Creating a Thriving Community Art Event

Project Overview

Barrow Properties had a beautiful vision: create quarterly art events under the iconic Oak Tree in the Oxford & Glenhove precinct that would bring the community together whilst showcasing local artistic talent. What they needed was a partner who could transform this concept into a seamless, professionally managed event that would become a cornerstone of the precinct's community experience.

We understood that successful community events require robust systems, compelling promotion, and careful coordination to create experiences that people genuinely look forward to attending.

The Challenge

Barrow Properties faced several interconnected challenges in bringing their quarterly art event vision to life:

• Complex artist management: No streamlined process for artists to submit their works, making it difficult to track submissions and maintain quality standards
• Information collection barriers: Gathering comprehensive artist details, artwork specifications, and pricing information manually was time-consuming and error-prone
• Limited attendee engagement: Without proper tools to showcase artwork details and artist information, potential buyers struggled to connect with pieces and artists
• Promotional coordination: Needed cohesive marketing materials and communication strategies to build anticipation and ensure strong attendance
• Community communication: Required integration with existing communication channels to maintain consistent messaging across the precinct

Our Strategic Solution

We approached this project as a comprehensive community engagement initiative, developing integrated systems that would support every aspect of the quarterly art events whilst building long-term value for Barrow Properties and the Oxford & Glenhove precinct.

Event Concept Development and Strategic Planning

Working closely with the Barrow team, we helped refine their initial concept into a structured, sustainable event format. Our strategic planning ensured that each quarterly event would build upon the previous one, creating momentum and anticipation within the community. We focused on establishing clear processes that would make event management efficient whilst maintaining the authentic, community-focused atmosphere that Barrow envisioned.

Artist Submission and Management Platform

We built a sophisticated multi-step form system that transformed how artists engage with the event. This digital platform allows artists to submit their works through a guided process that captures all necessary information whilst maintaining a professional, user-friendly experience. The system automatically populates a comprehensive database that tracks submission deadlines, artwork specifications, and artist details.

The platform collects valuable information, including artist biographies, social media links, websites, high-quality artwork images, and pricing details. This systematic approach ensures that Barrow Properties can maintain professional standards whilst making it easy for artists to participate.

Digital Art Catalogue and QR Code Integration

One of our most innovative solutions was developing a digital art catalogue that brings the exhibition into the modern age. Using the information collected through our submission system, we create professional catalogues for each event that attendees can access instantly through QR code posters positioned throughout the exhibition space.

This digital approach serves multiple purposes: it drives artwork sales by providing immediate access to pricing and artist contact information, enhances the attendee experience by offering rich background information about each piece and artist, and creates lasting value as attendees can revisit the catalogue after the event to make purchasing decisions or share with others.

Comprehensive Event Documentation and Content Creation

We capture professional images and content from each event, creating a valuable archive that serves multiple purposes. This documentation supports Barrow Properties' social media presence, provides content for sharing with attendees to extend the community experience beyond the event day, and builds a portfolio of past events that demonstrates the initiative's success and growth.

Integrated Marketing and Communication Strategy

Our promotional approach includes designing posters for distribution throughout the precinct and seamlessly integrating event promotion into the Oxford & Glenhove newsletter, which we develop and distribute. This ensures consistent messaging and builds anticipation for each quarterly event whilst maintaining the professional brand standards that the precinct's community expects.

Results and Community Impact

The quarterly art events under the Oak Tree have become a defining feature of the Oxford & Glenhove precinct community. The systematic approach we implemented has created sustainable success that continues to grow with each event. Community members now eagerly anticipate these gatherings, which have become genuine community celebrations that strengthen connections between residents, local artists, and the broader creative community.

The digital infrastructure we built has streamlined event management for Barrow Properties whilst enhancing the experience for both artists and attendees. Artists appreciate the professional submission process and the digital catalogue that showcases their work effectively, whilst attendees value the immediate access to artwork information and artist details through our QR code system.

Looking Forward

Our work with Barrow Properties demonstrates how thoughtful digital solutions can enhance traditional community events without losing their authentic, personal character. The systems we've built create a foundation for continued growth and evolution of these quarterly celebrations.

The success of the Oxford & Glenhove art events reflects our broader approach to community-focused projects: understanding the unique needs of each client, building sustainable systems that support long-term success, and creating experiences that genuinely bring people together. We're proud to support Barrow Properties in creating something that has become such a cherished part of the precinct's community life.