Welcome to our last installment of “How to Get Started in the Second Life Art Scene.” In this installment I will discuss how to set up and market your exhibition.

In Part 2 we discussed how to find a gallery in Second Life in order to exhibit your artwork. Part 1 discussed how to create strong pieces for an art exhibition.

If you have found a gallery to have your work exhibited or if you are taking part in an art show, you are now ready to set up your exhibition. Exhibition design can either make or break you as an artist in both real life and Second Life.

Remember that the #1 goal of any art exhibition is to show off your chosen pieces of art work. Your exhibit should not be a distraction from your art work. I strongly suggest to work with the curator and/or art gallery owner to discuss the parameters of your exhibition. Some galleries in Second Life will allow you to build extensively, others simply want you to place your art work, while some want to set up the art work for you.

If you are showing in a gallery that allows you to build extensively, choose subtle colors and textures. Do not have many distracting objects, sounds, or things that detract away from the message of your art work. There are exceptions to this rule. For example if you are building a fully immersive exhibition, then it is ok to build items that give the exhibition an atmosphere of it’s own. In most cases the advice given in this article is for traditional galleries in Second Life.

Secondly arrange your artwork in a way that catches the viewer’s eye. Place smaller pieces around larger pieces and try to utilize the given gallery space as much as possible. Remember to have an even amount of spaces between each piece of art work.

Lastly have a second pair of eyes look at the exhibition, this could be the curator or a friend if you are allowed to teleport someone in before the exhibition opens.

Now that you have set up your exhibition, it is time to market it! This can be the tricky part. The first thing to do when marketing is to talk to the gallery owner and/or curator to find out when the opening and/or closing events will take place. Not all galleries do openings and closings but many do. Try to be at the actual opening and/or closing events. It is good for people to put a face to the art work and you can often network with other Second Life gallery owners and curators, as well as other art enthusiasts. Join the gallery’s public group, if they have one and ask if you can send a notice out a few weeks after the exhibition.

Obtain all promotional materials for the exhibition, this includes a poster, press release, and make sure that you spread the word on social media. If the gallery has a Facebook, Google Plus, or Plurk  page, etc..friend the gallery on these mediums and spread any posts that they may have about the exhibition to your own pages.

Also post the information in the official Second Life community forums, Second Life events listings (if you have permissions), and other groups. If the exhibition is not going to have an opening and closing event, then ask the curator or gallery owner if you can have a small gathering yourself.

This concludes our series on How to Get Started in the Second Life Art Scene, but do not worry another series is just around the corner!