The Ocean Agency

Art is the most social of objects– it is made exclusively to draw out human emotions, get people talking, and cause congregations.  And the homes of art,  galleries and museums, have a long history of social interaction, too. The people of the art world gather for gallery openings and for the debut of an artist’s new works. Galleries all over the country team up for a monthly celebration of the arts through First Friday events or similar festivals. Galleries around Chicago, like the Slaymaker or Around The Coyote, participate in neighborhood events and are always adding a unique perspective to their community. Galleries have stories to tell, events to promote and information to share, making them a perfect match for social media. Especially with the unique mixing of media that the social sphere offers, with sites for propagating pictures, videos and text, art galleries can take advantage of  social interaction in a fulfilling  and innovative way.

Social media flatters the art world perfectly– it connects knowledgeable and interested people with the events they want to know about– it keeps them up-to-date. It allows them to share opinions, critiques and reviews. It can expose up-and-coming artists with the word of mouth praise that builds a reputation, at an accelerated rate through the interconnectivity of the web.  Social media can build excitement and announce the opening of new installations– in fact, the Art Institute of Chicago added new pages to their website to promote the opening of the new Modern Wing, keeping Chicagoans informed of the progress and the events celebrating the update to the Chicago institution.

The Art Institute is also immersing itself in the interactive world by becoming a part of “a cyberspace partnership of world-class art museums, [and] officially becoming a partner of the online art video site ArtBabble.org.” If a museum over a hundred years old can be at the forefront of interacting with its patrons and fans on the internet, and spreading exposure to its works in different media, every progressive gallery should be emulating it.

The pairing of art and social media is beneficial for the form and the institutions that share it with the world. Social media keeps art fans in the loop and spreads the word to those less familiar with the happenings of galleries and museums. The creative and innovative nature of social media meshes perfectly with the forward thinking art world. We can’t think of a better match.