Welcome, intro, staff introductions,
Run of show – background on mnartists, prompted rebuild, considerations we made in planning, debut the new site with tour,
History, who we were, what we’ve done, what we have now
Walker initiated project
+ I like to note for context that we predated social media sites and youtube, etc. to make note of our longevity
+ Amassed over 13 years archiving local artistic activity
+ Nearly 22k registered artists, over 127k artworks, over 1500k orgs,
2.66 million page views
632K sessions, 453K users
declining from 61K to 55K per month
average duration has gone up: from 1:42 to 2:23--a lot!
70% new visitors, 30% returning
We’ve done our research
CONTENT (reiterating content piece of graph)
Susannah on Editorial
Editorial, storytelling, supported writers, expanded, whole scene stronger, highlights the relevance, matters, significance and enduring value and informs their future work, Walker-afiliated, is meaningful, VALUE
New
(Appearance and Function)
+ beautiful new layout-image heavy, rich media, visual presence more pronounced,
+ gather writers in more visible way, integrated in community
+ comments, writers moderating
(Content)
+ more columns, idea-driven, topical and issue focused, artist-to-artist stories, making work
+ new and old writers and national reach
(Strategy/Regional reach)
+ media partners
+ national writers
+ broader stories
Journalism from the beginning; this is the kind of artists/writers we have
Criticism, Andy’s book
Being digital native – mnartists.org was born online in a time before museums, before artists had websites, so we’ve learned to take the internet as a given. We know the importance of mnartists as an online connector, but, just as importantly, we know the value of connecting artists in real life – whether to their next opportunity or to each other - is just as valuable. So over the past 5 years we’ve explore scaled programming to support such interaction.
From the hyper-local, artist-centric like MN Made, which was a part of programming around the Visual Arts exhibition The Spectacular of Vernacular in 2011
Or by welcoming the community to the Walker through with Drawing Club, a program initiate in 2010, and happening all summer long
To entrepreneurial endeavors like, mnartists.marketplace, a boutique within the Walker Shop, featuring commissions and special editions of artists projects
Or CSA, an innovative distribution model co-presented with Springboard for the Arts
Editorial strategy:
We want to be an umbrella for Midwest-wide cultural dialogue – emphasis on local relevance rather than exclusively local subject matter
Our editorial arm serves the MN arts community by bringing outside writers and viewpoints in, and launching MN-made work and creative practice for view, out there. We are cultivating a stable of writers and artists here, but also around the country.
We publish writing with authentic regional flavor, local relevance and distinctive MN voice, but which isn’t bound by provincialism or needlessly small spheres of coverage.
Strategy specifics:
Idea-driven, topical writing, criticism and columns; special emphasis on artists’ practice and POV A mix of essays, criticism and reportage contributors from all over the Midwest Insider perspectives on local scene in staff pieces written for mnartists /Walker blog Revamped suite of newsletters mirroring the “filtering” strategies on the site: one geared toward opps, tools and programs ; one geared toward editorial; one uber newsletter per month distilling all-in perspective Using social media platforms strategically to engage readers and drive eyes to our articles Walker-specific clout here and outside Minnesota a strategic advantage to building national relevance of mnartists local arts coverage and offline programming Strategic co-publishing and cross-promotion efforts between Walker editorial/marketing and mnartists ’, to increase reach and readership for both
What’s new:
Large, in-line images, seamless integration of rich media in article layout Can follow specific authors, disciplines, content types in individual "feeds" Brand integration between look of Walker and mnartists sites Magazine-style homepage layout that visually reinforces coherent editorial vision; reuniting mnartists previously fragmented content streams in one place Authors = registered members of mnartists , part of the community rather than separate Comments on articles moderated by authors inviting two-way, content-driven conversations between mnartists readership and stable of contributors Integration of “links we like” specifically aggregating arts news and info from elsewhere
Bullets for slide: Large images, rich media National stable of contributors Midwest-wide coverage Smart integration of social media, newsletters, blog and longform articles Walker clout and national reach put to work for local arts and artists
Hand Out!
Individual reminders to reach out to us! Tip us off!
Artists have slash titles, run with varying crowds, and want to connect and collaborate, we want to make this real-behavior apparent in the digital sphere, and have adjusted the site’s navigation to mirror this activity
We also know the value of real community and want to see that in online spaces and offline, artists need both
+ Redesign is accomplished by funding through IMLS, Institute of Museum and Library Services
+ IMA built the site in Drupal – web assets as an entrepreneurial entity, and also a public entity and conversational space within framework of museums
+ New Media created visual design
+ McKnight generously funds our operating and programmatic support
Reiterating Search/Platform piece of graph)
All in, filters, getting around, search v browse
Filters
Communities
Content
Work together
Find people, opps, places, events,
Upcoming workshop dates, call to beta,
Thursday, July 10, 3-5 pm (MCAD)
Wednesday, July 16, 5-7 pm (MCAD)
Thursday, July 17, 10 am-12 pm (MCAD)
Work with each of you on hosting sessions for your consituents
Philosophy: oriented around artists, diversity of interests, a set of tools that are responsive,
background summary, new philosophy
Real-time landscape of cultural producers and consumers
Provide an aerial view of our artistic community and it’s activities
A mentality shift in that the site has been renewed, and tested and is growing, but we need to keep an open door to be responsive to the changing needs of our community, to make all artists of all disciplines welcome, keeping technology updated, keeping site language current and reflective of how artists talk about their work, and keep fielding thoughts from our audiences and users
We didn’t make this for you, in a past tense kind of way, we’re still in the process of making this thing WITH you, it’s most useful when it’s ours.
We also pay attention to digital currents and the evolution of other platforms