Pop Ups – Art and Store

November 2, 2015

One of the core tenets of art is to continually push the boundaries of what’s expected. Recently, a Denver-based artist created a pop-up art exhibit featuring a 40-foot tall inflatable, blue sculpture of a prospector. It sits across the street from the Colorado state capital in a parking lot and will only be on exhibit for three weeks. Alongside this pop-up art is a pop-up store housed in a glossy black, cut down shipping container that features a single saleable item.

The one item for sale in this store is a Lego-style base selling for $35. Along with that base comes a set of plans for a miniature duplicate of the sculpture that can be printed on a 3-D printer. That’s it. This one item comprises the entire inventory of this tiny museum store. Since the artwork is inspired by Pixar’s Sneaky Pete (from Toy Story 2), selling only the base (and plans for printing) puts the re-creation of the art in the consumers hands.

This art project is known as Black Cube. The plan for this project is to create a series of art exhibitions that include a half a dozen unique displays and performance art demonstrations throughout the state of Colorado over the next year. As the project matures, the goal is to expand into other markets.

Understandably, any 40-foot tall blue sculpture tends to generate a fair amount of press. Any time art becomes an event it can also become a great generator for publicity. And we all live for publicity, right?

Pop-up stores have been a mainstay in retail now for several years, encompassing everything from the annual calendar shop at the mall to portable kiosks that can sell to any crowd. Pop-up stores are the adult equivalent of a lemonade stand.

Just as the Intangibles line of unique art pieces enabled the store at the Walker in Minneapolis to think outside the box, pop-up stores are helping art-related stores move the box to an entirely different location. The Black Cube project is a great example of bringing artwork – and art products – to entirely different venues. It allows the boundaries of museum stores to expand and not be limited to those of the physical store. This way of thinking allows them to break free of their four walls and to boldly go where no museum stores have gone before.

Pop-up stores are a great way to introduce your retail operation to customers who may have never stepped inside your museum. Consider the potential of creating a partnership with another retailer, another museum store, shopping center, pedestrian malls or sports arenas to install a temporary satellite location for your store. This gives you an interesting and special way to extend your institution’s brand.

Of course, a pop-up store can also stay within the confines of your own museum as well. Work with the museum staff to find a spot to place a kiosk or just a showcase where you can promote the store as the last part of their visit. This is a great place to really be creative with your displays and build interest for the store.

The best part is that pop-up stores can last a day, a week-end, or season. But it’s important not to overstay your welcome and always keep it fresh. With that in mind, a pop-up store can be the ultimate in a limited-time offer. But it can also be a great way to generate publicity for your year-round store.

Why not think outside the box, and while you’re at it why not move the box as well.

To read more about the Black Cube go to www.blackcubeart.org.

Steve White is a writer and entrepreneur based in Denver.