How successful artists best support their behind-the-scenes teams
After working with more than a thousand artists throughout his career, Erin O’Neill knows how to help.
As the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s manager of Art on the Walls, O’Neill brings the work of artists to unconventional spaces throughout the region. He has also worked with a wide range of individual artists and arts organizations, including The Andy Warhol Museum, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the Carnegie Museums, and more.
This July, artists will have the opportunity to learn from O’Neill’s extensive career by signing up for his latest virtual workshop, Dream Teams, where he will teach attendees how successful artists can best support arts professionals behind the scenes.
What to expect from the talk
During the hour and 15-minute chat, O’Neill will answer questions like: Where can artists best focus their time? How far up the ladder can you go as an artist? And, what ladder is best for you?
O’Neill, who has a Master of Public Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts and Exhibition Management from University of North Texas’ College of Visual Art and Design, says it’s important to figure out what each artist wants from their work.
“Many artists, they’re still figuring out what they want to get out of this art profession, and there are so many different paths,” O’Neill says. “So it’s helping the artists figure out what path they want. Do they want to be in museums? Do they want to be in local galleries or national galleries?”
His talk will also focus on helping artists further their careers.
“The biggest part of my tips are going to be best business practices, and it starts with little things that you think you know,” O’Neill says.
How O’Neill plans to help emerging and professional artists
Knowing it can be tricky for an emerging artist to get into the selling world, O’Neill emphasizes the importance of supporting all artists wherever they may be in their craft.
“So especially for emerging artists and new career level artists, they don’t know how the machine works,” O’Neill says. “They don’t know how long it takes to promote a show necessarily, so I think that’s the biggest leap, just not understanding how the whole system fits together.”
He wants artists to know they’re the reason that art galleries and exhibits exist.
“Without the artists, of course, we wouldn’t have the galleries, we wouldn’t have the exhibitions, so the whole system is designed to support those artists and encourage that creativity and give a sort of safe space for those artists to explore,” O’Neill says.