Photo Credit: Mickey Abrash, Society for Utopian Studies
Monday February 4th, 2013, 6.30 – 8 PM (doors open at 6)
UMKC Innovation Center, 4747 Troost Ave., Room 114.
Don’t miss this special opportunity to learn the basics and fine points of promoting your own artwork and public events. The workshop will share valuable insights from Gina Kaufmann, who has worked in many different areas of Kansas City media, and include a case study by Grace Suh that illustrates the publicity strategy used for a specific Rocket Grants project. From effective press releases to persuasive media pitches, this information is an essential part of any artist’s toolbox! It is free and open to all area artists.
Register for free here. Seating is limited.
This workshop is a collaborative production of The Spencer Museum of Art, Artist INC, and the Charlotte Street Foundation.
Program:
Part 1: Be yourself, for the most part.
Art writing has a tendency to be personality-driven. So be yourself. Wait, not like that. More like this. The tricky contradiction of promoting an authentic personality while playing by the rules.
Part 2: The time-hook.
Remembering that relevance and timeliness are the bread and butter of journalism. In this segment, we will explore the importance of time hook and discuss ways of using this concept to frame and schedule your press release.
Part 3: Inside the minds of journalists.
The goals of the journalists are not the same as the goals of artists, though in happy scenarios these two overlap. In this portion of the conversation, we will talk about how to work within the paradigm of journalism, giving journalists what they need while carefully crafting messages of your own. Related concept: promoting tirelessly while respecting journalists’ professional boundaries. Dos and Don’ts.
Part 4: Case study.
Grace Suh, who successfully promoted a local artist’s project – ultimately helping him promote his way to a Rocket Grant – will offer a step-by-step reflection on her experience.
Conclusion: Q&A with Gina Kaufmann & Grace Suh
Gina Kaufmann is a writer and local media professional who currently promotes artists of international renown for the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, Kansas. She has worked in a variety of media providing cultural coverage, with a particular focus on visual art. Her resume includes stints at The Pitch, the Kansas City Star, KCUR 89.3 FM, and Lawrence.com. She also edited a special issue of Review, has been published in ArtNews, and served as a founding contributing editor of the national Jewish humor and culture magazine Heeb. Gina not only has experience covering the arts for local media, but has also spearheaded and promoted artistic projects of her own. She has been invited to present original work at both the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and her storytelling event series earned the Pitch’s 2011 Mastermind Award.
Grace Suh’s writing has been anthologized in numerous collections including Kansas City Noir, Echoes Upon Echoes, Imprint and Making More Waves, and received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Overbrook Foundation, the Edward F. Albee Foundation, the Djerassi Resident Artist Program, the Kansas City Press Club and the Howard M. Teichman Foundation. She has written for many publications including The San Francisco Weekly and KoreAm Journal, as well as clients including Moleskine, FusionLab and Hamptons Film Festival, the artists Anne Lindberg, Mike Sinclair and Jarrett Mellenbruch, the singer Shawn Colvin and the New Yorker staff writer Hilton Als.