Grassroots Arts Program

Featured Interview
As a child Eric Rhoads had a deep love for art, which was encouraged by his artistic mother. His father, an entrepreneur encouraged Eric to a lifetime of entrepreneurship starting with early projects like lemonade stands and candle making. At the age of 14 Rhoads fell into an opportunity to do a radio show, which sparked a career in the radio industry where he became a deejay, a music researcher and station programming director and consultant, and ultimately the owner of three radio stations by the age of 24, which he sold just after his 30th birthday to become a millionaire. Rhoads immediately jumped back in with a promotional business for radio stations and the founding of a radio industry trade publication. Since that time Rhoads has authored one book, founded several magazines and a book and conference publishing company. He was nominated by Inc magazine as Entrepreneur of the Year. At the age of 40 Rhoads began to paint, which lead him for a rebirth of his love for art. Because of his publishing background Rhoads felt a need for a new art publication, which he founded 6 years ago which is called Fine Art Connoisseur, which has achieved a high level of prominence within the art and museum community and a significant readership base of close to 100,000 people and made up of affluent art collectors, including over 300 billionaires and over 1800 of the wealthiest people in America. In 2008 Rhoads founded Artist Advocate magazine which is seen by approximately 16,000 art galleries in magazine and digital formats. In 2009 Rhoads began blogging his marketing advice to artists, which has resulted in a subscription base of over 40,000 artists in less than one year. He is known for his practical and often radical advice. Rhoads has been featured numerous times in the national media on television, newspapers, magazines and radio and has been featured in over 400 newspapers. His artwork, which he admits suffers due to lacking time, is represented by a gallery in Napa Valley. He is listed in Who's Who in American Art, and in Who's Who in America.

ARTCORE: As an advocate for artists, do you have an editorial philosophy you lean toward in your magazine Fine Art Connoisseur?

B Eric Rhoads: I founded Fine Art Connoisseur with a few goals in mind. As a collector I was not satisfied with the publications I was receiving, though I love them all. I wanted something tuned to my needs as a collector to show me about the proper care of a collection, including issues related to restoration, storage, care, insurance, etc. I was also seeing a lot of content that was paid advertising pretending to be editorial, which I feel lacks credibility with serious collectors. You know the kind....buy and ad and get a story. I was also seeing lots of content surrounding shows alone, written by people who were creating those shows. Though interesting I was seeking more depth and things that were not strictly promotional pieces for shows but articles about the lives and intent of artists, especially those who are in need of rediscovery or reexamination. And because I am out seeing a lot of private collections I decided the world needed to see private collections rarely seen by the public. Furthermore I am concerned that the art of the past has become overshadowed by the modern/contemporary art scene and I feel younger people have not been exposed to these classics and as a result have not rooted their understanding in the classics, which I think is important. The magazine is an educational vehicle of sorts but geared to a modern world where attention spans and time are short.

From the perspective of editorial philosophy for artists I feel its important to highlight fresh faces who are making great accomplishments. By placing them in the same magazine which highlights the antique paintings we feel it elevates the importance of these artists when shown among other greats, and of course we are extremely picky about our selection process. In fact I was so concerned that we get this right, have proper taste and leadership, and have access to the top art experts in the world, I hired a museum director and curator. Peter Trippi recently created the J.W.Waterhouse show, which has broken all the records in Amsterdam, London and now Montreal bringing hundreds of thousands through the doors. It was an unexpected success to that degree. Of course Peter is the author of the Phaidon Waterhouse monograph and the catalog for the show as well. By having an expert vet every image, open doors to others we might not otherwise be able to secure as writers, we are able to present the publication with a critical eye. Peter won't let us get away with paid editorial, which I support. Of course it's the kiss of death with readers when they know stories only exist because of a paid ad. In fact our research indicates that it actually hurts the career of the artist and the credibility of the presenting gallery. Though I can see the temptation because everyone wants press and every publication wants to make a sale it ultimately undermines the credibility of the publication and erodes readership. Though we are happy to highlight artists and shows that may be carried by some of our advertisers we draw the line at quality. We refuse to write about artists who we feel are not yet up to our quality standards. And of course we refuse to tie a story to a promise of advertising.

ARTCORE:What need do you feel you addressed that makes the magazine Artist Advocate a success?
B Eric Rhoads: I was always taught that listening is the most important skill to one who is running a business. I was receiving a lot of calls from artists who told me they were having difficulty getting into galleries. Not only can the process be humiliating but it is time consuming and expensive. Imagine if you mailed your portfolio to a few thousand galleries? The time and cost is high. So there was a need from the perspective of artists. As I met with gallery owners I found that their process of selection was problematic because every gallery does things differently. Some are in a continual search mode while others only look certain times of the year, and others never look. Yet they receive phone calls at random from artists, unsolicited mail with portfolios, emails, artists coming to shows or into the show room. Most told me that the artists were disruptive to their work and commanded a lot of time, which they were not willing to take. Emails ended up not getting opened and were deleted, packages were tossed out or lost if held for a future look, and calls often interrupt time with clients. It was a love hate relationship. Though they need to find new artists from time to time some almost become resistant to any artist who solicits them.

One day I was in New York having a discussion with a top tier gallery when the idea came to me. "What if I sent you a magazine a few times a year that was nothing more than a showcase of artists looking for galleries? The gallery owner was very interested because as he said, it would stop the solicitations and would give him a place he could look in one place so he did not have to sort through boxes and old emails. He was almost relieved when I suggested the idea. So I tried the idea on other galleries and every one I spoke to had the same response. They would read it, would keep it, would use it as a source for artists and would recommend it to artist soliciting them.

Of course the artists like the idea of saving the time, postage and effort and we can simply reach more people more cost effectively that they can. And there is a high probability that their solicitation will get thrown in the trash as most do. The magazine on the other hand in welcomed.

ARTCORE: Does Artist Advocate Work for artists looking for a gallery?
B Eric Rhoads: Not always. But most of the time or we would not still continue it. I can get a call from one artist who is whining that their ad did not work and on the same day I'll hear from another who signed up a couple of galleries. There are so many factors to success and sometimes measurement of success is different. Some people get phone calls others see increases in web visits. I coached one artist the other day who we found had a website problem. Her site was difficult to navigate and did not make it easy for a visitor to find her artwork. Sometimes little things like that get in the way of success. Other times a painting does not resonate. I've had artists run one time and get no calls, run another and get several. I'm convinced that galleries like to watch the progress of artists or will see someone in one issue, want to remember then, and are reminded of them in a new issue, which prompts a call. We have some artists who just make sure they are always present because they know the power of repetition. So it works for most.

ARTCORE: What if I'm an established artist. Is it a problem being in the company of less established artists? Do you jury the art?
B Eric Rhoads: We don't feel that for Artist Advocate we should decide who is or is not deserving of a gallery. Unless something is simply awful or perhaps offensive we won't pull it. I've seen paintings, which I don't feel are very good and yet those artists find galleries. Its a reminder that there are different levels of taste, different types of galleries, different price levels. I have some very established artists who come into the magazine because they need to generate more galleries to get more business in this economy. One artist Charles White already had about 3 galleries, he advertised and got two more and a show. I noticed he is advertising again to get even more. Why not? When one gallery in one region is weak perhaps another is strong. I think some artists think that appearing in the same book as an artist who is not as good as them makes them appear week yet the opposite is true. They stand out more. It happens all the time in galleries. A strong artist may hang along with lesser quality artists yet both sell. But the better artists always stand out. In fact I think that's an advantage.

ARTCORE: Do you only sell to artists and sculptors?
B Eric Rhoads: Mostly and of course we have two covers so one side is contemporary and the other more traditional or realism. We do accept fine art photographers and others whom you would find in a gallery, which can be a range of all kinds of mediums and techniques. We've had woodworkers who do art pieces, jewery makers, etc. Some galleries are selling more impulse items and have jewelry cases or other art pieces. So if it appeals to a gallery this will reach them.

ARTCORE:Where do you find your writers and photographers?
B Eric Rhoads: At Fine Art Connoisseur we have a deep roledex because of our art world connections. We simply call the experts and arrange for stories. Photographers are pretty much the same. We have people we've used in different areas that we like to use.

ARTCORE:What are your biggest challenges when it comes to addressing content in your magazines?
B Eric Rhoads: Our bottom line always is to make sure its fresh and interesting to the reader. We try not to be too academic or dry yet we want to be credible. Probably the biggest issue we run into is that we hear from a lot of people who want coverage in exchange for advertising. We won't do that to them. They are the ones who get hurt and it does not help our credibility either. We walk away from a lot of ad dollars in those cases because we know our readers can smell paid editorial. Its a great way to loose readers.

ARTCORE:When looking at Artist Advocate magazine, can you explain how its distribution model can help artists break into new galleries?
B Eric Rhoads: Lets assume that you were doing direct mail to galleries. The problem these days with anything not requested is that it goes in the trash. Magazines, however are welcomed and perceived as more important and less likely to get thrown away without at least a glance. Our magazine gets you in the door and now that the galleries expect it and use it, they look at it and often refer back multiple times, especially when they decide to find some new talent for their gallery. We send it to 6,500 art galleries, mostly who sell originals. We also send our digital issue to another 10,000 or so who are places like frame shops that sell prints, etc. And we send it to a lot of art publishers and art licensing people and have heard from artists who got publishing deals which resulted in national distribution in poster stores or frame shops. Licensing could result in giclee prints, calendars and coffee mugs, which is where one of our advertisers now makes a big portion of his income.

ARTCORE:What experience led you to create two successful magazines that approach art in such vastly different ways?
B Eric Rhoads: I spent a lot of years in business for the wrong reasons working for others. It taught me to focus my life on only doing things, which I love. I've been in the magazine and book business for almost 25 years and i have launched many titles. The distinction is that I only launch business ventures, which I have a personal passion for. I won't do it just because it seems like it would be a good business. Though that probably sounds odd to some CEOs it has everything do do with living a life well. We spend so much time in our work that having a job that is what you love is imperative. I happen to love art. I'm a collector, I'm a painter of landscapes and portraits, and I love marketing and writing. This is a perfect fit. Artist Advocate and Fine Art Connoisseur were launched after experiencing a personal need or seeing a need. Because I've been in the publishing business for a while our team knows how to design successful magazines, how to manage the process of creation, how to keep the business costs under control, how to build audiences.

ARTCORE: Tell me about your art marketing blog?
B Eric Rhoads: I love artists yet I find that most of my friends who are professional artists are not very good at the business aspects of selling their art. I've been blessed with some experience in marketing, sales, advertising, media, writing and so my goal is to inspire them, help them understand the business aspects they need to follow, help them see the value of marketing and walk them though how to do it. Why is Thomas Kinkade the most successful artist in history having sold more prints and licensed images than any artist in history? Its because he understands the critical aspects of marketing and he and his team are very good at. I know a lot of artists who don't like his work and will say "I'm better than he is why am I not as successful?" Graveyards are filled with great unknown artists. Homes are filled with artwork from substandard artists who were great marketers. And of course there are also great artists who have found success. It all boils down to marketing. The idea that "if you build it they will come" or that "great artwork will eventually be discovered" is rarely true. Artists need to focus on being known. Squeaky wheel gets the grease. So I focus on the issues, tactics and strategies for doing this. I don't follow a regular publishing schedule because I don't want to publish if I have nothing to say. I write as I encounter new ideas and needs from artists. ericrhoads.blogs.com/artist_marketing
 

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