In the past few years art has been thriving in Indianapolis in a new way. The Indy Arts Council knows that artists in Indy are doing more than providing a hip night out or an eccentric class. Due to shutdowns and the sense of economic uncertainty, some artists are exploring their craft as a full-time venture. The Arts Council is dedicated to sharing that importance.
Arts marketing is about an intentional, coordinated effort to draw attention to an artist or a particular piece or series of work, and it is the driver of sharing the current climate of local art with the public. Amanda Kingsbury and Melissa Rowe, who make up the marketing and communications department of the Indy Arts Council, are dedicated to sharing the Arts Council’s mission through digital marketing, public art, and working with funders and other arts organizations.
“More people here understand that yes, artists create beauty, but they’re not here to decorate the city. They solve problems. They lead movements. They bring inequality and injustices to light,” Kingsbury says.
Kingsbury, who is the director of marketing and communications, has a long background in journalism. After working as a reporter and editor for twenty-five years, she initiated her journey into arts marketing while co-founding Indy Maven and a brief stint as editor for Newfields Magazine. From there, she began her role at the Arts Council with a drive to share local art.
Kingsbury leads the marketing department with her experience and innate sense of excellent storytelling. She says the Council promotes how much of an economic impact that art has. All kinds of people who live in or visit the city end up pouring money into activities that support the arts. Serving 8 million residents and visitors each year, Indianapolis art creates $440 million in annual economic impact and employs 30,000 workers. And, she says, that data is a few years old.
Despite the fact that she hasn’t been in marketing long, she is confident in her abilities because she knows good content will bring an audience. Kingsbury sees that artists are contributing in myriad ways, but the most important part is humanizing the work and connecting with an audience of all different backgrounds.
“People don’t follow organizations, they follow people,” Kingsbury says.
Arts marketing is essential in the current climate of digital marketing, because so many people are using these resources to find things to do and learn. It can be difficult to make sure the content is being used, though. There are an overwhelming amount of resources out there. It can be hard to know which ones to rely on, especially when searching for financial resources. Getting noticed in the flood of information is difficult to do. The Arts Council is keeping their resources simple and effective to ultimately encourage artists to share more of their work, and for more people to engage with it.
Kingsbury and Rowe handle all communications and marketing that the Indy Arts Council has its hands in. They craft multiple newsletters each month—Indy Arts Guide Weekly, Artist Opportunities, Gallery 924, and Indy Arts Ed—each appealing to different branches of their audiences. As important as digital marketing is, the Arts Council continues to advocate for in-person events like Art and Soul, art shows at Gallery 924, and access to public art. The public art at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, neighborhood murals like Help Somebody Up by Cents, and Transitions, a three-dimensional mural made up of more than 300,000 colorful recyclable cups by Jackie Head are all examples of public art that the Indy Arts Council has led.
Rowe believes that arts marketing can and should be rooted in authenticity. Her experience working as an art director and executive at Pivot Marketing have given her a keen sense of the industry, and she says authenticity is the point. Sometimes, art marketing can be challenging because some artists may feel that marketing their work feels a bit like turning it to a product.
“How can the art speak for itself if no one knows about it? Rowe asks. Letting art speak for itself is great—once people are there. You can do that in authentic ways, you don’t have to sell your soul. Marketing creates a story and a message that people can relate to.”
Currently, their efforts are largely focused on revamping their current websites, Indy Arts Council and the Indy Arts Guide. The website will merge into one and things will be even more simplified for artists and residents. The 27th Annual Art and Soul Festival kicks off this weekend, February 3rd.
