In the last couple of decades, art and artists are gradually falling from grace. Basically, people view arts in general as a lost cause. They are focusing on profitability and, let’s face it, there are less and less funds designated for new, young, upcoming artists. Most companies and organizations focus on the return of investment and they don’t view fine arts as profitable. This is why it is a lot easier to find funding for an artistic organization or collaborative projects than to finance a one man show. Through a joint effort, good organization and some simple project management tactics, you will have much easier time gathering money to finance the endeavor and to see it through.
Choosing the Right Partners
Now, artists can be divas from time to time. I’m not saying this to be hurtful, but it is a fact that most artists have a hard time sharing their creative space and in situations where they need to work on a collaborative project, a lot of them have a hard time deviating from their original perspective on the project in order to fit into the collective theme. This can create friction between the individual artists that were supposed to work together and create difficulties for project managers. This is why you should be very watchful of peoples’ interrelations and ask individual artists if they are comfortable working with other people, within the boundaries of the project. You should probably be as detailed about the project as possible so as to avoid any misunderstanding and misinterpretation. If you don’t pay attention to this aspect, your project might fall apart before it has even starts.
Funding and Funds Management
First of all, you need to be clear on the type of the project you are organizing. If it is a humanitarian event, things are a bit simpler since most of the funds will go into the hands of those in need, and a part of it will be invested into the equipment and material for the event and, of course, marketing. If it is a marketing project, and depending on whether it is done for somebody else or the artists themselves, things can change a bit. If you are organizing an advertising event, then you need to agree with the participating artists when it comes to their fees. If a number of artists are looking to promote them, then all the funding is split between the participants or invested into the event. The general rule is that if you are inexperienced with handling money, and it is a project with a large budget, then your first investment should be to invest in a professional, who will handle all the legal issues for you.
Where to look for funds? Well, you might not realize this but you have a lot of options. There is of course governmental funding, grants, but you can also try and get sponsorships. Some larger companies with a strong presence in some cities offer grants to local students. You should ask around and you will surely find out about one or two. Crowdfunding is the new thing. It allows for a quick gathering of funds. People from all over the world make small, separate donations.
The Idea
This is the most important point of all. The way you define the whole project and your entire pitch is crucial for its success. It doesn’t matter that you have envisioned the whole thing in your head and it looks grand. You need to explain this idea to both the people you have chosen to work with and the people you expect to be funded by. A not enough detailed idea presentation is something that can hurt the entire image of the project. Think of it this way – if the person doesn’t have enough details to envision the whole thing, then they won’t be able to see its value.
Keeping Track of Things
With large projects of any kind you need to be on top of things the entire time. You need to check up on every individual things because this is a collaboration of a large number of people and things tend to become chaotic if there is nobody to supervise the whole thing. A good team leader will need to know each member’s strengths and weaknesses, and encourage clear communication. You’ll need to come up with simple project management solutions on the spot. Everyone should have a specific task and the team leader needs to be regularly updated on the status of each little task so that he or she will know how the project is going and make the right tactical decisions accordingly. It’s best to use some kind of online project management tool, as this allows everyone to update you on their tasks no matter where they are and it makes it easier for you to stay updated on the project, assign additional tasks and give directions on the go.
Collaborative art projects, particularly ones that involve a large team of people, can be difficult to pull off correctly, but with some smart planning and good project management skills, the whole process can be completed without any major setbacks.