I covered the venue and the ideal timeline in the first part, so if you haven’t read that part you should check it out. My next step is to come up with a theme for an art show and it’s one of the most important steps.
Theme
I come from graphic design and promotion background so the process of determining a theme for the show makes everything easier for me. Once I have a feeling for the theme, everything else falls into place for me. The theme for the art show will affect everything from promotional materials, to signage at the event, how you will market the show and maybe even how you present the art itself.
Some things to consider when determining the theme:
- The genre of your work
- Commonalities in your pieces
- Who your target audience is
- How serious your work is
- What makes this show stand out
- The type of venue
- Current events
- Your persona as an artist
- Previous shows you’ve done
It’s a good idea to take all of these things into account and brainstorm on your theme. The name for your show should immediately follow the theme. In the case of my upcoming show “Candychrome,” the name came first and influenced the theme. I came up with the name “Candychrome” to describe my fetish photography, which is overly color-saturated, sexy, shiny and full of fun and fantasy. “Candychrome” captured what I try to portray with my work.
So again, with the word “Candychrome” in mind and the things I listed above, I began to explore how to present that as a theme. For some reason, that name evoked the funky music posters of the 70’s for me. I want my work to be seen as fun, erotic, inviting and a little naughty, so the 70’s theme clicked with my work.
Not everything you come up with will be a good fit for you and your show, so continue to brainstorm until the right thing comes up. If you have a good network on Facebook or Twitter, this would be a good opportunity to crowdsource ideas. You could describe your show and ask for help coming up with a good theme. I had some strong ideas on what I wanted, but if I didn’t crowdsourcing would have been fantastic, not just for ideas, but to create some early buzz on your new show. Your network may think of your work in ways you would never consider, they are an amazing resource and you should engage them as often as possible.
I’ll tell you how I used my theme to create some promotional materials in the next part.
What are you ideas about choosing a theme? Leave your comments below.
- How I Prepare for an Art Show Part 1: The Venue and Timeline
- How I Prepare for an Art Show Part 2: The Art Show Theme
- How I Prepare for an Art Show Part 3: Designing Posters and Flyers
- How I Prepare for an Art Show Part 4: Poster, Postcard, and Flyer Distribution
- How I Prepare for an Art Show Part 5: Online Marketing
- How I Prepare for an Art Show Part 5: Press Releases
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