Morning at Levy Market Marketing!

I have to start with an Earring,  photographs of Levy market ones will follow on another blog day

A remarkable much needed sunny Autumn Blue sky day for handing out the last of the Fliers Appealing for all those lost, lonely earrings.
The place for this, my local Market, a new development since spring, a colourful vibrant market, with much home made and crafted goods, livening up Levenshulme - Levy for short to all those who live here and love it. What a lot of L's in that sentence.

 The next market is on Saturday 24th November.http://www.levymarket.co.uk/

I did have a good time handing out fliers, as people and stall holders were all so receptive to the Chandelier. And also I received earrings from two stall holders, very lovely ones, thank you to you both.

I did also managed to fit in (after working) a coffee and catch up with friends, in our Local independent cafe POD, its in the old levenshulme post office, hence Post Office Deli.

Strange and coincidentally.....

Art and Design POD of Liverpool John Moores University, is also the name of the the Designers who are collaborating with us to create the structure and helped to create the fabulous font for the Chandelier.  I would reveal drawings and images of our work together, but feel this would spoil the pleasure of the surprise. Suffice to say we are very much enjoying collaborating together!

 

Press releases and PR skills

Last few weeks have concentrated on this area.
A steep learning curve of necessary skills and lack of experience, none of it related directly to art, bit of a shocker......a key area of this project is the PR! We know what it is and have done it before in minor ways, but a big push was needed.
Radio, very local and regional, Press again local and regional and even TV local northwest news tonight, these were the aims and all these need personal contacts and the sending of Press Releases. The art of writing a Press release that is read!  After much dithering about the etiquette of writing said Press release the decision that again Action over no Action, wins......JUST SEND IN SOMETHING!!




And Lauren has Triumphed, Women's hour, and Invited!! We are awaiting this to happen.
We achieved Local press and an afternoon interview with Liz Kershaw and a live phone in appeal with Andy Crane on Drive time, both with the BBC Manchester, for before our Open Rogue Studio event.

It seemed like it was going to be an unsuccessful, non-appearance on Northwest tonight, we were bumped off at the last minute.....I even know the PR lingo now. But then without warning three days later, we appeared on Northwest tonight, in our studio talking about the earrings, for nearly 10 seconds, blink and its gone.

Result lots of lovely lone earrings for the chandelier.

Much bustle and activity

      It has been GO GO GO.......

Getting the ACE awarded funding (have successfully added logo and link, only 2 attempts that's good for me) has been like a Green light, for collection events, workshops, marketing and planning the structure with POD's excellent team from JMU John Moores University.

We have now been to Victoria Baths, had a large and positive response at Rogue Artists Studios Open Day, planning two workshops to be held at the Whitworth Art Gallery........

And onto Marketing or PR......a 10 second slot on regional BBC Northwest Tonight news!

The Chandelier is taking off. This is so exciting because its a public art piece that can only work if the public are involved in it and want it, with the human thread of stories and earrings there will be no lit Chandelier.

Many thanks to all who have participated.



I have started another blog
New blog on Artists Talking from the A-n web site  it will have a slightly different feel but is still about the chandelier and its progress.

Earrings Collection and the press

Last weekend Lauren and myself were at the Victoria Baths Manchester Heritage Open Day, letting people know about the Chandelier and collecting earrings.
Had a good response, chatted to lots of interested people and collected some lovely lost ones, also meet a Rogue studio artists, (that is where our base is) who had collected Hats and there stories for a project.

Then this Thursday we hit the papers, the MEN (manchester evening news) with an appeal for earrings and a big hooray we have Arts Council England funding.

And the result.......
thank you.....and for some reason will only load side ways, so all those viewing with a i-pad will be ok

The Best most Fabulous News!

The Chandelier of Lost Earrings.......

won its Arts Council England Funding!

To say both myself and Lauren are excited would be an understatement. This will fund its design, materials creating it and installation.

I know this isn't a Grammy award.....but....without the mass support we have received with, lost earrings sent in and financial donations, this project would not have been possible,  

THANK YOU 

OK better get busy we have a chandelier to make... back to business..

Next Collection of Lost Earrings will be at Victoria Baths Manchester Heritage open day, Sunday 9th September.

Bring your lost earrings and stories along, be part of the Chandelier!

Read previous posts for the history of the project and lovely pictures and check out
FB Chandelier of Lost Earrings

Lost Earring stories arrive with an International theme

The Chandelier has received lost earrings from my relatives in the USA, thank you Beth and Auntie Maureen, a great supporter of the arts. And international reaching story is the 'lost' bracelet' from Korea, sent by Ruthie, Lauren's niece. An international and supportive family theme!

Earrings arriving from Cousin and in Florida

Attached story of the lost earring and bracelet

a lovely earring sent from friend Jules.

Museum of Science and Industry - Makers Faire weekend

the famous earring that got a mention on BBC radio manchester Heather Stotts 

Both Lauren and myself had a great weekend collecting earrings and meeting the people who donated them and hearing their stories, Thank you!
 The response to the 'Chandelier of lost Earrings' project was fabulous, confirming our believe that public art at its most successful should be participative, and that people should 'get it'.

A BIG thank you to MOSI and all the people who organised the event.

Here are some of the pictures taken during the weekend, tweeted, and then appearing on our Twitter wall.
We are embracing social media, well Lauren already has and did a grand job on the twitter wall, I am relative beginner.

setting up, with the screen for the twitter wall

these earrings arrived wrapped in this newspaper - love it

(Please note that the display board for showing the earrings as they were donated, is purely for display and not how the final Chandelier was appear.)