It's been said of Kate Iverson that if it's happening in the Twin Cities art scene, she knows about it or is connected to it. The multitalented multitasker currently holds the position of Creative Director for Permanent Art & Design Group, a full-service creative agency that promotes artists and arts events, and which owns and operates two galleries in town, XYandZ Gallery in South Minneapolis and CO Exhibitions (co-owned with Burlesque of North America) in Northeast.

"One of Permanent's big goals," says Iverson, "is to bring strong design to promoting the arts. The Twin Cities have such rich and impressive visual art, music, and theater scenes, but often these organizations aren't focusing on their presentation in the realm of web, branding, marketing strategy, and general design--all things that are essential in this day and age. Permanent can help here because it has its feet equally rooted in the design world and the fine art world."

"Managing two art galleries as well," she adds, "means we've always got our fingers in something above and beyond general client work. This is something in itself that draws clients to us."

She's also the editor-in-chief of l'�toile magazine, an online art and culture publication known for its hip branded events and popular weekend arts and entertainment guide. She calls l'�toile "a very word-of-mouth style entity. I often refer to it a 'lifestyle brand' as opposed to an 'online magazine.' We create our own culture through branded events, special partnerships with arts organizations, creative collaborations, and of course the online editorial component. We strive to be instigators and influencers for the new art patron." L'�toile also runs LOL/OMG, which she describes as a "social media gossip blog."  

And as if that weren't enough art-instigating for any one human being, Iverson is also the arts editor for SecretsoftheCity.com (formerly The Rake). 

A Life in Art and Style

The Line: Kate, you morphed from an art major in college to an art maven/marketer. Tell us about that.

Kate Iverson: Back in 2004 I founded an art gallery called Density Studios. We did exhibits focusing on everything from graphic design to installation to contemporary art. I guess I got bit by the production bug: curating shows, marketing them, and working with artists. That segued into me working with the l'�toile magazine crew and things just kind of morphed from there. I basically took what was happening in the Twin Cities creatively and made my own resume. If I wanted to do something, I figured it out; I jumped on projects, produced events, connected with people, and paid my dues.

The Line: What do the arts contribute to our common life in the Twin Cities?
 
Kate Iverson: The beauty of the arts is that they are constantly evolving and engaging people in 1,000 different ways--both noticeably and subtly. It's a grand creative loop: create and repeat! We're lucky to live in a place that acknowledges and pushes art as one of its top commodities. What's especially great about the Twin Cities creative community is its range: from internationally respected institutions to a healthy D.I.Y. gallery scene to a booming design and advertising industry to vibrant fashion, theater, and literary communities. The Twin Cities has a little something to excite everyone; we're big enough to inspire worldly thinking and small enough to keep things accessible.
 
The Line: What changes and trends have you seen in the art scene here since you have been a part of it?
 
Kate Iverson: I think people are challenging each other creatively more and more. It's becoming a bit more competitive, which is good. I've been pleased to see a flood of young artists attempting to do big things: art galleries, events, publications, large-scale projects. Whether or not they always do them well is up for interpretation, but there's a great amount of ambition around here. I love the confidence and drive of these projects and artists--they can only get better with experience.    

There are lots of crazy things going on under the surface, but one of my recent favorites is a project called Seasaw. It's a themed art subscription; for $80, you can have a work shipped to your home four times per year. Each "issue" is different: The first one (which came out in early March) was a bottle of handcrafted date/vanilla-infused vodka that was custom-labeled and packed in (actual) peanuts. Other planned items will range from literary pieces to handmade art objects. They've recently gotten some pretty nice national press, so I'm excited to see what they do next!

Wanted: Patrons

The Line: What does the local art scene need more (or less) of?
 
Kate Iverson: More art collectors. An art collector or patron doesn't need to be rich; that's a terrible misconception. I've got more original artwork than I can possibly hang on my walls and I am far from rolling in dough. It's not just about "supporting local art"--though that's fantastic too--it's about beautifying and enriching your daily life. I think everyone needs to watch the documentary Herb and Dorothy, about famed New York art collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel--a retired postal worker and a librarian who amassed a collection of contemporary art so huge and so important that in 2008 it was gifted out to over 50 major institutions in 50 states (including our own Weisman Art Museum). If this amazing doc doesn't make you want to go out and start your own art collection, I don't know what will.

LOL/OMG!
  
The Line: A propos of LOL/OMG: what have you learned about the Twin Cities by monitoring the "seedy underbelly" of social media?
 
Kate Iverson: Oh, I've always had my ear to the seedy underbelly; that's where all the fun happens! But really, it's kind of startling the level of negativity that gets spewed out on social media. People really need to watch more YouTube videos of cute baby animals--that's what I do whenever I feel grumpy.
 
The Line: Given that caveat, who are some of the most interesting Twitterers and other social-media communicators in town, in your estimation?

Kate Iverson: Whenever I need a good laugh I always tune in to @JayGabler, one of the funniest people on Twitter. Gabler is the arts editor for the Twin Cities Daily Planet (which itself has a good arts-related twitter run by Gabler at @ArtsOrbit). On top of being an extremely prolific and witty writer, he's also a Harvard-graduated sociology PhD (and rumor has it, he actually wrote Sociology for Dummies), however, he's still lowbrow enough to drunk-tweet while at a warehouse party at 3 AM--the guy definitely gets around. He's also recently co-launched a pretty epic anti-news site called The Tangential. I liken The Tangential to a more neurotic version of The Onion by people who think way too much--and by that I mean it's awesome. 
 
A Social Media Takeover

The Line: What new directions are the social media taking here?
 
Kate Iverson: It's been happening for a while, but I think people (especially individuals) are getting a bit more savvy on how to use social media in a business sense. Companies across the board have long since accepted that it's not going away anytime soon and they've jumped on the bandwagon--traditional marketing has all but flown out the window. I look forward to seeing what kind of creative campaigns, strategies, and technologies that come out of the next couple of years. What we're experiencing now is simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the vast potential of "social media."

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has especially impressed me over the past year with their continuing focus on outreach via social media channels. A big institution like the MIA could literally sit back on its haunches and wait for people to come to it, using the general tried-and-true marketing methods, but they've taken many steps to be innovative, engaging, and fresh. From using SCVNGR to inspire art-hunting in the museum and among local independent businesses, to real-time Flickr-uploading photo booths at events, content-rich Twitter and Facebook presences, and just generally always being on the lookout for new ways to use technology to connect to multiple demographics. Other institutions and businesses in general should look at the MIA's promotional model--it's consistent and smart, and has real personality.
 
The Line: What would you like to see more (and less) of in this sphere?
 
Kate Iverson: More multimedia, less narcissism.

Photos of Kate Iverson (with managing editor Jon Spayde in the XYandZ Gallery) by Bill Kelley