JEFFREY GIBSON: LIKE A HAMMER

2019

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

CONTENT STRATEGIST
COPYWRITER
PRODUCER

Powow meets pop art meets punching bags in Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer

A combination of strategy, management, video production, and writing created an engaging campaign and unprecendented attendance for an exhibition by a contemporary sculptor.

STRATEGY & COPY

Drawing on the importance of intersectionality in Gibson’s work and in equity conversations at the museum, I developed a marketing and communications strategy designed to offer multiple points of connection for a diverse array of audiences.

With feedback from the exhibition advisory board, I developed an iterative copy direction that emphasized Gibson’s identity, the themes, cultural references, and aesthetic traditions of the artwork. This artwork-adaptable tagline accompanied a suite of social assets that deployed over the entire duration of the exhibition. It was also integrated into the microsite where I was responsible for copy.

The campaign began with an introduction of the artist to both new acquistion and inner circle audiences. As recognition of the artist and campaign grew, content was adapted for more engaged audiences. The result was a seamless end-to-end visitor experience, from first-touch ads to post-visit survey.

VIDEO

Combining the pop sensibility and music influence in Gibson’s art, I riffed off the VH1 Pop-Up Video trope to write a series of “pop-art videos” that emphasized the cultural references in Gibson’s work.



I produced a series of community voice videos for Jeffrey Gibson: Like A Hammer. Through my connections in the local art world, I solicited and collaborated with local Indigenous artists to bring meaningful and fun community perspectives to the exhibition. Centering these voices allowed for a broader understanding and interpretation of Gibson’s work, outside of the institutional perspective.