SO I have been extremely undilligent (new word) in posting to this blog. I actually like writing them but just never find the time. In addition to being busy designing framing, thinking up and installing new shows and servicing my corporate clients, there just isn't time. Now to communicate with the world you have to do so many things.
So in addition to a blog, Here are all the things we have to do to try and get people to come to a show at the gallery:
1. Post the event on our web site.
2. Send out a couple email blasts.
3. Send out a press release, and ideally follow up to try and get some press.
4. Post the event on all the online calendars in town. There are currently 11 and growing everyday.
5. Post event to Facebook or create an event.
6. Post on Linked in.
7. Send out on Twitter.
8. For a BIG show, design mail and distribute a postcard (old school but necessary once in a while)
9. Make signage.
And this is just to get noticed. It doesn't count the endless hours of meeting with artists, writing copy, checking in art, lining up food and drink, blah, blah, blah.
So why the rambling. Because I would LOVE a suggestion on how to do this better, or it would be fabulous if we sold $10,000 on every opening night. Actually, the latter sounds better.
So art critics of the world, take note. Help us lowly galleries get more coverage so we can spend more time blogging about things like the post existential meaning of abstract expressionism instead of licking cyber stamps.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Self Portrait Show and the Artists behind it
We just launched our most successful show to date. "Inside Out - The Self Portrait Show". Opening night was Saturday March 12th. There were well over 300 people who came to see self portraits by 26 of the top regional artists. John Schuerman, a local self-taught artist curated the show. He assured me that there would be significant diversity of imagery in style, size and medium. He did not fail.
Having worked with thousands of artists over the past 25 years, I was curious as to what the final product would look like. One by one the artwork came in, the last piece showing up the day of the show. Considering that there are only 26 pieces in the show, there are 14 mediums represented. Acrylic, Photography, bronze, oil, pencil, etc. The most intriguing part is that only 7 of these 26 pieces actually have a "face" represented in them. Each artist is left to interpret and expose for us who they are as a person. To one artist, it may be a Jester raking a roof, to another a video of what YOU did 8 seconds ago (you have to come in to experience this one). The other challenge for the show is that the work must be for sale. A challenge to the artist to want to let go of a personal piece. A challenge for the art collector to want something so personal. The good news is that these are pieces you can fall in love with because they were done with passion by some of the most talented artists this city has produced. Please come in and experience it for yourself.
I only had met or ever worked with 2 of these 26 artists prior to this show. It has been an eye opener for me to be exposed to their work for the first time on such a personal level. I hope to work with many of them moving forward. This is such a crazy business. It is business but it is such a personal business. I have the privilege of engaging with thought provoking, passionate, creative, intellectual people on a daily basis and would not trade it for anything!
Stop in Monday thru Saturday 10-5 thru April 30th to experience for yourself
Greg Hennes
Having worked with thousands of artists over the past 25 years, I was curious as to what the final product would look like. One by one the artwork came in, the last piece showing up the day of the show. Considering that there are only 26 pieces in the show, there are 14 mediums represented. Acrylic, Photography, bronze, oil, pencil, etc. The most intriguing part is that only 7 of these 26 pieces actually have a "face" represented in them. Each artist is left to interpret and expose for us who they are as a person. To one artist, it may be a Jester raking a roof, to another a video of what YOU did 8 seconds ago (you have to come in to experience this one). The other challenge for the show is that the work must be for sale. A challenge to the artist to want to let go of a personal piece. A challenge for the art collector to want something so personal. The good news is that these are pieces you can fall in love with because they were done with passion by some of the most talented artists this city has produced. Please come in and experience it for yourself.
I only had met or ever worked with 2 of these 26 artists prior to this show. It has been an eye opener for me to be exposed to their work for the first time on such a personal level. I hope to work with many of them moving forward. This is such a crazy business. It is business but it is such a personal business. I have the privilege of engaging with thought provoking, passionate, creative, intellectual people on a daily basis and would not trade it for anything!
Stop in Monday thru Saturday 10-5 thru April 30th to experience for yourself
Greg Hennes
Sunday, January 2, 2011
"Art Stimulus Package for 2011 Announced"
OK Now that I got your attention, wouldn't that be a nice way to jump start 2011?
It has been a fascinating year of change on all fronts: Personal, Business, Economic and Government. What everyone in the arts community needs is for consumers to believe in the stability of the economy and be confident that we are in a slow steady growth out of "The Great Recession".
Everyone should take a look at that one ugly bare spot in their house or office and set out to make a change in 2011. Attend Galleries and Art Fairs and seek out that perfect piece. Also, dig out all those hidden gems from beneath the bed and get them framed. With 130 million households in the US and 5.6 million active businesses, there should be plenty of traffic for the few thousand art galleries in business today. This would trickle down not only to the artists, but to frame shops, picture frame supply manufacturers, etc.
So barring this blog getting the wheels turning on millions of home and business owners flocking to the galleries, maybe each household could receive a stimulus check, only valid in Art Galleries, for $250 towards the purchase of a piece of artwork. This $32 Billion incentive package is a fraction of what the government has spent bailing out every other industry. Last time I could source the number, the Art Market in the US was about $16 Billion annually. This incentive would more than double the annual revenue of the art industry.
I won't be sitting back waiting for my check, or the checks of others to come in the front door.
Happy New Year and hope to see you in the gallery soon!
Greg Hennes
It has been a fascinating year of change on all fronts: Personal, Business, Economic and Government. What everyone in the arts community needs is for consumers to believe in the stability of the economy and be confident that we are in a slow steady growth out of "The Great Recession".
Everyone should take a look at that one ugly bare spot in their house or office and set out to make a change in 2011. Attend Galleries and Art Fairs and seek out that perfect piece. Also, dig out all those hidden gems from beneath the bed and get them framed. With 130 million households in the US and 5.6 million active businesses, there should be plenty of traffic for the few thousand art galleries in business today. This would trickle down not only to the artists, but to frame shops, picture frame supply manufacturers, etc.
So barring this blog getting the wheels turning on millions of home and business owners flocking to the galleries, maybe each household could receive a stimulus check, only valid in Art Galleries, for $250 towards the purchase of a piece of artwork. This $32 Billion incentive package is a fraction of what the government has spent bailing out every other industry. Last time I could source the number, the Art Market in the US was about $16 Billion annually. This incentive would more than double the annual revenue of the art industry.
I won't be sitting back waiting for my check, or the checks of others to come in the front door.
Happy New Year and hope to see you in the gallery soon!
Greg Hennes
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Miami Art Shows
I attended Art Basel in Miami Beach the first week of December. For those of you who are not familiar, this is one of the premier art events in the world. Originally established in Basel Switzerland, this satellite show, established 10 years ago is rivaling the original. Over 250 Dealers from nearly every continent brought out their best. Original Picassos' next to installation sculptures by some hot new artists. During the opening night the value of the artwork was closely matched by the value of jewelry on the attendees.
I saw some truly amazing artwork. Not only beautiful works by established artists but more contemporary artists stretching the boundaries of the materials they use and the subjects they invoke. Contingents from most of the major museums attend to see what is available in the marketplace and what new artists they may want to add to their permanent collections.
Several ancillary shows were impressive in their own right:
Art Miami - This show is an excellent blend of prints by modern masters and originals by established contemporary artists. No shortage of print work by Warhol, Rauschenberg and Hirst to name a few. Originals by Eric Zener, one of my favorite artists stood out.
SCOPE - SCOPE definitely pushed the envelope on installation artwork. Art that you can say "Wow that's cool - but who would buy it" Some installation art by itself could only end up in a museum due to the square footage required to install. This show included Art Asia and Red Dot in adjoining tents. Art Asia displayed contemporary Asian work. A little heavy on the photography for my taste. Red Dot was a tamer version of Scope and a launching pad for those newer dealers trying to get into a sold out Art Miami. An Original photo collage/painting by Anka Schofield of a little girl standing on a Zebra was breathtaking.
NADA - The New Art Dealers Association held this show for both newer dealers and established dealers showing newer artists. The least impressive of the shows, it was crowded on opening day so hopefully both the dealers and artists gained exposure.
PULSE - Far and away my favorite show. Similar in make up to the other shows, there was a level of sophistication and uniqueness to the artwork. Being the last of the major shows I attended, I almost skipped it. Burnt out after viewing thousands of pieces of artwork by over 750 dealers, I saw refreshing new artwork around every corner. Most of the visuals I brought back on artists I would like to show in our gallery came from this show.
The common denominator to all shows was an incredibly vibrant art scene. Artists continue to amaze me with their ingenuity. Working in mediums I have never before seen. The mood amongst dealers was also upbeat. The word on the street is serious collectors are back buying. Gone, the speculative buyers who artificially drive up prices by trying to hype a certain artist. Lets all hope the energy present is a sign of a positive direction the art market desperately needs.
I have been inspired to bring some of the talented artist I have discovered back to Minneapolis. In addition, I was reminded of artists from the past whose art I need to show again. We will be working on introducing new artwork to the gallery on a weekly basis. Keep coming back and you will continually be amazed by the talent we will be showcasing.
Next year I would like to host a group of interested collectors to travel to the Miami shows together. Please email me at greg@hennesart.com if interested.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
I saw some truly amazing artwork. Not only beautiful works by established artists but more contemporary artists stretching the boundaries of the materials they use and the subjects they invoke. Contingents from most of the major museums attend to see what is available in the marketplace and what new artists they may want to add to their permanent collections.
Several ancillary shows were impressive in their own right:
Art Miami - This show is an excellent blend of prints by modern masters and originals by established contemporary artists. No shortage of print work by Warhol, Rauschenberg and Hirst to name a few. Originals by Eric Zener, one of my favorite artists stood out.
SCOPE - SCOPE definitely pushed the envelope on installation artwork. Art that you can say "Wow that's cool - but who would buy it" Some installation art by itself could only end up in a museum due to the square footage required to install. This show included Art Asia and Red Dot in adjoining tents. Art Asia displayed contemporary Asian work. A little heavy on the photography for my taste. Red Dot was a tamer version of Scope and a launching pad for those newer dealers trying to get into a sold out Art Miami. An Original photo collage/painting by Anka Schofield of a little girl standing on a Zebra was breathtaking.
NADA - The New Art Dealers Association held this show for both newer dealers and established dealers showing newer artists. The least impressive of the shows, it was crowded on opening day so hopefully both the dealers and artists gained exposure.
PULSE - Far and away my favorite show. Similar in make up to the other shows, there was a level of sophistication and uniqueness to the artwork. Being the last of the major shows I attended, I almost skipped it. Burnt out after viewing thousands of pieces of artwork by over 750 dealers, I saw refreshing new artwork around every corner. Most of the visuals I brought back on artists I would like to show in our gallery came from this show.
The common denominator to all shows was an incredibly vibrant art scene. Artists continue to amaze me with their ingenuity. Working in mediums I have never before seen. The mood amongst dealers was also upbeat. The word on the street is serious collectors are back buying. Gone, the speculative buyers who artificially drive up prices by trying to hype a certain artist. Lets all hope the energy present is a sign of a positive direction the art market desperately needs.
I have been inspired to bring some of the talented artist I have discovered back to Minneapolis. In addition, I was reminded of artists from the past whose art I need to show again. We will be working on introducing new artwork to the gallery on a weekly basis. Keep coming back and you will continually be amazed by the talent we will be showcasing.
Next year I would like to host a group of interested collectors to travel to the Miami shows together. Please email me at greg@hennesart.com if interested.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Purpose of an Art Show
We had a very successful first official art show as a gallery on Sept 30th. Successful on many fronts. Good turn out, positive comments on the gallery, beautiful artwork and success on our mission of pairing artists with charities to help raise funds for a good cause. Most importantly we sold some artwork!
Hence where my soap box starts.
I got my start in the art business managing a gallery on First Avenue in 1986. The peak of the First Avenue Art scene. Every 6-8 weeks, we would re-hang the gallery, buy a bunch of wine and cheese and sit back and serve people who were having a blast with no intent on buying any artwork. Seeing how many of those galleries went out of business, or had to move to lower overhead, my guess is most had the same results.
I moved on and developed a successful corporate art consulting business where I decided I wasn't going to sit back and wait for people to walk in the door and buy. I was going to seek out the people who bought art. We also had great parties, serving free wine and cheese to the people who were buying artwork from us as a thank you, not an enticement to buy.
A few years back someone wrote an article in the Star Tribune about missing the First Avenue art scene, and that no one was buying art anymore. The truth is, galleries cant exist just showing art, people have to buy it too. They have been buying it, but in different ways; through consultants (including my former company), interior designers, furniture stores and online. I believe there is a model in-between, where galleries can show quality work by emerging and established artists at reasonable prices and people will buy.
This is what we are trying to do at Hennes Art Company. Find great art at good prices, get in front of the buyers of artwork and make a match. Everyone wins, artist, client and gallery owner. Too often the gallery owner is left on the sidelines.
I have some ideas on how to better promote the gallery scene in Minneapolis, so stay tuned. My experience with getting PR, calendar listings and online references has been eye opening.
Hence where my soap box starts.
I got my start in the art business managing a gallery on First Avenue in 1986. The peak of the First Avenue Art scene. Every 6-8 weeks, we would re-hang the gallery, buy a bunch of wine and cheese and sit back and serve people who were having a blast with no intent on buying any artwork. Seeing how many of those galleries went out of business, or had to move to lower overhead, my guess is most had the same results.
I moved on and developed a successful corporate art consulting business where I decided I wasn't going to sit back and wait for people to walk in the door and buy. I was going to seek out the people who bought art. We also had great parties, serving free wine and cheese to the people who were buying artwork from us as a thank you, not an enticement to buy.
A few years back someone wrote an article in the Star Tribune about missing the First Avenue art scene, and that no one was buying art anymore. The truth is, galleries cant exist just showing art, people have to buy it too. They have been buying it, but in different ways; through consultants (including my former company), interior designers, furniture stores and online. I believe there is a model in-between, where galleries can show quality work by emerging and established artists at reasonable prices and people will buy.
This is what we are trying to do at Hennes Art Company. Find great art at good prices, get in front of the buyers of artwork and make a match. Everyone wins, artist, client and gallery owner. Too often the gallery owner is left on the sidelines.
I have some ideas on how to better promote the gallery scene in Minneapolis, so stay tuned. My experience with getting PR, calendar listings and online references has been eye opening.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Work of Art
I watched the season finale of Bravo's "Work of art - the next great artist" last week. I did not have the opportunity to see any of the earlier episodes of this inaugural season. Partially due to a lack of time raising 4 teenagers and partially because I despise reality television. See all the details and artists bios at www.bravotv.com/work-of-art.
I must say I was impressed with the quality of the three finalists.
Third place was Minneapolis' own Miles Mendenhall. He is a print maker who explored multiple layers of photography taken from a cell phone camera. He has also been doing work with High Point Center for Printmaking through a Jerome scholarship. I look forward to seeing more of his work and would love to show it in our new gallery.
Second place was Peregrine, who created a carnival atmosphere with her three dimensional sculptures, complete with a cotton candy machine. Very fun to see in a museum but makes me come back to the age old question, would you buy it?
The winner was Abdi who created a series of sculptures and paintings that showed he has skills. Being the winner got him $100k plus a show at the Brooklyn Museum. Both high on any artists wish list.
So the verdict is still out on whether this show will see season two. It definitely could use a new writer and editor as the quality of the production left a lot to be desired. I'll be waiting by the phone.
Greg Hennes
8-16-10
I must say I was impressed with the quality of the three finalists.
Third place was Minneapolis' own Miles Mendenhall. He is a print maker who explored multiple layers of photography taken from a cell phone camera. He has also been doing work with High Point Center for Printmaking through a Jerome scholarship. I look forward to seeing more of his work and would love to show it in our new gallery.
Second place was Peregrine, who created a carnival atmosphere with her three dimensional sculptures, complete with a cotton candy machine. Very fun to see in a museum but makes me come back to the age old question, would you buy it?
The winner was Abdi who created a series of sculptures and paintings that showed he has skills. Being the winner got him $100k plus a show at the Brooklyn Museum. Both high on any artists wish list.
So the verdict is still out on whether this show will see season two. It definitely could use a new writer and editor as the quality of the production left a lot to be desired. I'll be waiting by the phone.
Greg Hennes
8-16-10
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