The Big News

The IMA has been selected to represent the United States at the 2011 La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) and present the work of Puerto Rico-based artist collaborative Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla. Often described as the Olympic games of the contemporary art world, more the 70 nations present the newest and best works from their respective countries every other year at the Venice Biennale. This year marks the 54th International Art Exhibition.

A Few More Details

U.S. Pavilion

The IMA will present the work of Allora & Calzadilla at the U.S. Pavilion in Venice, Italy from June 4 through November 27, 2011. The U.S. pavilion is presented by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, which supports and manages the official United States participation at selected international exhibitions. Lisa Freiman, Chair of the IMA’s Department of Contemporary Art, will serve as Commissioner of the U.S. Pavilion.

More to Come

More details about the Venice Biennale and Allora & Calzadilla’s work will be posted in the coming weeks and months.

Read All About It

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/arts/design/08arts-ARTTEAMREPRE_BRF.html?ref=todayspaper

Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/09/07/artist-pair-from-puerto-rico-to-represent-us-in-venice-biennial/

Indianapolis Star: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100908/LOCAL/9080348/IMA-picked-to-represent-U.S.-at-show-in-Venice

Artinfo: http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/35714/united-states-picks-allora-calzadilla-for-the-54th-venice-biennale/

ArtForum: http://artforum.com/archive/id=26356

1. Ball-Nogues Studio: Gravity’s Loom - Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues have been the guests of the IMA for the last week installing their site-specific work made of multicolored string. This week, don’t miss your opportunity to get up close and personal with the artists and the IMA’s design and installation crew as they install the work in the Efroymson Entrance Pavilion.  The team will be working throughout the day and in open view of visitors, so stop by and check out how this exhibition comes together. The show opens to the public this  Friday, but if you’ve got time, come by Thursday evening for a preview and artist talk.

2. Distance closes this Sunday. Kids and adults alike have been mesmerized all summer by Jeppe Hein’s rollercoaster-like track in the Forefront Galleries. Stop by this week for your final chance to follow a white, plastic ball as it rolls through 3 different rooms on the IMA’s fourth floor. This exhibition is a can’t miss, but hurry…you’ve only got 6 more days to see it!

3. Bring your family and friends to 100 Acres this weekend. I just checked the forecast and the weather looks perfect for a picnic! Bring a frisbee or a football and play around in the Park’s meadow. Interested in a tour? Every Sunday, there is a docent-led walk around the Park from 11 a.m. to noon.

(Don’t forget the Museum is closed on Mondays, but 100 Acres is open 7 days a week, including Labor Day.)

OK, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, but those are 3 good reasons for our friends in and around Indianapolis to come to the IMA this week.

Want more? Visit our calendar to see a full list of programs and exhibitions.

(photo via Joe Shoemaker)

Last week, I represented the IMA (@IMAMuseum) at the Indianapolis Social Media Breakfast (@indysmb) on the topic of Using Social Media in Travel, Tourism and Attraction Industries. Serving on the panel with me were representatives from IndyHub (@IndyHub), The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (@TCMIndy), The State Fair Grounds (@IndyStateFair), and the ICVA (@VisitIndy). Sitting in the audience were some of the most engaged social networkers in the city. It was a great opportunity to discuss the IMA’s social media strategy and to hear how other organizations are utilizing social networks for marketing and audience development strategies. (In case you don’t know, the “@” behind the organization refers to its Twitter account).

To sum up, here’s what I discussed:

1. Social Media = Social Networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) + Social Content (Video, blogs, etc.) If an organization creates great social content then social networking is a heckuvalot easier! Producing good, engaging content should be your top priority.
2. The staff person/s that manage/s Facebook and Twitter is your online visitor services staff. Whether they speak from their own voice or on behalf of your organization, Social Media staff are evangelists of the organization. They have to be authentically passionate about what they communicate and be willing to live the mission of the organization. The best Social Networking is done 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week.
3. When it comes to online strategy, the best plan is to not plan. While it’s essential that overall communication objectives and key messages are understood, the best social media presences are those that have the ability to be flexible, responsive and experimental.

See the full discussion:

Indianapolis Social Media Breakfast | May 13th 2010 from Twelve Stars Media Productions on Vimeo.

Want More?

If you are local and want to learn more about the IMA and our social media strategy, you’re in luck! This Thursday, May 20 at 5:30 we will be hosting Bloggers Anonymous, a meetup group of individuals who are interested in art, technology, online communications and networking. Come, grab a drink in Nourish Café, get some freebies, and meet some really great people while you’re at it!

This is a crown, but not the actual crown that the winning blogger will receive.

And the Nominees Are…

• Jessica Hancock
• Katie Neville
• Crystal Hammon
• Jenni Clarkson
• Heather McAllister
  

So What Happens Next?

Every Wednesday for the next 5 weeks we will post the submission of each of the finalists listed above. On March 3 we will then take it to a public vote in order to let our blog readers decide the individual who gets to be the IMA’s next blogger.

What’s at stake?

For the winning blogger – You will get a free membership to the IMA as well as complimentary tickets to select public programs and events. In addition, you will receive the opportunity to blog on a monthly basis through the end of 2010. As and added bonus, I will also fashion a special crown for whoever wins.* AND as a super special added bonus – The Social Media Committee of Excellence will buy you lunch at Nourish Cafe to celebrate your success.

For our blog readers – You will receive the opportunity to pick the voice that you want to hear throughout 2010. Who makes you laugh? Who intrigues you? Who has a point of view that is unique and relevant? It’s up to you to decide. Choose wisely.

Good luck to our finalists, cheers to our future voters, and let the best blogger win!

Oh, oh. And one last thing…If you aren’t following the IMA on Twitter, I think you should.

*Wearing the crown is completely optional. However, if the winner decides to not wear the crown, I will (obviously) be required to wear it myself.

In case you haven’t heard yet, we’re searching for a blogger. (See instructions for submission.) So far, we’ve received nearly 20 submissions and each is pretty darn good. It’s going to be a difficult process of narrowing down the field. However, I believe that the IMA’s Social Media Committee of Excellence is up for the task, and we hope that our blog readers will in turn be up for the challenge of voting for their favorite in the coming weeks.

Blogging isn’t easy. At least not for me. I’ve been doing it for nearly 3 years (see my first blog) – since the beginning of the IMA blog (read the first post ever) – and honestly, every post is a challenge. Finding a topic and a point of view  is time consuming and hard.

If you’re thinking about blogging for yourself or for the IMA, here are some great tips that I’ve found online:

• Write a Blog You’d Want to Read
• Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post
• Ten Secrets for Writing Good Blog Posts

Happy New Year! 2010 is shaping up to be a year filled with greatness. As I’ve been working on all of the marketing plans over the last few months, I’ve gotten really fired up about the new year at the IMA. Here are some of the things that I’m most looking forward to (in no particular order):

1. So You Think You Can Blog? – Want to write for the IMA? We’re taking applications now. Deadline is January 15. Check it out.
2. @imamuseum – Yep, we’re on Twitter. We’re starting out slow, but I guarantee there will be some exciting stuff along the way. Around here, it’s all an experiment, so you never know what you’ll find if you follow us.
3. IMA-produced Content Starring YOU – From the makers of ArtBabble, TAP: Sacred Spain, and all things cool at the IMA, comes completely in-house produced television and radio advertising. And the best part – we want you to be in them. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a call for participation in IMA-produced spots.
4. The launch of the new IMA Web site (coming soon!) – The IMA’s brilliant Web team has been working on this for a long time. It’s gonna be amazing!
5. Touch of Evil introduced by Peter Bogdanovich – I love old movies. I adore Orson Welles. Mark this on your calendar as  date night at The Toby.
6. Oldfields Picnics – When the weather gets warm this spring and the flowers begin to bloom on Oldfields estate, I’m looking forward to grabbing lunch at Nourish Café and heading to a bench for a mini break during the work day. I may even take the bocce ball set that I keep in my office and challenge a few passersby (true story).
7. Summer Nights – The schedule is still top secret, but I’ve seen the proposed movies, and let me tell you, this might be the best summer yet.
8. Body Unbound: Contemporary Couture from the IMA’s Collection – I love the IMA’s Textile and Fashion Arts Collection. This exhibition will feature some beautiful, sexy, and iconic pieces created from 1960-2007. Jean-Paul Gaultier and Gianni Versace? Yes, please!
9. 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park – We’ve been working and talking about it for years and now it is only 6 months away. Mark your calendar for June 20 when 100 Acres will open to the public. I’m pretty sure this is going to blow you away.
10. Unexpected Discoveries in the Galleries – Every time I go into the galleries, I discover something new. This is partly due to the fact that the collections often rotate on display and partly due to the fact that every day I have a different perspective that helps me to see new things. Whatever the reason, I’ll be spending a lot of time in the permanent collection in 2010 searching for new favorites.

The IMA is searching for its next blogger and we want you! Interested in sharing your thoughts about the IMA from an “outsider’s” perspective? Not afraid to muse publicly about the museum’s programs and exhibitions? Able to attend IMA events and willing to submit 300-600 words once a month? Then you could be the blogger for the job.

Here’s how it works:*

Step 1: Email your responses to the question below to web@imamuseum.org.  Be sure to include “Hey IMA – I Wanna Blog” in the subject line.

Name:
Email:
Tell us a little about yourself:
Tell us a story. We want to know how good your yarn-spinning skills are, so give your best anecdote involving an experience you’ve had at the museum.
Why should you be an IMA blogger?

Step 2: We’ll select the top finalists and post their responses to the IMA blog during the month of January.

Step 3: In February, we’ll take it to America for a vote. Yep, that’s right! We’re gonna let the  IMA blog’s readers decide who they want to read.

Step 4: The new IMA blogger is crowned. (and, yes, if you will wear it, we will give you an actual crown.) He or she will receive a dual membership to the IMA (so you can bring a friend whenever you want), two complimentary tickets to select public programs during 2010, and a monthly opportunity to blog.

*Rules and restrictions may apply. We just haven’t written them yet nor sent them to our lawyers.

KINDA BIG ANNOUNCEMENT #2: @IMAMUSEUM

Image Courtesy of Twitter.com

The IMA will launch on Twitter on January 1, 2010. @imamuseum will be a resource for breaking news, IMA factoids, museum musings, and more. In addition to a way for us to communicate with you, we hope you will use it as a direct link to the IMA – Don’t be shy…We want you to feel  free to DM, RT or @ us anytime.

Oh, and even though we’re not starting until January 1, you can go ahead and FOLLOW US NOW!

Image Courtesy of HowStuffWorks.com

I’ve always been interested in why advertisers do what they do. How do ideas get generated and why are they executed in the ways that they are? Where did the Energizer Bunny come from? And what exactly is Fahrvergnugen? 

Sometimes marketing campaigns are absolutely genius and other times they are absolutely ridiculous. If you’ve ever watched the show Mad Men, you’ll know that there’s a lot of thought and planning that goes into every message. A strong, clear, and creative marketing plan is the foundation for everything you see on tv, hear on the radio or read in a magazine; it not only articulates the messages (what), but it also outlines the audience (who), the objectives (why), the media channels (where), AND provides the reasoning for it all.

We’re just now finishing up the final points of our 2010 Marketing Plan. It’s been exciting to work on and also exhausting. In order to give you a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes work of museum marketing, I thought I’d share with you some of the basics of how we put together our plan.

Step 1: We broke the IMA apart into 10 different marketing categories.

1. Brand
2. Exhibitions
3. 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park
4. Public Programs
5. Membership and Individual Giving
6. Oldfields-Lilly House & Gardens
7. Events and Facility Rentals
8. Nourish Café and Catering
9. Retail – IMA Store, IMA Gallery Shop, Design Center, Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse Shop, Lilly Shop and the IMA online store.
10. New Media and Web

Step 2: We did a modified S.trenghs W.eaknesses O.pportunities T.hreats (SWOT) analysis for each. Full Disclosure: Because this is the part of the process that I like the least, the IMA’s plan only lists each category’s Strengths and Challenges (We’ve listed about 10-15 for each).

Examples of Strengths and Challenges:

Brand
Strength: New brand identity is fresh and dynamic
Challenge: New brand identity has yet to permeate public awareness

Membership and Individual Giving
Strength: New member-specific programming such as Member Night.
Challenge: Decrease in total IMA membership.

Step 3: We listed 10-20 marketing objectives for each of the categories.

Examples of Objectives:
Public Programs: Raise awareness of the Toby as a unique venue for movies.
Events and Facility Rental: Increase revenue from weekday facility rental. Emphasize the IMA’s meeting spaces.

Step 4: We identified the target audiences for each category. By determining the intended recipient of the message, it’s much easier for us to craft messages and identify media channels.

Examples of Target Audiences:
Nourish Cafe: Butler University and Marian College students
100 Acres: Nature and Wildlife Enthusiasts

Step 5: We crafted the Messages for each of the categories. (This is my favorite part of the process!) The Messages are the audience’s key take-aways from our marketing efforts. They communicate the value or benefit of the category (Retail, Exhibitions, etc.) and help to distill down our communications to  essential sound bites.

Step 6: We identified available media and created strategies for implementing and integrating Messages across the channels. By integrating core messages across traditional channels (print, tv, radio) and non-traditional (web, social media, grassroots), we hope that our campaigns will  have a broader reach and a greater impact.

Step 7 (Current stage): It’s now time to take the marketing plan to our colleagues in other departments and get their feedback. If all goes well, we will finish up our media buying, start on in print, tv, and radio production, and debut the new marketing plan in early 2010.

Stay tuned for updates on the unrolling of the marketing plan, the implementation of a new social media strategy, and the in-house production of a very exciting brand campaign!

Empty Billboard

As I’ve been writing the IMA’s 2010 marketing campaign, I’ve been trying to find ways to communicate the value of the museum experience. The IMA has a tremendous amount to offer the public: educational programs that range from films to horticulture classes, collections and exhibitions that span the scope of art history, 2 historic house museums (Lilly House and Miller House), ArtBabble and a bunch of other cool online initiatives,152 acres of gardens and grounds…The list is long, and well, that’s the blessing and the curse of marketing the IMA. It’s the breadth of offerings that makes it hard to distill the IMA experience into a sound bite or tag line for radio, tv, billboards and various other media channels.

I don’t think this is an IMA problem. In general, museums struggle to define the value of what they do to the average community member. Why would someone who has never been to an art museum before and who has no experience with art suddenly choose to visit? What can the museum provide to them? The benefits of a museum experience are complicated and personal. They depend on a myriad of factors, including expectations of visitor, fulfillment of expectations in previous museum trips, personal history, context, mood, etc. What one person may love about the museum, another may hate. What one visitor thinks or feels in front of a work of art, another may never know.

Often I wish I could put my personal reasons for loving museums on a billboard. I’d love to be able to tell folks about the time I walked into a gallery in the British Museum, saw the Parthenon Sculptures, and was moved to sobbing tears. I would like to tell them about a piece in the Denver Art Museum by an artist named Sean Landers that taught me about becoming an adult. I’d love to tell visitors that I don’t understand a lot of contemporary art, and that it’s ok that I’m confused by it. I’d also like to share that sometimes I go into the IMA’s American Galleries, sit in front of a portrait and make up a story about the life of the person in the painting. All of these things create my personal value of the museum experience.

While I know I’m not alone in some of my feelings, I’m certain that the “Meg-tested, Meg-approved” campaign I often dream about  is  NOT going to work. (Though my mom may think otherwise.) So, as I continue to work on the 2010 marketing campaign, I’d like to throw a bit of the thinking out to the group. Why do you visit museums? What is the value of the IMA? I have my answers, but I’d love to hear yours…

By the way, I just wanted to thank Nina Simon and her recent blog on Museum2.0. I found it helpful as part of this process. You may as well.

Audience at The Toby

We have a lot to offer at the IMA: permanent galleries, Lilly House, 152 acres of gardens and grounds, exhibitions, public programs, web projects, and community outreach. After a while, it’s easy to take for granted all of the ways that the museum serves its mission. Every week I write ads, print pieces, Facebook updates, and blogs that focus on the opportunities for visitors at the IMA, but I often don’t take advantage of them myself.

Just 30 seconds from where I sit, I have an amazingly impressive collection of the world’s art, and I rarely take the time to see it. I’m not sure if it’s my hectic schedule or laziness, but it’s shameful to me how little time I spend in the galleries or at the IMA’s public programs. As a marketer, I spend my day encouraging others to experience the IMA, but I wouldn’t be doing my job well unless I do it myself. Therefore, I have recently decided to attend two public programs each month and spend at least 30 minutes in the galleries each week. It’s still not enough, but it’s a start.

As part of my personal mission to experience the museum, a week ago Sunday, I attended an event at The Toby. On November 1, the IMA hosted the string quartet Osso, the singer-songwriter DM Stith as well as Sufjan Stevens and his film, The BQE. The eclectic event entertained a sold-out crowd of 600. As I sat in the balcony of the theater next to a 16-year-old hipster in buffalo check plaid, skinny jeans and black framed glasses, my heart swelled. He and his fellow high school friends were completely engaged in the experience. They were giddy with delight. (In a cool, hipster sort of way, of course.)

DM Stith on stage at The Toby

I loved the event, because Osso was the most bad@ss string quartet that I’ve ever seen perform. I loved the event, because DM Stith has a hauntingly gorgeous voice. I loved the event because The BQE was a devastatingly beautiful film. But, most of all, I loved the event because everyone else loved the event.

As a marketer, I often focus on the cause. “What will make a person attend the Museum?” But not often enough do I focus on the effect. “What happens when a person attends the Museum?” Attending public programs, walking through the galleries, and experiencing the IMA as a visitor are all critical to doing my job well. By taking time to enjoy the mission of what I do, I am better able to serve it.

So, with all that said, I have a challenge to my colleagues in the field – not just marketers, but registrars, curators, designers, IT specialists, and accountants. EXPERIENCE YOUR MUSEUM. Don’t take for granted that you work at an amazing place. Be amazed by the place at which you work.

It’s hard, I know. We have all have priorities that pull us away, but I implore you to take the time. For just a little while each week, stop working and start experiencing. I guarantee you, it’s worth it – and I’m not just saying that because I work in marketing.