Art Matters: Illuminating Contemporary ArtShepparton Art Museum2015
LECTURE 6: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AS AN ARTIST(BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK)
Philippe Parreno and Rirkrit Tiravanija, Untitled (2005)
(A set of puppets in the likeness of artist-curators Liam Gillick, Pierre Huyghe,Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Philippe Parreno and Rirkrit Tiravanija)
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Floors and Stairways and Covered Windows,
Museum Würth, Künzelsau, Germany, 1994-95
Taken from the Arts Council of Britain publicationTaste Buds: How to cultivate the art market, October 2004, p.6
Approaching Commercial Galleries
• Prepare a submission, including:
• A letter of introduction and contact details• A CD of images and/or hardcopies• Follow up with an email to ensure the
material was received• Make an appointment to meet with gallery
staff if you have not been rebuffed
What to include in a database
• It can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or a list in Word
• Include:• Name• Position• Organisation• Address• Suburb• State• Postcode• Phone number• Email• Category (eg. artist, curator, media, gallery director, collectors
etc) • Notes
Networking
• About connecting with relevant people in your field
• Prepare an introduction
• Consider using a business card
• Follow up with people you have met
Marketing’s Six P’s
• Product: end product and formal product• Price: asking price and market price• Place: where people can access the product• Promotion: how the work gets out there• People: not the clients – you and your team/people• Process: how you do what you do
Marketing strategies: questions to consider
• What is your objective?• Who is your target audience/audiences?• How are you going to reach them?• What is your timeframe?• What outcome are you after?• What is your budget?
The Media Release
• Start with an attention grabbing headline• Keep it to under one A4 page• Include all vital information in the first paragraph• Use 10-12 point font and double spacing• Keep sentences short and avoid jargon• Use a quote• Spellcheck and proofread!• Acknowledge funding received or other support• Include a small image file of the work• Follow up with a call or email
• Make sure you have all the information on hand• Remember: journos often receive 100 media releases a week
• Always thank journos for any coverage
Ideas for space or time pressed artists
• Devote 30 minutes a day to some form of art practice• Conceptual development• Taking photographs• Writing• Sketching• Creating a task or proposition to fulfill
• See an exhibition• Go to an opening• Meet with another artist or curator
Celebrities in front of the Mona Lisa(Clockwise from top left: Camilla, Eminem, P Diddy and Kim Kardashian)
“Enlargements don’t just clarify what we glimpse, they bring out new structural formations in matter”
Walter BenjaminThe work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction, 1936, p.29
10 Tips for Success1. Visualise succeeding at your goals2. Get regular reviews on your work from your peers3. Review your goals on a regular basis4. Maintain your support material/documentation5. Thank people who help you6. Be creative7. Travel and explore8. Make art donations9. Know the key players10. Read trade journals/magazines
-New York Foundation for the Arts