Lessons learned
I showed at an event on Saturday the intent wasn’t so much to sell anything, which I didn’t, but to gage peoples reactions to the work and pricing. The response for those I spoke to was overall favorable. People seemed to enjoy hearing about the different locations where the photos were taken over the past 10 years.
What I learned are these:
the display must make the works approachable.
know your audience.
Size matters.
These two may seem self evident to those who have experience but this was my first outing. What I mean by approachability is to not seem intimidating. What may be welcoming to a group at a show that is primarily artists is differnet from a mixed event. This was not an art show and I feel my layout wasn’t engaging enough.
This plays directly into knowing one’s audience. At this event, primarily a brewery tasting, the guests were focused on the beer itself and not there to “buy” items. Even though I had tailored some pieces to the theme, by showcasing photos of beer steins it wasn’t the right venue for this.
The more complex layered pieces while “pretty” as I was told were too involved to be looked at more closely. To engage people they need to be simplified so imagery is more easily understood. This is not to say all my work will be simplified but having an array of works that draw peoples attention helps to stimulate traffic and interest.
Depending on the venue and viewer distance pieces need to be sized accordingly to capture attention from a distance and draw one in. This corresponds directly to the display layout and presentation. One or two large pieces may be enough to attract attention and draw people in to look. Having an array of sizes and price points may get them to buy.
This last point draws directly from my career as a Landscape Architect. Outdoors things need to be larger than indoors as the scale of the “space” may be infinite. Know your setup and scale works for the venue. What may attract attention when there are large crowds filing by may not work where viewers are fewer and at a greater distance.
This provided me with a clear direction for my next event and a goal to push towards.
ONWARD!!!
