Visual Art on the Internet


Art Business Magazine has wrapped up its survey of visual art on the Internet. Please contact the Editor if you would like a full report. The full survey report is available free with your subscription to ABM. Otherwise, there is a nominal fee.

HIGHLIGHTS
Art Business Magazine's
Survey of Visual Arts Web Sites

September, 1996

There is good news and bad news. The bad news, which confirms our earlier suspicions, is: few people are making sales of art through the Internet. The good news is: if you want high traffic badly enough, it is achievable. The biggest problem faced by owners of visual arts web sites is not knowing where to go with their sites: half of respondents were unable to assess the success or failure of their sites.

Here are a few highlights from the ABM Survey of Visual Arts Web Sites.

CONTENTS
1) Description of surveyed visual art web sites
2) Who completed survey and role of survey participant in web site
3) Why was site created, and when
4) Goals for sites and how sites are performing
5) Comments by participants
6) Conclusions
1) DESCRIPTON OF SURVEYED VISUAL ART WEB SITES
This survey was conducted between April 16 and Aug. 24, 1996, a period of about Four (4) months. Forty-one (41) valid survey forms were completed. Eleven (11) survey forms were excluded because participants' sites were under construction.

Art sites using rented space: 83% (34)
Art sites using operator owned servers: 17% (7)

All sites were visual art related: virtual galleries; personal pages; co-op of artists collaborating on pages; advertising pages for actual art galleries; advertising for art museum programming; advertising for arts councils. By far, the largest number of sites consisted of several pages exhibiting artists' resumes, artist's statement and art. For the most part, these pages used rented space. Many artists, 65% of those surveyed, have learned how to create and maintain their own sites.


2) WHO COMPLETED SURVEY AND ROLE IN WEB SITE
Artists 66% (27)
Arts administrators 10% (4)
Computer-oriented careers 12% (5)
Marketing manager 2% (1)
Arts consultant 2% (1)
Publisher 2% (1)
Internet worker 2% (1)
Art dealer 2% (1)

Participants' roles in creation of web site: Webmasters 63% (26); Initiators 12% (5); Participants 24% (10) (as designer, organiser, marketer, assistant, text writer).

Artists who were webmasters 65% (17 of the 26)


3) WHY WAS SITE CREATED AND WHEN
The following reasons were given for creating the visual art web sites: 83% (34) want exposure and promotion of art; 17% (7) want sales and money; 12% (5) want to educate self or others about about art (and the Net); 7% (3) want fun.

When were visual art web sites established:
Visual art web sites created in 1994: 0%
Visual art web sites created in 1995: 39% (16)
Visual art web sites created in 1996: 61% (25)


5) [SOME] COMMENTS BY SURVEY PARTICIPANTS
Ontario, Canada, artist and webmaster, site established April, 1995.
"Too early to assess results (1 year). Art purchasers are not yet big web surfers ...can the role of a dealer be duplicated on the web? An art purchaser likes to be told by a gallery owner that Artist X or Work Y is important; handholding doesn't happen simply by viewing the website... perhaps some day on-line art critics will be important (and as frustrating to artists) as the present non-Web variety are."

Northwest Florida, artist, site established April, 1996.
"The Internet WWW is growing rapidly. It is just in its infancy and it may not be a great marketing tool in these early days because Netizens aren't necessarily art buyers, but I think there is a good possibility that opportunities will greatly improve."

Oakland CA, artist/consultant and webmaster, site established July, 1996.
"In 9 months I've gone from a dyed in the wool technophobe to... if you're curious, you should check out my site. What I love aboout the web is discovering those "this is my family, this is my house, this is my dog" kind of site. I love it when people CREATE something from nothing."

UK, artist? webmaster, site established June, 1996.
"I'll keep it up till it gets boring - which may be soon because the whole thing is pretty dull and clunky really. If the Internet eventually gets as interesting as TV it'll still be a sight less interesting than real life. It's an amusing diversion but that's about it."

Please contact the Editor if you would like a full report. There is a nominal fee. Report is available by e-mail and snail mail.