Getting Your Art Out There: Social Media, the Internet, Your Art and Your Art Group
Does an artist need a website? Does he or she need to be on social media? Most artists just want to paint! What do you say? Or would you rather just be out there pounding the pavement trying to get your art into a gallery? How about an artist co-op?... Let's explore some artist promotional options.
Social Media Today
An Artist Website of My Own
An Artist's Social Presence
My Art Group Online
As stated above - go where the people are - on the internet, and in your local art culture right around you. Find the art groups and art shops and do the research to understand the fee structures, opportunities, volunteering requirements - everything. Find the group(s) that will work best for you and the time you have but honestly, not just how they benefit you but how you can be a benefit to them. Remember give and take?
Research keywords: art group, art society, art guild, artist community, arts center, art council, art alliance, art league, art cooperative, artisans, art creatives...
I see it as it is everyone's job in an art group to spread the word about the art group. This is no "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". I help promote my art group, the Prince William Art Society, which helps bring attention to the entire art group, the art shows we do, the fun we have, the good we try to do in our local community, and more. By helping PWAS, it helps me too. What do you do to help?
When I post something, it goes out to my friends and family. I do not reach YOUR friends and family - your fan base on your own social sites, unless you do the likes, shares, etc.
By YOU helping to share, like, comment, reposting YOU are not only helping the art group, but helping yourself, especially when you can additionally add your links and your own hashtags to a post as well.
For the Prince William Art Society, adding hashtags like those listed below are ways to help tag and search for more info about each hashtag.
#PWAS #PrinceWilliamArtSociety #PWCArt #pwasartstore #SupportLocal #virginiaart #virginiaartists #PWASOnlineArtStore #PWASArtGroup 🎨📸🖼🖌and if it is more about me, I'll add #DonnaLiguria #DonnaLiguriaArt
Take advantage of your art group's opportunities in the way of committees, art shows, volunteering and what is available on their website. Joining an art group, the artists can build connections, partnerships and collaborations that help open new avenues to you that perhaps you hadn't even thought of.
- For the PWAS members, there is an Artist Showcase which is a personalized artist page for an annual $25 fee.
- There is also a PWAS online Art Store where all members are welcome to show one piece of artwork for sale. Additionally, there is a private Facebook PWAS Chat group for members only where art discussions, polls, sharing of art news and show opportunities are posted. If you are not online, you miss out.
Art Galleries, Artist Co-Operatives, Artist Collectives
Getting art into art galleries may depend more on the scale of gallery you are shooting for and where. Smaller town and city galleries may be far easier than the big city spaces...but like most things it depends on you and your talent, your drive/goals and the 'who you know'.
See How to Get Your Art in a Gallery: A Step-by-Step Guide
Art
Galleries, like a "vanity" gallery, tend to take a higher percentage of
the art revenue sold. The expectations of an art gallery would be the
professionalism in presentation, operations, quality...etc.
There are many Artist Co-ops in most communities and being cooperative means that all artists have to work, distributing the labor evenly and fairly.
"An artist cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an autonomous visual arts organization, enterprise, or association jointly owned and democratically controlled by its members. Artist cooperatives are legal entities organized as non-capital stock corporations, non-profit organizations, or unincorporated associations. Such cooperatives typically provide professional facilities and services for its artist-members, including studios, workshops, equipment, exhibition galleries, and educational resources. By design, all economic and non-economic benefits and liabilities of the cooperative are shared equally among its members. Cooperative members elect their board of directors from within the membership." - Wikipedia
See Should You Consider Joining a Co-op Art Gallery? and Start a Co-op Gallery: 8 Tips
Artist Collectives are "An artist collective or art group or artist group is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the needs of the artist; this can range from purchasing bulk materials, sharing equipment, space or materials, to following shared ideologies, aesthetic and political views or even living and working together as an extended family. Sharing of ownership, risk, benefits, and status is implied, as opposed to other, more common business structures with an explicit hierarchy of ownership such as an association or a company." - Wikipedia
Of course, the grander an art district and the art culture is in your area, the more artists are vying for wall space in the locations and shows advertised. And in some of the art spaces, you will need to apply and go through a selection process to be included, while also paying a monthly fee and volunteering. Explore all of the art options available to you and how the traffic (foot and car) is around said spots.
Art Fairs
Art Fairs and Popup Shows can be a good way to sell your art, but the time and work involved, the equipment needed, and many other details including vendor fees and the weather can make and/or break the artist/show. Also, having a helper or an art partner with you to share the work may help with the "solo or duo" art fair. It's a lot of work, but many artists do quite well.
Or being in an art group at an art fair means that your art showing space may be smaller, you'll also pay a commission, and you will need to help setup and take down, but workload and costs are minimized/shared. The art group may have their own tent and equipment, lessening your start up costs.
See How to Art Show and Lessons Learned
Nonetheless, a social media presence and a website are still quite beneficial in the promotion of the show you are attending so that all your family, friends and followers will know to come visit you.
As said earlier, all of it is building links, connections, doing the research, exploring your options, trying this thing or that, and finding where you fit. What works, what absolutely does not, not only where your art sells, but where do you LEARN MORE at, and hopefully have fun too?
The main point is - start somewhere. Today.
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.
Local Art: The
Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in
PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern
Virginia. Visit
us at any of our local art shows and our monthly meetings - held on the
4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center 12298 Cotton
Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
