Hosting Pop-Ups on First Friday on Santa Fe

Before I ever painted, I was drawn to the world of art through curation. I loved the idea of creating fun experiences. During one First Friday season on Santa Fe, I organized a series of three pop-up shows, each one an experiment in collaboration, community, and chaos. 😀

What worked:

The pop-up space was a photography studio positioned in the heart of Santa Fe. There was always heavy foot traffic. Each artists contributed to the cost to cover the space so it was cost effective for everyone. There was no need for advertising, food, beverages, or other costs to get people there. A couple of artists did very well. Street art seemed to be the crowd favorite. Higher end pieces sold as well.

What didn’t:

It was a ton of work and stressful to convert a photography studio into a popup gallery in an hour. Although the December and January popups were successfull, the February popup yielded the biggest crowd with not a single sale (even with more variety at reasonable pricing). That seemed to be the trend over time-- smaller crowd, few pieces = more sales. The December and January crowd seemed more laid back and were more about the art and less about the party scene.

That being said, I highly recommend popups on First Fridays in December and January with fewer select pieces. I would personally stay clear of overcrowded galleries. It can be a Golden Corral of art. Too many options yield fewer sales so says psychological studies. Sometimes less is more.

Lesson learned:

Less is more. Timing and location matter. More important than the sale though are connections you make along the way. I worked with some wonderful artists on first fridays that exhibited at my gallery the next year.