What happens when your exhibition becomes front page news?

I’ll almost guarantee you read that headline and thought “I wish”. The perception is often that trying to convince a news editor to send some of their valuable (and dwindling) resources to a gallery space instead of a murder scene, town hall or press call at a hospital can feel as though it is nigh on impossible.

It can be frustrating for all concerned and it can also open a can of worms about communications, but let’s save that for another day.

But to suddenly find yourself thrust into the unsettling and unfamiliar ‘news-cycle’ can be just as frustrating.

A few weeks ago, the team behind a new photography festival in Liverpool, Look11, were worrying more about launching a new brand in an already busy cultural calendar. A possible national feature here, building relationships with the local and regional media, making new contacts. Stretching limited resources and trying to feel as though you’re not asking too much of volunteers were the day to day concerns of generating ‘chatter’ and raising profile through some well-placed and negotiated press clippings

Then they received a phonecall. One of the photographers featuring in an exhibition as part of the festival had just been killed in Libya. Tim Hetherington, along with fellow photographer Chris Hondros, was killed in a mortar blast in Misurata. His pictures had been selected to feature in an exhibition called ‘Collateral Damage’, ironically enough exploring the notion of conflict in photography.

Tim Hetherington had been born on Merseyside. A few Google searches later and the team was receiving calls from journalists who’d put two and two together and were looking for interviews and comment.

Suddenly, the worries of launching a new brand, trying to convince reporters to write a short feature, fell by the wayside. What replaced them were thoughts of how to get the right message across.

It is a cynical thing to say, but the exhibition would ensure the festival no longer sat on the arts pages, but the news ones as well. But that brought a fresh set of problems.

One exhibition suddenly becomes the face of a whole festival. Other artists, venues don’t receive as much coverage. If you’re building a new brand and developing new relationships, too much focus on one show can lead to ruffling feathers.

If you have spent up to five years curating and crafting an idea or a concept, to suddenly have it scooped and boiled down to one single agenda can not only be frustrating but hugely damaging in the long term and to that all important one ‘legacy’. How to you fit all your key messages about engagement and ‘calls to action’ in one 20 second soundbite on commercial radio?

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, you’re dealing with curators and artists who have not only lost a shining light in their industry they’ve also lost a colleague and a friend. There has to be a balance between managing media requests and giving interviews, paying tribute but not letting it become too all-consuming. Journalists will always write what they want to write, but giving as much information and context as possible can help ensure you don’t get totally lambasted by the news juggernaut.

Working in the arts it’s almost second nature to push boundaries, explore ideas and make people think about what they see around them in a new and perhaps different way. Many news editors I speak to wish they could have more space to talk about the arts and exhibitions on their doorstep.

When something catastrophic happens that means our festival, or show, production or event becomes more than an arts feature we shouldn’t feel ashamed about seeing it as an opportunity to convey a different message.