August 2014 Newsletter - American Women Artists

With AWA’s 17th Annual Member Show and National Juried Exhibition kicking off this month, we wanted to encourage each of our members with a few ideas on how to generate media coverage on your participation in this national show

17th Annual Master & Signature Member Show & National Juried Exhibition – Ready, Set, Go!

Working together with Helen Addison, owner of the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, Massachusetts, AWA is ready to present the 17th Annual Member Show & National Juried Exhibition, opening next week on August 15 and running through September 15.

AWA gratefully thanks the Addison Art Gallery for being our host venue this year, and for being an enormous help during the planning stages of our upcoming event. AWA staff, board members and attending artists are looking forward to an enjoyable opening weekend in Cape Cod.

Whimseagull, oil by Signature member Sara Jane Doberstein.

Make sure to like American Women Artists and the Addison Art Gallery on Facebook to get posts on the event and find out the award winners.

Follow the show on Twitter at#awajuriedmembershow2014.

For a complete schedule of events, including artist demos running throughout the duration of the exhibit, visit www.americanwomenartists.org.

Annual Member Show Promotional Efforts
DIY: How to Build the Buzz

With AWA’s 17^th Annual Member Show and National Juried Exhibition kicking off this month, we wanted to encourage each of our members with a few ideas on how to generate media coverage on your participation in this national show. Below are some tips and tricks for promoting your work in print and online:

Get started by putting together a one-page press release about yourself and the show:

Start with the news, be sure to include the most important information in your first one or two sentences: who, what, when, where and why.
Follow up with two to three short paragraphs of additional information about yourself and details about your work locally. Be sure to include a link to access additional information online like the gallery evite below:
Proofread and proofread again. Be sure that all the information a journalist needs is there.
Stay away from fancy fonts and colors in the body of your press release. Use plain text in formatting for fax or email. NEVER USE ALL CAPS – it is hard to read and unprofessional.
Develop a strong headline for your press release and use this as the subject line in any emails you send. Headlines should be short and to the point – clever or witty word play works well too.

Now it’s time to get the word out to your local print media:

You may think that your daily, weekly or bi-weekly newspaper isn’t interested in your work, or that they haven’t been in the past, but send them a press release anyway. Don’t be afraid to branch out into the surrounding region you live in as well. Include any local radio and TV outlets. Persistence pays off.
Take time to find out the method and person to deliver your press release to. You can call your local newspaper and ask who handles features or arts and entertainment press releases. Also, find out if they want faxes or emails.
Copy and paste the text of your press release into the body of your email submission. Don’t send attachments, they will likely get hung up in spam or get deleted without being opened. Don’t attach any large image files, these can clog up an inbox – instead be sure to include the phrase “images of art available upon request” in your press release.
Follow up with a phone call to make sure the press release was received.
Be prepared when you are contacted by any media. Journalists often work on unbelievably tight deadlines – so return their calls as soon as you can and be ready with all the information they might ask you about the event and your work. At this point you want to send them a high-quality image or two.

What you can do through your own social media accounts:

You can use your existing connections with fans, friends and family to promote your participation with AWA through Facebook and Twitter:

Make sure you have liked and are following American Women Artists on Facebook and Twitter.
Post your updates, pictures and announcements before, during and after the annual show via Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to tag American Women Artists in your posts and use the
#awajuriedmembershow2014
You can tag and mention other AWA members as well on Facebook and Twitter.
Re-tweeting and Sharing are a great way to raise your personal profile online – so be sure to adjust your sharing options on Facebook to allow AWA and other members to share your posts on their pages.
Post and tweet as often as you can. AWA is doubling up their online efforts this month and will be sharing and tweeting your updates.

Sponsors Update for our 17th National Juried Competition

American Women Artists extends much appreciation to the following for their generous sponsorship of the 17th Annual Master & Signature Member Show & National Juried Competition Exhibition. Just added to this roster of fine sponsors, are new sponsors Holbein Artist Materials, Rosemary & Co. and the Scottsdale Artists School …Thanks to all!

Airfloat Systems

Ampersand Art Supply

American Art Collector

American West Frames

Blick Art Materials

Robin Salmon, Brookgreen Gardens

Carol Swinney

Chavant, Inc.

Fine Art Connoisseur

Fresco Fine Art Publications

Glenna Goodacre

Glaser Frames