REINVENTING THE ART GALLERY
"It takes too damn long to recognize young art talent."
- Hank Willis Thomas
BACKGROUND
The current art market is saturated with pieces created almost a generation ago. With increasing timelines and a plethora of criteria imposed by larger galleries, young artists are left to wait empty-handed. Furthermore, visiting an art gallery is often a passive experience; there is no interactive element and there is rarely a way for guests to discuss the work with the actual artists. The next generation of artists are here and they need a modern platform to promote and sell their work. Since April 2021, we have hosted 11 immersive art gallery events, showcasing over 350 pieces of artwork created by 100 different emerging artists.
OUR MISSION
We seek to create unique experiences that bring together the next generation of artists, industrialists, entrepreneurs, and innovators. By condensing the usual timeline of art acceptance used by conventional art galleries and abolishing red tape surrounding the industry, we aim to empower young, undiscovered artists to bring their authentic work to the forefront. Maven’s pop-up gallery model empowers artists to display and sell their work in front of the next generation of art appreciators. By using data, catered events, and technology, Maven seamlessly bridges the gap between art and a young audience.
A LOOK INTO OUR EVENTS
MY ROLE
I am a co-founder of Maven as well as the Chief Creative Officer. I lead the entire creative branch of the team and spearhead the designs for brand and event identities, marketing content, and art gallery layout. I am responsible for organizing and managing the team workflow to ensure efficient task completion. Lastly, I oversee artist outreach/ recruitment and artwork selection. This company is extremely special to me as I have been involved since the very beginning and have watched it grow significantly, all while getting to meet amazing, creative people along the way.
LOGO DEVELOPMENT
I experimented with lots of logo variations for the Maven logo because I wanted to make sure that it communicated the brand’s mission as effectively as possible. At the time, I had been familiarized with the design principle of closure and used it as inspiration; closure can achieve a significant, unique visual effect in a discreet and elegant way. Overall, I wanted this logo to be simple, scalable, and most importantly, easily identifiable.
The main elements of the brand image are only displayed in black or white, giving me the freedom to incorporate color in any way.
SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGN
Another core responsibility of my role is to design and uphold Maven's social media presence–particularly, the Instagram page @mavenarthouse. These posts consist of marketing content for our events, such as teasers and promo videos, as well as artist profiles, which serve to introduce and promote our artists to our followers. I am especially detail-oriented when creating this content, always making sure every post lines up with the previous; the posts on the page flow in a continuous gradient since the very first one, demonstrating the use of strategic and professional graphic design techniques.