I recently signed up for TurningArt, a ‘Netflix for fine art,’ if you will. (Basic premise: subscribe to get new artwork of your choosing via a queue every 3 months in a provided frame, and each artwork ‘rental’ earns you credits to purchase any of the pieces at a discount.) Great concept, and I was happy to get my first piece just the other day.

But what was the name of that piece? I can’t remember it.* I’m telling everyone who’s seen the art since we installed it about the service itself, but I’d also like to tell them about the piece I’m showcasing. As such, I have a simple proposal for the TurningArt team.

Example of sub-image label

With every piece that is sent to your home, include a tiny paper label to affix beneath the work (à la a museum’s under-art label) with both a description of the piece and a QR code linking to the piece online. I would assume such a label would contain the following info:

1. Title of the artwork
2. Artist name
3. Medium
4. Price tag for outright purchase
5. QR code

Ideally, the QR code would be embedded with the displaying user’s referral ID to not only track who’s driving subscriptions/sales, but also credit them per their existing referral system.

In turn, this solution a) helps TurningArt drive new sales/subscribers, b) helps artists drive fans (and possible sales), c) helps users look a little smarter and become ready-made evangelists for the TurningArt service, and d) gives the uninitiated a simple way to get engaged.

* Obviously, I’ve since looked up the name of the piece since writing this: Yellow Block, by Jodi Chamberlain.