500 University Avenue Rochester, NY 14607-1484 585.276.8900•mag.rochester.edu REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Memorial Art Gallery Media Arts Campaign (2017) Background Introduction The Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester—or MAG, as it is affectionately known—was founded in 1913 and is one of a select number of university-affiliated art museums in the country that is also a major community art museum. It welcomes more than 225,000 people per year, including thousands of schoolchildren. Located in downtown Rochester, MAG’s 14-acre campus, which now includes the Centennial Sculpture Park, houses an encyclopedic collection of 5,000 years of world art. Referred to as a “mini MET,” the museum’s permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects has been called the State’s best-balanced collection outside New York City. Important holdings include master works by Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keefffe, Thomas Gainsborough, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Claude Monet. The European collection features a permanent loan of the only full-size Italian Baroque organ in North America. The collection also provides surveys of ancient and Asian art, as well as a wide-ranging group of vernacular American and non- Western native art objects. MAG hosts a year-round schedule of exhibitions, including the recent Meleko Mokgosi: Pax Kaffraria, organized by director Jonathan P. Binstock. In addition to exhibitions, the museum programs lectures, concerts, family days, and social events, including fan favorites “Valentine Schmalentine,” “Museum of the Dead,” and the Clothesline Art Festival, Rochester’s largest and longest-running fine arts and crafts festival. (See MAG’s current and upcoming offerings in the most recent issue of its publication, ARTiculate.) Jonathan P. Binstock, Mary W. and Donald R. Clark Director In 2014, MAG welcomed its seventh director, Jonathan Binstock, who came to Rochester from New York City. He was previously senior vice president and senior advisor in modern and contemporary art for Citi Private Bank’s Art Advisory & Finance Group. He brings more than a decade of curatorial work in American museums, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art (CGA) and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Binstock is a board member of the MAG RFP 4-27-17 1 American Federation of Arts and a scholarly consultant for the Visual Arts Gallery of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Binstock is the leading authority on artist Sam Gilliam. He has also written about artists such as Jeremy Blake, Ellsworth Kelly, Bruce Nauman, and Meleko Mokgosi. His curatorial credits include Dan Steinhilber: Marlin Underground (2012, The Kreeger Museum); Sam Gilliam: A Retrospective (2005, CGA); Atomic Time: Pure Science and Seduction (2003, CGA), and Andy Warhol: Social Observer (2000, PAFA). Outside Rochester, Binstock is co-organizing a major exhibition at Kunstmuseum Basel on artist Sam Gilliam, which will open simultaneously with Art Basel 2018, placing the Memorial Art Gallery at the center of the international art world during the largest and most influential art fair. On view June–August 2018, Sam Gilliam. The Music of Color, 1967–1973 is the first museum survey on the artist in Europe, and the first ever to focus exclusively on the foundational period of 1967–73, when Gilliam made his most radical and revolutionary art, his bevel-edge and drape paintings. The show includes more than 40 works, a number of them monumentally scaled. Binstock is curating the exhibition with Kunstmuseum director Josef Helfenstein. Where We Are Headed The last two years have marked a significant period of transformation for the museum as it expands beyond its regional base and attracts new audiences. The museum’s director of 29 years, Grant Holcomb, retired and the institution completed an $18.4 million capital campaign. The funds raised are supporting among other things a renewed focus on ties to the greater Rochester community and engaging a more diverse audience. There is a renewed dedication to building the contemporary collection, and MAG’s unheralded three-year initiative in media arts is making an extraordinary contribution to the international contemporary art landscape. A special exhibition program in a dedicated gallery overseen by world-renowned media arts expert John G. Hanhardt is featuring new acquisitions, including to date works by Charles Atlas, Juan Downey, Gibson+Recoder, Kalup Linzy, Bruce Nauman, Nam June Paik, Sondra Perry, and Bill Viola. The MAG recently acquired Viola’s masterpiece of 2015, Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water), which was commissioned by, and is on permanent view in, London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral. MAG is the only collection, public or private, in the United States to own the complete four-panel work. Beyond media art several important recent acquisitions—including works by Nick Cave, George Condo, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian and Mickalene Thomas—are part of the newly reinstalled modern and contemporary galleries. Immediate opportunities for growth include increasing regional and national awareness of the quality of MAG’s collections and programming, as well as engaging broader segments of the community. The museum has long been a leading force in the regional arts community, but under new leadership, and with an exciting media arts initiative and exhibition program, it is poised for national and international media recognition. MAG RFP 4-27-17 2 The Project Project Description The Memorial Art Gallery is seeking proposals for a public relations campaign to raise national and international visibility for the institution and its media arts commissioning program, called Reflections on Place. MAG, under the leadership John G. Hanhardt, the leading curatorial authority on media arts, is commissioning three world-class contemporary artists to create moving image installations reflecting the complex social, cultural, and political history of Rochester. Hanhardt founded and lead the media arts programs at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Walker Art Center, and he is serving as consulting senior curator at MAG through 2019. These three commissions will be unveiled in solo exhibitions at MAG: Dara Birnbaum (January–March 2018), Javier Tellez (April–June 2018), and Isaac Julien (February– April 2019). The commissions are in addition to the ambitious acquisition program described above. The museum would like to promote Reflections on Place as a bold and unique undertaking in the contemporary art field. In addition, MAG would like to leverage its relationship with Hanhardt to garner positive attention for his work with and commitment to the museum. Project Timeline Media and communications strategy development and implementation will be executed throughout a four-month period (August–November 2017). • August–September 2017: Message, media target, and materials development. • September–October 2017: Press outreach and planning for New York City press event in November 2017 to launch Reflections on Place. • November 2017: New York City press event and media follow-up. Continued promotions for Dara Birnbaum and Javier Téllez exhibition openings and coverage for Reflections on Place. Project Budget At this time, the budget for the project is $30,000 for four months of communications planning and media placement, and associated professional fees. This does not include event space rental, catering, and audio-visual support for press events in New York City or Rochester. Should additional funds become available, the budget and scope of the project may increase after contract award. MAG RFP 4-27-17 3 Scope of Work Media Strategy • Set media relations goals and objectives. • Identify key media and influencers who align with projects and communications goals, including print, broadcast, and social media. List to include national and international writers and critics. • Develop key messages for press outreach and targeted placement of stories. • Identify spokespeople and prep them for their role in media relations. • Develop a timeline with key dates and deadlines. • Develop unique story pitches for targeted publications and writers. • Regularly review and provide feedback on the campaign, making updates and adjustments as needed to improve performance. • Advise on social media strategy for related projects. Press Materials Development • Assess what print and digital assets currently exist for all projects, provide feedback, and make recommendations on what needs to be developed. • Review new assets created by MAG, including, but not limited to, fact sheets, artist bios, image sheets, press releases, and exhibition schedules. • Advise on MAG website presence for related projects. • Advise on and draft, as needed, materials for a New York City press event in fall 2017. Targeted Press Outreach • Organize a press event in New York City to launch Reflections on Place: press invitations, follow-ups, RSVPs, A/V, catering, program, rehearsals. Include artists and John Hanhardt in the program. • Secure exclusive coverage to coincide with event. • Send media pitches and follow-ups to secure stories in targeted outlets identified in communications strategy. • Organize follow-up press trip to bring writers to Rochester to visit MAG in person. • Promote the first two individual artist shows as they open in January and April 2018, respectively. • Secure listings in prominent art blogs and reviews in key outlets. • Serve as primary press contact for media. Public