Art Walk Coordinators Page

Overview for Art Walk Coordinators

Thank you for your interest in joining the West Seattle Art Walk as a neighborhood coordinator!It’s a wonderful way to engage more deeply in your community, get to know and support your local small businesses, and be part of planning the best monthly party in West Seattle!

This document consolidates helpful details and resources for our coordinators. Please have a look then email us if you have any questions: wsartwalk@gmail.com

Thank you!

Your Art Walk Team

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THE WHAT: How we would like you to show up throughout the year

West Seattle Art Walk – 2nd Thursday of the month, 5pm to 8pm, year-round

  • Sponsor: West Seattle Junction Association (WSJA)
  • Key Contacts:

Please note: It is not required to attend Art Walk as a coordinator, but we sometimes ask coordinators to help take photos or do livestream video in their neighborhood. We do recommend going at least once to understand what the experience is like. It’s fun!

Quarterly West Seattle Arts Council Meeting

  • 60-minute meeting 4x/year to select new poster artist and discuss Art Walk business
  • Held on Zoom or in person at noon, the Friday after the final Art Walk of the quarter
  • AW coordinators are invited to participate

Quarterly Coordinators Meeting

  • 30-minute meeting 4x/year to discuss status, challenges, opportunities
  • Held on Zoom
    • Admiral Junction – Dan Jacobs, admiralartwalk@gmail.com
    • Alaska Junction – Jill Maio, Reeve Washburn, wsartwalk@gmailcom
    • Morgan Junction – Audrey Zemke

Ongoing Art Walk Coordinator Duties

  • Business outreach and recruiting
  • Business onboarding, including pick up and deliver Art Walk plaques, flags, posters and walking maps to new business
  • Seasonal promotions (if planned) – pick up at WSJA office and deliver to businesses

Estimated Time Commitment: 1-3 hours/month

THE WHEN: General timelines for ArtWalk activities

QUARTERLY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Pick up marketing materials from West Seattle Junction Association office and deliver to registered Neighborhood businesses:
    • Art Walk plaque and flags to new businesses
    • New quarterly marketing posters and walking maps – pick up during the last week of the quarter and deliver by January 1, April 1, July 1, September 1.  
    • Seasonal promotions (if planned)
  • Attend neighborhood coordinators touch-base meeting each quarter (30 mins)
  • Optional but fun: Attend WS Arts Council meeting each quarter to select new poster artist (60 mins).

ONGOING RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Business outreach: introduce Neighborhood businesses (new and existing) to Art Walk and its benefits.
  • Business onboarding: Once businesses have registered, share onboarding process with them (see  below). Helping main Art Walk organization follow up with Neighborhood businesses for questions or concern and troubleshooting.
  • ArtWalk event photography second Thursdays, 6pm to 8pm (if available). Capture artist and art,  reception, business owner, guests. Send images that evening to main Art Walk Coordinator for recap post the following day.

ARTWALK FUN!

  • Enjoy the occasional team lunch (after pandemic)!
  • Be part of Art Walk Night!
  • Get to know your community even better!

THE HOW: Great stuff to help you, our businesses and our artists

ONBOARDING CHEAT SHEET

Six Easy Steps to Onboard a Business!

  1. Register your business to be part of the Art Walk, including quarterly or annual payment. To be included on the quarterly map, registration and payment must be received by the last week before the new quarter
  1. Select your Artist by the first of the month: someone you know or have seen before, or someone from the Art Walk Artist Library which is updated quarterly.
  1. Connect with your artist to discuss the exhibit, reception and hanging the art. See Best Practices for Artists
  1. Submit Artist Info form – By the day before Art Walk, submit the artist form or have your artist do this. It gives us info to market the event. 
  1. Promote ArtWalk and the exhibit: Display the quarterly Art Walk poster and map, plaque, flag and any seasonal promotional materials if planned (these will be delivered to you) and on your social media, your email list, and by word of mouth. The WSJA promotes Art Walk on their Facebook, Instagram, website and monthly emails.
  1. Host a reception on ArtWalk night! See Best Practices for Businesses.

RECRUITING TIPS: BUSINESSES

  • Get a small stack of “One Sheet” printouts at the WSJA office
  • Visit retail store in your neighborhood
  • Be sure to identify the decision maker (usually owner, or lead manager)
  • Pitch the Art Walk as a support for small businesses, a community builder and promotor for the  arts.
  • If the business cannot be open in the evening, they can participate during business hours all month  long.
  • Businesses will need to register to join Art Walk
  • See above for onboarding.

RECRUITING TIPS: RESTAURANTS & “ARTWALK SPECIAL”

It is FREE for restaurants, bars and cafes to join Art Walk! They just need to register.

  • Go to the restaurant or café website
  • Pick one wine/beer, one dessert, one moderate entrée (example: burger, spaghetti), or one coffee drink that you think would be a popular draw for an “Art Walk Special”
  • Call the owner, ask them to specifically give a dollar discount off an item
    • A dollar ($1 off or $2 off) is better than a percentage
    • A dessert is an “easy ask” since the assumption is the diner would be ordering one with dinner
    • Buy one get one is a strong incentive (buy one dessert, get another one/buy one coffee, get another one)
    • “Dollar off” wine/beer usually is a ‘gateway’ for the diner to order dinner
    • Receive $5.00 off a burger sounds better than get 50% off
  • Service was often slow on Thursdays (pre-pandemic), so getting food and drinks establishments  signed up was easy.
  • Note: Retail and Service businesses are more likely to sign up if they know that a food and drink  establishment nearby is participating!
  • Note:The diner must ask for the Art Walk special to get it!

Tools and Resources

How to Go Live on Instagram and Facebook

Updated June 9, 2021

Link to the recording of Online Training: https://youtu.be/FqrSXfEf3DE

SCRIPT

To Business Owner (if present) and/or Artist:

Hi, I’m ______________, a volunteer with the West Seattle Art Walk. We would like to livestream your exhibit tonight on our social media platforms — will that be okay with you?

Prompts for the Artist:

  • Tell me your name
  • Tell me a little about yourself
  • What is the inspiration for your work we see here?
  • Tell me more about your favorite piece
  • Share your website, Instagram or Facebook address

Prompts for the Business Owner:

  • Tell me your name
  • Tell me a little about your business
  • How does Art Walk complement your business?
  • How are things going?

Best Practices

Embody the authentic spirit of the Art Walk. There are no mistakes!

Slow pan around the business and exhibit

In addition to the Art, comment on the retail items or the business or the space

Don’t spend more than 30 seconds on any one thing

Entertain and educate!

Have fun!

Instagram

  • Open app
  • Go the Art Walk IG page
  • Tap picture of the house lower left-hand corner
  • Hold the Art Walk icon my story
  • Tap Add to Story
  • Scroll to LIVE
  • Tap LIVE button
  • Record
  • Write caption and description
  • Save to IGTV Art Walk Channel
  • Add to series 2021 Art Walks
  • Post

Facebook

  • Open app
  • Tap blue button middle of bottom screen
  • Tap Live Video
  • Tap Start Live Video
  • Record
  • Yes to save/post
  • Write caption
  • Post

(featured image by Reeve Washburn)