Why does context matter so much when presenting art? A common misconception is that you can just plug your work on any old wall and the money will just roll right in the door. This is far from the truth. However, I am a fan of doing things in a DIY manner, so I gave an art opening at a wine bar a go.
Recently I had a reception for an art opening with fellow Dallas Artist Jacqui Sommerman. We set up at Wine Poste in Bishop arts district. I had set up a time and date with the original owners of this business a couple months prior to the opening.  I learned a few great lessons from this experience.
This is not the first time I have had an artist reception at a non gallery specific venue. In 2009, 2012, and 2013 I had art openings at the now defunct Stephanie Anne Boutique. The first show rendered my first real sales in art, and the second and third were somewhat diminishing returns, but still somewhat successful.
Here is a list of things that are absolutely vital when dealing with a space for an art opening:
1. Clear and open communication with the venue owners is absolutely vital.
The Saturday before the opening, I found out that the wine bar had been sold. No real prior notice. I asked one of the former employees of Wine Poste if it was ok to stop by and scope out the space and see about how layout of our artwork would work. I was informed of the sale of the business and began to panic. Luckily we were still on schedule with the new owners. My initial impression of the new owners was neutral to favorable.
However, the morning of the day of the art opening we went to set up as scheduled and agreed upon with the new owners… and were met with another surprise. We were told that we could not set up because a party had suddenly been set up. This may or may not have been accurate as the party never materialized. In any case we had to bust ass at an hour and a half before the beginning of the opening to get set up. We finished up right as the first people I had invited began to show up. However, we had to make a ton of noise and set up around a bunch of people in the wine bar. This was one of the most anxiety producing experiences of my professional career. Always set up way in advance.
2. What’s physically present in the space can work for or against you.
We had to encounter a lot of flack from the owners to “not scratch up the walls”. I used a set of wooden 2×4’s to hang up the paintings in the space, which I have done before. There was some padding on the wood to prevent scuffing. However, when you are doing all of this work at the last minute, it can be really nerve wracking to have to hear this a lot. Ultimately we were on their property, and it is somewhat understandable that were in the way so to speak. It was surprising how much that lack of interest translated to some customers. I did get to strike up a few interesting conversations with patrons of the wine bar, though. Windows caused a bit of an issue during the day, with Jacqui’s art, mostly due to back lighting.
However, in the context of the space itself, pairing art next to certain things can create interesting associations that might tell a story or entice purchase of art. As with the Stephnie Anne Boutuque shows, hanging art next to objects that are associated with opulence can create an association with wealth that may raise the perceived status of the art.
I would say that a wine shop is far better than a restaurant. Besides received status, the question of “does the art look good in this space”. For the most art I would argue that it does look great in this case. Ultimately we made the best use of the space we could.
3. Location and parking are important
This venue had kind of a mixed bag in terms of location. On one hand we were present in the middle of one of the fastest growing re-emerging neighborhoods in Dallas, Bishop arts. There was great foot traffic. We got to benefit from the promotional efforts of business itself.
The downside of this venue was a major lack of parking. Many people complained of needing to take 45 minutes to get good parking. It is true that this can be a problem if you don’t know how to get around this area. I do know how to get good parking down there, but I know the area quite well. It’s entirely possible that a lot of people I invited did not make it to the art opening. That means in this case I especially appreciate the efforts of those who did attend!! Thank you!
4. It’s really important to have the venue owners on your side
Ultimately we did maintain a good enough relationship with the business owners to keep the show on track, even if it was all down to the wire. However, if we had a member of the staff actively advocating for our artwork, past experience has taught me that would have made all the difference in the world. If we were not so concerned about liability and had a chance to keep the art up longer, there probably would have been a better chance that we could have made more sales.
Lastly I want to say it was a very successful reception and we both really appreciate everyone showing up to help us celebrate this evening and check out our new artwork. See you on the next one!
