How do you share the artistic legacy of a unique, self-taught sculptor with a wide audience? With great marketing strategy and a beautiful website.
Inventor and sculptor Robert Segal pioneered a singular approach to contemporary sculpture through virtuoso engineering and industrial manufacturing techniques. Over the years as he pursued his art, he learned how the hands can realize the fantastic dimensions of the human imagination. He channeled relentless focus and intellectual commitment into his works, which began to earn acclaim at some of the country’s most prestigious outdoor art festivals and competitions by the mid-1990s.
Robert’s work became part of private and corporate collections throughout the US. He ultimately created more sculpture than he sold, though. When he died in late 2020, his friend and mentee Mike Schiestel knew that part of honoring Bob would involve bringing his work to new fans.
That’s when Mike reached out to JRS Mar/Com. We jumped right into our website copywriting and design process, sifting through Robert Segal Gallery’s outdated original site, newspaper and magazine clippings, Bob’s own writings, and an in-depth interview with Mike to understand the story, the art, and the process.
How did we do it?
Because these sculptures are a fantastic interplay of color, shape, and space, it was essential to professionally photograph them, so we coordinated an on-site photoshoot. The photos in the Gallery section are videos that show the pieces in rotation so that viewers can fully appreciate all angles of each sculpture.
In addition to capturing images and organizing site content, we had to tell the story the right way. Bob was self-taught and had a creative vision that incorporated his experience in welding and industrial engineering into his art. Through tireless practice and his own ingenuity, he developed a unique process for creating molds for his swooping fiberglass structures. He also developed his own paints, which have not lost their color and luster after 20 years, even on those pieces that are installed outdoors. This level of commitment and detail needed to be part of the story, which would appeal to the right collectors.
Now, more than 25 years after Robert Segal began earning recognition at some of the most prestigious art shows in the nation, his work has a brand-new digital home deserving of his museum-quality art. With full-color photos, a compelling story, and insight into his artistic process, the site is ready to help his unique abstract sculpture find new and appreciative audiences. See Robert Segal Gallery’s online home here.
