Besides being Hampshire-based and showing mainly contemporary visual art, ArtSway, Aspex Gallery, The John Hansard Gallery, The Millais Gallery, Southampton City Art Gallery and The Winchester Gallery have one unique element in common, explains Sandra Adams, and that is Gallery GO.
Initially funded by the Lottery through the Arts for Everyone scheme, Gallery GO is an audience development initiative that aims not only to introduce new audiences to contemporary visual art, but also to make the experience of those currently attending gallery exhibitions more enjoyable. The Gallery GO approach contributes to the demystification of contemporary visual art by bringing people who are ?interested but wary? of it into contact with speakers ? artists, curators or others with a special interest in the exhibition ? who can communicate ideas about the work in a straightforward, non-intimidating way. Introductory talks and tours provide newcomers with background information about specific exhibitions, while for those who have already developed an interest in contemporary art, there is an opportunity to learn more through gallery talks that explore particular artists or exhibitions in more depth.
Gallery GO?s approach to audience development is unusual within the visual arts because it uses direct mail to attract audiences and focuses on attracting those who are already interested in, but have some reservations about, contemporary visual art. This approach challenges the widespread assumption that people who are positively predisposed to contemporary visual art will attend exhibitions without being directly addressed by galleries. Arts Marketing Hampshire, a key partner in delivering the project, identified a homogenous target market using two commercial profiling techniques, Prospect Locator and MOSAIC, to generate 72,000 names and addresses of people most likely to have an interest in the arts. Prospective attenders are mailed with a carefully worded invitation to an event at the gallery closest to them. The invitation letter highlights the social, informal nature of the event, in an attempt to challenge the negative associations that events of this nature might generate. Those who respond to the invitation are sent a Gallery GO information pack, which comprises a letter confirming a place at the event, a brief description of the exhibition, the current Gallery GO newsletter and the Gallery GO publication, A Quick Guide to Contemporary Art. Information is included about what the attender will see and what is expected of them, as well as more practical details such as clear directions, parking information, the option to bring a guest, and a contact name for the evening. All of this works towards minimising any stresses that may otherwise deter a potential attender. When people arrive for an event they are individually greeted by the project co-ordinator and offered free refreshments. The highlight of each event is the informal talk and the question-and-answer session that follows. As attenders become more confident with each visit, the Q&A element of the evening generates a real buzz as people engage with the speaker and each other.
Has it worked? Certainly. The project has generated a mailing list of dedicated attenders who support not only the Gallery GO events but also visit galleries independently. It has raised the profile of the galleries through its publications and has generated important research about the attitudes and beliefs of those interested in contemporary visual art. It has also changed behaviour, not only amongst attenders but also among the galleries? staff, who recognise the importance of direct marketing in the battle to get the public gallery going.
Sandra Adams is the Gallery GO Project Co-ordinator t: 023 8059 2477;
e: s.adams@soton.ac.uk Contact her if you would like a copy of the Gallery GO final project report (phase 1).