How to plan a successful trunkshow for sales and exposure, a conversation with EC (Lisa) Stewart

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Ecstewart1 Trunk shows are an approach to selling art that can be highly effective during rough economic times. When sales are slow, galleries and other venues become skittish about investing in stock or producing big shows for artists they haven't worked with in the past. But they still have to have something to put in front of their customers if they are to remain in business. Trunk shows can solve this problem by providing a ready-made, low-risk solution for the venue while at the same time providing artists with an easier way to get in the door. A trunk show is great way for a venue to see if your work is right for their customers before making a larger commitment of money or floor space.

The appeal of trunk shows for art buyers is that they are an event, an exclusive preview of work before it is made available to the general public. EC (Lisa) Stewart describes trunk shows as "a party with an opportunity to sell art." In her Trunkshow Manifesto, she has created a strategy and implementation guide that you can use to make it easy for venues to say "yes" to your proposal.

In this episode Lisa and I will discuss the following points:

  1. What is a trunkshow?
  2. Why choose a trunkshow?
  3. What type of venue is best for a trunkshow?
  4. How do galleries select designers?
  5. What kinds of products are best for a trunkshow?
  6. Do trunkshows have themes?
  7. Is there a best time (season, holiday, day) to host a trunkshow?
  8. Do you have to think about a marketing campaign for the trunkshow?
  9. Do you create an invitation list?
  10. When do you begin installing the art or featuring products in the gallery?
  11. Should the artist/designer be present at the show?
  12. How much product should an artist expect to sell?

EC (Lisa) Stewart is an award winning artist, illustrator and designer best known for her CalligraphyPets line of illustrations. Lisa’s entrepreneurial instincts took over at a young age when she ran a fruit and vegetable stand and designed her first line of custom greeting cards. As a bootstrap entrepreneur, Lisa didn’t come from money, didn’t have amazing connections, and fine artists were responding to the fact that she was building a recognized brand step-by-step in such a short time. Lisa transformed herself into a creative entrepreneur and has already achieved several of her life-long goals by having her art published by a major publisher, art sold by Signals catalog and other imprints, and licensing her art for fine woven goods.

Cultivating a lifestyle brand, Lisa is fascinated with diversifying her product line, blending her selling strategy with global influence, and guiding creative entrepreneurs to explore dynamic ways of partnering and managing their brand in this new economy.

Learn More about EC (Lisa) Stewart

  1. Visit and shop on ecstewart.com
  2. Visit Lisa’s CREATIVEGoddess Blog
  3. Follow Lisa on Twitter or Facebook
  4. Lisa's Facebook Fan Page
  5. Download a free PDF of Trunkshow Manifesto

Further Resources:

  1. IndieCreatives: Coaching and strategy for creative entrepreneurs

Show Highlights: Excerpts From the Conversation

Once the transcription is completed I'll include some of the best portions here.

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I'm best known as an artist and designer. Relaxing makes me tense, so I tend to put in a lot of hours on diverse projects.

On the way to a successful art career I've been a poet and writer, a tech geek, a print and web designer, illustrator, industrial designer, musician, teacher, actor, set designer and even a paid guru once.

It's all the same thing in the end— I wake up most days thinking about how I want to change, fix or improve some aspect of the world. And after a couple cups of coffee I get started on it.

My specialty is impossibility remediation: if it can't be done, I'm on it.

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