Sculpture Milwaukee is an annual exhibition of contemporary public sculpture in downtown Milwaukee that serves as a catalyst for community engagement, economic development, and creative placemaking.
Through its free annual outdoor installations, Sculpture Milwaukee honors the arts and celebrates the community with artworks that spark inspiration and conversation, empowering residents, tourists, students, and art lovers alike to experience sculpture in new and profound ways.
Sculpture
MILWAUKEE
marketing and design manager
John Giorno, YOU CANT HURT ME CAUSE STORMS CANT HURT THE SKY, 2023
photography Kenzi Rayelle
Each year, Sculpture Milwaukee features a distinctive matching poster and walking map for its outdoor exhibitions. 2023’s design celebrates SMKE's "roots" with seven plant pots symbolizing each year of their outdoor sculpture iterations and showcasing Milwaukee's unique attractions and current artworks on view.
Partnering with local designer Kelsey Robinson, we gamified the poster and map by incorporating iconic representations of the sculptures and key Milwaukee landmarks, creating an engaging experience for all audiences.
2023 EXHIBITION
POSTER + MAP
2023 EXHIBITIONS
AD CAMPAIGNS
In addition to the map and poster we created to promote the exhibitions, we used Sculpture Milwaukee's tagline "Your Avenue to Art" along with iconic highlights of works on view.
This creative campaign was seen on large-scale outdoor billboards, and in local and international publications such as Art Forum, Shepherd Express, and Frieze Magazine. It was also promoted by local partners through paid promotional ads and scroll ads, including on Radio Milwaukee and Chicago Gallery News. The goal was to reinstate partnerships with key players in the contemporary arts scene and visually generate excitement for the local community.
Continuing with the usage of “gamification tactics”, our team strategized and implemented the "Sculpture Milwaukee Scavenger Hunt.” An interactive experience designed to engage participants with a series of riddles that guided them through the current exhibitions and artworks on view.
The scavenger hunt aimed to make self-guided tours more accessible and enjoyable, appealing to a wide audience including families, art enthusiasts, and casual visitors.
I also developed a unique QR code for each activity sheet, allowing participants to easily download them for free from the Sculpture Milwaukee website. This not only facilitated access but also enabled us to track and estimate active engagement from local participants. By analyzing the QR code scans, we could gather valuable data on the reach and effectiveness of our interactive materials.
GAMIFICATION
ADDITIONAL TACTICS
Social Media
CAMPAIGNS
On social media, I developed ongoing video content that received on promotion within the local community, while also re-establishing partnerships with significant Milwaukee entities like Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Downtown and The Historic Third Ward. Collaborations extended to institutions such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Design and UW-Milwaukee, relevant to the current exhibitions on view. Additionally, I closely collaborated with primary art lenders and artists to promote Sculpture Milwaukee within the national and international arts community.
These efforts, coupled with dual-marketing strategies across Sculpture Milwaukee's primary social media channels, resulted in a notable increase in engagement, active followers, and retention rates.
Furthermore, we maintained a primary focus on exclusively utilizing high-quality content to establish a more robust online presence, aiming to align ourselves with esteemed and established arts organizations in our following.
+51K impressions on Instagram
+ 9.2% engagement rate on Instagram
+ 3.9% engagement rate on Facebook
Highlight community interaction, installations, garner excitement, educate diverse audiences, and promote Sculpture Milwaukee’s mission of providing free access to world-class sculpture.
Isamu Noguchi, Octetra, Octetra (two-element column) 1968 (2021)
photography: Alayna Pernell
creative direction: Kenzi Rayelle
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