Unlocking Europe: Commissions & Festivals Revealed
In this 90-minute online workshop led by artist Kurt Perschke, you will learn how to successfully find, pitch, and negotiate with European presenters and festivals for audience based work. Artists in performance, street theater, dance, temporary public art, street art, projection, audio, and immersive installation, all have an untapped market for their work in Europe.
Approximately $30,000,000 in commission fees are paid to artists every year though arts festivals in Europe, many times what is spent in the US. Learn how to research cultural presenters, festivals, agents, presenting groups, and identify opportunities for your work. We will discuss in detail aspects of budgets, tech riders, and negotiation approaches specific to arts presenters outside the U.S.
- Pitch in the commissioning season when booking actually happens
- Why every work needs a theatrical tech rider, and how to write one
- 5 easy mistakes to avoid in negotiation with a presenting Festival
- Think beyond the U.S. visual arts model, why European arts presenters don’t use it
- Forget art fairs, where and when to network with Artistic Directors across Europe
About Kurt Perschke
Kurt Perschke is a globally commissioned artist who works in public space. His most acclaimed work, RedBall Project has appeared in over 30 cities globally and received a National Award from Americans for the Arts Public Art Network. With thousands of appearances in magazines, television, newspapers, radio, and blogs his work has generated press worldwide. He has extensive production experience including managing budgets from $30,000 to $150,000 and training teams around the globe. He has been commissioned by festivals such as Lieux Publics in Marseille, Galway Arts Festival, Zomer van Antwerpen, Perth International Arts Festival, Les Escales Improbables de Montréal, Festival Novart Bordeaux, Les Tombees De La Nuit in Rennes, Luminato Festival in Toronto, MONS European Cultural Capital and for the London Olympics. Museums commissions include the Toledo Museum of Art, Memphis Brooks Museum, Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, Vienna Technical Museum, MoCA Taipei, and working with the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA). He has taught sculpture and professional practice at Webster University, ‘Studio to the Street’ at Columbia College in Chicago as a Guest Artist, and given keynotes and lectures through out the US.
Learn more about his work at The Project Artist and Red Ball Project.