Curating the Future, How to Make Your Art Discoverable

When it comes to curating content for Adele Delivers, my weekly newsletter where I deliver two contemporary artists right to your inbox, I'd like to share how I discover artists and how you can enhance your visibility for curators like me.

I keep a spreadsheet of artists on my phone as I come across them.  I find artists on Insta, Artsy, friends of friends, a few newsletters I follow like Boooooom and NSTATMA by the Jealous Curator, and shows.   My spreadsheet includes the date I discovered the artist, a small image of their art, and a brief description. Just because I don't write about an artist right away doesn't mean I've forgotten about them.

I kick off the writing process every Tuesday when I choose two artists from my spreadsheet, with the goal of sending out the content by Friday.  Then it’s time to research and percolate.

The heart of my curation lies in the research. I choose a couple artists and deep-dive into their work. I seek out interviews, quotes by the artists, and artist statements. From there, I think about how the descriptions I find mirror my own experience of the work.

What I don’t do, I don’t look at CVs and I don’t check for gallery representation or how many people follow them on social.  I want to see clear images of the art and I want to know what the artist has to say about their work, period. 

I also don’t reach out to the artists individually for clarification or for images. This keeps me from writing about some artists I really enjoy because I can’t find a single thing they've said about their art.  I can find where they’ve shown it, if they’ve sold and who follows them but this doesn’t get me the info I need to write about them. 

I have the option to reach out to artists, but those who emphasize discussing their work and prioritizing its creation and meaning over seeking popularity or clout understand that it's the art that truly matters. This understanding allows me to wholeheartedly vouch for them.

And that's it! It's all about interesting art, dedication, and a deep love and appreciation for the creative journey. Stay tuned for more amazing discoveries on Adele Delivers where we deepen our relationship to art one artist at a time.