Team”BARE Walls” was funded $2,200 during the 24 Hour Citizen Project in 2018.  Through BARE Walls, we will “flip the script” on the common practice where businesses invite artists to hang work for free exposure. Often, artists may have work hanging in a business for months or years at a time without ever earning a dollar for this work. BARE Walls will allow artists to receive residual income for their work while also having their work be shared among more spaces, making direct relationships with businesses in the community.

BARE Walls would provide businesses with a turn-key service for having great art installed and rotated in their spaces every 3 months. Businesses will be able to choose from a handful of local, talented artists and will have multiple subscription plans to choose from, as well as the option to purchase. Some subscription levels would even include the addition of artist talks, art opening events or art classes where employees and customers could directly engage with the artist whose work is on display. We hope BARE Walls will provide a tangible and affordable way to support local artists while gaining a more beautiful and inspiring work-space.

Our funding request of $2200 would go towards the start-up costs of the program. This would include signing up the first 5 businesses at a reduced rate of $50/month to increase awareness of the program. One hundred percent of the $50/month paid by the first five businesses would be paid directly to artists. Here is a further breakdown:

Artwork Archive subscription $300

-this is an online gallery platform where we would upload images and profiles of all the artists on the BARE walls roster for easy perusal by businesses.

Logo design $100

-this would help with branding and identification of the program across the community.

Opportunity Machine installation, research and Opening Event $500

-We have arranged to hang a body of work at the Opportunity Machine at no cost to them as a way to showcase the program. We will be conducting surveys throughout the installation period from OM members to see how their workspace has changed with the addition of artwork. We will also host an official launch event in their space to educate the business community about BARE Walls and recruit new clients and artists.

Marketing $500

-this would be for six-months of marketing, both leading up to the launch and directly following the start of BARE Walls. This would include social media marketing, printing costs of brochures and proposals, photo and video documentation for promotion, and the printing of signature decals for business to place in their spaces designating them as a BARE Walls member.

Subsidizing 5 Reduced Rate memberships $800

-We have calculated installation costs at $160/year per business to rotate the artwork four times annually. We would provide the first five business partners a reduced rate of $50/month for a year. (normal Level 1 Subscription would be $100/month). The $800 would cover the internal installation costs without reducing the monthly residual income paid back to artists.