It’s not always easy to find venues to showcase your work. And it’s not difficult to get locked in that gallery-or-nothing mentality. Galleries are definitely important, but they are not the end-all-and-be-all when it comes to displaying your art and reaching the public. As a recent article in the New York Times illustrated, the landscape is shifting and New York-based galleries are no longer the only places to view or buy fine art. As the article explained, “in another sign of Los Angeles’s emergence as a creative capital, stores that blur fashion boutique, bookstore and gallery are no longer unusual. Neither are stores with hidden locations.”
The article goes on to tell the story of “Please Do Not Enter”, a store targeted primarily to men located in a Los Angeles downtown 1920s-era Beaux-Arts building. An experimental concept store similar to those found in some European capitals, the intentionally hidden store offers scents, a variety of menswear and art. It is not a traditional art gallery, but it is definitely a place to find art, see art and buy art. A recent exhibit at the store features stainless steel sculptures by the Paris artist and designer Arik Levy.
Whereas galleries are still the mainstay for artists, much is changing. It is no longer a matter of simply waiting for a gallery to show an artist’s work and lying fallow in the meantime. Artists now have a variety of options, including organizing their own pop up shows, participating in pop up events with other artists, art fairs, and showcasing their works at boutiques and stores. The internet, including websites designed to showcase and sell art, social media platforms and other online approaches offer yet other avenues for artists to build their brand showcase their work, find buyers and earn a living through their art.
But, finding nontraditional avenues to showcase your work is not enough. You can come up with the coolest, hippest, most interesting way to display your art, but if no one know about it, you’re basically displaying in a vacuum.
You need to market.
That is a constant.
That never changes.
Regardless of whatever else you do in your art career, marketing and PR are as necessary as paying your electric bill.
And don’t lull yourself into thinking that a store, boutique, pop up, art fair (or gallery for that matter) will do your marketing and PR work for you. You need to launch your own media and public relations outreach to build the bridge between your art and the public.
Even if a store, gallery or other outlet is launching a media campaign, keep in mind their campaign has a very different objective. It will primarily focus on the store, the boutique, the gallery or the fair, not on you and your works.
You in turn need to launch a targeted, creative PR campaign that focuses on building you and your brand. Your campaign needs to showcase your work. The venue and the format can be a part of the story, an interesting aspect of the narrative, but the focus needs to remain on your art.
So, get creative. Find alternative, interesting ways to showcase your art.
Now,
Get even more creative with your PR and marketing.
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Fine Art Public Relations