Artist Discussion Group

We run a small nonprofit called Aripa Arte designed to help Romanian artists connect to a larger international art market.  Part of our mission is to provide educational opportunities to artists building their art businesses.  In pursuit  of that goal, we have created a series of guided discussion group sessions on what it takes to be a professional artist, what is required to manage an art career, and how to promote that art business through Public Relations.

As a management team, we interviewed artists, art educators, gallerists, and organizational leadership to develop what we thought the content of these discussions should be.  We are now close to completing our first ten week set of discussion group meetings on developing a PR Plan, and what we have learned exceeds what we have attempted to teach.

The course is divided into three, ten week units, and the Public Relations component seemed to us to be the most impactful for working artists.  Our focus group work and research lead us to cover the following topics, all designed to help build the constituent elements of a working PR Plan.  We cover: the need for clarity in goal setting; speaking and writing about our art; networking; developing relationships with collectors, art community leaders, and the press; art market analysis; and strategic planning.

The sessions have not been heavily attended, but what has happened for us as discussion leaders is that we have learned so much by preparing and hosting these sessions.  While it does seem that we have started to build a stronger community with the participants, there has been growth among the organizers that surprised us a bit.

My years in the classroom have certainly proved the old adage that the best way to learn something is to teach it.  But what I guess I did not expect was the level of personal and professional growth I have experienced from the meetings.  I have become much more intentional, deliberate, and self-reflective over the weeks.

To me, this is a sign that these discussion group sessions are in fact helpful, and designed in such a way that they are a useful tool for artists at any stage in their art careers.  And that the meetings are impactful regardless of where artists are from, or where they are working.

I assume that the lesson here is that we would welcome the chance to interact with other artists, not only in an informal way, but also in a directed conversation that leads to a concrete, measurable goal.  At the end of these ten weeks, I will have my own personalized PR Plan written and ready to implement in my own art business.  I know that, had it not been for this weekly accountability, I would never have learned what I have learned, or created the plan that I have constructed.

I invite you to join us, or start your own discussion group.  There is a whole lot of learning, support, and inspiration out there in the lives and careers of other artists who are finding their way just like you.