Client Story: souk
Working Artists LLC began developing the Commercial Curation program earlier in 2007 with our wonderful Beta client souk. The intention of these curation services is to extend the branding and identity development of a company through an emerging arts program, with the artworks exhibited in common areas of the offices of these organizations.
The focus of souk's owner, Julie Duryea, is on community and community building while providing useful temporary office space and services to indie business professionals and teams from larger companies.
Julie wanted to stretch beyond the cubicle experience other temporary spaces employ. Inspired by the sights, sounds, smells and vibrance of Morrocan marketplaces, called souks (hence the name), she wanted that feeling of ever-changing, entrepreneurial community to be reflected in the artworks we would showcase in the gorgeous brick and beam interior of souk.
To date we've exhibited the works of Scott Huber (photographer and indie creative design firm owner), Addie Boswell (painter) and Trevor Gray (art and aerial photographer).
Here's the next artist we're showcasing at souk...
December '07- January 2008 Exhibit at souk
Sam Roloff
"Pamela SLass " - copyright © 2007 Sam Roloff 
Our Curation Process
The process of commercial curation follows a similar pathway as one you'd expect when working with your favorite advertising agency—we begin with developing an understanding of you and your business goals, the vision and mission of your organization. The point in this process is for our curators to have a clear understanding of your short-term to long-term goals, including the kind of culture you want to develop inside and around your business.
From that learning we distill the key aspects of the critical business drivers (including business culture, marketing, and growth goals) and develop a Curatorial Brief. This brief guides the curation process, and allows our curators to match appropriate artists and artworks to your company.
We broadcast our Calls for Art based on that Brief through multiple channels, giving us the best possible response from a wide variety of artists in the Portland metro area.
Our curation team paries down the applicants, reviewing portfolio and responses to our Call, and present to you only the artists whose work most closely matches the Brief.
Together you and the lead curator choose the final group of artists for your curation program.
If you are interested in going beyond just exhibiting the work of local area artists, to collecting original works for a corporate program from any region in the US or the world, we offer those services as well.
What You Can Expect
Below are the steps we follow in our curatorial process. When possible we've included a sample of the documentation produced for souk to help you understand the process a bit clearer.
- Initial Interview
- Research
- Drafting the Curatorial Brief
- Brief Presentation
- Finalizing the Curatorial Brief
- Call for Art
- Reviewing the Call reponses
- Juried selection for the art presentation
- Presentation Document assembled
- Juried selection presented to the client
- Final Cut
- Notification sent to the artists selected
- Schedule for installation and any attendant events assembled
- Artists contracted to exhibit
The fee for this program varies according to the stage your business is in, the exposure opportunity that is provided for the artists, the extent of the program we're developing with you, and other factors. Curation Fees range from $6,000 per year on up. If you are collecting works, the cost of acquiring the collection is, of course, an additional expense.
Free Initial Consultation
We offer all potential clients a free inital consultation to help both you and Working Artists determine if a program of this nature is a good step for your business, at this time. And, of course, we will be available to answer any questions you may have following our initial meeting.
Please feel free to contact us with ANY questions you may have about any part of the program as presented here. E-mail curation@workingartistsonline.com or call the office at 503.445.1268.
