It’s been an incredible year for art in San Angelo. Much of that success is due to a collaborative effort between art galleries and art organizations. It’s one of the best qualities as an art community San Angelo has. However, for independent artists and smaller organizations it’s not so easy to host an art show and get the kind of attendance and sales as an organization with the knowledge, experience, and resources has at their disposal. There have been several times that I find out at the last minute or after the fact, that there is a show I wish I could have seen. This isn’t the artist’s fault, after all there isn’t a class in college that is tailored to helping artists understand how to effectively promote their show. Besides, most artists I know prefer not to socialize, so I completely understand. But for your art to find the right person we have to address this issue and provide the right training to our art community.
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This isn’t the artist’s fault, after all there isn’t a class in college that is tailored to helping artists understand how to effectively promote their show.
I come from a marketing background, so promotion is something I understand very well. I’ve put on many art shows that have sold out or had overwhelming attendance. But I’ve also hosted shows that have almost no attendance. Every community responds differently to the marketing mix (Promote, Placement, Product, Price). I feel that most people expect social media to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to informing the public, but as a friend recently put it, “Social media is a PR tool, not an advertising tool” - Byron Rogers. In fact, that’s exactly right. Facebook is not the end all be all for getting the word out. That expectation can set you up for putting a lot of work into your art, renting a venue, and investing in refreshments, only to sit for hours at your show with little return on your investment. In short, social media in general doesn’t actively show your posts or events to your audience unless they are actively engaged. Sure, you can pay a daily fee to have them promote it for you, but what if your audience isn’t logged into Facebook?
“Social media is a PR tool, not an advertising tool” - Byron Rogers
With respect to your time I’m not going to preach about the importance of understanding how to properly promote an art show rather I am going to propose a workshop where we can not only provide the answer but also invite a panel of local art organizers so you can hear from them how they effectively plan a show. Thana from Raw1899 has already agreed, as well as Suzanna Valenzuela from the DMO/Discover San Angelo. More to come soon!