How to Build an Art Community in Simple Steps

What makes people become a part of a community? What unites them? A community consists of like-minded individuals who share the same passion and interests. The result of this bond is the ability to communicate, collaborate, and share.

Art features a strong connecting power thanks to its values; consequently, it encourages people to involve and take part emotionally. An art community can exist in any form — a group of insiders, enthusiasts, collectors, museum visitors, or art students.

You might be willing to create your own art community but have no idea how to do that. Below, you will find a few main steps, following which you will reach your goal easily.

Create Goals and Strategies with a Unique Sense  

There should be a good strategy if you want to build and develop an online community. The strategy you will choose depends on a few aspects, such as your goal, message, and target audience. For instance, if it’s a classical art museum that intends to increase the number of visitors, you should find classical art lovers of different ages, not just locals or insiders that love to discover cultural and artistic experiences.

At this point, it is crucial to get the channels that will be utilized for the online community development. On the one hand, they must be popular among potential users. On the other hand, you should make sure that you will be able to use them carefully and consistently. For example, it can be LinkedIn because it is one of the most popular online services.

Determine what you will be posting; it’s better to outline the content plan so that you can monitor the activity of the channel and plan posts in advance. It is essential to establish metrics to monitor both the effectiveness of your strategy and the community’s progress.

Utilize Social Networks for the Promotion

More and more spheres of our lives are being influenced by virtual reality. Social media happens to be a handy tool for creating your network. Obviously, it cannot replace face-to-face interaction, but online services like Instagram and Facebook are able to assist you in identifying creative events and artists nearby. If you become a follower of local artists and show some activity on their posts, they will see that you are interested and provide you with an insight into what they are doing. It can be a good conversation starter. Another great thing when it comes to searching for gatherings is websites like Meetup. However, keep in mind that online connections are not a substitute for real-life interaction but a nice supplement.

Use Collaboration Opportunities

You should be on the lookout for group projects and opportunities in your area. In most cases, they are international or national events that require traveling. As soon as everything becomes too familiar in your area, they usually suggest that you should enhance your ideas in a different environment and get acquainted with artists from other cultures. It is crucial to obtain friends who are artists in your area, but there are more interesting individuals in the big world. If you manage to form connections with creative people from other countries, you can get wonderful international possibilities in the future.

Сreate Team of Like-Minded People

If you have tried everything mentioned above and need more, then it is high time to create your own group. There may be no gallery in your area, or it is barely possible to get studio space. You need to figure out what venues can let you utilize their space, and it might be a church hall, school, etc. You could gather like-minded people once a month for a critique session, and each participant is required to bring one piece to introduce. The event can be advertised with the help of any social media or any other means available to you. Another thing you can do is to organize a trip to the nearest art gallery. Use your soft skills to attract more community members.

Visit Art Places and Exhibitions: Find Soulmates

Your community spirit must be supported by visiting local events, which can be open studios or private viewings. It may seem to be a hard task at first, but the group will definitely appreciate the efforts you made to entertain them. At these events, you will 100% meet other creative people who share your passion and don’t mind making some friends. Who knows, maybe you will find another community of art experts and bring your hobby to a whole new level.