[Bur@rt Diary] Entering our third year of running the site — persistence is power

Entering our third year of running the site

Since starting to build the site and post articles on October 1, 2017, this site — art on~buratto Art — has now entered its third year.

As time has passed, page views (PV) and visitor counts have kept climbing, and the numbers in the admin dashboard keep trending upward.
At gallery openings and art-collector gatherings, I have also had more opportunities to meet readers face to face.
Compared with a year ago, I feel the site’s recognition has grown.

Looking at the admin panel, the number of published articles has already passed 820 — which works out to more than one article per day.
Add in the updates to our social channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) and even I am surprised at how well it has kept going.
Thank you to everyone who has stuck with us this far.

Beyond the access-log numbers, there are real changes taking place offline as well.
Magazines and web media have been reaching out and asking me to contribute articles more often.
The reasons for these requests vary,
but what makes me happiest of all are the fellow art collectors — friends and acquaintances — I can share a common vocabulary with.
Recently I have been meeting people of all ages, genders, and affiliations, and it has been genuinely fun and stimulating to hear about each collector’s personal tastes and collecting style.

The inquiries and reactions I receive most often are requests to feature solo shows and group exhibitions.
Since this site is essentially a one-person operation, I regret that I cannot always respond.
Invitations to press previews and press conferences for major museum exhibitions are also common, but weekday-daytime events are hard to attend, and I have missed many opportunities as a result.
It would be great to be able to recruit contract journalists or writers who could cover things during the day, but managing them looks quite demanding, so I am watching for the right timing.

On community

Last week we announced the collector exhibition “Collectors’ Collective”.
Within our planning team we have been calling the project “Kore-Kore-ten”.

The response has exceeded our expectations, and for now we are relieved.
There are still things left to sort out before the show opens, so we want to stay focused and keep pushing forward.

Separately, an acquaintance in the media invited me to a meeting on the theme of “trust and engagement”.
It was part of a global research initiative on the relationship between media and their readers.

I attended among an impressive lineup of web-media professionals, and something I had been thinking about for a long time was laid out right in front of me — it clicked into place.
That being niche is a big part of what allows a media outlet to exist.
And that, in that context, building a community is a major factor in operating a media outlet.

I have long been interested in building a community of art collectors, so I have already started customization work in preparation for the site’s renewal.
If things go smoothly, I plan to set up a free membership registration and start with things like members-only articles.
Even that alone has various issues to sort out, though. Running the site solo means I have to do all the hands-on work myself, which is not easy.
This site draws most of its traffic through search, and I have not previously placed much emphasis on building ongoing connections with returning readers.

Also — this is something I do regularly — I will host a drinking party with fellow collectors around the timing of Kore-Kore-ten.
I have never openly promoted these gatherings, so this one too will likely be organized quietly.
Coordinating a group like this is a lot of stress, and opening it up to a broad, undefined crowd tends not to go well.

Based on past gatherings, the connections I have with collectors mostly come from social media.
The collector drinking parties have been very well received, and I always come away inspired myself.

Art and money

Over the weekend there was a Teppei Takeda signing, and I too got my new poster signed.

I had noticed a group of people at the venue whose vibe was different from the typical gallery-going collectors — and sure enough, the poster later showed up on Mercari, which was rather a shock.
I am glad to see art gaining momentum, but if this is one of the side effects, it is disappointing.

I also added another work to my collection.
There is a fun story behind it too, so I will save that for the next “Burart Diary”.

See you next week!

art on Editor-in-Chief
Mahiro Kobayashi