If you have known me for more than five minutes, you probably know that I breathe ideas. Inside my head is a scary place to be, and if a big one comes, you best jump on board or jump out of the way, because it’s going to come at you like a steam engine.
Walk Away With Art (or WAWA as we’ve affectionately been calling it) was one of those big ones. In thinking about how to encourage people who haven’t been thinking about art to engage with it and become collectors, I wanted to develop a few “branded” events at the gallery to work toward this goal. ArtFeast was one idea, and we held the first one a few weeks ago to great fanfare. But WAWA was the idea bomb.
Here’s how it works – I invite seven of my photographers to give seven different images (one gives eight, making 50 total unique images) to pin up around the gallery. We sell 50 tickets, and everyone who has a ticket draws a number from 1 to 50 when they check in. All of the photographers are at the event and each have a few minutes to introduce themselves and talk a bit about their work. When everyone has had time to look around and decide which pieces are their favorites, we start calling numbers. We go in order from 1 to 50, and when we call a number, the person with that number goes up to their favorite piece, takes it off the wall, and is now a collector. Everyone walks away with art.
For me, an event like this works to build collecting on a lot of levels. At the most basic, it is an exciting and fun party. Great food, great cocktails, great art. People are coming into the gallery and having a really positive experience, making them more likely to attend future events.
Next, they are engaging with art in a meaningful way. Because everyone gets to take home a piece (original, signed), they are really looking at all of the photographs and figuring out what they are drawn to. I purposefully chose seven photographers with very different aesthetics, to show the wide range in photographic style and subject and to make sure there would be something appealing for each guest. They are looking and learning what they like.
Finally, they are having a unique opportunity to hear the artist speak about the work and meet them individually. So even if someone is not particularly drawn to a certain photographer’s work, hearing the photographer speak about it will still give a deeper appreciation and understanding. The opportunity to hear an artist passionately talk about their project and then make a personal connection to him or her is priceless and adds another level of connection to the photograph.
Leading up to the event, I was hoping and praying and having some anxiety dreaming that all of these pieces would fall into place and WAWA would come off as I intended. Success! Beyond success. Beyond my wildest dreams success.
People were blown away by the photography, the concept, the photographers themselves. While eating sushi and drinking the Westside Fizz, guests were milling about and getting a sense of their favorite photographs. Then after the photographers spoke, people wanted to have a few more minutes to take another look, and many people completely changed their minds after hearing the story behind the imagery.
Calling out the numbers was exciting, and sometimes when a piece was chosen, you could hear an “oh no!”. There were a few occasions where tackling another guest was proposed, but luckily we were able to generally discourage it (after all, all of these images are part of these photographers regular collections and very much for sale). Even though there were definitely some “favorite” images in the room, most people were drawn to very different work, so even people with higher numbers (meaning they were near the end to choose) ended up selecting one of their top choices.
After the selection process, most guests stayed and spoke to the photographer whose piece they ended up with, and the gallery was buzzing. People were excited, inspired. . . they were collectors, and they were loving it.
introducing the photographers: Laura Griffin, Lori Vrba, Kathleen Robbins, Heidi Kirkpatrick, Jeff Rich and Lisette de Boisblanc
Read this great write-up in the Atlanta Business Chronicle!
Lori Vrba, I Remember You, 2011, digital archival print, roughly 35 x 35 inches. Image courtesy Jennifer Schwartz Gallery.
Lori Vrba, An Egg is Quiet, 2011, toned silver gelatin in glass box, 8 x 8 inches. Image courtesy the artist.
Lori Vrba, Mummy, 2011, toned silver gelatin in glass box, 8 x 8 inches. Image courtesy the artist.
Lori Vrba, Jean Skirt, 2009, toned silver gelatin, 15 x 15 inches. Image courtesy the artist.
Lori Vrba, Miss Frances, 2011, dress form, prints, and various found materials, dimensions vary. Image courtesy Jennifer Schwartz Gallery.
