Columnist: Arts And Culture Literary Series IV

By Chief Kingsley Okafor. Ksji

In the trajectory of our literary series we will today analyze the Creative Industries, the components, contents and all related variables that make up the Creative Industry.

The word Creative Industry have over the years become very commonly used in categorizing Creative economic activities. Creative Industries simply refers to a range of economic activities which are related with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information.

Sometimes it may be difficult to separate it from Cultural Industries or Creative Economy.

However, as a Creative Arts Development Economist, I can comfortably avow that there are significant differences as well as overlap between the term “Creative Industries”, “Cultural Industries” and “Creative Economy”.

In our analysis of last week, we exhaustively discussed the Cultural Industries and therefore would not over flog that topic by drawing analogy on it today.

Creative Industries are business models and economic activities that depend on creativity, where creativity is work of unusual value.

In other words, it is an industry where work can be a dramatic success or failure based on your creative output.

The major difference between the creative Industry and other Industries is on the capacity of the player or operator to determine the output only on the basis of creativity, whereas regular industries activities are predictable based on the normal concepts of the business activity, In this case the products have steady predictable value.

It is those sectors of organized activity that have the main objective of production, reproduction, promotion, distribution and commercialization of goods, services of context derived from cultural, artistic or heritage origins.

Creative Industries are those industries based on individual creativity, skill and talent, or which have the potential to create wealth and jobs through the development or production of intellectual property.

The term Creative Industries actually began to be used about twenty years ago to describe a range of activities, some of which are amongst the oldest in history and some of which only came into existence with the advent of digital technology.

The term Creative Industries is applied to a much wider productive set including goods and services produced by the cultural industries and those that depend on innovations, including many types of research and software development.

Critics of the Creative Industries agenda however find the term “Creativity” overused far too broadly.

It has been truly open to multiple definitions. Even in the domain of psychology, where the individual creativity has been most widely studied, there is little agreement as to its nature and precise location, or whether it is an attribute of people or a process.

The terms within the creative industry are constantly evolving as new dialogues develop, and lead to questions such as, whether and where to classify fashion shows, carnivals and video games in the context of the creative industry.

Statistics from the world economic forum for 2019 shows that all eleven creative/cultural sectors combined generated $2,250 billion in revenue approximately 3% of world GDP.

The highest earners were television ($477 billion) newspapers and magazines ($354 billion) and visual arts ($391 billion).

Isn’t it intriguing that revenue from creative industries exceeded those of telecommunications services which comes up at $1,570 billion globally and even surpassed the entire GDP of India at $1,900. On jobs, the Creative Industries employ more people than the Automotive Industry in the US, Europe and Japan combined.

The Creative Industry is open to people of all ages, and background and provide significant contribution to youth employment and career.

In Europe the Creative Industry employ people between the ages of 15 and 29 more than any other industries.

Statistics in UK shows that women accounted for more than 50% of the people employed in the music industry in 2014, compared with 47% in overall active population.

In the US artists are 3.5 times more likely to be self-employed than the rest of the US working population. Global Contribution of Creative Industry by Region 1. Asia Pacific = US$743bn. 33% global revenue 12.7m. jobs 43% global jobs 2. Europe = US$709bn. 32% global revenue 7.7m jobs 26% global jobs 3. North America = US$620bn 28% global revenue 4.7m jobs 16% global jobs 4. Latin America & Caribbean = US$124bn 6% global revenue, 1.9m jobs 7% global revenue 5. Africa & Middle East = US$58bn 3% global revenue 2.4m jobs 8% global jobs ART BUSINESS SERIES: HOW TO EXHIBIT YOUR ART WORKS Holding an art exhibition can be a daunting task if you do not plan well.

Whether a solo or group exhibition, you are required to plan properly for a seamless outing. For a curator your first task is to decide on the theme, then start taking submissions from interested artists, your venue will determine the number of works per artist.

The media blitz and marketing buzz will allow your collection to be seen by the targeted audience. 1. Theme: The theme must be unifying enough for the diverse style and crop of artists selected for the exhibition.

A brand new theme works best for group exhibitions.

This must be based on the message you intend to convey.

2. Name: A catchy name will work best for any exhibition. For a solo show – select a work that conveys the message of the exhibition and use it as your display piece. However, the theme should reflect on all the works on display. If your works are small in size, you must have more than the recommended number of between 20-30 works.

3. Choosing the Artist: In your choice of artists to showcase, narrow your choice to artists who tend towards a similar style or produce works that can easily resonate with the theme. Grouping the artists will afford the curator the opportunity of attracting a diverse audience. The curator must give adequate credit to all exhibiting artists.

4. Works for Exhibition: Essentially, an art exhibition can be spiced with a variety of works. If the medium is predominantly paintings, you could solicit for works from photographers, sculptors and other visual artists, provided their works compliment your work.

5. Event Proper: (a) Set your date and time: Putting together an exhibition requires a lot of planning. It is therefore important to set a date close to the weekend, this is the period people are most likely to be free and in search of places to go to.

It is advisable to avoid holiday weekends in order to avoid competing for the attention of the public. (b) Venue: In choosing your venue be careful to settle for a clean and suitable gallery space. For a first time exhibition, do not stick to the traditional exhibition space.

Cafes, restaurants, church spaces and community centers will help you get over the anxiety and jitters of a first timer. Make sure your venue is large enough and well lit to accommodate all the works you plan to exhibit.

6. Advert Promotional Materials: For a regular exhibition, flyers, one page posters that briefly describe the nature of exhibition is recommended.

The information flyer must carry the date, venue, dress-code and entrance fee (if applicable), nature of the work, theme.

If it is a high-profile exhibition a press conference is recommended. Get the word out in your community and engage the social media.

7. Security & Venue Ambiance: It is advisable to light up the gallery or exhibition ground in order to have a clear view of the gallery and watch out for damages or outright stealing of the works.

It may also be a good idea to hire a photographer or videographer to capture the event and most importantly, a DJ to provide atmospheric music.

8. Exhibition Space: Your first task at the venue is to properly display your works with a clear view of how you want your visitors to view the works and interact within the space. Meet and greet area and merchandise desk is key.

9. Engage the Public: The curator and the exhibiting artists are required to be available to answer questions and provide in-depth information on the works.

For the artist, this is one of the most exciting part of the exhibition. Art exhibitions are social events, the artists should not be afraid to socialize and enjoy the moment.

10. Refreshment: Provide light refreshments and beverages, small chops, puff-puff, wine and fruits, finger sandwiches, etc.

Your menu must be planned with your venue in mind. Most established galleries will usually cover this as part of their fee. Titbits: (a) Photographer/Videographer – Hire professionals if you plan to record your event.

(b) Movers – Do not try to do everything yourself. Use professionals movers were necessary.

(c) Lighting experts – If you leased a gallery, they may already have good lighting, otherwise plan to provide your lighting. (

d) Frames – A good frame will greatly enhance your work.