Indeed, the Florence Griswold Museum has seen artwork from our museum appear on several blogs with great images that were gathered without our knowledge. And the kind of positive publicity these blogs garner from specialty groups, i.e. homeschoolers, families looking for kid friendly outings, etc., has proven to be invaluable.

As a former museum curator and educator, I get the dilemma.
Museums want control over their images and to show them with the proper respect, which doesn’t always happen if people are given free reign with their cameras. Amateur photographers might snap unflattering images and, perhaps worst of all, fail to provide proper credit along with the images.
Museums can’t allow photography of art they don’t own. It’s simple, really. They don’t own the copyright, so they don’t have the right give permissions.
Many museums allow non-flash photography within their permanent collection (art they own) galleries. I’m all for this! Museums claim that intense light of flashes can–over time–damage a work. Whether or not this is true, I don’t want to see flash photography allowed in museums. Flashes are disruptive and I’d like to preserve the contemplative spaces within the museum galleries.
Yet museums that ban photography altogether are living in the past. They’re missing out on tons of free publicity from avid fans! The power blogs are well documented. The power of word of mouth is equally well documented. When a blogger recommends something to his or her readers, guess what? They are more likely to take action than if they had seen an ad somewhere. Ergo, make it easy for people to talk about the art you have.

How museums can accommodate bloggers

If you’re a museum who is against allowing photographs of your the art in your galleries, there’s still something you can do to help us put in a good word for you.

Create an online media room just for bloggers.

Here’s what that would consist of:

1. Low-resolution images of works that are on view and a super-easy way to find them. Obviously, large museums can’t post images of every work in a separate media room. Maybe some highlights? Or, if you have low-res images of works in your collections pages, just link to those and tell us how to use them in your guidelines (see #3).
2. Credit lines for each work.
3. Your (brief!) guidelines for using the images. Please: No legalese here. Just tell us what you want and we’ll do it. The more barriers you erect and the longer your guidelines, the less likely we are to promote you. (See “people don’t read instructions” below.)
4. Links to more details about each piece in case they would help us write a better blog post.

And here’s how you can handle it in the galleries.

Have business cards printed and make sure your museum guards have a stack of them. Instead of the guards telling people “I’m sorry, no photography allowed,” they can pull out a business card. Here’s a suggestion for text on that card:

I’m sorry we can’t allow photography in the museum galleries.

But because we want to help you share our art with others,
we’ve created a media room just for you!

www.greatmuseummediaroom.com

Signs won’t do. People don’t read. More to the point, people don’t read instructions, if you haven’t learned by now. We need something we can take with us and look up easily when we get home.
Alternatively, you could take email addresses and email bloggers the link to your special media room. But you must do it ASAP. We’re usually a step ahead of you. I vote for the business cards.

The post A Compromise for Museums Who Don't Allow Photography appeared first on Art Biz Success.

Laura K. Aiken asks:

Let’s say I wanted to pitch an idea to a magazine.  Whatever I sent them, I would want it to be interesting enough for them to put on the front cover or as a highlighted article.  What is going to make me stand out from all the other artists?

First, I love this question. Laura realizes that she needs to stand out. A one-size-fits-all brochure won’t cut it in this instance. What you need most are the following three things.

1. Awesome work that looks different from that of other artists. It’s not your medium that matters so much, but what you do with it. What makes people drop their jaws, shout “Wow!,” and sign on to be a fan for life?
2. Amazing photographs that show your work in its best light. I’ll harp on this until the day I die. Good photography should be a business expense for every professional artist. If you aren’t willing to learn how to take professional-quality photographs or invest in them, you aren’t ready to take your work to the next level. This is especially true in this age of Internet marketing. Magazine editors, gallery dealers, retailers, consultants, and curators request JPGs long before they are able to see the work in person. Poor photographs will lead you straight to the Poor house.
3. An A+ story to pitch. An A+ story can actually overcome any deficits you may have in the area of #1 (unique qualities). Sure you make art, but (and this is the question that most writers will ask) so what? What makes you special? What makes your art worth a cover story or even a 500-word article? What will help the publisher sell magazines or newspapers? What part of your story fits with the editorial content of the publication?

Therese May, Subtle Profiles. Art quilt, 25 x 25 inches. ©The Artist

Now, what do you do with this stuff?

You don’t need a loaded media kit to send. In fact, from what I understand, thick media kits are discouraged. They’re viewed as a waste of paper since no one knows where to keep them and everyone is trying to eliminate clutter.

Start with an introductory email that includes your pitch and a link to the story (art) you’re pitching. Be certain that the linked page you’re including is easy to navigate and understand.

Follow up your email with a printed packet. Just put items #2 and #3 from the above list in a large, handsome envelope with your branded label (which can be printed on any color printer) on the outside. Hand-write the name and address of the recipient in your best penmanship. I like the brightly-colored Presentation Envelopes (9×12”) at Envelope Mall and Paper Source.

Incidentally, former magazine editor Jennifer King did a teleseminar with me entitled How to Get Your Art in Magazines, which is available as an audio download or CD. It’s not really about art magazines, but more leisure and niche magazines, which are what many art buyers read.

KNOW THIS———-~> You have to have the work, the photos, and the story to back up your pitch.

THINK ABOUT THIS—~> Are you putting forth your best effort with your pitch?

DO THIS————~> Pitch your story to magazines–when you’re ready. Don’t take this lightly. Remember that you only get one chance to make a first impression. Get your ducks in a row and go in feeling confident.

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