Small money, big hearts

 

Last week I received an email from one of the great performing arts institution in New York. They’re celebrating their 35^th anniversary with a range of virtual (alas!) events – and also looking for donors. In 2020, when art and culture organizations didn’t operate for so long and faced financial problems, my email was exploding with membership offers. Public funding plays a great role in the United States (in some countries arts are mostly funded by the government). Individuals, private funds and corporations may contribute up to 40% of the income of an art organization according to the research How the United States Fund the Arts by National Endowment for the Arts. Now, in the time of major fiscal crises individuals’ support starts playing a greater role.

However, it looks like the membership offers didn’t change much, they just became more frequent. I looked through the offers of famous companies: The Met, The Rubin Museum, The Guggenheim, Lincoln Center and The World Music Institute – and found out that if you donate less than $500-600, the biggest benefit you usually get is tax deductable. However, deducting such small sums doesn’t help you much too. All other benefits, like member events, previews, VIP and private openings, membership appreciation events are not accessible. However, these minor donors may have so much love and commitment!

Of course, it’s easy to understand such logic. Running an art or culture organization is expensive and often risky, and finding a good donor is a great success. But a big donation doesn’t guarantee that the donor will stay with the company forever. Why not to pay attention to people who are really devoted? Maybe they never buy orchestra tickets, maybe they donate $50 or less  – but they have been doing this for years, and their total could be much greater than a single chunk of money from a person who is not really engaged in the organization life and projects.

So if I was a marketing person, or an art director, or a board member (sending my wishes to the Universe), I’d definitely track these little lights of commitment and involvement – the volunteers, the regular attendees, the donors who send $10 every other month – and give them a chance to celebrate and to be appreciated by the company they gave their big loving hearts to. 

Bring your art out of closet and put it on display...where?

The last several months have been a truly dark time. But there is a tiny light spot in it – a lot of people got more time for their hobbies, or works they always wanted to finish, or some even got inspired by these macabre - but unique conditions. And by the moment some artists may have quite a nice set of works and believe that they deserve to be displayed.

Of course, MoMA, The Met and Whitney are great places for an exhibition, but maybe you don’t feel confident enough to contact them, or negotiating in English is a challenge for you, or you see art just as your hobby – don’t worry, there still are ways for you. 

How about a local library since they're reopened? They are very likely to be delighted to have your works! Prepare some portfolio – make pictures of your works or bring a couple of them with you. Also be ready to introduce yourself. Prepare a short, but saturated "marketing pitch". Think of including the following:

1) You name and where you live - to highlight that you're a part of the neighborhood 

2) What kind of art you do - painting, sculpture, literature, pottery etc. Keep in mind that libraries can't host any kind of group meetings now, so they can put your poem on the wall but you can't do public readings

3) Why your works are important for the community. Maybe they reflect your experience, maybe they're portraying the life in your neighborhood, maybe they were inspired by something related to Brooklyn. What knowledge or experience does it reflect? What's the story behind your works? And - the most important - who are your works for? Who can be interested or benefit from them?

Don’t make your presentation too long – librarians are busy and they may not be able to listen to you all day long. 5-7 minutes is enough for the introduction. Also, keep in mind that the library supervisor may be out of office and you may need to come next day.

A library is not a place where you can make money. You can display your works for free and neither you, nor the library will get any profit from it. But you’ll have the audience! To make sure that you’ll get maximum attention check several libraries nearby – some of them may be much busier than the others.

If your works contain nudity or violence, a library is not the best place for it. But it doesn’t mean that they’re doomed to stay in your closet. Check various neighborhood institutions: bars, stores, community centers, even yoga studios! Find something corresponding with your aesthetics and don’t be shy. Follow the same logic – portfolio and a brief, but energetic and persuasive self-presentation.

So, no matter if you are a young artist finding his or her way in New York or you’re just a community member who wants to share his/her emotions and experience, there are easy ways to be seen and heard. Yes, a library or a pub may seem less appealing than a fancy gallery, but it’s a great place for your first step. And you know, big art experts borrow books too.