Lessons from a Wildly Successful Pop-up Art Gallery Event with Mai Wyn Schantz (#109)
Release Date: 11/11/2021
The Career Journey of Growth-Minded Artists (ep. 186)
The Art Biz
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Leaning Into Her Roots and Community Art with Marilyn Fontaine (ep. 185)
The Art Biz
host: Alyson Stanfield Some artists are fine working by themselves in their studios. Other artists need to move their art beyond the studio walls and into the public in order to be fulfilled. My guest for this episode is Marilyn Fontaine, a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in East London. Her work is spiritual with a strong foothold in feminine themes. She has begun marrying that work to the history of the local community—in particular, the stories of those who share her Afro-Caribbean roots. Marilyn and I talk about the work she does within her community, including how it is...
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How Your Art Makes People Feel (ep. 184)
The Art Biz
Host: Alyson B. Stanfield For so long, I asked artists Why they make art. Some artists have a Why. For other artists, being asked why they make art is unfruitful—even debilitating. They feel unworthy if they can’t come up with a good Why. A better strategy is to focus on the people who will be viewing, talking about, and living with your art. How does your art make people feel? Bernadette Jiwa says, "People don't buy why you do something. They buy how it makes them feel." If you think about it, this, ironically, leads to your Why: Connection. 🎧 RELATED EPISODES...
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The Art Biz
Host: Alyson B. Stanfield In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Lori Sokoluk and Susan Purney Mark, who met in my coaching group many years ago and started a collaboration during the pandemic. When I teach about collaboration, I’m usually talking about an exhibition or event. Lori and Susan took it to the next level and collaborated on the artwork itself—resulting in a two-person exhibition that recently closed. I wanted to know what the artmaking process was like when you’re presented with someone else’s marks on the canvas. I think you’ll enjoy hearing about it and what they...
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Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists (ep. 182)
The Art Biz
Host: Alyson B. Stanfield Your list is something unique to you and your career. No one has this same list. No one makes art like you do; no one knows the same people as you do; and no one has the exact vision that you have. Nobody! Your list is almost worthless to anyone else, yet it’s invaluable to you. It is the primary tool you use to share your art with the world. It’s your #1 marketing asset, but worthless if you’re not using it. The definition of a mailing list isn’t as clear cut as it sounds. I have a philosophy around this 2-word phrase that we frequently take for granted: You...
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Spotlighting Artists Who Bloom Later in Life with Janice Mason Steeves (#181)
The Art Biz
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The Art Biz
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Virtual Assistance for Your Social Media and Websites with Artist VA Hallie Edlund (ep. 179).
The Art Biz
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Every Artist Is Designed Differently and What It Means with Jahje Ives (#178)
The Art Biz
In this episode, I have something a little different for you. I want to share a tool I found a number of years ago that helps me in life and in my business. And it’s helped many of my clients. It’s a life map, of sorts, called Human Design. Jahje Ives is an artist and a Human Design coach and guide. While I have worked with Human Design guides in the past, Jahje is the first artist I have met in this realm. I wanted her insights as to how knowing your Human Design could help with your art and art business. To get the most out of it, you have to have a little woo in you. As Jahje says, you...
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Why You Should Raise Prices of Your Art and How to Do It (#177)
The Art Biz
Two things are clear when it comes to pricing your art. 1️⃣ It’s a struggle for most artists. 2️⃣ There’s a good chance that your prices are too low. There are 5 reasons to raise your prices: 🔸 You’ve done the math and realized you aren’t paying yourself. 🔸 Your pricing has become uneven over time. 🔸 The cost of your materials has increased. 🔸 You can’t keep up with the demand for your art. 🔸 You start selling through galleries. I cover all of these in this episode and then tell you HOW to raise your prices. 🆓...
info_outlineSo many art venues shut down during the pandemic, and I'm sure many of the people that ran those venues mourn for not only what might have been, but also the fact that there wasn't an opportunity for closure. My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is Mai Wyn Schantz, an artist who was also a gallerist when she closed her space at the beginning of COVID. She hated to lose the relationships she had built over the years as the gallerist. She needed closure and she was determined to do right by her artists.
As soon as she felt it was safe, Mai Win organized a pop-up farewell exhibition with her artists. Her goal was to break even, which as you'll hear was far too conservative of a goal because she hit it out of the park, mostly because of the relationships she had nurtured throughout the years. Together we discuss the timing of the pop-up, the details for pulling it off, including the space she worked with, and what she learned from the experience. She reveals at least three things that she will do differently next time, and will inspire you to consider a pop-up gallery for your next art sales event.
Highlights
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Mai Wyn’s journey to finding her space in galleries. (1:42)
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Acting as a gallerist when you feel like an imposter. (6:11)
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The impact of an artist's experience on Mai Wyn’s gallery experience. (8:58)
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Reflections on the decision to close her gallery. (11:55)
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Celebrating the closure the proper way with a pop-up gallery. (16:16)
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Artist requirements for participation in the event. (25:42)
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How to promote a pop-up event across your network. (27:08)
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Handling inventory and sales in a pop-up gallery. (30:10)
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Playing the part of the hostess means hiring the right kind of help. (32:50)
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Lessons learned from this hugely successful pop-up. (42:51)
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Exceeding sales expectations by 1000%. (49:00)
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The relationships that make artists and gallerists succeed. (50:26)
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Mai Wyn gets real about what’s up next for her as a reborn artist. (52:22)
Mentioned
Resources
Guest Bio
Landscape and wildlife painter Mai Wyn Schantz developed a love of nature at an early age canoeing the lake country of the upper Midwest with her father. Since her introduction to the art world in 1999, Schantz has exhibited steadily, including solo and group exhibitions at commercial galleries, art centers and museums notably the Museum of Wisconsin Art, Yellowstone Art Museum and Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities in Colorado. Beyond the studio, she remains an avid hiker spending her down time exploring trails along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies with her husband and young daughter.