Content idea: write about art on display in your area

Try writing about any visual art that is on display in your area, such as in a local art gallery, museum or arts centre.  This could be a simple notice of a forthcoming art exhibition, as Ventnor Blog did with the Out of the Box photographic exhibition at Dimbola Lodge.

Or, if you or a contributor to your site visit the exhibition, why not take some photos and write about your perceptions and thoughts on the pieces?  You don’t need of be any kind of expert in art to have a reaction to it, I certainly wasn’t when I described a piece of abstract video art I saw in a Digbeth gallery as ‘Monolith Goes On Holiday’.

If you feel you need to know a bit more about the exhibition than is on the programme or factsheet, don’t be afraid to ask the gallery workers, they often enjoy the chance to have a conversation.

Of course, not all art will be tucked away in galleries or museums.  Are there any interesting or impressive pieces of public art where you live?  You could publish a picture with some information, which would delight readers who have often passed it and wondered what the story was behind it.  Alan in Belfast didn’t stop at just a write-up of one piece of public art in his city, but did a whole tour that took in various sculptures and cathedral spires.

Perhaps there’s a piece of public art that has historical significance, such as the local war memorial. Bishopthorpe.net wrote a lovely post about the recent cleaning of the Bishopthorpe War Memorial.  There is also a very touching post featuring the men on the war memorial and one’s life story.

It could be that there is art in your local area which is not really meant to be there at all – street artists have used Digbeth’s walls as a canvas, which made for a nice post about one of the most prolific culprits ‘As One’ on Created in Birmingham.

Take a look around your area and see what local art and sculpture you can feature on your website.  If you have local art galleries, museums and arts centres, see if they will put you on their press release list, so you are emailed information and images for forthcoming exhibitions. When you visit the shows, be sure to take your camera, pick up a factsheet and have a good long chat with the gallery workers to give your write-ups some serious insight. And don’t be afraid to talk about your personal interpretation – people like a human touch and even if they disagree with you, at least you’re starting a discussion on a local issue!

Check out the local council website for information on public art (Birmingham City Council have a dedicated web page), or give them a call to see if you can find out more.  If the artwork you’re reviewing is some graffiti or street art, try searching for the tag name to see if the artist have a website, blog or Flickr account.