December Issue 1999
How to write a press release about an exhibit and turn it into an article in Carolina Arts.
by Tom Starland, editor/publisher
First off, I can tell you what's not a press release. An artists' resumé is not a press release. An artists' statement is not a press release. A copy of an article written about another exhibit by an artist who will show at a different gallery with a different group of works is not a press release. Any combination of these three items does not make a press release.
I have received press releases which after
reading them only leave more questions unanswered than information
offered. Some press releases forget to tell you the ending dates
of the exhibit, while others forget to include the location of
the exhibit, and my favorites are the ones that spell the name
of the artist several different ways in the same sentence. The
all time worst ones are those that come in plain envelopes with
no return address and no name or number of the person who sent
it. It's kind of hard to call someone and ask them what the hours
of the gallery are, the street address, and a contact number when
they don't give you a number to call to ask questions. You can
do an investigation and find out how to get that information,
but does any editor pressed for time bother? I know I don't anymore!
Every press release about an exhibit should have the following
(typed) information (for both non-profit and commercial galleries):
1) The who, what, when, and where paragraph. The first paragraph of the press release should give the gallery name, general location, exhibit title, names of participating artists (you are responsible for the correct spelling of names), short description, and opening and ending dates of the exhibit.
Here's an example:
Works by Cat-in-the-Hat to show at North Carolina's Hooterville Museum
The Green Eggs and Ham Gallery at the Hooterville Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Hooterville, NC, will present an exhibition of conceptualized photographs by Cat-in-the-Hat entitled, A (an) Honest Look at City Hall. The exhibition will open on June 14 and continue through June 15, 1999. It will be the first and only opportunity for the public to view these controversial works which caused the Mayor of Hooterville to cut the city's funding for the Hooterville Museum of Contemporary Art.
2) The next paragraph should give information about the artist and the works in the exhibit.
Our continuing example:
Cat-in-the-Hat moved to Hooterville in 1991 to take the position of Artist-in-Residence at Hooterville University. It was at the University where the artist developed his new medium of choice - conceptualized photography. Conceptualized photography is where the viewer sees whatever they want and that is exactly what the artist wanted it to be. The artist does admit that with this new form of photography the burden is on the viewer more than it is on the images creator.
Before the development of conceptualized photography,
Cat-in-the-Hat thought of himself as a creator of insider art
- art created by people with numerous art degrees and no creative
vision, but have total support and acceptance by the established
art community.
A (an) Honest Look at City Hall, will feature 16 conceptualized
photographs showcasing Hooterville City Hall, including images
of Mayor Yertle the Turtle. It is these images which the Mayor
is trying to stop the Museum from showing by threating to cut
the City's funding to the Museum. "It makes you wonder if
the Mayor is afraid to find out how the public views him,"
commented the artist when asked about the controversy.
Before moving to Hooterville, Cat-in-the-Hat lived in Whoville, SC, where he was working on a project, funded by the National Endowment of Selfindulgence, to document the everyday life of Whoville. His day involved carrying around a video camera attached to a hat that was set up to take 15 seconds of video every hour. At night the artist would just point the hat at himself while sleeping. Cat-in-the-Hat had completed eleven years of the project before Congress cut funding for the NES in 1990. The artist protested the action by Congress by smashing his video hat on the front steps of the Lincoln Memorial, stating that he would remain enslaved by Congress until NES funding was restored. It was this action which gained the artist the attention of the Art Department at Hooterville University and the Artist-in-Residence position.
3) The next paragraph should give further background information about the artist, as far as education, grants, awards, and inclusion of works in collections. And, any other important accomplishments.
Our continuing example:
Cat-in-the-Hat has the highest degrees available at leading universities throughout the country. He has received continuous grants and fellowships from every funding agency known. His works are included in all the important private, public and corporate collections, as well as those that are not yet known to be important at this time. Cat-in-the-Hat is also credited with designing the "first" cover of the Beatles' LP, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was never seen by the public and no known copies exist.
4) The final paragraph should include important information about the exhibition space, including directions, hours of operation, date and times for opening reception (if any), and contact numbers for the space, as well as those providing the press release. This could include fax number, e-mail address and web site URL.
Our continuing example:
An opening reception will be held for A (an) Honest Look at City Hall on June 14, 1999, from 3:15pm to 10:35pm. The artist will not be present at the reception. Only people interested in viewing the exhibition should come to the reception.
The Hooterville Museum is located just across from Hooterville City Hall, at the block bordered by Main, 1st, 2nd, and Crosstown Streets, in historic downtown Hooterville. The Museum is open every other Tuesday, starting with the first Tuesday in May and on the first Friday of each month from 8am until 5:17pm. For further information about the Museum call 100/987-6543. For further info about Cat-in-the-Hat, call the Lucky 100 Agency at 200/123-4567, e-mail at (IM@home.com) or on the web at (http://www16.Lucky100.com).
Special Note: It is advised that you should send a color slide, photo, or artcard, (of artwork to be shown in the exhibit) which could be converted to B&W (avoid images with lots of shades of red). These items should be copies which don't necessarily have to be returned. But, if they do need to be returned, include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE).
Now, our example press release may have more information than will be used by the media, after all, that's what editors are for. Nonetheless, it has all the information needed to be a good press release and a future article in Carolina Arts. Most people just send the info found in the first and last paragraphs, and most of the time, they don't include all that info. I find it hard to believe that anyone presenting the public with an exhibition of art by a single artist, duo, or a group of artists can't follow this formula to produce a respectable press release. If you don't know this information or the artist can't provide it, I don't know if you should be presenting the exhibit - you're not ready or prepared to have a successful exhibition.
In some cases, representatives of other media, otherwise known as real art reporters, may contact you for further tidbits of information to justify their salaries. At Carolina Arts, we don't have time and we prefer to receive all the information we need in the press release. Depending on how well it is written and how informative it is, we may reprint it as is. Some people think of press releases as just an invitation to call to ask about something unrelated to the exhibit or as an opportunity for poetic license to interpret what you said on the phone anyway they want. At Carolina Arts we think you should know your artist(s), what you are presenting, and what you want the public to know about it, better than we do or ever will. We're in the business of distributing information about the visual arts.
This is how people get articles in Carolina Arts and how we can operate this newspaper without a staff on a monthly basis, every month. I hope you find this article informative.
One last thing. Don't send us a press release if you don't have a gallery space in North or South Carolina. If you are from outside our area of coverage and want information about your exhibit in Carolina Arts, you can purchase a display ad to have that info included.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
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E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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