiting
autobiographical images, as a reflection of his adventurous life, was not sure
whether the viewers would understand the very personal situations, which he was
covering in his artwork. He therefore produced poems corresponding with each piece,
which, in an ironic way, commented and on / or explained the scene reflected in
his work. The viewers were interested in what they heard and engaged the artist
in an unusual conversation.
The opening and closing dates of the art exhibition
have to be set up well in advance to allow a positive and productive
environment for all involved.
The gallery calendar must be marked with deadlines for
each element of the planned project. In most cases it will be helpful to work
backward from the planned opening date and schedule the necessary
implementation steps needed to put on the exhibition.
The planning, organisation and implementation
experience must be kept as stress-free as possible by having everything planned
out beforehand. In some cases, a contingency planning is recommended when there
are risks involved, which the gallery cannot influence.
EXAMPLE 1: The artist selected for the exhibition is unreliable, moody and
capricious.
EXAMPLE 2: The artist is scheduled to make a performance. In the last minute, the
hosting gallery receives the bad news that the artist is prevented from coming.
Fall-backs have to be developed in these cases for keeping the audience
happy, safeguard the gallery’s reputation and maintaining the audience’s interest
in the artist’s work.
3.1.5.1.2. CURATION
Gallery
managers want to maintain their flexibility in deciding what to show and which
artist or art movement to represent. Normally they do not agree to show
whatever works of art the artists in question want them to show. They want
to curate the art. Based on their experience, location and socio-economic
customer data gallery managers want to and can decide on:
- What
works best for the gallery,
- What
their collectors tend to prefer, and
- How
to organize and present art in compelling and effective ways.
To curate an exhibition, one does not need to
be an art historian or museum staff member to curate an art exhibition.
Today, a curator’s
job is like a movie director’s job. He needs to oversee every planned detail of
the production (i.e the show), including small details which can turn out to be
important once the exhibition is running (for example the hanging / positioning
of paintings in the gallery space, or the time at which an art performance will
start).
In principle, an art
curator needs to be sensitive to people (who may turn out to be difficult
because of their egos), extremely well organized in terms of detailed planning,
flexible and determined at the same time when getting confronted with
individual wishes by the artist and the gallery manager and others in the
process of implementing his plan at the gallery. In addition, a curator needs to
cooperate well with people and motivate his collaborators as it takes many
skilled people to put on an exhibition.
A curator may develop
a concept for the exhibition, but at the same time, and in consideration of the
very individualistic character of the art industry, he has to accept that there
he cannot follow a one-size-fits-all approach, but has to be flexible and open
to various approaches and methods.
3.1.5.1.3. ARTIST SELECTION
Of course, there is
no advice from a communication standpoint, which one can give to an art gallery
or a curator engaging in putting an exhibition or an art trade fair show
together and managing it during and after the opening. But there are some
items, which should not be overlooked when concerned with the effectiveness of
gallery communication:
- Will the artist make new works, which will be added to
the gallery’s budget or will the artist exhibit older works?
- Has the gallery decided to work entirely with local
artists?
- If not, will the gallery need to arrange for travel and
accommodation cost and visa for visiting artists?
- Will the gallery accept “in-residence” artists in
return for an exclusive exhibition of the works produced by the artists during
their stay at the gallery?
- Assumed the talented artist’s origin is from a poor or
politically oppressed country, will the gallery provide accommodation, a
studio, paints, canvases, frames and other material and will the gallery be
prepared to acquire the completed artworks from the artist for a fair price
upon the artist’s departure?
3.1.5.1.4. NARRATIVE AND
CATALOGUE
For an art curator, writing is a necessary professional skill. Publishing a narrative for the
artist’s work or a catalogue of the exhibition are the tasks involved when
curating an art show. This is particularly important when the artist is unknown
to the art community or when the artist’s work requires some explanation to be
appreciated. A narrative can help to translate complicated artistic messages
into intelligible language, which can be appreciated by a broader public. A catalogue
provides a great documentation of the artist’s work and offers a promotional
tool that can lead to future artistic projects.
In some situations, a curator may have to be careful when
writing texts about what he is writing because there are political censorship,
ideological restrictions or religious sensitivities.
In countries where censorship is an issue, a text
writer must know or must be specially briefed by insiders on what is likely to
get him into trouble.
Even a country like the United States of America which
is perceived as “free”, the so-called “political correctness” concept, when
applied strictly, can turn out to be like real censorship or, even worst,
self-censorship (read Guidebook: 1.3.7.) .
3.1.5.1.5. INVITATIONS AND ADVERTISEMENTS
For galleries, which want to make an artist’s
exhibition a memorable event, the key is to get the word
out, whatever the means are. They can use certain tools
to maximize the attendance for the event, the most conventional being mail /
snail-mail, and e-mail the printed invitation for the exhibition to all the
people on their data bank and beyond.
In addition, flyers can be handed out and key people
such as journalists and collectors who are wanted to attend the opening can be
contacted by various means including personal telephone calls.
In the rare case budget / sponsorship is available, advertisements
in newspapers, art magazines and on the Internet, broadcast announcements on
the radio and TV, street flags displays and pay for public transport ads can be
considered.
3.1.5.1.6. SITE INSTALLATION
Site installation is a key task when curating an art
show. Typically one week before the opening, the gallery team will need to do
the on-site installation, which includes the painting of walls and, if
required, the construction of extra walls or furniture. The gallery team, with
the assistance and under the advice of the artists, will install the artwork,
and the technicians will set up the lighting and technical equipment, if needed.
3.1.5.1.7. INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Interactive communication means make it more
engaging and fun to visit an art exhibition with interactive communication than
traditional exhibitions.
Many art gallery visitors are not able to tell
the difference between art works and the communication of the art works. When
art gallery visitors cannot tell the difference between art and art
communication then the interactive technology has blurred the distinction
between the art work and art communication and successfully created a coherent
holistic experience of the artwork and the interactive installations.
Many of the visitors will believe that not the
curator or the technology design team have done the technical installations but
the artist.
There are some new approaches to interaction
design for communication of art in art galleries and museum space. When
introducing technology to art galleries and museums, the challenge is that
technology must enhance and support the presentation of the exhibited art without
disturbing the specific individual and unique character of the artworks.
Traditional touch screen and audio guide
interfaces, mainly used in museums, typically apply button and menu based interaction.
This requires users to focus and concentrate on the selection of relevant items
in the interface and will distract them from the art.
To avoid this the body can be used as the only
interaction device.
Art gallery visitors usually perceive exhibition
and (interactive) communication as a holistic visitor experience. The technical
installations must not disturb, distract or even compete with the artwork but
enhance their perception by the gallery visitor. More importantly, these means
of communication must neither isolate the individual visitor nor make him
detached from the actual art experience.
For art gallery visitors the interactive
installations are a playful exploration of the artist’s inspirational material.
The use of interactive technology for the communication of art may also appeal
to young people who make their first experiences with the arts and, if
positive, make them more willing to continue exploring art and experiencing art
events.
There are three main approaches in the
interactive technology communication of art:
- AUDIO
AUGMENTATION of exhibited art works,
- Remote
and INTERACTIVE INSTALLATIONS in conceptual affinity to the art works,
- The QUICK RESPONSE CODE (QR code). The OR
code is a type of matrix
barcode (or two-dimensional barcode), which is a machine-readable optical label that contains information
about the item to which it is attached. It usually redirects the user to a
website or application.
3.1.5.1.7.1. AUDIO AUGMENTATION
Audio augmentation of art works is easy to grasp
and provides a useful supplement to the exhibited art. Different to headphones,
which only provide a single user experience and have the problem of depraving
the user from being aware of conversations or sounds in the nearby environment,
the gentle audio augmentation does not suffer from these disadvantages as they use
of sensor controlled directional loudspeakers (sound spots).
The audio spots utilize a coarse grained PIR
sensor to detect the appearance of a visitor within a silver circle marked on
the floor. The sound spots are located in the exhibition next to the art works.
The visitor’s movement into the spot triggers played back recordings with clips
of the artist’s voice gently supplementing the artworks, for example reading
texts or poems. When the clip is finished a slight movement will invoke the
next audio clip in a random sequence.
The communication becomes an integral part of
the art experience. By choosing the artist’s voice instead of a distanced
narrator’s voice enhances a notion of integration.
Other people can share the audio spots by
putting their heads together in the listening zone, and experiencing they will
find them to be an exciting manner of gaining knowledge of the art works and
the artist.
3.1.5.1.7.2. INTERACTIVE INSTALLATIONS
The gallery needs a separate room, which can be
used as a “contemplation room” in which
interactive installations are communicating the sources of inspiration behind
the exhibited works.
Although the contemplation installations are physically
detached from the art works they refer to, they provide a clear reference to
the art works by displaying inspirational material behind the given artwork.
This arrangement creates an affinity between the artwork and the interactive
installation.
The “contemplation room installation” differs
from the “gentle audio augmentation” in that the latter is more an integrated
part of the exhibition.
3.1.5.1.7.3. THE QUICK RESPONSE CODE (QR CODE)
The
gallery can provide a QR code, which will direct the visitor to a specific page
on the gallery’s website which will contain additional information, background
or other accompanying material to make the art lover’s visit of the gallery
more informative and enjoyable.
EXAMPLE:
An exhibiting artist had created a poem for each of his
works. Instead of printing the poem and attaching it to the wall next to the
exhibited work (thus distracting the visitor from viewing the work), the
gallery made the poems available on its website and gave the visitor the option
to download and read them via QR code. Especially members of the younger
generations have accepted and used the offer of the gallery with great
willingness.
3.1.5.1.8. MUSEUMS ARE DIFFERENT (read about
communications for museums: Guidebook: 8.8.1.13.)
In art museums, the artworks should constitute
the main visitor experience and not their presentation. Therefore, for art
museums, a main issue in the communication strategy is to avoid disturbing the
pure art experience with the communication means selected (e.g. projections,
audio or video installations and the like). This traditionally has only left
room for small discrete signs, a catalogue, or perhaps an audio guide
explaining about the artist and his work.
3.1.5.1.9. POP-UPS
Art galleries can opt
to move their exhibition into empty or otherwise available spaces in industrial
areas or on the high street for short periods of time. These pop-up experiences
are an interesting way for galleries to provide an interesting “canvas”
environment for their artists’, immerse themselves within the ‘everyday’ life
of an area, and encourage a completely different audience.
3.1.5.2. EXHIBITION MANAGEMENT
3.1.5.2.1. GRAND OPENING (read Guidebook: 8.4. about event communication)
The (grand) opening of an art exhibition (vernissage) should be
exciting, fun and memorable for all participants. The gallery should strive for
creating an exciting buzz so that people will keep coming back for the
exhibition. The opening for the evening should be scheduled when most people
are free to attend and not collide with public holidays, long weekends and the
like. Also, the timing of the opening and subsequent opening hours should
consider the work schedule of the majority of the people and avoid business
rush hours.
The opening can be silent and completely focus on the viewing of the
art, and / or with introductory speeches by the artist, the curator and other
significant figures, with a live art or music performance or light or any other
show related to the art and the show’s character. Generally, the gallery will
be responsible for serving some refreshments and let the visitors see the
artwork in peace. The artist (when present) should be near his works so he can
answer any of the visitors’ questions.
3.1.5.2.2. GIVE AS MANY REASONS TO VISIT AS POSSIBLE
The gallery should give as many reasons to visit the exhibition as
possible.
- Live
performances,
- Guided
tours,
- Recitals
and readings,
- Night
time openings,
- Educational
hands-on workshops,
- Panel
discussions with experts and the artist,
- Exclusive
VIP-visits,
- How-to-explanations
by the artist,
- (Artist
cooked) art dinner or suppers,
- Involvement
of local art professors and their students,
- Lectures,
- Local
community gatherings with walk-in hours and even activities for
families, if appropriate,
- Invitations to expatriate groups, Lion’s and Rotary
Club members, representatives from Chamber of Commerces, embassies (cultural
attachés),
- Cultural institutions and foundations in the art
field.
All options need to
be considered to attract visitors. However, the gallery must also remember that
all marketing efforts should remain there should be done within the limits of
appropriate decency because an art gallery is different from a shop or supermarket.
During the opening week,
when interest in the exhibition is high, the gallery can invite local art
school professors and their students to get special viewings accompanied by
lectures.
The gallery can also chose
to engage local community institutions by organising special viewings, walking
tours and hands-on workshops.
In general, a
thoughtful, pre-planned program can maintain a high interest level by keeping the
ball moving, generate its own momentum and will make the gallery a local cultural
“hot spot” that people will be attracted to and happy to visit.
3.1.6. ONLINE SALES
Viewing and buying
art online is one a serious growth area of the Internet. Today, and probably
even more in the future, and in common with other areas such as the luxury
sector, consumers are increasingly prepared to pay more online than ever
before. Top-end purchases still seem to be transacted offline but the important
auction houses are using already more online technologies to transact than in
the years before.
4. PRICING
COMMUNICATION
The price of
an artwork is set by the gallery based on the artwork’s intrinsic and extrinsic
characteristics in consideration of the artist’s current or projected
importance.
There are a few
things to consider:
- The
research of comparable artists (in terms of experience exhibiting and selling,
and medium/style),
- Market
test results,
- Established
prices; and
- Price
consistency (artwork should be sold at the same price across the board at
galleries, open studio events and art fairs).
Amongst other
factors,
- The
reputation, originality, creativity and uniqueness of the artist,
- The
relation to the prevailing “zeitgeist” (reference),
- The
techniques, the materials and the medium,
- The
size of the art work, and
- Possibly
the time needed to create the artwork,
must be taken
into account when defining the ultimate price for an art piece.
5. ART SALES COMMUNICATION
While there
are many elements to a successful sale, the process itself is simple once the
art gallery / art sellers understands their role.
It is correct
that art will generate interest by itself (“the art will sell itself”), but it
is much more likely to sell well if the right things will be said and done
during the sales process. .
5.1. SALES PROCESS
It
is an error to believe that good art sells itself and galleries are just
showrooms for the exhibition of the artist’s artwork and that all what gallery
owners do is sit around and wait for people to come in and buy.
Art
is a product that has no tangible value, it is generally expensive and serves
no practical purpose. Therefore, no art sells itself and selling art is
anything but easy.
Most
gallery owners will have made the experience that there is a huge difference
between a gallery visitor liking a work of art and buying it. That difference
is called selling process. Art galleries are more than just moneymaking selling
machines. Therefore, it is not correct
to assume that art galleries only show art that is easily saleable.
A
serious art gallery has a concept on which it is basing its business including
the selection of art style and artists’ orientations. Many art galleries take
pride in bringing new art movements and new artists to the attention of the
public, and some have even positioned themselves explicitly as avant-garde
galleries. To do this, these art galleries must believe in the artists they
show, in the validity and credibility of their art, its revolutionary and / or
trendsetting character and they must be convinced that the interested public
deserves to see it, irrespective of buying patterns and regardless of prospects
they ultimately will end up selling or not.
5.1.1. BUYERS’ INDEPENDENCE
While it is
important to engage potential buyers and tell them a story about the art, it is
also critical to give them some space for reflection. A good gallery manager
will not impose himself on a potential buyer. Ideally, he will introduce himself,
start to get to know the potential buyer, and then step back to let him look at
the art.
When the
potential buyer pause in front of a particular piece, it can be helpful if the
gallery manager asks politely whether he can be of any help and tell something
about the work and the artist, before stepping back again to let the potential
buyer think. This is especially important when working with a group of people
or a couple. The gallery manager will want to allow them to discuss the art
without feeling like he is hovering over them.
Giving
customers space is easy in a gallery setting, but even in a small booth at a
weekend art show, or in an artist’s studio, the seller must find a way to back
off enough to give clients some privacy. He might even have to step several meters
out of the booth, or go to another room of the studio to provide that feeling.
Before making
a purchase, many buyers want to discuss the decision. They want to know for
sure that spouses or partners feel the same about the art that they do. It is
advisable to better give them some space than to have them wait until they
leave to have a frank discussion.
5.1.2. SALES
PUSH
Many artists
and gallery staff think they should be doing most of the talking with an
interested visitor with the goal to sell. Actually the opposite is true.
Also, too
often both artists and galleries are concentrating so hard on that mythical
“serious” collector that they completely overlook the opportunity to
foster the potential interest from “normal” people visiting the art
gallery. This does not mean that the gallery manager and his staff should not
be aware of the opportunity to sell, if it exists. On the contrary, they have
to consider that so-called “serious” collectors were once first-time
buyers with no acquisition history.
The best way
for a gallery manager to get to know more about a visitor is to get him talking
about himself and to invite for questions. As a result of the resulting
dialogue, the gallery manager will learn that the visitor has well-defined or
vague interests, passions, expectations and preferences. This understanding
will enable the gallery manager to help the visitor developing an understanding
and appreciation of the artist and his artwork, its position in prevailing art
movements, the value and the price.
In contrast
to an aggressive ”sales push” is demonstrated disinterest by the gallery team
towards an interested visitor. This approach can be a result of lack of sales
and marketing training, psychological failure, misjudgements or simply
arrogance. When an interested art lover feels be left alone, ignored or not
appreciated he may turn his back on the gallery and never come back.
EXAMPLE 1: An art lover visited an art gallery to attend
the opening of the solo-exhibition by a well-known artist. He got interested in
a specific artwork and approached the gallery manager for more information
about the artist and the piece of art he had singled out. The gallery manager
referred him to a gallery aide, as she was busy eating food, which had just
been delivered for her and some personal friends. The gallery aide was not able
to answer all of the art lover’s questions satisfactorily and promised to send
detailed information by email. Although the art lover was a bit confused, he
provided his contact details and left the gallery. The information promised by
the aide never arrived. The art lover did not appreciate the demonstrated lack
of interest by the gallery and abstained from following up on his inquiry. No
sale was made.
5.1.3. COMMUNICATION UPON ART SALE CLOSURE
Even in the
more complex art business, is the sales process is governed by certain general
rules. Salesmanship is requiring certain skills, which can be learned.
EXAMPLE: At the opening of a group art show, one artist
photographer excelled the other artists by selling three artworks within the
first 30 minutes of the show. Proudly he saw how the gallery manager put the
famous red stickers to the wall next to the framed works. The other artists at
the group show looked at him with a certain jealousy at their colleague as they
didn’t manage to get any of the much-desired red stickers. Two weeks later, at
the end of the show, the collector who had bought the three works at the
opening backed off from the deal and let the gallery manager know that he had
decided otherwise. Both the artist and the gallery owner were disappointed.
Many art sales
are lost simply because the artist or gallery manager did not come right out
and ask for the sale.
EXAMPLE: A collector visited a gallery opening. After
talking at length with the artist, he decided to make a reservation for an
artwork, which interested him most. The artist introduced him to the gallery
manager who noted the art collector’s contact details and promised to contact
him after the exhibition was closed. This contact never took place. The piece
of art remained unsold.
Asking buyers
to commit can seem a little obtrusively at first and the gallery might feel
like taking a risk by asking. However, the risk is far greater if the gallery does
not try to close the sale. A visitor who loves an art piece might not end up
buying simply because he was not given the opportunity. Even when an art
gallery visitor’s response is negative the gallery will be in a better position
than no question would have been asked. Once the situation has been clarified,
the gallery can find out why the visitor does not want to buy, make alternative
offers based on the visitor’s preferences or help the visitor overcoming any
obstacles that might be in the way.
———————————————————————–
On all
general and some specific communication issues, more or more detailed
information can be found in the author’s standard-setting guide book:
“Present-Day Corporate Communication“ (www.public-relations-pro.com).
Copyright Rudolf
Beger 11 January 2019.
