Intro to PR and Artist Comms
In this four-part course, you will work directly with an Artist Communications professional to learn the basics of how to think about public relations and artist communications as a visual artist.
We will answer many of your burning questions such as: What is PR? How does PR happen, and how do commercial galleries and institutional partners think about it? How can I make the most out of my opportunities?
This course will train you how to work with institutions to make sure that your voice — the most important voice about you and your work — gets heard.
Sessions 1, 2 and 3 focus on building the fundamentals so that you can approach your work confidently, while Session 4 focuses specifically on creating messaging and narratives around your practice that you can share with the public using these tools.
Each session is 1 hour long and can be held in person in Los Angeles or over Zoom.
Need financial assistance? ACA can help you secure grant funding to cover the costs of this coursework. Reach out to learn more.
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Public relations is often misunderstood as narrowly referring to publicity, or the process of securing coverage. While publicity is one of its tools, PR encompasses any and every occasion where you or your work appears before the public either in concrete form or as an idea. The purpose of Session 1 is to train the artist how to understand who their public is and how to communicate with them effectively. Learn how a proactive approach leads to a richer written record of your work and practice.
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Most PR opportunities for visual artists are connected to their exhibition schedule. Communicating about an artist and their work is often a collaborative effort with exhibiting institutions (galleries, museums, non-profits). The purpose of Session 2 is to understand the PR workflow and the different roles and responsibilities of everyone involved. We will cover goal-setting, strategy and planning, conducting interviews, and exhibition walkthroughs with press. After Session 2, you should feel confident that you understand your role in the workflow. Learn how to advocate for your needs while doing your part to ensure successful campaigns with partner organizations.
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The most valuable context for an artist’s practice is their own voice on their work, and speaking with the public is a special kind of opportunity for artists to build a narrative around their work. The focus of Session 3 is to dive deep into the three most common areas of public engagement that artists encounter: press interviews, public programs and studio visits. This session will cover how to prepare, how to ask for support from your partner institution, and how to set and meet goals for these opportunities. Learn how to succeed within the complex dynamics of public engagements to make these opportunities work for you.
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In the final session, we will use the lessons of the three previous sessions to create a customized strategy for you. This will involve a deep dive into the messaging around your work and a strategy to help you build the historical record of your practice through forthcoming opportunities.