Attention arts councils, arts organizations, and anyone else serving local artists . . .
Here’s a plea to put together a resource guide and member directory like the one I received from the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC).
In addition to the staff and member directory, the OVAC publication includes local and national resources to help artists build their businesses, enter exhibits, apply for funding, or join a local artist organization. (Thanks, OVAC, for including Art Biz Coach!)
There are also ads to help support the publication – ads of interest to artists.
Exhibition Venue Guide
My favorite part of the publication is the extensive list of exhibit venues around Oklahoma.
And it’s not just a list! Each entry includes:
- Address, phone, email
- Contact person (crucial for personalizing relationships!)
- Venue specifications: gallery size, duration of shows, and other parameters
- How to submit to the venue
- How the venue publicizes exhibits
I like that the OVAC guide is printed inexpensively in soft cover. I probably would have never looked at a PDF version.
However, the guide isn’t for me – it’s for OVAC members. Any artist serious about finding more exhibit opportunities should be happy to print a PDF if that’s the only format available.
Do you have a guide for your members?
3 thoughts on “Provide a Resource Guide for Local Artists”
Alyson,
You have now set me on the hunt to find ANY ONE in Miami, FL doing this other than a few local art magazines. Even those art magazines don’t give that level of detail you mention here. The address, current/future exhibition, and contact info is maybe given…but not much else in each issue.
There are a few places for me to make a list and cold call them for this resource book. There is one place that could use this as a fundraiser…perhaps?
In any case – excellent post. I can hear MANY artists murmuring the same thing as me: I WISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!
I wonder if there is anything like that here in CT. If there is, I don’t know about it.
The Toronto Ontario area used to have one in Visual Arts Ontario, but they seem to have dissolved….