BMull Consulting

The Goggle Works Center for Arts wants your feedback. Alan Shirk (Shirk Communications) recently wrote an article called “50 Ways to Help the Goggle Works”.

Goggle Works administration is looking for opinions on the top 5 ideas in the list of 50. Which ideas do you feel would work best for promoting and raising awareness of the Goggle Works? Feel free to post ideas in the comments box or email them to bryan@bmullconsulting.com.

50 Ways to Help the Goggle Works - Alan Shirk, Shirk Communications

1. Art Happy Hour. Perhaps with wine-tasting, dance music.

2. Install caboose on section of railroad tracks behind glass studio. Paint it bright colors (ala glassworks). Reading Technical society, which has a new museum in Hamburg, would probably help since it is great visibility for them and our railroad heritage. Plus-take a Ride on the Reading.

3. Paint This Neighborhood. Have summer camp kids, Lauer’s Park students, Olivets, YMCA, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, etc. join in helping neighbors to spruce up the GoggleWorks neighborhood.

4. Join with Community School of Music and the Arts-our major tenant-to offer dance classes at the GoggleWorks-ballroom, C&W, oldies, etc.

5. Create a Wall of Contributors and/or Wall of Members somewhere in the building. People could autograph it, put up and sign their own handprint. Or we could do a photo montage of portraits.

6. Put lights between the two buildings (Thorn street). Put lights in the crosswalk windows.

7. Replace the temporary sign on the roof with neon. Perhaps a co-op deal with a local sign company. Perhaps the sign company could start a neon school at the GoggleWorks.

8. Pre-1960 cartoon festival. Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, etc. We all need to laugh.

9. Finally place permanent signs at the elevators on the first floors. “Through this door, please explore, our second, third, fourth and fifth floors.”

10. Pa. Dutch Art Tour staring at the GoggleWorks-visitors would pay to see memories of Updike, Stevens, Bertoia, John Phillip Sousa, Michael Constantine, other sites and attractions, museum, Hopewell, Pagoda.

11. Consider joining all the other arts councils in Pennsylvania for cross-promotion, good will and other advantages. Why not host a PA arts council or state councils meeting?

12. Create annual 2 or 3-day Arts Expo at the GoggleWorks featuring arts suppliers, unique/unusual arts, aspiring musicians, celebrities and events also designed to encourage the public to attend.

13. Start a Berks and/or regional weekend workshop for art teachers. This could also offer art teachers a chance to show parents what their children are being taught and how we can help our children learn.

14. College Arts Career Fair-Berks and regional institutions.

15. Sponsor an Art Attack program similar to what David Guest ran at the Berks County Arts Council’s Gallery 20 in West Reading. Let him do it.

16. Do some coop exhibits with other local galleries, etc. Perhaps a single exhibit could include works at the GoggleWorks, Freedman, the Museum, etc. That way people would be encouraged to go to different places and allow us to greatly expand the scope of our exhibits. That might allow us to bring in bigger pieces.

17. Bring in experts in their fields with a connection to art, graphics, etc. For example, how do they detect counterfeit money, how easy is it to copy an undetectable version of a Van Gogh, what does it take to restore paintings, etc. Sort of like “How Do They Do It?” on TV.

18. Start a local academic talk series bringing in expert professors from our own local colleges whose skills and talents may go largely unrecognized. Perhaps panel discussions. This could be a lunch, or a Saturday morning, or a Sunday afternoon series.

19. Set up a special campaign to collect money to fix the elevator in the western corner. Instead of asking for general contributions at the front desk, perhaps we could target the elevator. Create a large wooden animal (in our woodshop), the GoggleWorks Gator with a large plastic stomach where children and parents could drop in money. I think giving kids the opportunity to think they are contributing directly would be good. Or make it some less expensive and more reachable item.

20. Prominently display our wish list where people can see it as they enter or leave. Spread the word among tenants, etc. about special things we need.

21. Blockbuster events. How about a Tony Curtis art exhibit with a Tony Curtis film festival? The goal of course to break even or make money. Why not shoot for the moon.

22. Show free cartoons, Westerns, serials etc. for on Saturday mornings. I think we could ask for donations.

23. Hold a conference for art/movie critics (newspapers, TV, radio). Pack it with good content, charge accordingly. One thing this will do, of course, is exposing the GoggleWorks to the media. Perhaps we could bring in people the caliber of Robert Osborne from TCM.

24. Create a small non-paid arts advisory board-educator, working artist, art institution, volunteer.

25. Encourage art teachers to spend some of their sabbaticals volunteering or working here.

26. Offer periodic lectures by locals or out-of-towners about famous Berks people in the arts and entertainment.

27. Try to land a major high-end film symposium.

28. Obtain a liquor license.

29. Establish a Friday or Saturday night World Café, perhaps tie in with WXPN.

30. See if we could partner with WFMZ, which is right across the street, to create an additional TV show, perhaps a half-hour and hosted by Gene Burkhart. This would expand our reach into the Lehigh Valley. WFMZ has been good to our community and us.

31. If it becomes available, consider broadcasting BCTV annual fund raiser from the GoggleWorks.

32. Possible Events-coin/currency shows, antique shows, collectibles events, stamp shows, comics, etc. provided our rental rates are competitive and we don’t compete with Expo Center.

33. PBS appraisal show here or imitation thereof. Bring in a high-caliber appraise like Noel Barrett. Perhaps we could use our WHYY connection.

34. Start a Berks art Hall of Fame.

35. Greatly expand our list of media for news releases. (Only about 50 as of 2/11/09)

36. Contact all NEA high school art teachers in Pennsylvania. A list like this is available, roughly half of names have e-mails. So it would cost next to nothing. Encourage them to visit, offer free 6-month membership.

37. Conference on the state of funding of the arts-local, state and national. Bring in someone like Jane Alexander?

38. Boy Scouts have art, graphic arts and music merit badges. The Girl Scouts and Brownies have several art and music. We could help them win them. A GoggleWorks chapter?

39. Let’s make our annual September gala more public. Have music on all 5 floors, bring in food vendors and let them take full responsibility, have working artists, other party activities/games, Reading police (in a positive way), etc. etc. Sort of like Holly Go-Lightly’s party in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We could charge admission, do silent auctions, etc.

40. Produce an ongoing “An Art Moment” in cooperation with WEEU. This could talk about specific GoggleWorks, events, other important county art events, art in general. I’m sure we could do a trade off.

41. Arts sleepovers for kids. Or rent out space for art sleepovers-birthday parties, graduations, sweet 16, etc. Overnight Art Camp.

42. Set up an arts incubator fund with local businesses. Use contributions to buy supplies for schools, etc. This would not have to be expensive things, but basic items-even pencils and papers.

43. Add a countywide arts calendar to the GoggleWorks website. This has been a frustrating problem for so many years. The goal would be to give everyone a central place where they could find out what events might be taking place on a day they want to schedule one. Somewhat similar to Visit PA but much simpler. Say-Sunday, November 16. Reading Symphony Concert. Call 610-trumpet. Have it so that people could list their own events pending approval.

44. Build an art library-donated books-for art students K-12. Work with the Berks Libraries.

45. Convert the front part of the large room on the second floor to a “reading area” with comfortable furniture (donated) warm lighting. Could also rent this out for small, intimate meetings, other special events. Name it after a major contributor, famous Berks arts person, etc.

46. Have energy conservation with teeth.

47. Communicate much more strongly the need for everyone who works or visits the GoggleWorks to do everything they can as individuals to reduce costs. Offer a free class/free gift shop item to the best cost-saving idea of the month.

48. Think alternative energy. (A Paoli, PA consultant has promised to put together a basic proposal on the feasibility of solar power for the GoggleWorks. I will deliver that to all board members as soon as I receive it. Tim Lash has been extremely helpful with this.)

49. Create an annual wacky event that could involve students from the Berks colleges, other art organizations, the public etc. Something like a bed race with the beds decorated in the style of major artists-Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Warhol, etc. Could limit this to the parking lot or our neighborhood.

50. A suggestion box. People can sign or remain anonymous. Those visitors with the best suggestion (month?) who have signed their name can be given an award.