Pop Up! Lessons from a Rookie, Part I
Rookie. The What’s Good Project at Iowa Pop Art Market, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Earlier this spring, I was invited (thanks, Niq Thomas) to participate in Iowa Pop Art Market, an inaugural pop-up art event at the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids. Being a pop-up and festival first-timer, I jumped at the chance and then scrambled to get myself organized.
Part of that scrambling was trying to figure out what I didn’t know that I needed to know. With that in mind, I’m writing a couple of blogs (and later a toolkit) for those folks who need a Pop-Up Prologue, so to speak.
Today, we’ll dive into a general overview of Pop Ups, and hear from Niq Thomas, the brains behind the Iowa Pop Art vision. Next week, I’ll give a laundry list of what I learned as a participating artist. I try to remember that a person can be a great role model or a horrible warning, so consider yourself warned. :)
First things first. What’s a Pop Up?
In a word, think temporary. A Pop Up typically refers to an event, exhibition, or experience that is either A) a few hours to a few days long and/or B) in an unusual location, possibly unintended for the event. Pop Ups are nimble, working within and around parameters that usually result in something unexpected and dynamic.
( ^^^^ This is what draws in the folks.^^^^)
The One Night Stand at the Ole Miss Motel. Oxford, Mississippi.
Pop Up: The One Night Stand
Case in point: While living in Oxford, Mississippi, my brother and sister-in-law attended a ton of events hosted by the legendary Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. A signature experience was The One Night Stand at the Ole Miss Motel. The Arts Council would rent out the motel for an evening and assign each room to an artist, who would transform the space into their own hosting gallery, complete with bathroom bar. As you might imagine, the YAC and participating artists killed it each year.
Show poster from 2017 event. Courtesy of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council Facebook page.
Niq Thomas + Iowa Pop Art Market
Based in Cedar Rapids, Niq Thomas is a terrific artist who integrates painting with collage, assemblage and sculpture. He was also kind enough to give some insight into the magic of making Iowa Pop Art happen.
Incidentally, you can check out Niq’s work at the Reopening Show at the Main Gallery of CSPS in Cedar Rapids (June 3 - August 9, 2021) and at Myths and Flowers: An Installation by Niq Thomas at Raygun in Des Moines, reception on June 24, 2021, from 5-7 pm. And follow his work on Instagram and Facebook.
Niq Thomas. stimulated, assemblage, 48” x 60", 2021. CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
In Niq’s words:
“When the Iowa Pop Art Market was first conceived, it wasn’t a market at all. Initially I reached out to the Czech Museum to just see about event space pricing and wasn’t really sure what I had in mind. That evolved into maybe a small pop up with just a handful of my artist friends, which then quickly expanded into much more. When I realized there would be spots for nearly 20 artists, not to mention lots of room for the vintage vendors we’d been considering, I was excited to actually “curate” this event. I wanted it to be the kind of show I’d want to attend as a fan of art, and that’s not something I often find in this area.
My goal was to highlight a range of artists, both in terms of styles and background, and really expose the local community to art that maybe they weren’t used to seeing, particularly at the venue we were using. I thought it was important to avoid stylistic overlap as much as possible so that the artists/artwork would really stand out from each other. I think having achieved that really contributed to the success of the event. No matter what kind of art a visitor might like going in, there was something at the market for them.”
Artist Christian D’Cruz, Iowa Pop Art Market, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Photo courtesy of Niq Thomas
Niq continues,
“The range of artists wasn’t just stylistic, though. We had some artists who hadn’t ever been in a show like this (or even really shown their work to people) mixed in with experienced, full-time career artists. There were artists that had just graduated from college and some that were in their 40s. However, by choosing to include a roster with such a range of experience, I wanted to make sure those who were new to this kind of thing felt comfortable and confident going into the event. I knew that when I was first doing these, I had no one to consult. I didn’t know how to set up a booth, what to prepare for, pricing, etc., but I didn’t want these artists to feel that way, especially because I recruited them for this event.
The Visionary. Niq Thomas, Founder of Iowa Pop Art Market.
And, in my opinion, the other vital component to the IPA Market besides having that diversity of work was not asking artists to apply, but rather inviting them based on their body of work that I already admired. As an artist, it’s difficult to put yourself out there through an application process or a jury submission. The fear of being rejected or the burden of paying money for the honor of that rejection often means not applying at all, and that can automatically limit the kinds of artists that you will get through an application process.
It should be noted that there were lots of things that could have gone wrong that day and we were fortunate that most of them didn’t.”
Artist Akwi Nji at her booth at the Iowa Pop Art Market in Cedar Rapids. Photo courtesy of Niq Thomas.
Jennifer here. As one of those artists who had never been in a festival, I can attest to Niq’s hospitality and attention to detail. He reached out to us individually and frequently to make sure that we had what we needed for the show. A chill, laidback vibe that I really appreciated. I also really appreciated no application or booth fee for artists and vendors, both of which are common in conventional art festivals.
In the meantime, if you’ve been a part of, or attended a pop up event, and you want to chime in with any lessons learned, drop a comment below!