Lessons from Loring Park Art Festival
Photo courtesy of Brooke Nelson
Making connections is important to those involved in the Loring Park Art Festival, and the show’s assistant director is sharing how they do that and much more.
“Listen to your artists and make genuine connections with them. Connect with other directors across the country,” said Cindy Jacobson “Be mindful of the climate of your audience — be respectful of where the general public is at in these uncertain times.”
She said the most common mistake a promoter makes is the perspective of us versus them. “Directors/promoters should really make the connection with artists that we’re all in this together,” Jacobson said.
Her advice for overcoming that mistake is to “be genuine and sincere. Do your research if you’re not an artist yourself. Never refer to artists as crafters.”
Something learned at their most recent show that will improve future shows was taking the time to make real connections, she said. “Be transparent as much as you feel comfortable regarding the expenses of running an art fair,” Jacobson said.
A few changes were implemented at last year’s festival that made a big difference. “We had our staff spend more time with artists; fortunately, we had enough volunteers to assist with this. The artists felt heard and appreciated,” Jacobson said. “We eliminated entertainment — music and family activities — due to COVID-19, but it seemed to bring our festival back to the basics of an art festival — art!”
Loring Park Art Festival is produced by Artists for Artists. The 2022 event is July 30 and 31.