GetSmART! Draw Attention

Attract viewers and connect patrons to your artwork! Join Dr. Rachel Trusty, director of the Baum Gallery at the University of Central Arkansas, to learn how artists can foster deeper engagement between viewers and their artwork.

Participants will examine the unique values of on-site and online engagement — and discover ways (and trends!) to build a richer, immersive understanding of artworks and art spaces. Trusty will discuss strategies artists and collectives can use to create personal connections that translate to community and individual success.

This session also will look at the evolving roles of online sales services like Etsy, Artsy and Shopify and best practices for using these online platforms.

Participants will:

· Discover national and statewide trends in gallery and arts spaces attracting attention and viewership.

· Learn how storytelling, collective and individual identity intertwine to create unique viewer experiences.

· Unlock the potential of partnerships to build your individual career while also supporting your community.

· Delve into the multilayered experience of engagement practices that attract audiences.

This workshop is a partnership with the Arkansas Arts Council and Central Arkansas Collective, which will provide lunch refreshments. The event is free, but spaces are limited. Registration is required.

About our Facilitator

Dr. Rachel Trusty is a professional artist, educator and curator who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and an MFA from Lesley College in Boston. Trusty currently works as the director of the Baum Gallery of Art at the University of Central Arkansas, in Conway, where she also teaches museum studies. A longtime educator, Trusty is a leader in the arts community and has handled multiple curatorial projects nationwide. She curated the well-known Delta Des Refuses exhibition through 2020 and hosted Art Talk Radio Show on KABF in 2016 and 2017. Her work is part of the Arkansas Arts Council’s Small Works on Paper Permanent Collection.

About Central Arkansas Collective

The Central AR Collective provides excellent changing exhibitions and presentations by members and preeminent guest artists in their contemporary gallery space in historic downtown Conway. Founded to demonstrate excellence in making, presenting and selling visual art, Collective exhibits and programs are accessible, invitational and free to the public. For more information, please visit https://www.centralarcollective.com/.

About the Venue

The Studio Downtown is a coworking space for entrepreneurs, offering coffee, a reception, a kitchen and a shared office environment with amenities. The space is where businesses and remote workers avoid distractions, impress clients, and get more done in a community. The venue is 8,000 square feet and features exhibition space, mural work, globally inspired textiles, snacks for all dietary restrictions, and seating for all shapes and sizes.

About the Arkansas Arts Council

The Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of Arkansas Heritage, which is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, advances and empowers the arts in Arkansas. The agency supports and perpetuates cultural, educational and economic opportunities in the arts for the benefit of all Arkansans.