So you have an exhibition coming up? That’s great! Have you given some thought to how you’re going to promote it? No? Not so great. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: However wonderful your art is, no one will buy it if they haven’t been exposed to it. And most of the time, that doesn’t happen by accident – you need to put effort in to make it happen.
How much effort depends on where you’re exhibiting – there are some galleries, including Agora Gallery, which provide considerable promotional material and make efforts on your behalf. You must make yourself aware of what is being done by others to promote both the exhibition and your work so that you can plan your own promotional activities.
1) Press releases and artist statements. You’ll need both a press release and an artist statement for yourself, personally, and you may also want a press release for the exhibition – though this may well be provided by the exhibition coordinators. Agora Gallery provides both of these for its artists, but if you’re exhibiting somewhere that doesn’t and you don’t want to write them yourself, check out Everything For Artists.
2) Printed material. Press releases, artist statements, catalogs, posters, exhibition cards, invitations – all of these can be extremely useful in print form before, during and after the exhibition. Beforehand, you can place them in strategic places to advertise the event, during the exhibition you can have them near your work, at the reception desk, and so on, for those who have admired your work and would like to know more, and afterwards, you can use them to show off your work and your experience. Again, Agora provides these, but not all galleries do; you can go to Everything For Artists if you need to arrange them yourself.
3) What makes this show different? Just like with your artwork, you need to know what makes this exhibition special. This is relevant both on a personal level – what is unusual about this for you? Is it your first exhibition in New York? Does the work represent a new departure? – and regarding the exhibition – is it in an interesting location? Is it an annual event? These details can help your show stand out.
4) With this uniqueness in mind, approach relevant organizations who might be interested in it. Let journalists know about your particular twist. Think outside the box and try to come up with connections to specific groups or individuals who would be likely to be especially interested in your exhibition.
5) Work with others. Is it a collective exhibition in a gallery or fair that doesn’t provide promotion? Then you might want to be in touch with other participating artists, so that you can work together to produce a greater effect. You can share the costs of printing materials, and make sure that your promotional efforts don’t overlap so that you cover more ground.
6) Don’t ignore the local scene. It’s true that art lovers will go some distance for an exhibition or art fair, but the obvious population to target is always the one that lives next door. If there’s a local art scene, then that should be a priority, but local businesses, newspapers or magazines, cafés and cultural centers can all be useful places to advertise. Explain the appeal in local terms and they’re more likely to let you put up a poster or leave some exhibition cards.
7) Target people who already love your work. You probably have a list of collectors who’ve purchased your work in the past, a mailing list of those who have expressed interest at some point, friends and family who could all help to spread the word – make use of them! If they love your work, they’ll want to see you succeed. Make sure they know that they could really help, and make sure to thank them when they do.
8) Use social media. Do you have a Facebook page to promote your art? If not, you might want one – and no, it’s not the same as a personal profile. A Twitter feed? Do you participate in art-related discussions on forums or groups? These are great platforms to get the word out, because it’s so easy for people to reshare the information with others. If you don’t spend much time updating your Facebook page, you might want to put more effort in, especially coming up to the show, so that people who see the posts in their newsfeed start getting excited too.
9) Share your excitement. This really is important – with anyone you want to help you in any way, from a journalist, to a café owner, to your cousin, you’ll find they’re more likely to respond if you show them how exciting this opportunity is. It’s infectious; you want them to start to feel that way too.
Good luck!
Thank you for this article. This is such an important matter for any artist. I am an artist of a mature age who returned to University at 56 to complete my BFA degree I had started way back in the early 70 at NSCAD. At that time, there was next to nothing in the way of being ‘taught’ about self-promotion as an artist, being educated in the business of art and marketing. Having the opportunity to return to art school I did in fact see some improvements in this area, but there is still much work to be done in terms of educating and preparing the art student about self- promotion, and the fundamentals of business, particularly relating to the art world which can be very daunting.
Thanks for this.
Catherine Meyers
The way I aproach my work is based on a duality between a magic world and a conceptual analisis, without neglecting the selected items to be able to create a relationship with the viewer and the space of the canvas, so you can concentrate in full in the meaning of the symbols and absorb the painting in its entirety.
See my art on Saatchi Art Artist:Nada Sucur Jovanovic
thanks for excllent guide !!
I was already aware of all these suggestions but it was still useful for me to review them again. I always add a 10th step to those 9 steps: All you need to accomplish mentioned steps and to promote your exhibition successfully are self confidence and a little courage. Most of the artists are very sensitive people and they may easily give up when they meet some difficulties. No, don’t give up. Trust yourself and fight against difficulties with determinism.
Thank you for the article. It should stay somewhere in your website permanently because the artists will always need to review them before their exhibitions.
Thank you for your information of how to promote our art.
Kind regards,
Thank you. Ive tried to join the local art scene here where I live. I entered some of my pieces on two different occasions here where I live. The shows were not juried. Each time my art ended up not in the gallery, but in the bar that adjoined the gallery. One night of the show the lights were not even on. Needless to say I was angry and hurt. I have entered other shows that were juried and my art has been selected. I have also received positive comments from jurors. I am self taught and have no credentials after my name. I cannot break into the art scene here but it gets expensive having to travel just to show and sell my art. Your article gives me some ideas that may help me out locally. thanks again.
Thank you Agora, for article on “promotion of work” – most useful as my brother (photographer) and myself have our exhibition coming up over here in Xchurch, UK. next month. Love your page and avid reader and explorer of all your up and coming artists. My many thanks for such an interesting and inspirational web site and for keeping me in touch with USA art. Kindest regards, Pam Judd UK
Thanks, very helpfull.
Thank you for the article on “How to Promote Your Exhibition in 9 Steps” -very interesting and enlightening.