CS-Effect’s Lynda Baldwin interviews artists from the American Craft Exposition in their studios and galleries across the country.
Conducting business during a pandemic has impacted each of our clients in different ways. For the American Craft Exposition (ACE) benefitting NorthShore University HealthSystem, whose revenue and sponsorship base depends on an annual, in-person art exposition, we had to reimagine the concept of the event with the goal of maintaining ACE relationships with its attendees, sponsors and artists many whom have been involved with the exposition for years. Additionally, ACE has raised a cumulative $1.13 million for NorthShore University HealthSystem for mental health services.
When the pandemic hit, ACE board members made the necessary decision to cancel the live event scheduled for October 2020. We quickly pivoted our marketing and communications strategy to keep the public interested in ACE and strengthen its relationships with artists and sponsors.
Our solution: a live-streamed interview series.
The series “ACE Artists: Face to Face”, featured four live interviews via Zoom with artists who exhibited at previous ACE events. ACE attendees were invited to grab their favorite beverage and sit down to meet the artists in a virtual setting, getting to know them on a more personal level as the artists discussed their work, creative processes and inspirations. CS-Effect’s Lynda Baldwin hosted the program, and the CS-Effect team designed the structure and produced each of the interviews. With each experience, ACE supporters interacted with their favorite artists, asking questions and getting behind-the-scenes tours of their studios and galleries – something new for them, despite the pandemic.
Ultimately, “Face-to-Face” brought people together into an online community of art appreciation, along with additional benefits. Event registration filled quickly, with more than 90% of attendees staying online until the very end of each interview. The ACE social media channels saw a major increase in engagement, and the tagged artists also reaped benefits through an increase in traffic on their digital platforms. The new ACE YouTube channel increased audience engagement after experiencing a long hiatus from new content, and the new content was added to the ACE website to encourage returning visitors.
No matter the space in which we are nurturing the arts next year, we are excited to continue to connect ACE artists and art enthusiasts, and we were happy to play a role in driving that continuity.