Press Highlights from a Busy Week
It’s been a huge week for Bluethumb! Between the 2018 Bluethumb Art Prize and our recent collaboration with the YWCA for their new ‘profit for purpose’ hotel, we’ve been garnering quite a bit of attention from the media.
The week began with the launch of YWCA’s new women’s wing at their Song Hotel in Sydney. We worked with them and our artists to provide over $25,000 of art. Each room was themed and designed by different inspirational Australian woman, including Sia, Bindi Irwin and Sally Rugg. We grabbed the attention of Travel Weekly, who devoted half their article to covering our role in the venture.
“The Bluethumb team curated an appropriate selection of stunning artworks by some of the strongest among its successful female artists.” – Travel Weekly
The article also features quotes from popular Bluethumb artist, Sherry McCourt, whose work is hanging in Sia’s room.
We also invited The Guardian along to the launch and even scored them a night in Sia’s room. Writer Jenny Valentish wrote an informative account of her experience at the hotel. In it, she gave a large nod to Bluethumb’s efforts on the project. The piece also focused on Sally Rugg’s Pride room, featuring Kim Leutwyler‘s piece Liv and Beck in Yellow and Salmon. The rainbow striped feature wall and Kim’s artwork make quite the impact together.
Kim Leutwyler, Sally Rugg and Bluethumb’s PR Manager, Freddy Grant, in the Sally Rugg Pride room at the Song Hotel. Photo by Tati Escor.
As the opening night for the 2018 Bluethumb Art Prize edged closer, we won more media attention from Studio 10, Channel 10’s flagship breakfast show. The segment invited the nation to the opening and featured many of the finalist artworks which were on show at exhibition.
The Bluethumb Art Prize 18 on Studio 10
Thanks for this awesome shoutout, Studio 10! Our art prize kicks off tomorrow night – we can't wait to see you there! Find all the details here: bluet.hm/Bluethumb-Art-Prize-18
Posted by Bluethumb on Wednesday, 11 April 2018
On the day of the exhibition, we were thrilled to get shout outs across social media from many of our artists. Kim Hyunji, who won the overall Bluethumb Art Prize and the Work on Canvas award, reminded her followers of the upcoming exhibition opening and was excited to be featured on Studio 10.
Art Almanac not only gave us a shout out on their Instagram on the day of the event, but also published an article announcing the winners the following day. The article features on their homepage, which is an exciting sign of the Bluethumb Art Prize’s value in the industry.
The Plus Ones were guests at our preview night last Wednesday, and wrote a zesty review of the exhibition. The author, Maloti, describes her top picks from the finalists, and finishes with a vibrant description of Bluethumb.
“This brave new world of online art marketplaces bypasses middlemen. No longer is there the persuasive presence of a curator or collector to influence taste anxiety about art. It is a gamble. It is also revolutionary. Be a rebel, test your taste.” – The Plus Ones
Following the Bluethumb Art Prize opening night and winners announcement, there was a flurry of social media posts. Gina Liano, one of our art prize judges who presented the top award on the night, posted our photo of her and winner Kim Hyunji. Due to her fame as a reality TV star, she has an enormous social following. Obviously we were pretty excited to get the notification and a flurry of new followers.
Other notable Instagram posts have been from Beautiful Bizarre magazine and artist Lix North. Beautiful Bizarre posted about the Works on Paper award winner, Erin Nicholls. They’ve been keenly following the lead up to the Bluethumb Art Prize, with many posts. This post is the latest:
Lix North, one of this years finalists, was excited when her piece sold the night before the opening.
We’re pretty stoked to have all this attention coming our way!
