Professional Development: Consulting Programs: Arts Marketing/Audience Development Program: Consultations with Aleba Gartner

PMP sponsored its second Arts Marketing/Audience Development Program event in December 2002 and January 2003. New York–based publicist Aleba Gartner conducted individualized consulting sessions with 29 PMP applicant organizations over six days to help them assess and advance their current marketing and public relations strategies, with the goal of cultivating a public image that will be attractive to new audiences and generate increased interest from the press.

Ms. Gartner offered suggestions on how to make publicity materials more dynamic and visually appealing, how to write more effective and engaging press releases, and how these materials can be used to communicate the distinctiveness and relevance of each organization’s mission. Through a detailed review of each participant’s press kit and brochures, she provided practical, specific suggestions for making effective use of publicity materials.

Ms. Gartner is the founder of Aleba Gartner Associates, a public relations firm specializing in the promotion of modern music, with an eye toward developing new and diverse audiences. AGA’s current clients include Bang on a Can, the legendary cutting-edge music collective; Meet the Composer, the nation’s foremost commissioning organization; and Miller Theatre of Columbia University, renowned for its eclectic and innovative music programming. Previous projects include promotions for the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra, the Marlboro Music Festival, the Austrian and Italian Cultural Institutes, and record labels harmonia mundi, Nonesuch, PolyGram, Sony Classical, Tzadik, and Universal Classics.