[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Author: Luke Martin[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20″][eltdf_button type=”simple” text=”Back to Blog” target=”_self” icon_pack=”font_elegant” fe_icon=”arrow_carrot-2left” font_weight=”” text_transform=”” link=”https://learnmycraft.com/the-artist-blog/”][vc_empty_space height=”20″][vc_separator align=”align_left” border_width=”5″][vc_empty_space height=”20″][vc_column_text css_animation=”none”]The coronation of King Charles III has dominated the news this week, with stories about the historic event gaining millions of views and global attention. We’ve seen businesses hop on the coronation train too, with offers, promotions and celebrations at the forefront of their marketing.
But what about artists? Well, these 10 savvy artists took their chance and got some free global publicity of their own, all by using the power of PR (public relations). Here’s how they did it.
1. London Street Artist Pegasus Paints a Coronation Tribute
Pegasus (Chris Turner) , a street artist from London is no stranger to PR stunts featuring royalty and political figures, took his chance to paint a tribute to the new king in a punk-inspired painting. The ‘news’ of his work was published in the Evening Standard and Huffington Post, gaining nationwide publicity. If you read the article carefully, it includes a valuable seo backlink to Clarendon Fine Art, where the painting will eventually be listed for £4,750. Now that’s marketing.
2. Artist Makes King Charles Out Of Marmite On Toast
Artist Nathan Wyburn, from Cardiff, secured worldwide media coverage for a tribute to King Charles made entirely from marmite and toast. The quirky idea and eye-catching image that accompanies the story got coverage from very well-known media outlets from the BBC to The Mirror and more.
3. Wolverhampton Micro Artist Willard Wigan Creates Tiny Crown For Coronation
Dr Willard Wigan secured valuable press coverage by making a tiny crown in the eye of a needle. The artist, who has secured coverage and even a Guiness World Record in the past for his work, was featured in outlets from the BBC to the Daily Mail, Independent and others. This is a great example of using an ‘extreme’, in this case scale, in order to create something newsworthy.
4. Māori Artist’s Web Plugin Replaces King’s Coronation With Indigenous News
The Guardian (and others) wrote features about the work of Hāmiora Bailey, who created a web plugin that replaces coronation news with Māori news. Tensions are increasing in New Zealand between citizens and an increasingly distant feeling monarchy, and this artwork captured that discontent perfectly. The feature included a website backlink and write-up about the artist’s work.
5. St Albans Street Artist Captures ‘Friendly And Confident’ King
St Albans based street artist Ant Steel, who also happens to be artist in residence at St Albans Cathedral no less, created this colourful portrait of the new King in Christopher Place shopping centre. The story was picked up by the BBC.
6. Local Artist Gives Away Free Mcplant burgers And Says We Should ‘Pledge Allegiance To Each Other’ Instead
William Belshah, a local Manchester based artist, used the coronation to make an artistic statement in support of people living in poverty in the UK. The artist gave away 330 McPlant burgers to children, the homeless and working parents. The protest was covered by local press, amplifying his message.
7. King Charles Sand Art Appears On Bamburgh Beach To Mark Coronation
Artist Claire Eason was featured on Chronicle Live for a huge sand art portrait of King Charles III on the beach at Bamburgh castle. The striking image made for a great story, which in turn was great publicity for Claire’s sand art business Soul2Sand. Claire got featured by working with news agency PA News, a content distribution company.
8. Art Fit For a King – Environmental Art Piece Unveiled For Coronation
James Owen Thomas, and artist from North Yorkshire, teamed up with Pontefract Racecourse to launch an artwork celebrating the coronation. The article, featured on Great British Racing included information about the piece and the artist, and a link to the artists website. Thomas is no stranger to press coverage, having previously been featured in The Northern Echo, The Telegraph & Argus and The Harrogate Advertiser.
9. Elderly Artist Inspires Local Community With Portrait Of The King
Artist Tony Sawbridge was featured by ITV News for a portrait painting of King Charles. The artist, 93, has seen three coronations over his lifetime, making the basis for a news story about his life and work.
10. FIT FOR A KING Crafty Woman Shares The Laziest Way To Make A Coronation Crown
TikTok artist Home Is Where The Heart Is got featured in The Scottish Sun for this neat demonstration of how to make a children’s coronation crown. Nifty ‘how-to’ videos are always popular, and when timed with a huge event like the coronation can become newsworthy. The article included their social handle, and positive comments from TikTok followers about the tutorial. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]
How to use PR to promote your art
Hopefully, you’ve read these examples and been inspired to get featured in the media yourself. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]We’ve put together an easy-to-follow workbook for artists who want to begin using PR as part of their marketing, check it out below. It will tell you exactly how to create captivating stories about your art that editors and journalists will love. You can use our easy-to-follow templates again and again to generate consistent media coverage of your art business. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″]
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