Radiate Confidence

Transcription

Radiate Confidence

B USI N ESS ADVICE + R ESOU RCES + E DUCATION + TUTOR IALS + ART N EWS
APRIL/MAY 2016
Restaurant
Art Shows
PAGE 52
Radiate
Confidence
PAGE 58
Want Media
Coverage?
PAGE 44
Trending:
Video Marketing
PAGE 28
PSU Classroom by Gabe Fernandez
Fueling artists’ creative and business minds for more than 30 years.
Visit ProfessionalArtistMag.com/30Years for exclusive anniversary content!
2015
Mentor
OF THE YEAR
A N N OUN CE D
Last year, Professional Artist held its
second-annual Mentor of the Year search,
sponsored by Jerryʼs Artarama. We asked you
to think about the people who have impacted your
art career and helped shape the
artist you are today. We selected Patric
Stillman as the 2015 Mentor of the Year, along
with honorable mentions Lloyd Menard and Dennis Jory.
Patric Stillman
I have known Patric Stillman for more than ten years.
He is my friend and creative mentor. When I first met
Patric, he was utilizing his talents in new technologies and
video creation, mainly tutoring young people. During that
time, Patric headed up a statewide program partnering
with the California State Library system and worked
internationally on the San Diego Latino Film Festival
producing unforgettable videos.
As he turned his attention to photography and painting,
his interaction with the local arts community quickly
increased. He has led discussions with artists for the San
Diego Art Institute and … Veterans for Arts, Art Career
Cafe, Space 4 Art, Expressive Arts. … His photography
NOMINATED BY: EVELYN LOSS
was seen in the Louvre this year and
was featured at SCOPE Miami during
Art Basel.
is the go-to guy when you are having questions
concerning your artwork, whether it be
conceptual or nuts-and-bolts marketing.
Earlier this year, he established
The Studio Door, an arts
incubator dedicated to the
creative marketplace and the
promotion of contemporary
artists. The storefront allows
him to balance the creative
process with an in-depth
knowledge of arts commerce
for hundreds of artists. Patric
I am fortunate to be one of the
artists at The Studio Door. I am
working in fused glass, moving
from craftsman to fine artist.
Under his wing, I have grown as
a professional artist through his
encouragement and challenges.
Like many others, I am fortunate
to have found a mentor who
motivates me to grow as an artist.
HO N O R A B L E M E N T IO N S
Lloyd Menard
NOMINATED BY: CORY KNEDLER
Lloyd Menard taught at the University of South Dakota
for over thirty years, where he was hired in 1972 to
teach printmaking until his retirement in 2005, and his
mentorship continues through Frogman’s Print and Paper
workshops. When Lloyd came to USD, the university had only
a small undergraduate program in art and one printmaking press. Today, more than
40 of his USD alumni teach in higher education across the United States and abroad.
I know all of his efforts and can attest to them myself, because I was one of Lloyd’s
printmaking students who came to the USD for my Masters of Fine Arts, because
of the legendary name Lloyd Menard. Twenty years later and now as the Chair of
the University of South Dakota Department of Art, I hear from alumni each month
declaring success stories and achievements in their own careers because they had the
opportunity to study under the unique teaching philosophy of Professor Lloyd Menard.
Dennis Jory
NOMINATED BY: MARTHA INGLIS
As a novice in art, Dennis Jory enabled me
to complete a project nearest to my heart:
drawing 31 homeless patrons at the Well of
the Desert food assistance nonprofit. His art
instruction, countless minutes of individual attention
plus my long hours drawing at home resulted in portraits that delighted
all who saw them. To complete the presentation, Dennis helped me matte,
frame and hang each portrait and biography presented to the main office
of the Well. He pushed me to grow personally and professionally by
improving my color perspective, patience and artistic self confidence. Dennis
teaches low cost art classes to all ages, championing the homeless and
disadvantaged. Although he was awarded California Teacher of the Year
prior to retirement, to me he will always be my art teacher of the year.
ProfessionalArtistMag.com
1
contents
APR+MAY 2016
VOLUME 30 // NUMBER 2
features
14
Know How To Listen
By Gwenn Seemel
22 Advice For Your
30-Year-Old Self
By Gigi Rosenberg
28
14
Trending: Video Marketing
By Rebecca Coleman
32
32 Mad Money Marketing
By Elaine Grogan Luttrull
38 Young Art Collectors
By Daniel Grant
44 Want Media Coverage?
58
By Thea Fiore Bloom
52 Restaurant Art Shows
By Katherine Arnoldi
58 Radiate Confidence
By Vicki Krohn Amorose
66
What To Do With Too
Much Artwork
By Daniel Grant
2 Professional Artist APR+MAY 2016
44
on the cover
PSU Classroom, 2014,
by Gabe Fernandez.
Oil on canvas, 40” x 30”.
Copyright © Gabe Fernandez. Used by permission of the artist.
Read more about Fernandez on Page 58.
columns
21
58
The Artist’s Advocate:
Rules Are Marketing Tools
By Katie Lane
43
Coaching the Artist: What To
Do If Family Undermines You
By Eric Maisel
50
State of the Art: Digital Cameras
Are Better Than Phones
By Terry Sullivan
departments
4
Editor’s Letter
5
Headlines & Details
By Gigi Rosenberg
57
Planning Your Art Business:
Lunch Can Be Tax-Deductible
By Robert Reed
80
Artrepreneur Coach:
Expert Marketing Tips
By Renée Phillips
By Gigi Rosenberg
12 Artist Spotlight:
Beau Wild
By Nada Hassanein
75 Calls to Artists
3
editor’s LETTER
Dear Artists,
APR+MAY 2016 // VOLUME 30 // NUMBER 2
Before I turned 30, I still couldn’t call myself a writer.
Even though I’d been paid as a writer and editor at
work and I’d produced videos and slideshows, and
was on my way to being named vice president at a
communications firm — I still couldn’t say with a
straight face, “I’m a writer.”
Thirty is “a good marking point,” said Juan Alonso, one of the artists I interviewed
for this issue. Alonso, as well as two more artists I interviewed, still hadn’t committed
100 percent to their art by the time they turned 30. But after 30, that changed.
That age was the doorway from young adulthood to being a grown-up artist.
After I turned 30, I was finally able to say “I’m a writer” — and mean it.
To learn from the advice that Alonso and those two other artists would give their
30-year-old selves, turn to Page 22. Some of their advice may help you now, no
matter your age.
PUBLISHER
Jannett R. Roberts
[email protected]
EDITOR
Gigi Rosenberg
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Nada Hassanein
[email protected]
ART DIRECTOR
Kristen Schaeffer-Santoni
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Katherine Arnoldi, Vicki Krohn Amorose,
Rebecca Coleman, Daniel Grant,
Elaine Grogan Luttrull, Gwenn Seemel,
Terry Sullivan
COLUMNISTS
How can you move more fully into saying “I’m an artist”? What do you need to do
this year to grow your business and commit even more to your practice? Chances
are, marketing your art more often and more effectively is on your list.
Katie Lane, Eric Maisel, Ph.D.,
Renée Phillips,
Robert Reed, Ph.D., CFP,
Terry Sullivan
If so, this issue, devoted to marketing, will help. Gwenn Seemel teaches you how
to let your marketing sound more like a conversation on Page 14. Thea Fiore
Bloom shows you how to write a press release that will get attention on Page 44.
To incorporate new video forms into your marketing mix, read Rebecca Coleman’s
piece on Page 28 which highlights your options.
[email protected]
or 407-515-2603
Find out why Elaine Grogan Luttrull suggests you add “mad money” to your
marketing budget on Page 32. Discover how your posture affects your confidence
with Vicki Krohn Amorose on Page 58. These are just some of the highlights in this
issue that will help you straighten up, throw your shoulders back and say with even
more confidence, “I’m an artist.”
ADVERTISING
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Anna Murray
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Kim Madeiros
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Hawkins
TURNSTILE MEDIA GROUP
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PRESIDENT Patti Green
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BY GIGI ROSENBERG
headlines &DETAILS
EXHIBITION
ATLANTA’S HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
from April 2 through January 8, 2017.
This retrospective features more than
80 of Carle’s collages from 15 of his
most popular books, including many
original works. To create the collages,
Carle paints white tissue paper with
acrylics then cuts and tears the papers
and glues the different shapes onto
illustrations. This exhibition is presented
in conjunction with the Alliance
Theatre’s world premiere play with
music, “Pancakes, Pancakes!” (June 1
through July 3), based on Eric Carle’s
book of the same name.
1
2
A
tlanta’s High Museum of Art
boasts an eclectic line up this
spring including artists Jean-Michel
Basquiat and Eric Carle, photographer
Vik Muniz and an exhibit on the
evolution and art of the sneaker.
Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks
runs until May 29 and features 160
unbound notebook pages created
by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988).
The exhibit also includes 30 paintings,
drawings and mixed-media works.
Created between 1980 and 1987,
the notebooks include narrative
poems, fragments of found texts
that incorporate street signage,
news stories, and references from
literature and the Old Testament.
Other pages reflect Basquiat’s interest
in highlighting racial discrimination
and acknowledging the important
contributions of African Americans and
other people of color.
I See a Story: The Art of Eric Carle runs
Vik Muniz is a retrospective of the
photographer’s work running until
May 29 and features nearly 120
photographs. Muniz, known for
creating what he calls “photographic
delusions” works with unconventional
materials — including sugar, tomato
sauce, diamonds, magazine clippings,
chocolate syrup, dust and junk — to
design narrative subjects before
recording them with his camera.
His recent work utilizes electron
microscopes to unveil both the familiar
and the strange in places that are
usually inaccessible to the human eye.
Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker
Culture runs from June 12 to August 14
and includes 155 sneakers. The exhibit
uses film footage, interactive media,
photography and design drawings to
trace the evolution of the sneaker from
its mid-nineteenth century origins. The
exhibit includes works from Adidas,
Converse, Nike, Puma and Reebok as
well as private collectors such as hip-hop
legend Darryl “DMC” McDaniels,
sneaker guru Bobbito Garcia and Dee
Wells of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder.
Sneakers from Prada and other fashion
designers are included as well as those
made in collaboration with artists
Damien Hirst and Kanye West.
For details on all these exhibits, visit
high.org and remember that on Friday
nights, tickets are half-price.
1 A Bar at the Folies - Bergère after Edouard Manet, 2012, by Vik Muniz. Chromogenic print. Copyright © Vik Muniz. Used by permission of the artist.
2 Illustration by Eric Carle from The Very Lonely Firefly. Copyright © 1995 Eric Carle. Courtesy of High Museum of Art.
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headlines &DETAILS
NEWS
46 ARTISTIC
PROJECTS
WIN $4.3
MILLION
FROM
CREATIVE
CAPITAL
3
F
rom a pool of 2,500 proposals,
Creative Capital chose 46 projects
this year and awarded $4,370,000 in
three artistic disciplines including:
literature, performing arts and
emerging fields. The awardees range in
age from 28 to 65 years old and include
63 artists at all stages of their careers.
More than half are women and more
than half identify as people of color.
Each funded project will receive up to
$50,000 in direct funding and additional
resources and advisory services —
such as financial consulting and
communications support — valued at
$45,000, making the organization’s total
2016 investment more than $4,370,000.
Creative Capital uses venture-capital
principles and surrounds artists with
the tools they need to build sustainable
careers. The organization seeks
projects that are bold, innovative
and genre-stretching.
Creative Capital seeks
innovative projects
that push genre
boundaries and artists
who are also activists
engaging with the
hotly-debated issues
of our time.
“Artists today are
brave, bold and
deeply engaged in the
world,” Ruby Lerner,
founding president
and executive director of Creative
Capital, said in a release. “The 2016
class of Creative Capital awardees are
creating important and deeply moving
work, with immediacy and passion. We
believe the 2016 Creative Capital artists
will shape their fields for decades to
come.”
Projects receiving funding include an
exhibition and book on the histories
of transgender communities, an
adaptation of Euripides’ Medea as a
Latin American variety show and an
opera examining America’s relationship
with guns. Projects that touch on the
visual arts include Eva and Franco
Mattes’ Fukushima Texture Pack, a
publicly-accessible collection of surface
textures based on photographs taken
in the radioactive Fukushima Exclusion
Zone and Peter Burr and Porpentine’s
Aria End, a digital artwork that draws
on video game design to immerse
participants in a disorienting narrative
that unfolds through both downloadable
content and public performances.
4
3 Aria End, 2016, by Peter Burr and Porpentine. Digital media. Copyright © Peter Burr and Porpentine. Courtesy of Creative Capital Foundation.
4 Poor People’s TV Room, by Peter Born and Okwui Okpokwasili. Photo credit: David Andrako. Copyright © David Andrako. Courtesy of Creative Capital
Foundation. 5 It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again, by Julia Cameron. Copyright © TarcherPerigee, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc.
BOOK
‘IT’S NEVER TOO
LATE TO BEGIN
AGAIN’ SAYS
AUTHOR JULIA
CAMERON
M
any artists may think
they’re beyond Julia
Cameron’s bestseller The Artist’s
Way and indeed some of the
5
exercises feel written for the
fledgling artist, not the professional.
However, most artists know what it
feels like to hit a block, lose their way
or return to their art practice after a
planned or accidental absence.
Cameron’s latest book, It’s Never Too
Late to Begin Again: Discovering
Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and
Beyond, is geared toward the older
artist or would-be artist who’s looking
to re-engage with
creativity. The format
is similar to her other
books in that the 12
chapters can be used
as a 12-week course,
each with a different
focus. Cameron, who
is now 65 years old,
knows what it feels like
to be entering a new
phase of life outside the
traditional workplace.
The book is full of her essays and stories
of older adults who struggled and then
managed the transition to a creative
retirement successfully.
Topics covered include how to define
the legacy you want to leave behind,
re-ignite a sense of wonder, connect with
others through volunteerism and identify
and take action on dreams that may have
been deferred by your younger self.
But the book is much more than just a
useful creative retirement toolkit. The
tools for reflection, action and selfexploration would help guide even
the most experienced artists forward
into a new creative venture. It’s a useful
resource for anyone looking to take that
next big leap, whether it’s outside the
workplace or toward a creative journey.
The book will be released on April 19.
It was written with Emma Lively, a
classical violist turned musical theater
writer, composer and lyricist who has
served as Cameron’s business manager
for a decade.
Cameron has been an active artist for
more than three decades. She’s the
author of more than thirty books. Find
her online at JuliaCameronLive.com.
The latest book, published by
TarcherPerigee, sells for $17.
ArtSacks.
For the sake
of your art.
Say goodbye to piles of bubble wrap,
rolls of packing tape, stacks of
cardboard and hours of packing and
unpacking your artworks for showings,
exhibitions and fairs.
Say hello to ArtSacks. Slip you work into
one of our felt sacks, flop the top over,
and you’re on your way. It’s even faster
to unpack. What used to be hours, is now minutes. All the time
protecting your valuable framed or unframed work from
chips, dings and scratches. Use the clear vinyl pocket for ID.
There are 9 sizes that hold artwork from 16”x20” up to 50” x 72”,
with extra padding around the bottom, which allows you to set
your art down safely just about anywhere. Go to ArtSacks.net
Quick sacks. Safe sacks. ArtSacks.
©2016 Bochworks LLC
7
headlines &DETAILS
BOOK
ANTHOLOGY FEATURES THE ‘MONA LISA REIMAGINED’
A
fter author Erik Maell
sojourned to the Louvre
to see Leonardo da Vinci’s
Renaissance masterpiece, La
Gioconda, also known as the
Mona Lisa, he was struck by the
oddness of the experience. As
he gazed at the work, protected
by dual panels of bulletproof
glass and flanked by armed
security guards, he realized
that looking at the painting felt
more like visiting a celebrity
6
than a piece of art.
Maell became fascinated with
theories as to why this painting, which
attracts eight million visitors a year,
had captivated so
many imaginations.
Although hundreds of
books have attempted
to explain the
creation, mythology
and mystique of the
painting, Maell found
no comprehensive
collection of these recreations.
“During the past five
centuries, literally tens of
thousands of Mona Lisa variations have
been created by both professionals
and amateurs alike, and as civilizations
continue to ponder that enigmatic
smile, no doubt more will follow,”
wrote Maell in his introduction to the
anthology. His book features nearly 300
reimaginings of the Mona Lisa. With
work by both established and emerging
artists from more than 50 countries, the
book is the largest, most comprehensive
collection of Mona Lisa-inspired art.
This hefty, illustrated anthology is a
testament to the Mona Lisa’s enduring
legacy and a comprehensive collection
of the reinterpretations, parodies,
appropriations and imitations of that
woman with the gentle smile who sits
behind bulletproof glass. Published by
Goff Books, the book sells for $34.95.
PRODUCT
PAVERPOL HARDENER GIVES SCULPTORS FLEXIBILITY
P
averpol’s sculpting medium is an
environmentally-friendly hardener
developed by Dutch artists to replace
resin. An artist can dip fabrics into
Paverpol, then drape or wrap the
material around an armature and leave
it to dry. Paverpol dries fast, but slowly
enough to allow working time.
7
Artist Chas Martin used Paverpol
in recent sculptures and found that
because of the material’s flexibility:
“I can approach sculpture more
spontaneously. Unlike rigid materials,
Paverpol gives me some time to
reposition and rethink. I can combine
paper, cardboard, an assortment of
fabrics, wire, tape and wood. In a
reasonably short time, it’s rock hard.”
Paverpol adheres to almost all
materials, except plastic. And unlike
most hardeners, it doesn’t deteriorate
polystyrene foam. For mixed-media
projects and art made from recycled
materials, Paverpol is a good binder
and can be used with many materials
including fabric, paper, metal, different
types of clay, chamois leather, dried
flowers, wood, plaster, metal and glass.
Paverpol washes off hands with
warm water and is the first product
of its type to have earned the AP
seal, indicating that it’s non-toxic
and making it suitable for artists of
all ages.
Paverpol is available in transparent,
bronze, grey and black. A
250-milliliter squeeze-tip bottle,
designed for detail work like
jewelry, is available in transparent
and bronze only. For details, visit
paverpolusa.com.
8
6 Mona Lisa Reimagined. Courtesy of Goff Books. 7 Paverpol’s sculpting medium. Courtesy of Paverpol.
8 Shadowman, 2016, by Chas Martin, mixed media, 18” x 11” x 18”.
EXHIBITION
‘LOOKING UP’ INVITES VIEWERS
TO SLOW DOWN ON PARK AVENUE
His latest sculpture and most ambitious
to date, Looking Up, uses crushed
aluminum foil roasting-pans to create
one large quasi-human figure, which,
through a process of molding and lost
wax casting, retains the original imprint
of the aluminum pans.
The 33.3-foot-tall stainless steel figure
gazes up to the heavens, inviting
others to stand at its base and do the
same. This will be the second example
of the edition; the first is permanently
installed at the Laguna Gloria Campus
of The Contemporary Austin in Texas.
Looking Up is one of dozens of
temporary public art projects in New
York City Parks. Friedman’s sculpture
will be on display until July at the city’s
Park Avenue Mall at the intersection
of Park Avenue and East 53rd Street.
NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks Program
fosters the creation and installation
of temporary public art projects
throughout the city’s five boroughs.
Since 1967, collaborations with
arts organizations and artists have
produced hundreds of public art
projects in New York City parks. For
details, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/art.
9
T
o create his sculptures, Tom Friedman uses everyday materials lke styrofoam,
aluminum foil pans, paint, paper, card, clay, wire, plastic, hair and fuzz.
“Art, for me, is a context to slow the viewer’s experience from their everyday life
in order to think about things they haven’t thought about. Or to think in a new
way,” the artist wrote in his statement.
The sculpture is presented jointly
by Friedman’s two galleries Luhring
Augustine, New York and Stephen
Friedman Gallery, London, NYC
Parks and the Fund for Park Avenue.
The Fund for Park Avenue Sculpture
Committee and NYC Parks, who
work together to present a variety
of exhibitions by renowned artists.
The Fund for Park Avenue relies on
community support to plant, light and
maintain the trees and flowers on the
Park Avenue Malls.
9 Looking Up, 2015, by Tom Friedman. Stainless steel, 390” x 130” x 90”. Copyright © The Contemporary Austin.
Photo credit: Brian Fitzsimmons. Courtesy of Luhring Augustine.
9
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2
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11
artist SPOTLIGHT
Beau Wild
1
2
of people blended into textured color,
almost dream-like.
Florida Artist Depicts Emotion and Mystery
in Impressionistic Paintings
BY NADA HASSANEIN
F
or Beau Wild, painting is an intuitive process — she throws
marks and paint on a surface and scrutinizes the forms until an
image appears.
“A story begins in my imagination, and from there, I develop the
painting as the story develops,” Wild said.
Her observant nature coupled with a love for people — curiously watching
them and understanding their body language — are what bring to life her
figurative, impressionistic paintings which feature shapes and crisp outlines
SPARKED BY SENTIMENTALITY
“My work is very expressive. There’s
a lot more gestural information in my
pieces,” Wild said about the faceless
characters in her paintings. Until eight
years ago, occupational therapy was her
full-time job by day, and at night and on
weekends, she moonlighted as an artist.
As a therapist, Wild was attuned to the
subtle cues of an individual, accustomed
to “read what’s going on in that person
because of the body language.” Are his
arms crossed, or at his hips? Are those
people looking away from each other as
they speak? “It all expresses the inner
1 Watching, 2013, by Beau Wild. Acrylic on canvas, 40” x 30”. 2 More Is More, 2015, by Beau
Wild. Acrylic on canvas, 62” x 32”. Copyright © Beau Wild. Used by permission of the artist.
“
information. I learned to be able to look
at this quickly and see what that person
is really saying.”
If you
put yourself in
somebody else’s
position, you
start to feel what
they might have
felt and that’s
how they feel in
your painting.
She channeled this skill into her
paintings, inspired by her personal
connections with people and painting
from a position of empathy. “If you put
yourself in somebody else’s position,
you start to feel what they might have
felt and that’s how they feel in your
painting.”
During a trip to France — after which,
charmed by the culture, Wild created
almost 80 paintings — she immersed
herself in the French outdoor café
lifestyle, in which she felt she was in
people’s “living rooms” rather than just
a café.
Wild remembered a time in a small
French town with cobblestone streets,
when a man dressed in a dark suit and
hat was sitting at a café, and every few
minutes someone new would come sit
with him. In two hours, the mysterious
man had three dozen visitors. “That gave
me a lot of insight — was that person
the mayor of the town? A local doctor?”
she had asked herself. Wild then went
on to depict the man in several of her
paintings. “It’s always the stories that
you imagine,” she said, that continue to
fuel her paintings.
A WELL OF MOTIVATION
Now retired from occupational therapy,
Wild holds weekly classes near her New
Smyrna Beach, Florida studio, teaching
the skills she’s acquired from 60 years of
painting. She teaches as another main
source of income instead of relying
on selling or commissioning alone —
though she has goals of expanding and
selling to a nationwide market.
Wild shows her work in several galleries,
from Florida to Michigan, along with
online galleries that lease paintings for
three-month periods. “I really like that
model a little bit better than the regular
brick-and-mortar galleries that you sit
there waiting for their customers to go
~ Beau Wild
3
in,” she said.
breath and move on, just keep going.”
She prices her paintings based on size
— a chart hangs on her studio wall
detailing size and price. She often sells
smaller paintings together as a series.
To fund an 8-by-8-foot piece titled How
Fragile We Are to be displayed at New
York’s Art Expo in April, Wild launched a
Kickstarter campaign and raised $2,000
in just 10 days.
She did just that after a sudden fire ate
away her New England house in 1986,
taking with it all her paintings until
then. But she continued making art,
because, “if you don’t do that then you
give up — and that doesn’t seem like
much of a good plan. What’s gone is
gone. You take a deep breath and put
one foot in front of the other.”
In this piece, she hopes to shed light on
the breadth of the human emotional
experience, because, as she said,
“Whether we show our fragility or hide
it, it’s always there.”
Wild holds high standards for herself,
but if she doesn’t meet them in the first
painting, she cycles back to step one
rather than basking in frustration or
disappointment.
For How Fragile We Are, “I painted one
large painting for it and wasn’t happy
with it, and I’m starting over,” Wild said
with a laugh. “I overpainted it but it’s
not what I wanted to express, so I’m
going to roll out more canvas and paint
something else.”
That’s what she does when facing a
setback or delay. “I just take a take a deep
Wild’s book, Between the Seen and the
Unseen, written by her friend Fran
Gardner, documents her years of
figurative painting, highlighting her
fluid style and the emotional undertones
of her work. And though it only includes
works from 30 of the 60 years she’s been
painting because of the work lost in
the fire, the book is an accomplishment
she cherishes.
“You have very little control over most
things,” Wild said. “So you just make the
best of everything that you can.” PA
Nada Hassanein is the associate editor of
Professional Artist. She holds a bachelor’s
in journalism and psychology from the
University of Central Florida. Contact her at
[email protected].
3 On The Edge, 2015, by Beau Wild. Acrylic on canvas, 36” x 36”. Copyright © Beau Wild. Used by permission of the artist.
13
1
A
Good
Art
Marketer
Knows
How
to
S
BY GWENN SEEMEL
Listen
ometimes I ask
questions of the
people in my social
network. One day, I
might be interested in
who among my Twitter followers
thinks they’re special and who thinks
they’re not that different from other
people. Another day, my focus might be
less philosophical, but still invite sharing
about values. For example, I might ask Facebook
friends about smartphone etiquette. Is it reasonable
to expect contacts to keep track of your time zone and to
demand that they avoid emailing, texting or direct messaging you after
10 p.m. your time? Or is it more practical to turn off noisy notifications yourself?
1 Summer Time, 2015, by Amylee. Acrylic on canvas, 20” x 20”. Copyright © 2015 Amylee. Used by permission of the artist.
15
Whatever the subject of my queries, the
goal of the exercise is to see the world as
others see it and, in that way, to help me
be a better communicator. Of course, at
the same time, I’m also marketing my art.
These seemingly innocent questions are
designed to foster thoughtful conversation
and to associate that fruitful experience
with my name and my visual work.
Asking your audience random and intimate
questions may not be your thing. Maybe
you’re not interested in stirring up
controversy since it might produce negative
associations with your work. This is the case
for the French figurative painter Amylee
(amylee-paris.com) who prefers to focus on
sharing images of her art as well as advice
about how to make a career, while steering
away from anything that might make social
media exchanges less than cordial.
“
When you shift
your image of marketing
from a loudmouth with
a bullhorn to a person
having a chat with
friends, promoting
becomes easier.
~ Gwenn Seemel
Still, the idea behind the questions is a
good place to start. They’re a very direct
expression of the concept that good
marketing avoids telling fans what to
think and asks them instead to participate
in a conversation. When you shift your
image of marketing from a loudmouth
with a bullhorn to a person having a chat
with friends, promoting becomes easier.
You’re able to market your art consistently
without worrying whether or not your
messages are welcome.
2
2 Stumpland, 2013, by Pattie Chalmers. Clay and mixed media, 6’9” x 3’ x 3’. Copyright © 2013 Pattie Chalmers. Used by permission of the artist.
3 Amylee.
The following tips can help make daily marketing a pleasure for you and
your audience:
1
ASK YOURSELF: HOW DO I ENJOY TALKING
ABOUT MY WORK?
Some artists, like Amylee, love to blog, but not all artists do, as
evidenced by the plethora of dead art blogs that litter the Internet. Many
artists do better with shorter and less formal posts about their work
3
directly on social media, a strategy that suits
ceramicist Pattie Chalmers (pattiechalmers.
com). Or maybe you’re happier speaking
than you are writing, so vlogging is best for
you, like it is for me (gwennseemel.com/
blog).
Then again, online chatter might make you
cringe, so keep it to a minimum by holding
more in-person events, with or without your
art. Invite specific people to your studio on
a regular basis or arrange to see friends as
well as business contacts often.
2
TURN MARKETING
INTO ANOTHER
CREATIVE OUTLET.
One way to enjoy self-promotion is to make
it into art. After all, like art, marketing is
communication and self-expression. And,
like art, promotion is most successful when
it feels fresh or different from the rest of the
marketing out there. Since everyone knows
that the best way to be different from others
is to be yourself, all you need to do is ask
STRAIGHT FROM OUR
STUDIO TO YOURS
visit trekell.com for all your art supply needs
17
4
5
yourself what makes your art special.
From there, it’s not hard to figure out
how to promote your work in a way that’s
uniquely “you.”
For example, Amylee views her website
and her blogging as one more medium for
expression. Just as she has neither the
desire nor the ability to create the same
sort of painting for 20 years, she knows
her marketing will morph as she matures.
She’s always learning from other bloggers
and researching new developments in web
design, and these inquiries feed her popinspired paintings while also keeping her
marketing up-to-date.
When I look back at my first vlogs, I’m
struck by how rudimentary they are. These
talking-head videos feel a bit too rehearsed
(they were) and impossibly nervous
(I was). Over the years, my vlogs have
improved. Though I still use the talkinghead approach, I now add footage that I
take as I go about my life. While I’m still an
amateur when it comes to making videos,
this weekly practice helps me hone a double
vision for moving images as well as for still
ones, and that influences my paintings.
3
SHOW PROCESS IMAGES.
Take photos of not only your works-in-progress but also
your tools, your materials or scenes that inspire you. The goal
in publishing these behind-the-scenes moments is to give more context
to your art. Doing so makes the experience of your art richer for your
audience, especially those who might not otherwise connect with
your work.
For some artists, this sharing feels too intimate, either because they fear
copycats or because they prefer to make the finished art seem magical,
as though it appeared in the world fully formed. Unfortunately, this
disinclination toward sharing the process as well as the finished piece
tends to be an obstacle in the path toward a sustainable marketing
practice. When artists believe all that should matter is their completed
work, they also tend to be more silent overall about their art. In the worst
cases, they even cut out all the realizations that happen when you listen
to your audience.
Amylee knows the truth of this, as she only began posting images
from her studio when viewers asked her if she was painting over a
printed photo. Since this is not a technique that she uses, she felt it was
important to show that she starts with a blank canvas and builds the
image from there. Now that she’s been sharing her process shots for some
time, she finds them to be an easy and effective form of marketing that
subtly, but certainly, convey her skill.
For her part, Chalmers doesn’t post behind-the-scenes images online,
but she does do workshops where she teaches participants to make works
like her superb storytelling vessels and figurines. Remembering her first
4 Matriarchs with Guinea Fowl, 2015, by Pattie Chalmers. Slip, gold luster and decals on porcelain plate, 10” x 10” x 1”. Copyright © 2015 Pattie Chalmers. Used by
permission of the artist. 5 Amy Amy Amy, 2015, by Amylee. Acrylic on canvas, 24” x 24”. Copyright © 2015 Amylee. Used by permission of the artist.
“
Being a person in the world who
interacts with others is a type of marketing
because you are communicating things
about yourself to others. ~ Gwenn Seemel
experience of one such class, she admits
it was weird to see attendees making art
that looked something like hers and using
a process that had taken her years to figure
out. At the same time, Chalmers said,
“I didn’t get to where I am as an artist in
a bubble.” She’s happy to share and keep
creativity flowing.
4
BE AWARE OF WHO
YOU ARE AND WHO
YOU WANT TO BE.
Even if you don’t feel like you’re doing
much marketing, you are. Being a person
in the world who interacts with others
is a type of marketing because you are
communicating things about yourself to
others. So why not be a bit more proactive?
In Amylee’s case, the approach is
deliberate. She intends to be a positive
force. For the most part, she scrupulously
avoids publishing negative feelings on
social media, but recently, she commented
publicly about an inconsiderate habit that
some Web users have when emailing a
stranger for the first time. The responses
were immediate and uncomfortable,
coming first as heated opinions and next
as personal attacks. In the end, Amylee’s
track record as a calm and uplifting
presence on the Web helped, with longtime
fans reminding her detractors of her many
contributions. In other words, Amylee’s
conscious choice to bring good feelings to
the Internet may make venting everyday
frustrations tricky, but it also means that
she can say her piece without damaging
her reputation.
6
Chalmers is just as careful about the way
she and her art are perceived. Once at an
opening she was interviewed on video. Since
the event was noisy, she had to speak loudly,
and, as she tells it, the resulting clip made
her look like “a goof.” Though the experience
wasn’t fun, it made her more aware of the
importance of not only her own professional
behavior but also the competencies of those
with whom she’s working.
6 Yellow Roses, 2015, by Pattie Chalmers. Clay and mixed media, 20” x 15” x 12”. Copyright © 2013 Pattie Chalmers. Used by permission of the artist.
19
I should refrain from publishing similar
details. Conversely, I have artist friends
— people I know in real life — whose
online presence reads like a clinical
version of them. While my insider
knowledge of their lives might leave
me biased, when I find myself wishing
that they’d share more I know that’s
an indicator that I might want to talk
publicly about those topics myself.
Amylee’s strategy is more regulated. She
doesn’t use her real name publicly, and
she prefers to live in two worlds, only
sharing that of “Amylee the Artist 2.0,”
as she’s dubbed her creative self.
6
REMEMBER THAT
MARKETING IS IN THE
REAL WORLD TOO.
Many of us may do the bulk of our
socializing online these days, but we
shouldn’t underestimate the power of inperson interactions. If you find yourself
exhausted by social media and the stress
of pursuing press, keep in mind that, at
its core, marketing is just having a chat
with friends.
7
5
ESTABLISH GOOD BOUNDARIES
FOR SHARING.
While you’re doing all this marketing, it’s possible that you might
slip up and reveal something you wish you hadn’t. It’s painful, but it’s also
part of how we learn where our public or private line is. It’s in a different
place for each individual, and its location shifts over the course of an
artist’s career, but it’s important to know where yours is so that you can
promote your art without making yourself too vulnerable.
Chalmers’ rule for avoiding the over-share is to remember that if it isn’t
about her — if it’s instead about her family or friends — then it isn’t her
story to tell. She also recognizes that sometimes intimate details can be too
much for one audience but just right for another.
I’ve found that to be true. In fact, observing my reactions to other people’s
sharing is how I gauge what I should divulge. For example, I feel like some
of my social media friends share too personally. Don’t get me wrong —
I find the minutia of their lives fascinating and I’m not saying they should
share any less. Rather, my gut response to them helps me see that
Chalmers provides a great model for
this forgotten truth. She used to send
out applications to calls-for-entry a
lot, but these days she doesn’t have to.
She’s maintained relationships online
and offline that bring in invitations to
participate in shows, providing as many
commitments as she can handle.
In the end, most people may not think
they’re all that different from everyone
else, but they do like to be treated as if
they are. If you believe your audience is
special and you make them feel that way
as you promote your work to them, you’ll
do just fine. PA
Gwenn Seemel is a full-time artist who
writes and creates videos in English and in
French for her award-winning blog about
her work, portraiture, the business of art,
free culture, feminism and her struggle
with endometriosis. Her art has been
featured by many publications on the Web,
including Scientific American, BoingBoing
and Hyperallergic. Her book about why
she refuses to claim the copyright on her
art can be read for free on her website,
gwennseemel.com.
7 Queen Dahlia, 2015, by Amylee. Acrylic on canvas, 39” x 32”. Copyright © 2015 Amylee. Used by permission of the artist.
THE artist’s ADVOCATE
By Katie Lane
Your Rules Can Be Marketing Tools
T
oo many artists and creative
professionals fail to use some
of the most helpful and
effective marketing tools out there.
or otherwise, you follow when
conducting your business. Are your
rules marketing you as the type of
artist you want to be?
I’m willing to bet that you don’t
even know these tools can be used
for marketing, and that up until this
moment you’ve intentionally avoided
using them because you’re worried
they’ll give you a bad reputation.
If the answer is “no” (and don’t worry,
the answer for a lot of people running
their own career is “no”), ask yourself
this: What changes could you make to
how you work and how you present
your expectations to clients? What
might bring your reputation as an
artist more inline with how you want
to be perceived? You don’t have to
make all of those changes at once. In
fact, practicing with smaller changes
that you have no qualms about
enforcing — reducing the number
of days a client has to pay you from
45 to 30, or limiting the days you’re
available for studio visits — will make
it easier to add and enforce bigger
policy changes later on.
So what are these powerful and
subversive marketing tools?
They’re rules.
Specifically, they’re the rules you
expect clients, patrons and gallery
owners to follow when they work
with you. The rules, or policies,
you put in place to govern these
relationships are an incredibly
effective way of telling people what
you value and what they can expect
when working with you. In short, they
do what all good marketing tools do:
They attract the kind of people you
want to work with.
A policy that allows you to retrieve
a piece from a gallery if it hasn’t
sold after six months and place it
elsewhere shows that you value
representation that works hard for
you. This policy establishes you as an
artist who should be taken seriously
and who’s willing to make the best
business career decisions.
A policy that says you only accept
commissions of a certain price or
higher shows that your time and
talent are in demand. Potential
patrons will see you as a good
investment and your art as an
indicator of prestige.
Think about the reputation you
want as an artist: What do you want
people you work with to expect of
you? Now look at what rules, explicit
If your answer is “yes,” you’re still not
off the hook. Are there other places in
your work where establishing policies
could solidify your reputation? Are
there changes that would make your
current policies even easier to use or
more accessible to the people you
work with?
Thinking about incorporating rules
into a creative business can make a
lot of people nervous. For one thing,
most of us didn’t pursue a creative
career because we wanted more
rules in our lives. Personal freedom,
not limitations, is the promise of a
creative life. Even scarier for many
people is the fear that having rules
will drive off potential clients.
Think about the last time you were
in a situation where you wanted
something from someone (or some
company) and they said they couldn’t
give it to you because “that’s our
policy.” What did you do?
DISCLAIMER: This column offers general legal and business advice. If you need specific
legal advice about your particular situation, please consultant a legal professional.
If you accepted that their rule was
hard and fast, you either worked with
them despite the policy or decided to
walk away. If you didn’t, you probably
asked questions about the policy, like
how often exceptions are made or
what the policy is trying to help the
company do, so you could offer an
alternative solution with which you’d
both be happy.
For example, people who sign up
for a promotional rate with their
cable company either accept the
rate hike when the promotional
period is over or negotiate an
extension. Those who negotiate know
that it costs the company more to
lose a current customer than it does
to extend the discount.
This is exactly how you want people
to work with you: to either accept
your rules at face value, or offer up
attractive alternatives that meet your
needs but in slightly different ways.
You don’t want to work with people
who won’t respect your rules. Those
people don’t perceive you the way
you want to be perceived, so working
with them won’t improve your artistic
reputation. You aren’t looking for just
any client, patron or gallery owner
to work with; you want to work with
people who value your work and will
help your career progress.
As you hone your marketing plan,
take a good look at the policies you
use to run your business. Make sure
that they support your marketing
goals by requiring people to treat you
with the respect you deserve. PA
Katie Lane is an attorney and negotiation
coach in Portland, Oregon, helping artists
and freelancers protect their rights and get
paid fairly for the work they do. You can
read her blog at WorkMadeForHire.net
and follow her on Twitter at @_katie_lane.
21
WHAT ADVICE
WOULD YOU
HAVE FOR YOUR
30-YEAR-OLD
SELF?
1
22 Professional Artist DEC 2015+JAN 2016
BY GIGI ROSENBERG
I
N HONOR OF THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROFESSIONAL ARTIST,
we at the magazine have been thinking about what it means to turn 30. For this issue, editor Gigi Rosenberg
asked three successful artists what advice they would have for the person they were at 30 years old.
As it turned out, advice for your 30-year-old self will help you at any age — whether you’re not yet
30 or whether that age is a distant memory.
found a job working at a large firm but
continued “wildly making art on nights
and weekends” in the attic studio above
his apartment.
He then applied to the Master of Fine
Arts program at the University of
Chicago and received a full fellowship,
but there was no way for him to
continue working as a full-time lawyer
and pursue the degree. So, he decided to
make an unheard-of request of one of
his firm’s high-powered partners.
2
MARK HUDDLE
“When I was 30, I was trying to figure
things out,” said artist Mark Huddle
who, at the time, was pursuing both a
law degree and attending art school.
“I would finish a studio session and
then carry wet canvases into the law
school classroom,” he said.
Like many artists, Huddle started
making art as soon as he could pick up a
pencil. All through high school he took
as many art classes as he could. Then, in
college, he buckled down in academics
and let the art study go. “But try as
I might to get away from art, it kept
calling me back,” he said.
But Huddle didn’t know how to make
a living as an artist so he decided to go
to law school. “I liked the law and using
that side of my brain,” he said.
As fate would have it, the law school
was right across the street from the art
school at the University of Illinois —
so he enrolled simultaneously at the
law school and the College of Fine and
Applied Art. After graduating, Huddle
The partner “was very no-nonsense
with a notorious temper,” Huddle said.
But that didn’t deter him from asking
for what he wanted. Huddle walked into
his office one day and explained what
a great opportunity he had with the
fellowship. The partner shook his head
and Huddle figured his answer would
be no.
“Then, he pounded his fist on the table
and said ‘No! You have to do this. And
I’m going to make this happen.’” That
partner talked the firm into letting
Huddle work part-time, and since then,
he’s juggled this dual career as a parttime lawyer and artist.
This is no small feat given “the old
bromide that the law is a jealous
mistress,” Huddle said. Today, Huddle
is a bond lawyer and is grateful that
he can earn enough money as a lawyer
to support himself and make art. “The
artist side informs the law by keeping
1 Trude Parkinson, Juan Alonso-Rodríguez and Mark Huddle.
2 Fulton Market, 2015, by Mark Huddle. Oil on panel, 14” x 18”. Copyright © Mark Huddle. Used by permission of the artist.
23
3
to work. “Never lose site of the
value of making art for the people
around you,” he said. Sometimes,
he tears off the drawing and gives
it to his subject on the bus.
JUAN ALONSO
4
me flexible and creative,” he said.
“Good lawyers are creative people
in their practice. And you have
to be a good writer to be a really
good lawyer.” And the law has
taught him a work ethic that’s
made him a successful artist.
Huddle is represented by the Mars
Gallery in Chicago and makes art
most days, even if it’s drawing
people on the bus on his way
By the time Juan Alonso turned
30, he was painting, showing his
work, entering competitions and
owner of Alonso/Sullivan Gallery
on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Thirty
years old “really was the serious
beginning of my artistic career.
It was a good marking point,”
Alonso said. But he was still a
couple years away from devoting
himself full time to his art career.
Like Huddle, Alonso grew up
creating art. “I was always doing
something creative, drawing,
making things out of clay. I didn’t
go out and play ball.”
5
3 Studio shot, 2015, by Juan Alonso-Rodríguez. Copyright © 2015 Juan Alonso-Rodríguez. Used by permission of the artist. 4 Fighter, 2014, by Mark Huddle. Oil on
canvas, 30” x 20”. Copyright © Mark Huddle. Used by permission of the artist. 5 Mask #15, 2015, by Juan Alonso-Rodríguez. Acrylic on Arches paper, 30” x 22 ½“.
Copyright © 2015 Juan Alonso-Rodríguez. Used by permission of the artist.
Art was his outlet, but he never thought
of art as a career possibility. “It was
something I did for fun,” he said. Then, in
the late 70s, a friend who was managing
a small bed-and-breakfast asked Alonso
for advice about how to decorate a
hallway and paid him $75 for a couple of
drawings. Except for the $5 drawings he
sometimes sold his friends when he was
growing up, this was his first sale.
When he moved to Seattle in 1982,
Alonso found work at a frame shop
because he had done framing before. But
he couldn’t afford to buy other people’s
art for his apartment so he created his
own paintings and drawings to hang. The
owner of the frame shop suggested he
put some on the wall at work.
“That’s how I got started. People would
come in and ask: ‘Are these for sale?’”
Alonso said. Then, a gallery owner who
he’d met at the frame shop asked him
if he wanted a show. “I was extremely
naïve about it. I never thought it was a
possible career. But I liked the attention
and I liked the fact that people knew
what I was doing.”
Owning his own frame shop and gallery
followed, but by the time Alonso was 33
he realized, “I just want to do my work,”
and set out to find a gallery to represent
him. But he didn’t want to start at the
bottom. Instead he thought, “If I’m going
to be represented by a gallery, I’d rather
start at the top,” and he approached
Francine Seders, the owner of one of
Seattle’s most important galleries at the
time. He figured that “if she says no, I
can start working down the list.”
She said yes.
Alonso was represented by Francine
Seders Gallery from 1989 until 2013
when she closed her doors.
After the gallery closed, he decided
he would find a studio space where
he could also show his own work and
opened Juan Alonso Studio in a building
filled with other artists. Several years
ago, he also started creating public art
commissions. Although he occasionally
6
“
Everything I’ve done has been trial and error.
For me, the process is what’s important about
making art.~ Juan Alonso
teaches, he makes his livelihood from
sales of his art and commissions.
“Everything I’ve done has been trial
and error,” Alonso said, “For me, the
process is what’s important about
making art. After I’m done, it’s for
someone else to enjoy.”
TRUDE PARKINSON
Trude Parkinson also knew she was an
artist long before she turned 30. “I’ve
drawn and painted ever since I could
remember.” As a young girl, she took
watercolor classes and she won her first
award for her art at age 10.
In college she majored in English
focusing on British and Irish literature
“in part because my grandfather paid
my way through college,” she said. “He
subsidized my education on the promise
that I would not take art classes.” So,
she had to study art including art
history — in secret.
In her 20s, she taught English and took
some drawing classes, but she didn’t take
herself seriously. “Art was just something
I’d always done and always enjoyed.”
By the time Parkinson was 30, she had
6 Floating in the Void, 2015, by Trude Parkinson. Oxidation on silver leaf with Renaissance Wax on recycled kimono silk, 10” x 10”.
Copyright © 2015 Trude Parkinson. Used by permission of the artist.
25
7
9
stopped teaching, had recently given
birth to her first son and “got very
depressed,” she said.
One day, while the baby was napping,
“I did a long meditation on what gave
me energy and I came back to drawing.
I knew that’s what was going to rescue
me.” She applied and was accepted into
the MFA program at Arizona State
University, and ever since then she’s
taken her art seriously — but not too
seriously — so she has that balance,
she said.
8
“
Trust your own instincts. If an idea or
insight occurs to you that’s never been
seen before, that can be scary — but
follow it. ~ Trude Parkinson
Today, more than 40 years since that
meditation that set her on her life’s
course, Parkinson is represented by
the Augen Gallery in Portland, Oregon
and will be in a group show at Don
Soker Gallery in San Francisco in June.
She makes art full time with stints as
a teacher. Parkinson has also created
several public art projects.
Parkinson was deeply influenced by
Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young
Poet. “If you substitute ‘visual artist’ for
‘poet,’ I think Rilke’s hits it right,” she
said. “He’s essentially saying to go inside
7 Vine Bench, 2010, stainless steel bench for Epiphany School, Seattle, 52” x 26” x 17”. Copyright © 2010 Juan Alonso-Rodríguez. Used by permission of the artist.
8 Welcome (bird’s eye view with Vine Benches), 2010, color concrete plaza for Epiphany School, Seattle, 60’ x 20’. Copyright © 2010 Juan Alonso-Rodríguez.
Used by permission of the artist. 9 Murderer, 2010 by Mark Huddle. Oil on canvas, 22” x 28”. Copyright © Mark Huddle. Used by permission of the artist.
yourself, don’t work for approval, go off
into your deepest, most vulnerable self,”
and make art from there.
or what needs to be improved is
sandwiched between two positives.
PARKINSON’S ADVICE:
Make connections.
Make what sustains your energy.
Pay attention to what gives you energy
whether that’s in the material or in
the ideas.
Follow your instincts.
Sometimes young artists try to make
art that looks like somebody else’s.
Trust your own instincts. If an idea
or insight occurs to you that’s never
been seen before, that can be scary —
but follow it. Find the best means to
express your idea. This may lead you to
making art that’s truly original.
Stay curious.
Investigate the world in its varied
aspects. This could be philosophically,
psychologically, scientifically, politically.
Bring your life into your art and your
art into your life so that one feeds the
other. You don’t need to be exclusively
an artist to make your art look rich.
Ask the critic to step aside.
You need to ask your ego (or your
critic) to let you make art. You can
then invite the critic back, but you
have to give her some rules. Parkinson
uses the “sandwich technique,” which
is to notice something positive first,
notice something that can be improved
second and third, and notice something
positive again. That way the “critique”
0
ALONSO’S ADVICE:
Besides luck, Alonso credits his success
to help from many people. But this
help came from people he’d fostered
relationships with. Alonso often seeks
opportunities to meet and connect with
people. For example, he’s on the Seattle
Arts Commission, a great vantage point
to learn and meet people he otherwise
would never have met.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
When Alonso first started making
public art projects, he had much to
learn as he translated his work to a
larger, more public scale. Making public
art challenged him, but the way he
succeeded was by not being afraid to
learn by asking questions.
Adjust your life to feed your hunger
to create.
Do everything in your power to make
your art happen. For example, you
may need to live on a smaller budget
and be diligent about managing
your money to make your artist’s life
sustainable. Alonso stays on top of his
bills by paying them ahead of time,
as soon as he makes a sale. If you’re
really passionate about creating art, set
yourself up so that you can always be
doing it, whatever that means. Adjust
your life to fit the circumstances that
best serve your work.
Don’t be afraid to promote yourself.
In every other profession, people
promote themselves. Alonso doesn’t
understand why artists are sometimes
embarrassed to be paid for what they
do. It’s just another profession. You put
work, talent and experience into your
art — you deserve to be compensated.
HUDDLE’S ADVICE:
Do the work.
Being a lawyer and an artist has taught
Huddle how important it is to work.
That means he tries to make art every
single day, seven days a week. If not
!
seven, then most days. His lawyer work
ethic helps him be more organized.
When you don’t feel like painting —
do it anyway.
Huddle received this advice from an
older classmate when he was an art
student. If you come into the studio,
even if it’s just to clean up, before you
know it, you’ll get an idea and start
working.
Believe in yourself.
Working everyday, like a baker, will help
you believe in yourself as an artist not just
in outward appearance, but in your core.
Don’t be shy about selling.
When Huddle was in school, there was
something distasteful about an artist
selling his own work. Now he recalls
the famous artists Rembrandt, Raphael
and Rubens — three artists who had no
trouble selling their work. If an artist
receives a few rejections at first, he may
stop trying. But you have to keep selling
and remember that you get nine ‘no’s
for every ‘yes.’ PA
Gigi Rosenberg is the editor of Professional
Artist. She’s also an artist coach and the
author of The Artist’s Guide to Grant
Writing (Watson-Guptill, 2010). She’s been
a guest commentator on Oregon Public
Broadcasting, performed at Seattle’s On
The Boards, and been published by Seal
Press, Poets & Writers, and Psychology
Today. For the latest, visit gigirosenberg.
com or reach her at grosenberg@
professionalartistmag.com.
0 Red Ghost With Signs, 2015, by Trude Parkinson. Oil with Renaissance Wax on recycled kimono silk on panel, 10” x 10”. ! Red Dot Ghost, 2015, by
Trude Parkinson. Oxidation on sheet silver with Renaissance Wax, 2 ½” x 2 ½”. Copyright © 2015 Trude Parkinson. Used by permission of the artist.
27
I HAVE BEEN USING INSTAGRAM
TO MARKET MY WORK AND ENGAGE MY
FOLLOWERS … OVER TIME, I HAVE SEEN THIS
TO BE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AND ENGAGING.
~ Alexander Star
BY REBECCA COLEMAN
aybe you shoot and edit videos for YouTube or Vimeo. As an artist, you may
already be aware of how powerful a marketing tool video can be.
If you search for the term “artist” on YouTube, now 10 years old and owned by
Google, you’ll find 25,400,000 results — a mind-boggling amount of videos
that have something to do with artists.
But there are other, up-and-coming social networks that allow you to shoot,
edit and upload videos that you may want to consider. Yes, YouTube is number
one. But it’s also the most crowded and you’ll have more trouble standing out among the
millions. These new platforms could help you find new markets for your paintings, drawings,
books, photographs or videos.
Here are some newer social media sites where
you can showcase and market your work:
INSTAGRAM
platforms out there, announcing in 2015 (ie, 1)
that it had surpassed Twitter in terms of active
monthly users.
You may know Instagram as a platform for sharing
your photos, but did you know that you can also
share videos on Instagram? You can create and
upload, or shoot in the Instagram app, 15-second
videos. Instagram also launched a new app called
Boomerang that allows you to create stop-motion
videos. Animated GIFs rule the internet right now,
and Boomerang allows you to make live ones.
Artists who should use it: Visual artists, including
painters, illustrators, sculptors, musicians, poets,
actors, dancers.
“I have been using Instagram to market my work
and engage my followers with exclusive content
such as behind-the-scenes footage and video
sneak peeks,” said musician Alexander Star
(alexanderstar.com). “Over time, I have seen this
to be highly effective and engaging because a
growing number of my followers are constantly
using Instagram while they are on the go — more
frequently than they are YouTube. … Sometimes,
my video gets more views when reposted by
a follower than when I post it, which is great
because my followers get to spread the word
about my work to their network.”
The challenge: There’s no way to create live links.
The only live link on Instagram is the one in your
profile bio, which you can link to your website
or YouTube channel. To get around this, remind
people to click the link in your profile bio for more
information, or add words to your video using an
overlay app. Also, remember that people expect
more polished videos and photos on Instagram,
so make sure you’re capturing your work in
the best possible way. And don’t forget to use
hashtags for maximum exposure.
SNAPCHAT
Instagram is also one of the fastest growing
With Snapchat, all interaction has to take place
How to use it: Use short videos to capture
behind-the-scenes footage of you working on a
project. This is like a teaser for the final result. You
can also share short clips as teasers for longer
videos that you will release on YouTube.
1 Facebook's Instagram hits 400M users, beats Twitter, CNBC, Sept. 23, 2015. www.cnbc.com/2015/09/23/instagramhits-400-million-users-beating-twitter.html
29
inside the app. Unlike Instagram, which will allow you
to take photos and then export them into the app,
all photos on Snapchat have to be taken with the
Snapchat app. You can also shoot up to 10 seconds
of video. You can add overlays or filters to photos and
videos and write or draw on your images. You can send
snaps to specific people, or you can add them to your
“story.” Once the person who receives your snap opens
it, they can view it for a few seconds, and then it selfdestructs. “Stories” last for 24 hours before they also
disappear.
Artists who should use it: Musicians, visual artists and
anyone trying to reach the millennial audience.
How to use it: The overall mood of Snapchat is sillier,
more “real” and in-the-moment. On Instagram, you
have more control over the finished image or video, but
on Snapchat, it’s much more raw. Because the image
or video expires so quickly, there’s less pressure to be
perfect. Snapchat is where you can do real behind-thescenes looks at your life and what you’re doing — not
just in your art practice, but in your day-to-day life too.
You can also ask your audience questions and ask them
to snap you back answers to create engagement. For
example, a musician could share two different riffs in
two separate 10-second video snaps, and then ask
the audience which one they like better. Or you can
share behind-the-scenes footage of you in the studio. If
you’re a visual artist, use your skills to create drawings
over your snaps. For an example, check out the magical
world of monsters created by Georgio.Copter.
The challenge: Because Snapchat is so new, users are
just now figuring out how to exploit it for marketing.
There’s no real way to advertise your Snapchat account
— it won’t connect to any other social network, and
there’s no direct URL to your account, because all the
action takes place inside the app. You can share your
Snapchat name on other networks you belong to and
encourage people to find and follow you. You can also
download a Snapcode at support.snapchat.com/a/
saving-selfie. This will create a QR code image you
can download and share on your social media. Anyone
who snaps this image will add you to a list of those
they follow.
“I print out Snapchat stickers and place
them around the city,” said Cody Baker
(@tehbakery), a Pittsburgh artist. “The
people that recognize these stickers are
already my audience. They take a photo
of the Snapchat sticker [which is also a QR
code] and it automatically follows me. I
then plug my Instagram and Twitter into my 1
Snapchat and get a new audience to go to my other
platforms. I went from getting 50 views to getting 300
to 400 in a month.”
The fact that the snaps expire also presents unique
challenges: There’s no way to bookmark something for
later. There are also no real analytics for Snapchat yet,
so it’s hard to get a sense of how you’re doing.
FACEBOOK NATIVE VIDEO
There was a time, when, if you were creating videos,
you basically made one, uploaded it to YouTube,
then took the URL and shared it around on Facebook,
Twitter, your blog or e-newsletter. Recently, however,
Facebook has been taking on YouTube. It has changed
its algorithm so that now, when you share a YouTube
video on Facebook, it won’t be seen by as many
people. However, if you take that exact same video,
upload it to Facebook and share it in a status update,
your video will be given the highest weight of any other
type of update on Facebook — and be shown to many
people.
“I use a lot of video and
have had viral success
on Facebook video,”
said magician and
illusionist Ryan Joyce
(ryanjoyce.com). “I post
video content steadily
once or twice a week,
and recently a video
of mine went viral —
2 1.4 million views — on
Facebook, yet the same video has yielded no results
on YouTube.”
Artists who should use it: Anyone who can translate
their art into a video component. Facebook is the top
social network in the world, and video is its current
priority. There’s not much extra work here — if you’re
already creating video, just make sure you take the
extra time to upload it here, rather than sharing
the link from the YouTube page.
How to use it: You can use this as an artist introduction
or use it to answer questions, demonstrate teaching
techniques, or show behind-the-scenes peeks, a
portfolio of your work, demo reel or interviews.
The challenge:
You only have a few seconds to attract attention as users
scroll through their newsfeeds, so your videos need
to start strong, and they should be short — under two
minutes. If you find you’re still not getting the views you
crave, you can boost your post by buying a Facebook ad.
1 Rebecca Coleman’s Snapcode. 2 A post from Ryan Joyce’s Facebook page.
30 Professional Artist APR+MAY
MAY 2016
Watchers on Periscope can interact with
you via text, and they can send you love,
as well, in the form of hearts. Blab is similar
to Periscope, but it allows you to do a
live broadcast with up to 3 other people.
Again, your audience can interact with you
via text, or you can even leave one “seat”
open so they can jump in and join your
broadcast.
Artists who should use it: Anyone who is
comfortable being on camera.
How to use it: Demonstrate techniques,
talk about your process, goals or challenges.
Show your audience work-in-progress and
ask their opinions about it. Use Blab to host
your own talk show and invite other artists
on for a chat about processes, or interview
experts in your field.
3
VINE
Vine is a platform for sharing six-second
looping videos. On Vine (which is owned
by Twitter) you can make these short videos
that you can then share to your Twitter or
Facebook account.
Artists who should use it: Musicians,
writers, actors, filmmakers, animators.
How to use it: Given the short nature of the
video, stop motion animation works well
with this platform. Also, special effects and
“magic tricks” really win on Vine. Use the
short video format to “tease” your audience
like musician @Trench does.
The challenge: Six seconds is the main
challenge here — how can you tell a
complete story in that amount of time? One
example of someone who excels at Vine is
@MeaganCignoli.
PERISCOPE AND BLAB
These two new live-streaming tools just
came online in 2015. They allow you to
do a live video broadcast right from your
phone. Periscope is owned by Twitter, which
is one of its great advantages. If you’ve
already been using Twitter and have built an
audience there, it’s pretty easy to get some
of that audience to follow you on Periscope.
I PRINT
OUT SNAPCHAT
STICKERS AND
PLACE THEM
AROUND THE
CITY.
~ Cody Baker
The challenge: It’s live video — so that
means anything can happen. Another
challenge of Periscope is that the video only
remains live for 24 hours and then expires,
though you can use another service called
Katch, which will capture and store your
videos.
THE TAKEAWAY
As you already know, marketing your
artwork using social media is an everchanging game. But early adopters have
the opportunity to really “own” the
network. Over the next month, join one
of these networks that is new to you and
start playing and experimenting with it.
You never know — maybe you’ll discover a
whole new medium to express
your creativity, and an audience who’s
eager to explore it with you. PA
Rebecca Coleman is passionate about helping
artists, small businesses and not-for-profits to
become better marketers. An early adopter
of social media, she’s the author of Getting
Started with Social Media for Artists and Arts
Organizations. She teaches courses in social
media marketing and blogging at the British
Columbia Institute of Technology and the
University of British Columbia, and travels
internationally giving workshops. Coleman is an
avid foodie, a blossoming photographer and
runs three blogs. She lives in Vancouver, Canada,
with her 12-year-old son, Michael. You can learn
more at rebeccacoleman.ca.
3 Meagan Cignoli’s Vine.
31
mad
money
MAR KETI NG …
Why Every Ar tist Needs It
BY ELAINE GROGAN LUTTRULL
It was trash day on the corner of Sycamore and South Third Street, and I
watched three dogs wait expectantly for the garbage truck, their human
escort in tow. A sanitation department employee emerged from the truck,
armed with three small dog biscuits. He shared them with the enthusiastic
pups, their tails wagging emphatically. The woman thanked him, he waved
and they parted ways.
This is community marketing.
C
an you imagine how the idea to
spend dollars from a sanitation
department’s budget on dog
biscuits started?
Crazy Idea Generator: I’d like to
spend $10,000 on dog biscuits this
year for our sanitation department
employees to hand out to the dogs
on our route.
Boss: Absolutely not.
Crazy Idea Generator: Hear me out: We serve around
320,000 households in this city, and those households
have 73,391 licensed dogs. By building goodwill with the
people who vote on our tax levies through their four-legged
friends, not only will they be more likely to support our
proposals in the future, but we’ll build a community around
our department, and we’ll be known as friendly community
helpers instead of simply the sanitation department.
1
When you put it that way, what starts as a crazy idea
doesn’t sound so crazy. It’s a calculated and measurable
marketing risk, made as a relatively modest percentage
within an overall marketing budget. The “calculated”
and “measurable” parts make it considerably less crazy.
It’s calculated because we have an approximation of the
cost ($10,000). It’s measurable because we can count the
number of dog biscuits remaining at the end of each period
to know how many were handed out. We can survey the
sanitation department employees about their engagement
with the public and what the public’s reaction to the dog
biscuits was. We can count wagging tails.
This idea reminds me of “mad money.”
I first learned about “mad money” from my mother, and I
always understood it to be just-in-case, unbudgeted money
that you were free to spend on anything — no questions
asked. It often didn’t come with the expectation of a return
on its investment — certainly not a long-term one. It
was meant for a short-term indulgent reward (an extra
afternoon splurge on a latte) or a short-term solution to a
problem (an emergency $20 bill hidden in a wallet).
In the context of an artist’s professional studio practice, the
idea of “mad money” comes into play when deciding how to
allocate marketing dollars most effectively. The mad money
approach to marketing sets aside a specific portion of
your marketing budget for calculated experimental efforts
— even if they may fail. The point of the experiment
is to learn about what might work and what definitely
doesn’t. And without a bit of crazy experimentation (with
a calculated plan and measurable tracking), it’s too easy to
fall into marketing ruts.
HOW M UCH TO S PE N D MADLY?
When I posed the question, “How much should artists
spend on marketing?” to Jennifer McCord, a marketing
professional with nine years experience, plus two years
1 Ascension, 2014, by Lea Gray. Acrylic on canvas, 10” x 24”. Copyright © 2014 Lea Gray. Used by permission of the artist.
33
as an adjunct college instructor, she replied with a chuckle that
people regularly make up “statistics” to justify whatever they feel
they need to spend on marketing. Instead, she advised, figure out
what the ideal marketing budget is to reach your target audience
in a compelling way, and then find the means to fund it.
Artists I talked to spend between 10 and 20 percent of their
budgets on marketing expenses, although they noted the amount
varied based on many factors. The seasonality of their work
affects the amount they spend, as does the general availability of
cash — and that’s OK. There isn’t an exact science to this.
The “right” amount to spend on marketing varies based on the
artist, the target audience and the point of the marketing efforts.
Erin Marucco, founder of Studio 595, expresses a common
sentiment shared among artists: “It is really hard to part with
those [marketing] dollars,” she said — particularly when there
isn’t an abundance of dollars to begin with, or if the parting
happens relatively early in a studio or business practice.
Spending madly, even in a calculated, measurable way, is even
harder. McCord suggests that within your marketing budget — no
matter the amount — some portion (10 percent is a good starting
point) should be devoted to experimental spending. That is mad
money marketing.
2
STRATEG I E S FOR S PE N DI NG MADLY
In an ideal world, you know your customer well. There are,
of course, exceptions to anyone’s “typical” customer, but
if you look closely enough, you may be able to spot more
similarities than differences. (And of course, “customer” is
a generic term; feel free to substitute “collector,” “audience,”
or whatever other noun suits your business best.)
“TH E MAD
MON EY
APPROACH TO
MAR KETI NG
SETS ASI DE
A SPECI FIC
PORTION
OF YOU R
MAR KETI NG
B U DG ET FOR
CALCU LATE D
EXPE R I M E NTAL
E FFORTS —
EVE N I F TH EY
MAY FAI L.
~ E LAI N E G ROGAN LUTTR U LL
3
4
Marucco’s target customers — those she hopes will
invest in her shared design space at Studio 595 —
operate in a particular field and place a high value on
the idea of community. Marucco isn’t looking simply
for warm bodies to fill a space. Instead, she looks for
creative individuals who see that the true value of
the space she provides comes from the intangibles
within the space: the community within it.
“There is no shortcut to understanding your
market,” Marucco said. And she’s right. In any sort
of authenticity-based business where community
plays an important role, knowing your audience
and engaging with them regularly matters. For a
commodity-based business, or one where there is
little competition, community matters less.
But art and design, creativity and connection, aren’t
commodities. A community cannot be faked.
Invest time in your community — your audience,
more specifically — and know them intimately.
What do they read? Where do they shop? What
DÉJÀ VU
If McCord’s advice
sounds familiar,
it is because it is
remarkably similar
to budgeting advice
you may have heard
in a podcast
(Artistic Budgeting:
collegeart.org/
podcasts) recorded
by the author in
2013 for the College
Art Association.
podcasts do they listen to? What moves them? The
more you can learn about them, the better. That
way, you can reach them where they are,
and you can forge partnerships that matter.
Partnerships and Co-Promotion
Once you know your audience, you may be able to
find others who have the same audience and share
co-promotional efforts.
Consider those who produce content relevant to
your audience, perhaps influential bloggers, podcast
hosts, or other targeted media professionals. Using
your skills to offer a guest blog post or images
of your work to complement an article can be
a useful way to increase your exposure without
necessarily spending marketing dollars. But make
sure the exposure is worthwhile to you. Make sure
it’s exposure to those you want to reach, not just
for exposure’s sake. Sharing images of your work
on a guest blog that reaches other artists, but not
necessarily those who will purchase or commission
your work, isn’t serving you well.
2 Hot Pink Peony and Peach Ranunculus Wedding Bouquet, 2015, by Lea Gray. Paper, bouquet holder, ribbon, wire, dried moss, clay and paint, 15” x 12”.
Copyright © 2015 Lea Gray. Photo credit: Amy Snyder Tannenbaum. Used by permission of the photographer. 3 4 Workspace, 2016, by Erin Marucco. Copyright © 2016 Erin Marucco.
Used by permission of the photographer.
35
“TH E “R IG HT” AMOU NT
TO SPE N D ON
MAR KETI NG VAR I ES
BASE D ON TH E
ARTIST, TH E TARG ET
AU DI E NCE AN D
TH E POI NT OF TH E
MAR KETI NG E FFORTS.
6
~ E LAI N E G ROGAN LUTTR U LL
In finding opportunities to partner with others,
McCord strongly suggests doing your own
research and forging your own opportunities.
You know who you want to reach better
than anyone else, so be skeptical of so-called
“great advertising opportunities” that appear
magically in your inbox, especially if they
include an excessive number of exclamation
points. Remember Marucco’s words, which
bear repeating: “There is no shortcut to
understanding your market.”
In late 2015, Gray approached Karrie Ploss, account executive
and regional sales representative for wedding planning resource
The Knot. Gray was curious about advertising rates, and because
her paper floral arrangements are often used for celebratory
occasions, including weddings, Gray thought it worthwhile to
investigate options on The Knot’s website. Today, Paper Blooms
LGD is a featured floral vendor on The Knot. The investment Gray
made is calculated: She knows exactly what it will cost her, and it’s
measurable by tracking leads generated through this platform.
Paying For Advertising
Spending money on advertising “made me feel
like a legit business,” said Lea Gray, founder of
Lea Gray Design and Paper Blooms LGD.
Paid Social Presence
Dabbling with paid advertisements on social media sites can
be a relatively low-cost option to get content in front of your
audience, especially if one of your goals is to increase engagement,
measured, for example, by “likes,” “favorites” or “shares,”
depending on the platform.
Gray found social media to be effective when coupled with
a giveaway. Anyone who shared an image of Gray’s work on
Instagram and mentioned Paper Blooms LGD in the comments
was entered to win a prize: a handmade paper flower, one of
her best sellers from the previous year. She calculated the cost
(basically the time devoted to administering the contest and
materials and time associated with creating the prize), and
she measured the results. Fifty-two people shared the image,
5
5 Progression, 2015, by Lea Gray. Acrylic on canvas, 20” x 20”. 6 Depp Magenta Peony (Perfect Peonies Bouquet Detail), 2015, by
Lea Gray. Glass vase, resin, paper, paint, clay and wire, 12” x 9”. Copyright © 2015 Lea Gray. Used by permission of the artist.
it, it’s more fun to engage with it.
FIVE MAD
MAR KETI NG
I DEAS
1
Sponsor an
event where your
audience will be.
Examples include
family events at the
zoo, a paid ad in a
ballet program or a
postcard insert in a
conference giveaway
bag.
2
Make on-air announcements on
your local public
radio station. (Supporting your local
public radio station is
an added bonus.)
3
7
and Gray was thrilled. It’s far better to have
52 highly engaged, enthusiastic members of a
community, she reasoned, than 5,200 victims
of clickbait. The benefit of this type of contest,
Gray said, is that it’s connecting with people
who want to engage with her work. They want
the flower; they value the prize. Instead of
scattering a massive amount of random seeds in
a pile of dirt, Gray plants deliberately selected
seeds and nurtures them.
BACK TO BAS ICS
Of course, all marketing dollars are wasted if
there’s no good art at the root of the experience.
Telling a good story online is powerful, and if
the good story doesn’t start with interesting,
engaging content from someone with a strong,
authentic presence, then it’s reduced to an
empty sales pitch.
Whether you have an active physical space, such
as a storefront or a public studio, or an active
virtual space, such as an online shop — the
key word is “active.” When a space looks active,
meaning, it appears to have life within or around
Use location-based
mobile advertising
to drive traffic to your
studio or booth. Popup ads on mobile
devices target those
who are physically
close to you with an
interest in art.
4
Offer a lecture on
finding value within
art acquisitions
instead of an artistic
demonstration. Finding value appeals to
your real audience. A
demonstration may
appeal instead to
other artists.
5
Place your work in
enjoyable places.
Gray’s paintings sell
well when hung in
restaurants, bars and
lounges, because
the patrons “like how
they make them feel.”
The same may be
said of works hung
in homes for sale,
hotels and other
enjoyable places.
In physical terms, this could be signage that
changes regularly based on events. McCord said
that directional signs are surprisingly effective
because they invite people in (“Demonstration
Today!”) while allowing them to retain power in
the transaction. It’s easier for a customer to say,
“I just popped in because I saw your sign,” rather
than, “I’m here because I really want to purchase
[fill in the blank].” When the customer retains the
power, he or she is more relaxed and more willing
to engage.
In virtual terms, this means regularly
updated content, rotating images and regular
engagement with your audience. It includes
basic search engine optimization, and selectively
titled pages, content and images. You wouldn’t
want your physical location to feel sparse or
neglected or hidden, and your virtual location
works the same way.
COM M U N ITY MAR KETI NG
There’s a reason we describe community
marketing with the “community” part first.
Without forging authentic connections with
our communities — no matter where we find
them or who they entail — marketing is simply
selling. By emphasizing the community nature
of our work, not to mention the story we tell,
our “sales” pitch becomes less like a sales pitch
and more like an authentic connection between
two humans. (Or humans and dogs, as was the
case for the sanitation department.)
And those authentic connections often
organically lead to other authentic connections
and other opportunities to share our creative
stories. That sharing is good for our studio
practices, good for our bottom lines, and most
of all, good for our communities.
That’s the real madness of this authentic,
community-based approach to marketing,
with plenty of creatively calculated, measurable
experiments baked in. It isn’t actually mad
at all. PA
Elaine Grogan Luttrull, CPA, is the founder of
Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to
increasing the business and financial literacy of
artists and arts organizations through workshops,
coaching, and her Starting SMART online learning
program. She is also the author of Arts & Numbers,
a financial guide for creative entrepreneurs. Find
her online at MinervaFinancialArts.com, and
connect with her via Twitter (@egluttrull), Facebook
(MinervaFinancialArts), and LinkedIn.
7 Mini Succulent Trio, 2015, by Lea Gray. Paper, wire, resin, river rocks, paint and glass ornaments, 3” x 3”.
Copyright © 2015 Lea Gray. Photo credit: Amy Snyder Tannenbaum. Used by permission of the photographer.
37
Find and Nurture
Young Art Collectors
BY DANIEL GRANT
I
n many communities around the country, newcomers to
town join a church, or parent-teacher association if they
have children, as a way of meeting people with whom they
may have something in common. But Latania McKenzie,
an IT manager, and her partner Jonelle Shields, a health
care administrator, both joined the Young Professionals
group of Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. The group is part social —
“a party scene at times,” Shields said, and part educational, which is
more of their interest. They weren’t looking for dates, but they do
collect paintings by local artists and were interested in having more
of a role at the museum. “I would like to be a board member one
day,” she said.
Through the museum group, they
met local art dealers and artists,
took part in guided gallery visits
and listened to art talks about the
museum’s mission and goals given
by High Museum curators and board
members. Shields noted that the
museum appears to be “grooming”
them to take the next step toward an
affiliate group called Art Partners,
which also offers a number of social
events but, more importantly, has
educational group lectures and visits
to galleries, museums and studios.
1
A growing number of museums
around the country have established
beginning patrons’ and collectors’
groups that mix the social and
educational. The Museum of
Modern Art, for instance, has
its Junior Associates, while the
Guggenheim has a Young Collectors
Council and the Kimbell Art
Museum in Fort Worth, Texas
has its Curators’ Council. There is
the Evening Associates at the Art
Institute of Chicago and the Young
Collectors Council at the Perez Art
Museum in Miami. It is difficult to
find an art museum of some size
that doesn’t have a similar group.
Museums are cultivating these
group members. Karaugh Brown,
senior manager for membership
and patrons at the Guggenheim,
noted that curators lead tours
of exhibits in the museum for
the Young Collectors Council, as
well as of artists’ studios and the
private collections of the museum’s
patrons, for members to gain an
“understanding of what’s in our
collection and what’s of interest
to us.” The artists’ studio tours
especially “connect them with the
artists that are important to us.”
Museums are not the only ones
eying younger collectors. Many
art fairs also arrange special
presentations for members of
museum collector groups that
involve private off-hour tours of
gallery booth exhibitions and panel
discussions of trends in the art
market. “We are aiming for the
younger demographic,” said Donna
Davies, director of art fairs for the
Kennesaw, Georgia-based Urban
1 Annika Connor with Sylvia, 2015, by Annika Connor. Oil on canvas, 60” x 54”. Copyright © 2015 Annika Connor. Photo credit: Chris Bachman. Used by
permission of the photographer.
39
2
“
There has been a clear trend over the past decade of
identifying the next generation of collectors. The demographics
are shifting, and we are trying to help this younger generation of
people become collectors. ~ Rodney Reid
Expositions. “We don’t track sales at
art fairs, but feedback from gallerists
indicate that lectures typically lead to
sales and meeting new clients.”
The Armory Show, an art fair held
annually in New York in late winter,
has a VIP program for members of
museum groups, which includes private
tours of artists’ studios and collectors’
homes, and offers panel discussions
on “identifying an emerging artist,
how to tell the difference between
good and bad art, understanding the
international art market — themes on
collecting like that,” said Irene Kim,
who is in charge of the VIP program.
Yet another organization that arranges
dealer talks and visits to art fairs,
studios and museum and gallery
exhibitions is a private membership
group called The Contemporaries
(thecontemporaries.org). The group is
unaffiliated with any institutions and
has a membership of 3,000 “urbanites
in their 30s and 40s, many of whom
are doctors, lawyers, MBAs who have
an interest in contemporary art and
culture and want to learn more,”
said the group’s co-founder, Rodney
Reid, an art collector and managing
director of the Private Capital Advisory
Group at Evercore. “There has been
a clear trend over the past decade
of identifying the next generation
of collectors. The demographics are
shifting, and we are trying to help this
younger generation of people become
collectors.” There is no fee to join this
group, because the gallery owners,
museums and art fairs that host catered
events to which Contemporaries
members are invited are so avid to
meet these people.
Additionally, Sotheby’s Preferred —
a program of the auction house
Sotheby’s which works with museums
to sell deaccessioned artworks, arrange
private purchases, and appraises
objects in museums’ permanent
collections — provides lectures on the
buying and selling of art. It also stages
mock auctions for collector groups at
these institutions.
These museum groups can be quite
popular, some with hundreds of
members. When invitations to limitedseating events are emailed, “you need
to be close to your computer when the
invite is issued so you can respond
in time,” said Edward J. Gargiulo,
director of asset management at the
New York-based High Brook Investors.
Gargiulo was also chair of the Museum
of Modern Art’s Junior Associates until
2015, when he moved to Los Angeles.
Not all the members of the group are
looking to buy art, he noted, and a high
percentage come for the food — and
the hope that they can find a date.
Others who are interested in owning
art may not have begun to make
2 Annika Connor with A Night at the Met, 2014, by Annika Connor. Oil on canvas, 72” x 48”.
Photo credit: Michael Espiritu. Copyright © 2014 Michael Espiritu. Used by permission of the photographer.
a relationship that makes members
more knowledgeable and benefits the
museum in the long-term,” said Ashley
Chandler, coordinator of the High’s
Young Professionals group.
3
purchases yet, awaiting hints on who,
what and how to buy.
“Not everyone in the group is in a
position to acquire art,” said Joanne
Cassullo, a trustee of the Whitney
Museum who acts as liaison to the
Whitney Contemporaries. “But
over time, as they advance in their
careers and become more involved
with the museum, many of them will
become collectors and we hope that
they continue to move up into other
membership groups at the museum.”
The grooming isn’t just about sticking
with the museum, giving more
money and taking on some volunteer
activities. Those talks by board
members and curators focus on the
artists and art trends that the museum
is following. “Joanne Cassullo nurtures
us. She goes with us to events and
shares information on the direction
the museum is going,” said Kipton
Cronkite, a member of the executive
committee of Whitney Contemporaries.
“You learn what museum acquisition
committees are interested in, and
I keep those artists on my radar. I try
to buy early in their careers.”
Art dealers are invited to museum
collector group get-togethers to discuss
some of the artists they represent, as
well as tips on where and how to buy
artwork. Not all of the High Museum’s
more than 1,000 Young Professionals
members attend those talks — some
just want the social part — but those
who do are getting a lesson on how to
become collectors, with an unstated but
clear tilt toward art that the museum
prefers. The High Museum of Art, like
many other museums, is playing a
long game, encouraging art-interested
people to buy art that is favored by
the board and curators and which may
be donated to the institution years
into the future. “We’re trying to start
If museums are hoping to influence
young collectors in these groups, they
are not the only ones. Group members
themselves look to establish prospective
clients for one or another professional
activity. Cronkite, for example, is an
art adviser who hopes to “meet future
clients. Maybe they aren’t ready to
collect right now, but when they are
in a few years and are looking for
someone to help them, they’ll think,
‘Oh, yeah, there’s a guy I met named
Kipton.’” Another member of the
Whitney Contemporaries’ executive
committee, Patrick McGregor, owner of
an arts marketing consultancy called KP
McGregor, viewed the museum group
as “a great networking opportunity. You
meet dealers, curators, artists and other
members who may become clients at
some point.”
There has been discussion in years
past at the Museum of Modern Art’s
Junior Associates about whether
or not to allow “people in the art
commerce side of things to become
members,” Gargiulo said. Ultimately, it
was decided that it was OK for private
dealers, gallery owners, art advisers and
artists to join. “Everybody wins that
way. You just can’t be too pushy. You
just have to conduct yourself properly.”
Artists are members of many of these
groups for the same reasons everyone
else is: looking to meet people socially
and professionally, and to learn about
trends in the art world and to support
a particular institution. Life would be
much easier for artists if there were
published lists of art collectors and
instructions on where to meet them,
but museum groups may be the closest
thing to that.
When painter Grant William Thye
moved to Chicago in 2007 to pursue
art full time, he became a volunteer at
3 Annika Connor’s living room in her studio, 2015. Courtesy of Annika Connor.
41
the Art Institute of Chicago “to meet
like-minded people and also get a little
bit of social interaction, as I quickly
realized I would spend all of my time
in the studio and could sometimes
go days without even seeing another
human.” He also joined the museum’s
Evening Associates, a membership
group for young collectors. Over time,
Thye became a board member, steering
it away from being “nothing more than
a giant singles’ bar” to developing “artbased activities for members to take
part in.” His time at Evening Associates
has made him a number of friends,
and he’s “made some good contacts by
being on the board, and have gotten
connected to a few opportunities for
commissions: murals. There probably
are not many serious collectors on the
board, although some have purchased
pieces from me.”
On the other hand, Annika Connor,
a New York artist who is supporting
herself through painting sales, hasn’t
sold any of her artwork to art buyers
on the Guggenheim Museum’s Young
Collectors Council — even though
she’s a member of its acquisitions
committee. But she noted that she
makes connections for art sales at all
functions or events she’s attended.
Similarly, Mary Bays, a clothing
designer and professor at LIM College
in Manhattan, joined the Metropolitan
Museum of Art’s Apollo Circle to meet
people. “I have met some of my best
friends through the group of artists,
collectors, as well as other designers,”
she said. She also joined to have a closer
affiliation with the museum’s Costume
Institute. “I started my career as an
eveningwear designer and always had to
come up with new embroidery designs
for my dresses,” she said. “So the textile
collection was a great research tool.”
Some dealers and art advisers join
more than one of these groups at the
same time to increase their chances of
meeting future clients. For example,
Cronkite also has memberships
4
“
Over time, Thye became a board member, steering it
away from being ‘nothing more than a giant singles bar’ to
developing ‘art-based activities for members to take part in.’
~ daniel grant
in young collector groups at the
Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art
and the Louvre.
Acquaintances turning into buyers
cannot be guaranteed, however, and
it can be expensive to join. Yearly
membership in the Young Collectors
Council at the Perez Art Museum is
$750 and $675 for the Museum of
Modern Art’s Junior Associates. The
Dallas Museum of Art’s DMA Forum
costs $1,000 annually.
“A lot of artists are members of the
Modern’s Junior Associates,” said the
Armory Show’s Irene Kim, who herself
is a member. “It’s a great networking
opportunity.” PA
Daniel Grant is the author of The Business
of Being an Artist and several other books
published by Allworth Press.
4 Greek dress, 2009, by Mary Bays. Coffee silk jersey gown with silk chiffon stole. Copyright © Mary Bays.
Photo credit: Daniel Acres. Used by permission of the photographer.
COACHING the ARTIST within
By Eric Maisel, Ph.D.
What To Do If Family Undermines You
I
t’s hard to make art and it’s hard to
sell art. How much harder is all that
if your family isn’t behind you or
actively undercuts your efforts?
Why would a family member undercut
you? Maybe your mate is pressuring
you to make money and contribute
to the family income. Maybe your
child is upset with the amount of
time you spend in the studio. Maybe
your parent continues to deride
your efforts and continues to predict
financial failure for you. These
family members may well have their
point — but that they have a point
still ultimately amounts to a lack
of support and makes it that much
harder for you to feel good about
your choice to make and market art.
Hardly anything is more discouraging
than having your already difficult art
life made more difficult by family
dynamics that undermine your efforts
and that reduce your desire and will
to continue. If someone in your family
is angry about your decision to be
an artist, derides or ridicules your
decision to be an artist, complains
that you are not pulling your weight
financially, or scoffs at your chances
to succeed as an artist, you are stuck
with a difficult — and perhaps volatile
— situation.
How can you handle a situation of this
sort? All of the following won’t work
that well:
1. Get angry and storm away.
2. Feel hurt and shrink away.
3. Defensively present “rational”
arguments, counterevidence or
anecdotal stories about successful
artists.
4. Ignore the family member and the
situation.
5. Take to drink, drugs, sex, shopping
or some other soothing substance
or activity.
6. Reply with countercharges of
your own.
7. Demand support because family
members “ought to be loyal and
supportive.”
Your better bet is to present yourself
in the following way:
“I agree that most artists don’t
make a living wage. Here is what I
am endeavoring to do to prove the
exception to that rule. I am doing
a, b, c and d. These efforts will take
time to bear fruit and I hope that
in x amount of time (for example,
two years) I will be one of those rare
artists who makes money. I wonder if
you can bear with me during this time
and maybe even be on my side? I’m
presenting an honorable picture of
how artists ought to operate if they
want to make money, and I think you
can see that. Yes?”
This of course means that you actually
intend to prove the exception,
engage in the activities you outlined,
and ultimately make money. If that
isn’t your intention — if, in fact, you
are content being dependent, not
bringing in any money, and living
“as you please”— then the above
presentation would amount to a mere
story or a lie rather than a pledge.
This means that you will need to think
through how you intend to “be”
as an artist: If you intend to make
money as an artist, the above is a
good response; if you don’t, another
response is needed.
Let’s say that making money from
your art is not a high priority for you.
What then? How might you meet a
family member’s charges that you
aren’t bringing in money from your
art when in fact you don’t care about
bringing in that money? Here are two
possible responses:
1.To a family member, such as a
parent, not directly affected by how
much money you make from your art:
“My art is important, meaningful work
and I’m making enough money from
my other efforts so that I can live. I
don’t need much and I’m living exactly
as I want to live. I don’t need my art to
make me money any more than a monk
needs his prayers to make him money.
Can you accept my point of view?”
2. To a family member, such as a
breadwinning mate, directly affected
by how much money you make from
your art:
“I do want to contribute and I know
that it’s fair to contribute. But can
I contribute in other ways besides
money? Can I contribute by being a
good friend to you, by loving you,
by being available, by doing things
that need to get done, and in other
ways that aren’t monetary? Is there a
chance we can make that work?”
These are two reasonable approaches.
Of course, no approach may work
perfectly. These difficult dynamics
reflect real differences of opinion
and real differences in agenda. No
given answer may prove perfect,
but making an effort to find
some common ground and some
acceptable compromises can make
a world of difference. PA
Eric Maisel is America’s foremost creativity
coach and the author of more than 40
books including Secrets of a Creativity
Coach, Making Your Creative Mark,
Coaching the Artist Within, Fearless
Creating, The Van Gogh Blues, and
Mastering Creative Anxiety. Dr. Maisel
presents two live one-hour teleclasses
every month with the Academy for
Optimal Living. You can visit Dr. Maisel
at ericmaisel.com or contact him at
[email protected].
43
WHAT DO JOURNALISTS WANT?
How to
Get Media
Coverage
J
ournalists delete most press releases they
receive — without opening them. If the
subject line doesn’t convince them that the
news will benefit their publication, there’s
no need to read further. So, the good news is that
because most press releases won’t be read, if you
write a great press release and subject line, you stand
a decent chance of getting media coverage.
1
1 Andromeda Galaxy, 2015, by Martin Cohen. Giclée on canvas, 30” x 40”. Copyright © Martin Cohen. Used by permission of the photographer.
BY THEA FIORE BLOOM
2
What makes for a press release that will have a
reporter contacting you for a story? A good release
is a sales pitch-free announcement that is tailored
to its recipient and written in plain English. It’s an
intriguing mini-story that answers the following
questions: who, what, where, why and when.
Believe it or not, journalists eagerly await wellcrafted press releases and story pitches.
“Editors and journalists start their day with
dozens of blank pages that must be filled by the
end of that day. They can’t fill all those pages by
pounding the pavement themselves — they need a
good percentage of their stories to come to them.
... But this does not mean journalists are going to
be grateful for any old rubbish you send to their
inboxes,” said Steven Lewis, former journalist,
content marketer and author of How To Write A
Perfect Press Release (taleist.com).
The secret to crafting an effective release lies in
putting the needs of the newspaper and its readers
first. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the
more you gear what may seem like a self-serving
document for your audience, the better your
chances of having it read and getting the media
coverage you desire.
“The brutal reality of trying to get media is: You
have got to work to find an angle on your story that
other people will care about,” Lewis said.
But once you have found this angle and created a
press release, you will have learned a great lesson in
how to market yourself in a concise, authentic way
that puts your audience first. Getting a story
in print also lends credibility and allows you
2 Mesquite Dunes and Beyond, 2014, by Don Whitebread. Archival pigment print, 17” x 17”. Copyright © 2014 Don Whitebread. Used by permission of the artist.
45
to add a press page to your website.
You may already have an idea of
what your news is or you may need
some help in defining your news.
Journalists recommend the following
steps before putting pen to paper on
your next release:
Step 1
Make Sure You Have
Actual News.
“The number one mistake press release
writers make is sending out a release
that does not contain any actual news
or news hooks,” said journalist, teacher
and copywriter M. Sharon Baker
(msharonbaker.com). Press releases
that get noticed contain one of eight
tried and true news hooks (see sidebar).
Three examples of news stories and
hooks you might use include:
3
1. You develop a new body of textile
work that happens to be woven
from discarded cell phones and wire.
Emphasize the novelty news hook in
your release.
notice there is a citywide anniversary
celebration of the Watts Towers coming
up next month. You write a press release
about your Inglewood-based class using
the timeliness hook and send it to the
Inglewood News as well as to the arts
editor of the Los Angeles Times.
2. You teach a Watts Towers-inspired
collage class to school kids in an area
of Los Angeles called Inglewood. You
3. You just sold an oil painting to the
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of
Fame in Fort Worth? Don’t send your
NEWS HOOKS
BY M. SHARON BAKER
msharonbaker.com
■ Timeliness:
New news is always
better than old news, so don’t pitch
or send a release about an event
two weeks ago.
■ Proximity:
Don’t pitch your news to
Seattle if your company is located in
Atlanta and has no Seattle ties.
■ Prominence:
4
What famous people,
politicians and experts say and do
is news.
■ Impact:
The more people your
story affects, the better chances for
coverage.
■ Novelty:
The weird, bizarre and odd
stories are always an easy sell. “Man
Bites Dog” is a story — “Dog Bites
Man” isn’t.
■ Usefulness:
People love practical
tips and lists that are of service.
■ Conflict:
We love to hear about
turmoil, fighting and the little guy
defeating the big guy.
■ Human
Interest: People are
interesting, and their sad or uplifting
stories tug at our emotions.
3 Chapman’s Baobab and Star Trail, 2014, by Beverly Houwing. Metallic photo print, 24” x 30”. Copyright © Beverly Houwing. Used by permission of the photographer.
4 Total Lunar Eclipse, 2014, by Martin Cohen. Giclée on canvas, 30” x 40”. Copyright © Martin Cohen. Used by permission of the photographer.
PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE
Must be attentiongrabbing. Tell us why
we should care about
your news.
This is where you put
all the details and
facts. Put the most
important information
toward the top. You
can add a quote
too. Say something
of interest in the
quote — don’t just
say, “I’m happy to
announce…” Tell us a
story and avoid listing
facts and details.
Keep the whole
release less than a
single page.
HEADLINE
DATELINE — LEAD
BODY
WHO, WHAT, WHERE,
WHEN, HOW
CONTACT
The dateline is simply
the city — and state,
if not obvious — that
the company is based
in or the event is
occurring. The lead
is the news in one
sentence. If I don’t
read anything else,
tell me everything I
need to know here,
and try to make me
read the rest.
Put the phone
number and email
of your most reliable
contact person.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Put your social media
info here.
release about your achievement to the
The New York Times — the arts editor
doesn’t care. You increase your chance of
getting the story into print by leaning on
the proximity news hook and targeting
the Fort Worth Weekly or another area
paper you determine to be the best fit.
Step 2
Ask Yourself: Who Will Care
About My News?
Magazine editors and newspaper
writers are not your mom — their job
is not to promote you unconditionally.
Think of a journalist as someone with
whom you’re bartering. “Journalists
ABOUT
are up for a good trade: a good story
for them to write in return for a
promotional opportunity for you,”
said Lewis, who recommends you ask
yourself three questions before you
compose your release:
1. Why is this story specifically a
great story for the publication I am
considering sending it to?
2. Why would this publication write
about it now?
3. Why am I the right person to tell it?
Asking yourself these questions will
prohibit you from participating in the
popular but useless “spray and pray”
Include a brief
description of your
company that includes
a link to your website.
method of press release distribution.
Always scan the paper you’re
considering sending your release to
and familiarize yourself with the kind
of stories they favor and the sections
your story would fare best in. This
action alone will give you a huge leg
up. It differentiates you from others
clamoring for attention.
Once you have your hook and have
answered those questions, start
writing. See the accompanying
graphic of the press release template
Baker uses for her copywriting
and public relations students.
47
Step 3
Transfer Your News to This
One-Page Template:
HEADLINE
“Arguably the most important line
of the press release is your headline.
Putting sweat into the quality of this
line will be time and energy well spent,”
Baker said. “Here is where you tell us
why we should care about your news —
in one sentence.”
If you’re targeting an appropriate
newspaper your headline need not be
monumental, as in “Cure for Alzheimer’s
Discovered.” It just has to be clear and
relevant to the person receiving the
email. A good headline for the story
for The Fort Worth Weekly might be as
unpretentious as: “Local Fort Worth
Painter Sells Portrait of Texas Rodeo
Queen to National Cowgirl Museum.”
5
Your headline also serves double duty
as the subject line of the email your
press release is sent in. Don’t put “press
release” as the subject line of your
email. Journalists will assume it’s one
of the countless irrelevant, spammy
sales pitches they receive daily and
press delete.
DATELINE AND LEAD
The dateline is the city where you live
or the location of your upcoming show.
The actual dates for your art show or
other news should be in the lead itself.
“The lead is the news in one sentence.
If I don’t read anything else, tell me
everything I need to know here, and try
to make me read the rest,” Baker said.
BODY
“The job of the body is to answer the
following questions: Who is doing
something, what exactly are they up to,
why should the reader care and where
will this event be taking place?” Baker
said. Here’s the place for one or two nongeneric, intriguing quotes. Put your first
quote in by the third sentence at the latest.
6
classes,’ or the even less interesting:
‘We’re happy to announce these new
classes,’ tell me exactly why you are
so happy instead, by shooting for
something like: ‘We’re putting on these
new art classes because we have been
inundated from calls from parents saying
they have always wanted to enroll their
kids in local art classes but there has
been nothing offered in our schools,’”
Baker said.
WHY ONE PAGE?
A journalist is going to give you two
seconds to read your headline, Lewis
said. If they are intrigued by your
headline they will open your email
and give you five seconds to read your
first paragraph, and so on through the
body of your press release. In total,
they might not give you more than a
minute to make a decision whether they
are interested in you or not. No one is
going beyond your first page, so you can
see the absurdity of three- to five-page
press releases.
“That means no life stories. Don’t say:
‘I was born in a shack on a hillside in
1952 and as a little boy I found a piece
of trash in the street and I wondered
what kind of thing I could make with
this trash.’ Do say: ‘I make beautiful
things out of trash and next week is
Trash Awareness Week. Here’s a link to
some of things I make. Contact me on
this number,’ ” Lewis said.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Reporters were pressed for time before
media downsizing — now the remaining
few are even busier. If a reporter calls
and gets no answer, they tend to move
on to another story. Only put a phone
number of someone (hopefully you) who
will actually answer the phone when it
rings after you send out a release.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Put social media links here if you have
them.
“Instead of a trite clichéd quote like:
‘We’re really excited about these new
5 Milky Way Over L.A., 2012, by Matthew Kuhns. Photograph on Fuji Crystal Archive edition of 25, 15” x 30”. Copyright © 2012 Matthew Kuhns.
6 Ruaha Star Trails, 2014, by Beverly Houwing. Metallic photo print, 24” x 30”. Copyright © 2014 Beverly Houwing.
EXAMPLE PRESS RELEASE
Written by Diane Shader Smith
For Immediate Release
The G2 Gallery presents The Great Unknown, a repositioning of outer space as the new environmental
frontier
This exhibit will feature 3-D images of Mars landscape and astrophotography
On view: June 9 - Aug. 9, 2015 | Reception: June 20, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
VENICE, Calif. — On June 9, 2015, The G2 Gallery will premiere The Great Unknown, a photography exhibit
reimagining outer space as an environmental area that requires the same protection and conservation as our
forests and oceans. G2 will partner with The Planetary Society and its CEO Bill Nye, donating all its proceeds
from art sales to the organization.
The Great Unknown will be the first exhibition of its kind to equate outer space with endangered environments
on Earth. To date, no environmental protections for extraterrestrial areas have been passed, but increasing
technological advances in space exploration suggest that this new frontier would benefit from such protections.
“Space is one area that’s fairly undamaged by humans, and to keep it that way, we need to protect it, says G2
Director Jolene Hanson. “One way to inspire conservation is with stunning photography, just as Ansel Adams
did with Yosemite and Joel Sartore has done with endangered species.”
The show will include three distinct collections: Mars Seen, which will feature massive, 8-foot 3-D images of the
landscape of Mars from xRez Studio; Martin Cohen, featuring astrophotography from the eponymous artist, and
Without a Telescope, a series of photographs of stars and nightscapes taken without the aid of a telescope by
Beverly Houwing, Matthew Kuhns and Chris Miele.
The opening reception for The Great Unknown will be held on June 20 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Admission is $10
at the door and includes wine, hors d’oeuvres and complimentary valet in front of the gallery. All proceeds from
admissions will be donated to The Planetary Society. RSVP to [email protected].
The G2 Gallery
1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Contact:
Diane Shader Smith, 310.386.6803, [email protected]
Bennett Rea
310.452.2842 [email protected]
About The G2 Gallery:
The G2 Gallery is an award-winning nature and wildlife photography gallery that facilitates change by bringing
attention to environmental issues through the persuasive power of photographic art. G2 shares this passion
with both celebrated and emerging environmental photographers, who use the camera as a tool to inspire
conservation.
ABOUT
OTHER OPTIONS
This section is your elevator speech.
Place a link to your website here.
Include specific links to photos,
podcasts, videos or other marketing
extras that apply directly to your story
if you have any. Don’t forget your full
name, business name and location if
those details don’t already appear in the
text. You are done.
If the thought of writing a release by
yourself has you dazed, team up and
trade services with another artist or
writer friend who is more marketingminded than you. The New Rules of
Marketing and PR by David Meerman
Scott is another helpful resource.
You can always hire a professional
copywriter to create your release.
Expect to pay between $250 and $500.
If you dislike writing and have a budget
of more than $2,000, consider hiring a
small PR agency to not only write the
release but to pitch it to appropriate
media outlets on your behalf.
Be wise and interview any prospect
before you invest big money. Ask to see
sample releases they have written for
other clients. Now that you know what
journalists want, write and send at least
one release out on your own — you may
surprise yourself. PA
Thea Fiore Bloom Ph.D. is a freelance writer
and assemblage artist. She welcomes email
at [email protected].
49
STATE of the ART
By Terry Sullivan
you can
instantly
connect
to your
mobile
device.
You can
transfer
2
photos, and
even videos,
from the camera
to your mobile device,
and then upload them quickly to your
favorite social media account.
1
Why Digital Cameras Are
Still Better Than Your Phone
Y
ou probably capture most of
your photos on your phone.
That’s understandable. It’s
so convenient to shoot and
instantly share, and you probably say
to yourself: Why would I want to lug
around an additional device?
Here’s one reason, which is
important for artists: Many of today’s
digital cameras, and even some
action cams like GoPros, have
amazing technology, matched with
better optics than what’s found
on smartphones — that may be
incredibly useful to you. For instance,
you may want to shoot photos
outside in damp conditions, or maybe
you want to shoot photos or video
underwater. There are cameras that
are great for that kind of shooting.
Or you might be looking to
photograph an activity where you
need your camera to fire off lots of
frames in a second — maybe it’s a
type of sports event where you need
to capture just the right moment. A
dedicated digital camera gives you
the power and flexibility to fire off
several shots in one second. They
also can photograph better in lowlight environments.
Here’s a short list of new camera
features I’ve seen over the past few
years that you may find exciting as
you document your work and life as
an artist:
BUILT-IN WI-FI
Most new cameras and action cams
now offer built-in Wi-Fi, which means
But it also has another cool
advantage: You can remotely control
your camera or action cam from your
mobile device, which can make for
some very cool shooting scenarios.
So, you can view, frame, adjust
settings and then fire off your photos
or videos from your phone while your
camera is set up yards away from you.
WATERPROOF AND RUGGED
For several years, many camera
manufacturers have been introducing
models that can shoot underwater, in
some cases, as far down as 100 feet.
This type of waterproof camera (or
action cam) also offers you a way to
shoot worry-free in wet and rugged
conditions. Oftentimes, these models
can also withstand a fall from
several feet.
FASTER BURST MODES
Picture a baseball game where the
batter is at the plate. If you want to
capture the precise moment that
the batter hits the baseball, you’ll
need a fast burst mode, which fires
off several frames per second. Some
cameras can capture four or five,
but many digital cameras can fire off
as many as eight or 10 frames per
second, or even more.
In addition, a few digital cameras,
like some advanced models from
Panasonic, are able to shoot in 4K
high-definition video (which is four
1 This image gives you an idea of how many frames per second digital cameras can capture. Use “burst mode” to capture shots in quick succession.
2 Waterproof cameras let you shoot in damp, rainy or underwater conditions. Copyright © Terry Sullivan. Images courtesy of Terry Sullivan.
+MAY 2016
50 Professional Artist APR
APR+MAY
times larger than traditional HD
video). And since each frame of the
video file is so large in terms of the
number of pixels, you can actually
extract an 8-megapixel photo from
that video file. That means when you
shoot video, which captures action
at 30 frames per second, you don’t
need to stop the video capture and
switch to taking a still photo. Just
select one of the video frames from
a video clip and export it as a photo.
An 8-megapixel photo should give
you a decent 8-by-10-inch or even an
11-by-14-inch print.
HIGH ISO
When shooting in low light, indoors
or at night, you’ll generally get
better results with a digital camera,
especially since today’s models have
larger sensors than those that are
found on mobile devices.
Larger sensors allow
cameras to be more
sensitive to light.
The feature
that lets you
increase this
sensitivity is
called ISO.
The higher
the ISO,
the more
sensitive the
camera is to
light and the
more detail it
can capture in low
light. But in the past,
you’d get very grainy
photos by boosting the ISO
to compensate for such lighting
scenarios, such as shooting subjects
by candlelight. But because today’s
cameras have better-quality sensors,
combined with high-quality lenses,
you’re more apt to get noise-free
shots. That can be important if you’re
shooting figures or portraits, and
you want to maintain the fidelity of
skin tones.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)
If you’ve ever shot a subject indoors,
in front of a bright window on a
sunny day, you’ll understand why an
HDR mode is useful. Most cameras
can either expose for the indoor or
the outdoor setting, but not both.
In other words, you get the subject
correctly exposed indoors, and the
scene outside is blown out and
overexposed. But if you expose
correctly for the outdoor scene, your
subject inside becomes underexposed
and looks like a silhouette.
That’s where HDR comes in: If your
camera has an automatic HDR mode,
it will fire off three quick photos in
succession and then automatically
merge the best parts from all three
exposures in one frame. You get a
detailed subject standing
in front of a detailed
backdrop.
With some
cameras,
like the
RX series
from
Sony,
you
can set
how
much
of an
HDR
effect you
want to
include in your
3
photo.
TIME-LAPSE AND
SLOW MOTION VIDEO
Many digital cameras and action
cams also include some powerful
video settings. Time-lapse and slow
motion are two of my favorites.
With time-lapse video, the camera
slows down the frame rate. Simply
set the camera on this mode, and
it will capture one photo every 10
seconds, 30 seconds, one minute or
longer. Then, after a segment of time
has passed, the camera will stitch all
the frames together into one video.
So, if you happen to be sketching
a self-portrait or painting a still life,
you can film yourself and capture it
with a time-lapse video — and in a
short 30-second video, you can show
students or clients how you create
your artwork.
Slow-motion video works in the
opposite fashion: Standard HD
video captures action at 30 frames
per second. If you increase it to 120
frames per second, the action that
you play back moves four times
slower. So, increasing the frame
rate slows action down. And some
cameras and action cams can even
shoot in slower slo-mo.
LONG ZOOM LENSES WITH
IMAGE STABILIZATION
One way digital cameras have always
bested mobile devices is that digital
cameras offer optical zoom lenses,
which means you can zoom into the
action without needing to degrade
the quality of the photo. (When you
zoom in with a phone or tablet, it’s
almost always digital zoom, which
degrades image quality.) But in the
past few years, there have been
more models that allow you to zoom
in 50 or 60 times or greater, which
means you can get really close to the
action you’re photographing. And
since cameras also offer some very
powerful image stabilizers inside,
you’re more likely to get a clear shot
of the action for jitter-free video. PA
Terry Sullivan is the former editor of
Professional Artist magazine and the
former technical editor at American
Artist magazine. He currently is an editor
at Consumer Reports, where he covers
digital cameras, camcorders, smartphones,
printers, digital imaging and audio. He is
also an artist and musician.
3 Better image sensors let cameras capture higher quality low-light photos and video without getting grainy or noisy.
Copyright © Terry Sullivan. Images courtesy of Terry Sullivan.
51
1
1 Paintings by D Young V and Eddie Colla at 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco. Copyright © 2014 D Young V, Eddie Colla. Used by permission of the artists.
Feast
for
the
Eyes
SHOWING ART IN RESTAURANTS
BY KATHERINE ARNOLDI
W
hen I moved from the East Village to upper
Manhattan in 1998, I started painting
plein air at the nearby Inwood Hill Park,
196 acres of old growth forest surrounded
by the Harlem and Hudson Rivers. In
2013, I was accepted for a solo show at the Indian
Road Café, which overlooks the park. Some artists
may disparage hanging work in restaurants because
the venue doesn’t sound as prestigious as a gallery.
But consider this: My paintings were exhibited in a
restaurant frequented by neighbors and art lovers
across from the beloved park I had painted on the
canvas. The three one-person shows I have had at
the Indian Road Café have been successful in ways I
could not have imagined.
In 2008, Jason Minter opened the Indian Road Café
(indianroadcafe.com) and it immediately became a
gathering place featuring local food, music and art.
“We New Yorkers get bored easily,” Minter said.
“So, much like our menu, we like to change the
decor and vibe frequently. Every month, the art
show changes and makes a new experience at the
53
restaurant.” In 2013, artist Jeff
Hoppa (jeffhoppa.com) answered
a posting on Facebook seeking
an art curator for the Indian
Road Café — and that same
week, he was at the café at 7 a.m.
hanging his first show before the
restaurant opened for breakfast.
“Jason’s door is always open
to artists, historians, knitters,
comedians, performers, and,
of course, foodies. Thankfully,”
Hoppa said, “Minter doesn’t
mind us putting a few nails in
the wall. The artists of Northern
Manhattan are lucky to have him.”
2
Another advantage over galleries is that some
restaurants, including Indian Road Café, do
not charge a commission.
To find the artists for twelve shows a year,
Hoppa attends arts events, answers emails
from artists who wish to show at the café and
visits artist studios. He then promotes the
work by mailing notices to about 500 patrons,
informing local media, and, when possible,
hosting an opening.
In 2014, Thor Wickstrom (thorwickstrom.
com), who studied at the Art Students League
of New York and the École des Beaux-Arts,
decided to make his show at the Indian Road
Café a benefit for the local Spuyten Duyvil
Preschool and sold four paintings at the
opening. “Since the restaurant does not take
a commission, I was able to give 50 percent of
the purchase price to the school, leaving me
with a good price and also moving some work
out of my studio and onto someone’s wall.”
In choosing the work for the show,
Wickstrom said he likes to have continuity,
a vision or a story. “In this case, I chose my
plein-air cityscapes, all from the Inwood
neighborhood.” In 2016, Wickstrom also had a
show at New Leaf Restaurant, another eatery
in Upper Manhattan that has an art program.
3
Some artists prefer not to align themselves with a gallery that expects an
exclusive contract and instead manage their own careers by selling online,
arranging their own shows and handling their own promotion. A show in
a restaurant does not tie up work for a long time, and it also adds a oneperson show on a resumé, grows an artist’s audience, allows artists to see
how people respond and builds community between artists and local art
lovers. The restaurants benefit too from the chance to support local artists
and keep patrons coming back for exciting new exhibits.
“
111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco is a great ‘collector incubator’ because they
are constantly drawing in all sorts of people … By exposing them to tasty art every
night, they are tempting more people into becoming collectors. ~ Isabel Samaras
2 2015 Indian Road Café show, New York: Across the East River, 2015, by Katherine Arnoldi. Oil on canvas,
30” x 24”. Copyright © 2015 Katherine Arnoldi. Used by permission of the artist. 3 Lula Cafe, Chicago: A Layered Time, 2014,
by Leslie Baum. Oil on canvas, 54” x 54”. Copyright © 2015 Leslie Baum. Used by permission of the artist.
How to Have a
One-Person Show
at a Restaurant,
Bar or Club
1. Familiarize yourself
with the restaurant:
Attend openings, meet
the curator and inform
them of your work and
your interest in the art
program.
2. For a restaurant with an
existing art program,
send an email to the
curators to express
your interest in having
a show.
3. Prepare for a studio visit
by showing the curator
the actual work you feel
would be appropriate,
keeping in mind the size
restrictions. Consider
showing a series that
would present a theme
or vision for the show.
4
Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Wild Fork Restaurant
San Francisco’s 111 Minna Gallery
Kim Michie, co-owner of Wild Fork
Restaurant (wildfork.com) in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, said the 20-year-old art program
“works wonderfully for us, keeping our
restaurant changing, moving and beautiful
and showing our commitment to the
community.” Scott Trizza, the art curator
at Wild Fork, finds artists by attending art
events and then doing follow-up studio visits.
111 Minna Gallery (111minnagallery.com)
is really a gallery with a coffee shop by day
and a bar/club scene at night. “It’s terrific
exposure for the artists, whose work gets to
be seen in a much more lively environment
by a much wider range of people than just
gallery goers,” said artist Isabel Samaras
(isabelsamaras.com). She was one of the
artists who curator and artist Micah LeBrun
(micahlebrun.com) invited to submit to
the “Less Is More” show. Samaras created
her signature riff on pop culture icons:
placing them in Old Master settings, like
she did with her portrait of Batman that was
reminiscent of Sir Thomas More.
Some artists, like Diane Zinn who had a
show in April 2015, were recommended
by patrons. “The restaurant venue is a
comfortable setting,” Zinn said. “People
are coming to relax and eat a good meal,
so enjoying the art is a natural part of that
experience. Patrons come specifically to see
what’s new on the walls.” Wild Fork does
not take a commission. Having clear artist
contact information on full display next to
the art helps facilitate sales at the restaurant.
4. Read the agreement.
The restaurant may,
for example, ask you
to have your own
insurance.
5. If your neighborhood
does not have a
restaurant with an art
program, approach
one and offer to curate
a show. You might
suggest bartering your
work as a curator for an
occasional free meal.
“111 Minna Gallery’s history of supporting
artists who have influenced my own work
inspired me to pursue working with the
gallery,” said LeBrun.
4 Wild Fork Restaurant, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Copyright © 2015 Valerie Grant. Used by permission of the photographer.
55
for the Amor Fati show (artists David Ball, Jeremy Nichols and Alex
Gardner) on September 4, 2015, for example, ran from 5 p.m. to 2
a.m. and included DJ entertainment.
Chicago’s Lula Cafe
“Everyone goes there,” said artist Leslie Baum (lesliebaum.net)
about Lula Cafe (lulacafe.com) — which, like Indian Road Café
in New York, features local food and local art. It hosts four art
openings a year on Tuesdays, when the restaurant is normally
closed, pushing all the tables to the side and serving cakes and hors
d’oeuvres with a cash bar.
The openings started 12 years ago, after curator and textile artist
Marianne Fairbanks (mariannefairbanks.com) met co-curator and
cartoonist Anders Nilsen (andersbrekhusnilsen.com) when she
worked on the wait staff and he worked with the kitchen staff.
They were both attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
(SAIC), so when a curator left, they decided to step up, selecting
art they wanted to see, including artists from SAIC and ones they
discovered at gallery openings.
5
“It’s a great ‘collector incubator,’” Samaras said,
“because they are constantly drawing in all
sorts of people who probably haven’t thought
of themselves as art buyers. By exposing them
to tasty art every night, they are tempting more
people into becoming collectors.” Samaras has sold
several pieces at the gallery, noting that they take
the standard 50 percent commission but do not
demand an exclusive agreement.
Exhibitions are up for one month, and the
openings can last well past midnight. The opening
6
Expanding the definition of an art show, they curated
unconventional shows, such as a collection of 1,000 butterflies in
cellophane sheets, or a show of old vintage wooden hangers. The
fall 2015 show “Over Under” featured textile artists Samantha
Bittman (samanthabittman.com), Melissa Leandro (melissaleandro.
com), Christy Matson (cmatson.com) and Michael Milano
(michaelmilano.net).
The gallery recently began charging 25 percent commission on sales
to support the art program. This ensures that the art program at
Lula Cafe can continue to support more artists and remain a center
of a lively art community.
Having a local show in my community restaurant expanded my art
connections. For example, I’m currently working on a commission
from a customer who bought my work several years ago. But the
highlight of my last show at the Indian Road Café in 2015 was
receiving a message from jazz guitarist Hui Cox (huicox.com) who
sent me a photo of the painting he wanted to buy while he was
dining at the cafe. When the show was over, I delivered the painting
to Cox’s brownstone in Harlem. The walls were covered with his
extensive art collection and I was thrilled that my work would be
included and would be seen by many great jazz artists.
While we sat and talked, we realized we knew many of the same
people such as jazz musicians Bern Nix, David Murray, Matthew
Shipp and the late Butch Morris. Our paths had crossed many times
in the past. He was looking at my painting and said, “I don’t know
how you do it. How here is one splash of color and there — another
dab, and then, as if by magic, the scene appears.”
If I had had a show at a gallery instead of the Indian Road Café,
I would have missed out on delivering my art to Cox’s studio,
connecting with him and hearing these encouraging words. Perhaps
it’s time for you to consider this alternative venue. PA
Katherine Arnoldi (katherinearnoldi.com) is an artist and writer located in
the Bronx, New York and creator of the graphic novel, The Amazing True
Story of a Teenage Single Mom (Greymalkin Press, 2015). She teaches
writing at the City University of New York.
5 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco: Lord Batman, 2015, by Isabel Samaras. Oil on wood panel, 7” x 5”. Copyright © 2015 Isabel Samaras. Used by permission of the artist.
6 2014 Indian Road Café show, New York: Up Broadway NYC, 2014, by Thor Wickstrom. Oil on canvas, 10” x 10”. Copyright © 2015 Thor Wickstrom.
Used by permission of the artist.
PLANNING your ART business
By Robert Reed, Ph.D., CFP©
Lunch Can Be Tax-Deductible
T
he best marketing is done
face-to-face — and even
better if done over a nice glass
of wine. Money you spend letting
other people know what you do (that
is, marketing) is a tax-deductible
expense. But the rules are quirky
when we talk about deducting meals
and entertainment.
The first thing to realize is that while
all other marketing expenses are
100 percent deductible, you can
only deduct 50 percent of a meal
expense. So this is not the royal road
to tax-free dining.
Secondly, the IRS is persnickety about
documentation. Keep restaurant
receipts which show the date, the
name of the restaurant and the cost.
On the back, note why the meal
was business-related. If you treated
guests, you should note their names.
Notations don’t have to be detailed.
It’s good enough to write, “John
and Jane Jones, ACME Gallery,
discussed possible show.” Notice,
however, that a canceled check or
credit card statement is not sufficient
documentation.
The simplest kind of business meal is
when you eat alone, but this is only
deductible if it is in conjunction with an
overnight business trip. If you attend
an out-of-town art workshop (hence, a
business trip) and stay overnight, your
meals are tax-deductible. If you visit a
local gallery and then go home, you
cannot deduct your lunch.
Here’s an interesting option if you’re
traveling out of town for business:
Instead of keeping your receipts for
every meal, you can simply deduct
a fixed cost for meals each day you
are away. This is called per diem
expensing. For 2016, the standard
per diem deduction is $51 per day
for meals. There are 400 localities,
however, that have higher rates. The
per diem for New York City is $74
per day, while Miami is $64. You
can claim this deduction (instead
of individually itemizing each meal)
even if you spend less than the per
diem. You can find the per diems of
specific locations at gsa.gov/portal/
category/100120.
As great (and legitimate)
as the business meal
tax deduction is, I want
to emphasize that the
meal or entertainment
cost is only 50 percent
deductible.
Things are different when you eat with
other people. This includes if you treat
someone to a meal or if everyone
around the table pays their own tab.
There is no overnight requirement,
but there are clear rules. A taxdeductible meal must meet one of
two criteria: be directly-related dining
or goodwill entertainment. Which of
these criteria apply depends on when
business discussions take place.
A meal is directly related to your
business when you have a more than
general expectation that talk during
the meal will lead to future income
or some specific business benefit.
Note that it doesn’t have to result in a
benefit — you just need a reasonable
expectation that it could. You might
talk with a gallery owner about what
kind of art they are looking for and if
your work qualifies. In other words,
gathering information about possible
venues constitutes a business benefit.
The critical issue is that a business
discussion took place during the meal.
The goodwill test applies to
DISCLAIMER: This column offers general tax and financial advice. If you need advice specific to
your particular situation, consult a professional (which, by the way, is a tax deductible expense).
situations in which you have a
business discussion directly before
or after your meal, but during the
meal you are simply promoting
goodwill. Perhaps you just inked
a major deal with a gallery and to
show your appreciation, you take
the gallery owner to dinner as a
gesture of goodwill. It is worth noting
that goodwill meals are not limited
to business participants. You can
write-off a meal that includes not
only the deal’s participants but also
their spouses. The goodwill criterion
also applies if you take a group of
people to a nightclub, a sports event
or a theater. As long as you discuss
business before or after the event, it’s
a legitimate business expense.
In short, the guiding criteria is that a
business discussion must take place
sometime before, during or after the
event. Furthermore, there must be
a reasonable expectation that the
discussion will result in income for
your business or lead to some other
specific business benefit.
As great (and legitimate) as the
business meal tax deduction is, I
want to emphasize that the meal
or entertainment cost is only 50
percent deductible. Also, remember
you are only saving the tax that you
otherwise would have paid if there
were no deduction. So if you treated
your personal financial advisor to a
$200 dinner (following a business
discussion confirming your 25 percent
income tax rate), you would only save
$25 in taxes ($200 x 0.5 = $100 x 0.25
= $25). The savings are nice and can
add up to an appreciable amount in a
year, but it’s no free lunch. PA
Robert Roy Reed is a holistic financial
planner (PartnershipFinancial.com). He is
the author of Your Art Is Your Business
(yourartisyourbusiness.com). He lives in
Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, the author
Lisa Klein.
57
r iculate
Write and Speak Your Way to Confidence
BY VICKI KROHN AMOROSE
1
1 Nelson Mandela Freedom Series - Black, 2015, by Jabu Mzilikazi. Mixed media on fabric, 80” x 80”. Copyright © Jabu Mzilikazi. Used by permission of the artist.
The greatest way to live
with honor in this world is to
be what we pretend to be.
~ Socrates
2
onfidence is your most essential tool for selfpromotion, but where does it come from?
Confidence comes from practice — it’s built on what you know. Every successful
experience gives you more self-confidence to take the next step. Less successful
experiences are also extremely valuable because they arm you with self-knowledge:
We learn what not to do next time, and those lessons build more confidence to move forward again.
Courage, on the other hand, is built on what we don’t know — it takes over when we face the uncertain,
the variable or the fearsome.
Courage improvises. Confidence rehearses.
You’ll need both courage and confidence in your career, especially when you transition from times of
quiet creating to times of the “artist on display” when you’re writing and speaking to promote your work.
2 Mustard/Ketchup, 2015, by Gabe Fernandez. Oil on canvas, 16” x 20”. Copyright © Gabe Fernandez. Used by permission of the artist.
59
3
Speaking and Writing Advance Together
Verbal and written language are entwined so that
improvement in one area leads to improvement in
the other. Most people speak more fluidly than they
write. So, for example, when you’re asked to write
your artist statement, you might sound stiff or stylistic
on paper. But if you’re relaxed and talking to a friend
about a piece of art, the words may flow. The phrases
you speak can be useful in your writing, because they
often reveal direct, unfiltered truths. The simple act of
speaking to someone sets you on the right path — the
path to connecting with your audience.
This is why it’s good to make notes when you say
something that sounds true and right about your work.
These can help you when you sit down to write.
Writing about your work is vital to reaching outward
and making connections, but it’s also valuable for
reaching inward and getting in touch with your
personal truths. Arriving at these truths takes
dedication and it’s often painstaking. Writing can be
a tool that helps you shape a generalized concept,
carving down to what is specific and essential about
your work. Any writing you accomplish will give you a
reassuring foundation upon which to add more words
and more ideas, building confidence as you go. Once
you’ve written a few sentences that feel true, use them
as talking points.
The editing phase of writing teaches you how to be
clear, concise and complete. You might get away
with an incomplete thought while speaking, but not
so easily in writing. Writing demands logic, with one
thought following the next. The act of writing helps
you to compose your thoughts and organize disjointed
ideas. Finding just the right phrase feels a lot like
making art.
Use writing to improve your speaking and speaking to
improve your writing.
Headline Yourself
Headlines have power. As we scan the Internet and
media for information, a multitude of Facebook posts,
tweets and articles call for our attention. We make very
quick selections about what we’ll read often based on
the headline alone.
Here’s a fun exercise to challenge your perspective and
loosen up: Create a headline about yourself describing
your state of mind or the state of your work in the
present moment. Refer to yourself as “Artist.” There’s
no need to be completely serious — just be truthful.
I asked the three artists interviewed for this article to
complete the “headlining” exercise. As you read more
about these individuals, I’m sure you’ll recognize who
wrote which headline. Here are their responses:
Artist Just Gets to the Point
Artist Gets Over Herself
Artist Realizes: Without Causes, Art is Meaningless
Now, imagine coming across any of these headlines on
a press release, show announcement or social media
3 Global Change Series - Save the Bees, 2015, by Jabu Mzilikazi. Mixed media on fabric, 90” x 45”. Copyright © Jabu Mzilikazi. Used by permission of the artist.
Courage
improvises.
Confidence
rehearses.
~ Vicki Krohn Amorose
phases of your work
and most remarkably
— the simple truth.
Land Your
Intention
4
post. Wouldn’t you be curious to read more? That’s the
whole point of a headline, to capture attention with
a few well-chosen words. Experiment with headlining
yourself. You can put the results to work right away
on your online posts. Even if you choose not to make
your headlines public, try the exercise to free up your
choice of words and phrasing. Your headlines have the
potential to capture your moods and experience, the
Landing your
intention (like landing
after a leap) means
you aim to share an
idea. You watch to
see that the listener
received it as best
they can. You are not
speaking at someone
— you are striving
to connect and be
understood. This is
communication at
its best.
“I gained confidence to speak about my work after I
realized that I cannot let other people dictate what my
art means,” said artist Jabu Mzilikazi (artistjabu.com).
“I feel it is my job to give meaning to my own work.
My audience can walk away with their own meaning
after they have seen my work but they also get to hear
what it means to me personally, and that makes
a difference.”
4 Passiflora, 2015, by Tallmadge Doyle. Woodcut etching with aquatint, 24” x 18”. Copyright © Tallmadge Doyle. Used by permission of the artist.
61
Mzilikazi makes an effort to connect with his audience,
to land his intention.
Most of your viewers approach your work with curiosity
— they are receptive to learning more. Your shyness
might be interpreted as coldness or disinterest. Your
conversation doesn’t need to be perfectly seamless.
It’s all about intention. Your understanding of what you
do helps the audience’s understanding, just as your
confusion leads to their confusion. You are the leading
expert in the art you create. Start sounding like it.
Find Your ‘Doors’
What aspects of your work are the easiest to talk about
or most likely to invite conversation? These are the
doors, or entrance points, that swing open to allow you
to speak authentically. When you get stuck in speaking
or writing, think about what aspects are easy for you
to talk about and start there. If a question or comment
sidetracks you, return to your entrance points.
Mzilikazi recognizes that his primary entrance point is
content: the concerns and causes that fuel his creative
process. “My work is cause-driven,” he explains.
A Los Angeles-based painter originally from South
Africa, his work focuses on social causes such as wildlife
conservation and the legacy of Nelson Mandela. “The
cause is the key element. Talking about my work from
that viewpoint creates a sense of relevance for my
audience.” Expressing passion for his cause comes first,
and that subject easily leads to expressing passion for
his painting.
Realist oil painter Gabe Fernandez (gabrielfernandez.org)
found his door when he told a biographical story that
resonated with an audience. Fernandez recalled the day
he discovered his entrance point: “I’m part of an artists’
group where we advise each other on how to better
present ourselves. My written artist statement was not
translating well. Someone asked why I paint chairs and I
very casually told my story about how that happened.”
The story became part of his artist statement. It was
a doorway for him to explain the work and then a
doorway for his viewer to get inside and understand the
work. Here’s the story from his current statement:
“My focus on chairs began in 1999 when I was working
5
5 Shifting Migrations II, 2015, by Tallmadge Doyle. Woodcut etching with aquatint, 18” x 24”. Copyright © Tallmadge Doyle. Used by permission of the artist.
6
I gained confidence to speak about my work after I realized that
I cannot let other people dictate what my art means … I feel it is my
job to give meaning to my own work. ~ Jabu Mzilikazi
as a counselor at a homeless youth shelter in Portland.
One evening, the energy was particularly extreme,
and at 10 p.m., everyone went to bed and the energy
shut off like a light. I was overwhelmed by the sudden
quiet stillness of the environment. I was sketching and
I noticed this green chair in the corner,” Fernandez
writes. “It was sitting quietly under a spotlight, the
shadows casting on the floor — the ripped vinyl was
speaking to me visually. A story began to form in
my mind of the life of this chair. I began to relate to
this object through its design, history, juxtaposition,
location. I began to almost empathize with this chair. I
started becoming very interested in our sense of place
and what it means to us. It was then, I realized, I could
very easily focus on this subject the rest of my life.”
Fernandez’s ‘aha!’ moment arrived when a member of his
artist group told him, ‘That story explains your work and
now I’m much more intrigued. Why don’t you just tell
that story?’ Fernandez laughed. “Duh! Seems too easy,
but they were right. Ever since then, speaking about my
work has been much more natural and powerful.”
Mzilikazi and Fernandez both found an entrance point
to explain their work, a door they feel confident to open
and welcome their audience.
Audience First
When you write or speak with your audience in mind,
you’ll become better at both forms of communication.
In most circumstances, focusing on your audience takes
precedence over focusing on your work. Why? Because
you are trying to connect.
For example, the best way to write an email is to get
to the point right at the start, in the first sentence
or two. Begin the email by stating what you want,
6 Save The Wildlife Series - Elephant 1, 2015, by Jabu Mzilikazi. Mixed media on fabric, 90” x 60”. Copyright © Jabu Mzilikazi. Used by permission of the artist.
63
or the reason you’re
contacting this person.
In the case of contacting
an arts professional,
your “audience” is
typically a person who
receives hundreds of
emails a day. Consider
their circumstances.
When you write with
the other person in
mind, you won’t make
7
them read through
long paragraphs about you, your life and your process
before making a request. State your business right
away — it lets recipients know you value their time.
You’re demonstrating your ability to be respectful and
concise. In addition, when you make your point clearly
and succinctly, your communication rings with selfconfidence.
The idea of an audience, for some artists, began with
the art school model of defending your work. This may
have left a sense of dread, as if today’s visitors to your
show or artist talk are just waiting to attack you at a
weak moment.
“It took me a long time to get out of my own way — in
other words, to stop second guessing myself when
writing and speaking about the work,” said artist and
printmaker Tallmadge Doyle (tallmadgedoyle.com).
“In my undergraduate art education, critiques were
frequent and could be brutal. In graduate school, the
level of expected art speak was even higher. I was
intimidated and often felt inadequate when expressing
my artistic process with language.”
Uncomfortable critique interactions can lodge
themselves in our memory. Often, traumatic events are
recalled more vividly than others. We have to make a
conscious decision to take what we need from harsh
experiences — helpful lessons like resilience and
determination — and leave the spent emotion in the
past. Stay in the present moment and interact with the
audience at hand.
8
“Looking back on these experiences of critiques and
MFA committee meetings,” Doyle said, “I can now see
the benefits of criticism even at its harshest. It taught
me to develop a thicker skin and to become more
determined to succeed.”
7 Rachel’s Chair, 2015, by Gabe Fernandez. Oil on canvas, 16” x 20”. Copyright © Gabe Fernandez. Used by permission of the artist. 8 Migration, pollination, 2015, by
Tallmadge Doyle. Woodcut etching with hand coloring, 24” x 18”. Copyright © Tallmadge Doyle. Used by permission of the artist.
Self-confidence essentially means to trust and
have faith in oneself. “Confidence” comes
from the Latin word fidere, meaning “to
trust.” Trust of any kind develops over time.
Fernandez regards this as his life’s work. He
says, “I believe that an artist must genuinely
feel a lifelong conviction to their work and
ideas. Essentially, it’s a faith in something that
is unseen.”
off-putting because the braggart speaks at
us rather than to us. Over-confident people
are not seeking engagement or exchange.
Concerned only with themselves, they’re
not receptive to others, which is ironically
the same thing as being isolated.
It’s OK to Pretend
Did you know that appearing to be
confident could actually help you
become more confident? Pretending is
a way to cultivate a way of being. In his
book, Creative Thinkering: Putting Your
Imagination to Work, author and creativity
expert Michael Michalko said, “Every
time we pretend to have an attitude and
go through the motions, we trigger the
emotions and strengthen the attitude we
wish to cultivate.”
Socrates once said, “The greatest way to
live with honor in this world is to be what
we pretend to be.”
Selling and self-promotion can feel like a
bluff, like we’re not being real. As artists,
we strive to be authentic and tell our truth,
so how does that align with the idea of
performing or pretending?
We influence each other’s moods and
behavior. Think of a time you may have
entered a party feeling down or unsure of
yourself, but then the crowd’s happiness
and energy completely lifted your mood.
The value of pretending to be confident
lies in the way you affect the people around
you. Consider the ways your words, body
language, facial expressions and energy
level have impact, especially when you’re
representing your work to the public.
Getting in touch with this feedback loop
of influence, and your part in it, is a
game changer.
If you seem ill at ease, that feeling is
transferred to others around you. If you’re
giving your artist talk and you appear
nervous, you make your audience nervous.
That’s why so many public speakers begin
their talk with a joke or a big smile — it
sends a clear signal to the audience that
we can all enjoy this moment. When the
audience relaxes, the speaker can relax
and the feedback loop becomes positive.
Is the speaker faking that opening smile?
Probably. But for good reason: to start the
positive feedback loop.
Don’t confuse being confident with being
arrogant. No one likes a braggart. Overconfidence is a coping mechanism, and
often it’s used to cover up feelings of
inadequacy. It’s a bluff that most people find
Your articulate self needn’t feel inauthentic
— perhaps nervous and out of your comfort
zone, but not inauthentic.
Practice is Key
Nothing moves you forward toward your
goals like focused and deliberate practice.
“For me, the only way to gain confidence
when speaking and writing about the work
is to practice. I have never turned down
an opportunity to speak about my work,”
Doyle said.
Fernandez also emphasized the value
of practice. “In a way, it seems like one
speaking engagement leads to another
as you get into a rhythm. It’s much like my
teenage beginning students who approach
me and ask how they can draw eyes that
look real,” he said. “My advice is always
the same: Get yourself a piece a paper and
draw a hundred eyes.”
The more you practice, the more your
passion will shine through your words.
Mzilikazi put it like this: “When you are
passionate about your work and speak from
the heart, you will develop a vocabulary to
describe your work the way you want it to be
described. Your message becomes clear.” PA
Vicki Krohn Amorose is a writer, artist and arts
advocate. Her book, Art-Write: The Writing Guide
for Visual Artists, is used by artists and art schools.
She lectures on topics in contemporary art. Vicki
teaches a workshop called ARTiculate! Visit her at
artwritebook.com.
Be Confident
n Take
up space. Stand
with your legs hips-width
distance apart, knees
slightly bent.
n Stand
straight, shoulders
back. Good posture helps
you breathe. Breathing
helps you stay calm.
n Don’t
talk too fast. Slow
down and enunciate.
It makes you sound in
control.
n Come
prepared with
talking points.
n Remember,
the feel of
adrenaline in your body is
normal when you’re “on.”
n Give
sincere handshakes
and make good eye
contact.
n Excuse
yourself and take
a quick break from the
crowd if you need it.
65
when
h
g
u
o
n
e
h
g
u
o
n
e
is
o
o
t
h
t
i
w
what to do
k
r
o
w
t
r
a
h
c
mu
BY DANIEL
GRANT
“Gallery exhibitions are nice,” said Texas sculptor
Kent Ullberg (kentullberg.net). “People get to see
my work, write about my work, buy my work, but
I know that a lot will come back.” Well, OK — not
every show is a sell-out, but exposure, reviews and
sales are all good and helpful to a career. However,
he wasn’t talking about what art exhibitions often
fail to deliver. He meant that, quite literally, his
artwork — heavy pieces of metal — are going
to be returned to his door step and that he will
have to put it somewhere. Underneath the beds?
Displayed all over the house and studio? What
are artists supposed to do with all their output?
67
“I have the world’s largest collection of Tom Doyle,” said
Connecticut sculptor Tom Doyle (tomdoylesculptor.com),
who has a dozen pieces in his living room alone. The
prospects are not limitless: Sell it, lend it, throw it away,
give it away or put it in storage. In general, artists want
to exhibit and sell their work; however, few artists can
boast of selling everything they create. The result is that
they end up with more stuff every year, which creates a
what-to-do-with-it problem of varying magnitude.
concern themselves with problems of storage.
Watercolorists, printmakers and others who create
works on paper may have it easier, since large numbers
of their pieces can fit in flat files, but those who paint
on canvas usually keep their works on stretchers, which
add substantially to the thickness and calls for vertical
shelving. Frames make the problem worse, but not to the
degree that sculptors face, since generally, they cannot
stack works on top of each other.
At age 70, Ullberg has works from an almost 50-year
Painter Barbara Nechis (barbaranechis.com) of Calistoga,
career wherever he can put them: in his studio, in a
California, has stored framed paintings
separate warehouse on his property, in his
underneath her bed, but for unframed
house, and scattered among the halfpieces, she created a bin that
dozen or so galleries in the United
holds 200 matted, half-sheet
States that show and sell his
watercolors. “I have never
work. For the past 13 years,
been a fan of flat files
45 of his bronzes (some
since only the top layer
nine feet tall) have
is visible. They are best
been traveling from
for storing paper,”
museum to museum
she said. Instead,
around the country
her bin has sloped
as a retrospective,
sides and a raised
but that is coming
position that
to an end this
“makes it easy for
year and all those
visitors to look
works will be
through when I
returning to his
slide it out of its
home and studio.
compartment.
“I’m tearing my
It also holds full
hair out trying
sheets without mats.
to figure out what
~ Daniel Grant
I also have angled
to do with them,”
storage compartments
he said. “Some I can
for framed work and I
keep outside, but not
store sections of framing
everything.” Don’t get him
material in order to limit the
started on the subject of his
amount of framed work needed
maquettes and urethane rubber
to store.”
and plaster-of-Paris molds, which have
long become too numerous for the shelving
Most of Doyle’s work is kept in two
he built in his studio. “I will destroy all the molds before I
connecting barns he has built on his property, which
die. I want no posthumous castings.”
currently houses hundreds of his sculptures. The
studio is an obvious place to keep art, and he has
Create ample storage.
dozens of pieces there, but over time it can get filled
Everyone supposedly likes art, but sometimes there is
up, lessening the amount of available space for creating
just too much of it. Collectors can sell pieces (artists
new pieces. William Reese (williamfreese.com), a painter
certainly try to do that) or donate them to nonprofit
in Wenatchee, Washington, built a climate-controlled
organizations and institutions — which receive a full
16-by-20-foot studio over the garage a few years back,
fair market tax deduction, while artists may only deduct
but already half the combined studio-garage space is
the cost of the materials they used — but artists have to
used for storage, which he does not view as a liability.
“
In general, artists want to
exhibit and sell their work; however,
few artists can boast of selling
everything they create.
1
“Overproduction serves a purpose,” he said. “If you get sick
and can’t work, you have artwork to sell. It’s a retirement
plan, too.”
Loan, donate or… incinerate?
Still, too much is too much, and the two artists have
differing ways of dealing with excess. Doyle has loaned
works to the neighboring city of Madison, which places
sculpture around town on indefinite loan, and he has
also donated pieces for charity auctions, which makes
him “feel good, like I’m helping” and has given him some
local recognition. It is not uncommon at all for artists
to distribute artwork to family and friends, hospitals,
schools, libraries, town halls and elsewhere as gifts and
loans. (Well, now it’s their storage problem.) Reese takes the
more final solution approach of incinerating paintings he
considers poor. “Over the years, I have burned a lot of them,
sometimes a hundred paintings at a time,” he said. The
process of editing or weeding out less accomplished pieces
in his body of work is not an annual event, but comes up
“when I hit a dry point in my work, when I need some ideas.”
Looking back at earlier paintings is “a tool” that enables him
to “find something fresh to do” while also identifying works
that fail to measure up in one way or another.
1 Wing of Hope, 2015, by Leo E. Osborne. Original maple burl wood sculpture, 68”x 32”x 22”. Copyright © Leo E. Osborne. Used by permission of the artist.
69
2
2 Seafarer, 2015, by Leo E. Osborne. Original maple burl wood sculpture, 37”x 28”x 23”. Copyright © Leo E. Osborne. Used by permission of the artist.
3
The decision to destroy artwork reflects an evolving and
sometimes heightened sense of standards and taste, but
it’s not for everyone. “I don’t destroy things,” Doyle said.
“I don’t even throw out old wood,” he added, saying he
regularly cannibalizes sculptures that no longer appeal to
him. “When there’s a shape I like, I might take it and use
on another sculpture.”
Discount, swap or find off-site storage.
Some artists hold annual open studio sales for long-time
collectors who are offered discounts up to 30 percent
or more. Placing artwork in one’s home makes sense,
in order that visitors might picture how the art might
look where they live, although probably, there are limits
to just how many pieces should be on display: Artists
can get sick of always seeing their own art, and they are
more apt to gain inspiration and ideas from looking at
the work of other artists. In fact, artists often swap their
work with others, which doesn’t lessen the amount of
stuff in their midst but holds other rewards for them.
Discarding art can be quite freeing, unburdening an
artist of the weight of every piece of paper or canvas he
or she has touched over time, but it is not something to
be done lightly. Some artists (and some art collectors)
put excess work in storage facilities that are temperatureand humidity-controlled, the cost of which may vary
widely. Philip Grausman (philipgrausman.net), a sculptor
in Washington, Connecticut, stated that he moved out
of New York in part because he “needed room to do
sculpture and to store it. Storage facilities in New York
are very expensive.” Storage has become an ever-growing
burden for sculptors, he explained, since “foundries
no longer have space to store molds, and they are now
charging artists to store them or asking artists to take
them back.” A non-climate-controlled facility operated by
ironworkers near his home has let him store his finished
works and molds for $200 per month.
Still, an offsite storage site only postpones but doesn’t
solve the too-much-art problem, and the idea of junking
work always looms. Leo Osborne (leoosborne.com), a
sculptor in Guemes Island, Washington, stores some of
his work at the foundry he uses in Oregon, as well as
around his home, studio and “the out buildings of our
property, the little guest cottage, the water shed for our
well and water system included.” It is a form of estate
planning for him to pare down all this stuff. “I send
pieces of art occasionally to my daughter, though she
has about all she can handle at this point of her life and
3 Leo Osborne’s home is adorned with his artwork. Courtesy of Leo E. Osborne.
71
space. I have two grandchildren and as they age, we will
give works to them also.”
When destroying art, beware.
Then, there is destruction or, as Osborne sees it,
recycling. “I do from time to time paint over a previously
completed work. A work that no longer inspires me goes
away and a new piece emerges.” The quantity of artwork
isn’t reduced in this way, but at least there is no net gain.
the glaze on one of his sculptures, taking the piece out
of the kiln and breaking it on the floor, then putting
it all in the school’s dumpster. “Students would go
through the dumpster, picking out all of the pieces and
gluing them back together,” said Sandra Shannonhouse,
administrator for the Arneson estate, “and then they’d
keep them or sell them — mostly sell them. It irritated
him, first, that students would retrieve things he thought
were below his standards and, second, that they would
rip him off.”
Over time, one’s style or ideas can change, and artists
may no longer be proud of earlier work. Weeding out
Arneson was not alone in this problem at all, although
works artists no longer like may solve the
the population of art scavengers is far wider
hoarding problem — but what if
than just students. Jamie Wyeth
they make a mistake? Sculptor
(jamiewyeth.com) said he and
Larry Fane (danesecorey.com/
his father often found people
artists/lawrence-fane)
going through their garbage.
once noted that he came
Some of the sketches,
upon a slide of one
false starts or classroom
of the works he had
demonstrations
thrown out and
created by Wayne
thought, “‘Wait a
Thiebaud —
minute — I threw
originally sent out
out the wrong
with the trash —
piece.’” When he
have been put up
reflected on why
at auction, said
certain works
his stepson and
were discarded,
business manager
it resulted from
Matt Bult.
discouragement
As a result, both
by the market. “I’ll
Bult and Wayne’s
think, ‘This piece
son Paul Thiebaud,
hasn’t done very well,
a San Francisco art
and it probably won’t
dealer, periodically and
~ Daniel Grant
ever get shown, and I’ve
methodically tear up works
done better versions of the
on paper, efface printing
same idea,’”
plates and slice up canvases that
he said.
Wayne looks to discard. They became
Disposing of unwanted art offers other
more diligent about this in the 1980s,
practical problems as well, especially for those
“when we saw this happening a lot,” Paul said.
artists who have reached a level of art world prominence,
“Sometimes, we’d find someone trying to sell a piece of a
whose works are regularly sought-after and sell for
drawing. Dad would have torn the paper in half, but that
thousands of dollars (or more) when brought onto the
half has a figure on it.”
market. Paintings, drawings and other works on paper
Jamie, who says he destroys a third of what he does,
must be shredded and burned, sculpture armatures
sometimes tears artworks up into small pieces, although
crushed while the molds are chopped up into smaller and
his method of choice is burning. “It’s an integral part of
smaller pieces. Just putting unwanted artwork out with
my work: destroying unwanted art.”
the trash isn’t good enough. Robert Arneson (19301992) discovered this when he taught at the University
One might think that an artist is the best judge of
of California at Davis. Periodically, he had trouble with
what is good and bad of his or her work, but the heady
“
Disposing of unwanted art offers other
practical problems as well, especially
for those artists who have reached a
level of art world prominence, whose
works are regularly sought-after and
sell for thousands of dollars …
4
4 Barbara Nechis working in her studio. Copyright © Juliet Vonturi. Used by permission of the photographer.
73
art market often rates demand-for-product and name
recognition over quality. Perhaps, in some instances,
the artist is not the best judge. Visiting Solomon
LeWitt’s studio in 1970, artist Dorothea Rockburne
(dorothearockburne.com) spotted in the waste basket a
piece of paper that LeWitt had used to test a new pen.
“Oh, that’s lovely,” she said, retrieving the crumpled
paper, which is now titled Scribble Drawing, and has been
included in many retrospectives of the artist’s work since
then.
Painter Wolf Kahn (wolfkahn.com) once saw some of his
unedited proofs from a 1949 etching edition on display
at the annual Works on Paper exposition in New York,
which he had assumed had long ago been thrown out. “I
don’t know where they came from or how anyone got
a hold of them, but they looked very good
to me,” Kahn said, “so I bought them.”
Reincarnate
discarded art.
The second life of
thrown-away artwork
is more likely to be
the art market.
Pieces that an artist
had discarded
and presumably
disavowed may
generate high
prices and possibly
damage his or her
reputation. At least
once, the matter has
found its way into
a court of law. Frank
Stella (artnet.com/
artists/frank-stella), who
had placed some damaged
artwork outside for trash pickup only to find the work placed on
exhibition at a Manhattan art gallery
several months later, sued for the return of
his work. He won but had to purchase the
work back.
the artist,” said foundry president Domenico Ranieri.
Destroying one’s own artwork can be a wrenching
experience or quite matter-of-fact. It may be too
painful for Kahn, who stated, “everything I do now is
a masterpiece,” and some artists may want to keep an
open mind for the future about what they currently see
as a failure. “I don’t throw anything out,” Ullberg said.
“Even little sketches that I think are trash now, 10 years
later can trigger an idea, and a whole new creation can
come out of it.” He added that he has “a lot of drawers
full of doodles.”
In the more matter-of-fact category, one might include
the painter and sculptor Frederic Remington (18611909), who listed in his diary what paintings he had
set fire to along with anything else he had
done that day, like in this entry from
Saturday, January 25, 1908: “Fine
winter day — drove pony over
towne sleighing bully —
children out by hundreds
enjoying the snow —
snow seems to have
a stimulating effect
on kids. Jim had
to shovel studio
roof — my make
shift roof did
not contemplate
snow . . . Painted
all morning. Did
‘Thunder Fighter’
3 times and don’t
know yet whether I
shall be able to satisfy
myself. Burned up a lot
~ Daniel Grant
of old canvases — ‘New
cook’ and ‘Apache Water
Hole’ and Lengthy Shaddows’
among them also ‘Drifting Before
Storm.’ They will never confront me
in the future — tho’ God knows I have left
enough go that will.”
“
Destroying one’s own artwork
can be a wrenching experience or quite
matter-of-fact. It may be too painful
for Kahn, who stated, ‘everything I do
now is a masterpiece.’
Stella’s second try at getting rid of the piece was more
successful. It usually takes only one time to find a
discarded work up for sale to make artists more careful
about how they destroy items. Sculpture foundries tend
to be highly systematic about completely obliterating the
molds used in producing bronzes. “We destroy the molds
and we photo-document the destruction,” said Elliot
Gantz, the owner of a foundry in Farmingdale, New
York. Ranieri Sculpture Casting in Manhattan makes a
point of cutting up the mold in small pieces “in front of
Another entry a month before that had more of the
same: “Fine day — worked all morning on the cowboys
in early morning light. If a man could paint that very
illusive thing it would not be interesting from lack of
color. Burned it up together with other failures.” On
the back of these and other diary pages included more
complete lists of just what he had burned that day. PA
Daniel Grant is the author of The Business of Being an Artist
and several other books published by Allworth Press.
[without fees]
[without fees]
The listings in this section
require no fees from artists
submitting work. Ongoing
listings will appear in print for
up to three issues per year,
and then be published online
at ProfessionalArtistMag.com.
You can also find dozens of
additional listings each week
at ProfessionalArtistMag.com.
ALWAYS obtain a full prospectus
before entering a show. (Include
a SASE when requesting one.)
When insurance is listed as
provided by a show sponsor,
this usually means “insured on
premises during the show.”
Please visit ProfessionalArtistMag.
com/adlisting/adcreator.asp to
submit your call to artist for print
or online.
FAQ’s, Standards,
Abbreviations
* = new listing since last month
** = changed or corrected listing
2D = two-dimensional, i.e.
drawings
3D = three-dimensional, i.e.
sculpture
SASE = self-addressed, stamped
#10 (business) envelope
COMPETITIONS
UK [Deadline April 3]
JACKSON’S OPEN ART PRIZE
2016 *
The Jackson’s Open Art Prize is an
international platform for recognizing
excellence in art. The first annual competition
offers an online showcase & impressive prizes
for contemporary & traditional visual artists,
both emerging & established, working in
any 2D media (except photography, unless
used as a component of a painting, drawing
or original print). The prizes are: First Prize:
£3000 Cash, Second Prize: £700 Jackson’s
Vouchers, Third Prize: £700 Jackson’s
Vouchers, Amateur Prize: £600 Vouchers.
Submissions are welcomed from any country
CALLS to ARTISTS
by artists of any age. There is no fee for
submission. Christine, christine@jacksonsart.
co.uk, www.jacksonsart.com/blog/jacksonsopen-art-prize-2016.
NY [Deadline April 4]
MODELING COMPETITION/
SCHOLARSHIPS *
Open to sculptors between the ages of
21-35. Participation Scholarships to attend
NSS’ Sculpture Celebration Conference
from June 24-26, 2016 in NYC. Modeling
Competition on June 24, 2016 - 3 hours
long. Apply to one or both. Contact:
Elizabeth Helm, 212-764-5645 x 10,
[email protected], www.
nationalsculpture.org/programs-awards.
[Ongoing]
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
COMPETITION
Enter for your opportunity to get featured in
Professional Artist magazine: The editors of
Professional Artist select one artist bimonthly
to be featured in the Artist Spotlight
section of the magazine. The competition
is open to all artists 18 and older who “like”
Professional Artist on Facebook, follow us
on Twitter, or participate in our LinkedIn
discussion group. The winning artists will
receive a two-page interview profile and
1-4 images of his/her artwork printed in
the magazine. The winners and finalists will
be featured in their own Artist Spotlight
gallery on ProfessionalArtistMag.com. Visit
ProfessionalArtistMag.com/artistspotlight
to enter.
CONTESTS
NJ [Deadline March 25]
EBU-ARTS CONTEST
We are holding an Ebu-Arts contest. The
prize is $1,000. Please see www.ebu-arts.
org for more details. The deadline to
submit your piece is March 25, 2016. Good
Luck! Contact: Elizabeth, 609-737-3322,
[email protected], www.ebu-arts.org
EXHIBITION
OPPORTUNITIES
IN [Deadline March 14]
CALL FOR ARTISTS, KREMPP
GALLERY
The Krempp Gallery at the Jasper Arts
Center is reviewing portfolios for solo
and group shows for 2017. All media. No
fees. Professional, non-student artists
only. Artwork must be presented in a
professional manner. Send 10 images for
solo show, more for group show, along with
artist statement and CV. Digital images
should be on CD or emailed. Also, paid
opportunities for workshops/gallery talks in
conjunction with the exhibit. Details:
www.jasperarts.org. Emily Colucci:
812-482-3070, [email protected].
CO [Deadline April 1]
CACE GALLERY OF FINE ART
SEEKING ARTISTS FOR SOLO
EXHIBITIONS
Morgan Community College’s CACE
Gallery of Fine Art in Fort Morgan, CO,
is seeking artists for solo exhibitions for
the 2016-17 academic year. Registration
is ongoing, but we review applications for
said year in April 2016. Artists not selected
for the upcoming year remain in our artists
registry for future consideration. As a
non-profit gallery, we offer our artists 90
percent of sale proceeds. Please visit our
website for more information and to apply
online. We do not accept applications
through post. Contact: Rachel Kellum,
970-542-3203, Rachel.kellum@morgancc.
edu, www.morgancc.edu/about-mcc/
community-connections/cace/gallery
NAT [Deadline April 3]
ARTS FOR THE SPIRIT
The Arts for the Spirit Program is seeking
artwork submissions for the 2016 - 2017
exhibit years. AFTS seeks artwork that
creates a peaceful, restorative and healing
environment. Sensitivity to our primary
viewing audience: patients, visitors and
staff is our highest priority. Exhibitions last
90 days - 4 shows per year. All 13 galleries
are located in the public spaces of
hospitals. Healing, calming, comforting distraction. Susan Majewski, 313-586-4941,
[email protected],
www.oakwood.org/art.
5X7 EXHIBITION & ART
SPLURGE *
The MGMA is asking artists to donate
5” x 7” (or 7” x 5”) works in any media …
think paintings, drawings, tiles, sculpture,
fabric, mixed media, etc. This Fundraiser
will offer original art at a flat rate of
$100 ($75 for current HAC Members) so
that all art is accessible to everyone. All
CONTINUED....
75
CALLS to ARTISTS [without fees]
proceeds support the MGMA and Youth
Art Education Programs. Artist Guidelines:
The HAC in the MGMA announces a
fundraiser that will offer donated original
art at a flat rate of $100 ($75 for current
HAC Members) so that all artworks are
accessible to everyone. The HAC supplies
a 5” x 7” panel (or use your own mount)
which will keep your costs low, and you
don’t even have to frame it. We’ll welcome
works in any media that fits the 5” x 7”
dimensions … think paintings, drawings,
tiles, sculpture, fabric, etc. Jewelers, you
can mount your work on a 5” x 7” board or
panel! For more info, visit www.mgma.com.
[Ongoing]
RXHIBITION
Reach new audiences and transform the
healing process with your art Rxhibition
curates, designs and installs immersive art
exhibitions in chemotherapy treatment
areas of major U.S. hospitals to create
engaging healing environments. Art has
the unique ability to transform a space
and provide positive distractions for
cancer fighters and their families. We are
dedicated to improving the healing process
of chemotherapy while also serving as a
platform for independent artists to reach
new audiences and broaden their following.
To submit your work for display in one of our
exhibitions, visit rxhibition.org.
NE [Ongoing]
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
GALAXY SERIES
Chadron State College is now accepting
proposals for the 2015-2016 and 20162017 academic years. Send 10 highresolution jpegs (approx.100KB each) of
representative work, image list, resume/
vitae, and a statement addressing the
exhibition concept to CSCgallery1@
gmail.com. Links to additional to works
or artist/exhibition website encouraged.
Paid opportunities for workshops/gallery
talks in conjunction with the exhibit
available. Artists not selected for the
current year remain in Artist Registry for
future consideration. For more information,
contact Shellie Johns at 308-432-6380 or
Sarah Polak at 308-432-6401.
PA [Ongoing]
VISITING ARTIST EXHIBITION
SERIES AT LOCK HAVEN
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Please send artist statement, CV, and 20
JPEG images on a disk of works to show
for a group or solo exhibition. Artists have
opportunity to lecture on their work.
Honorariums provided. All media. Do not
send e-mail applications, e-mail portfolios,
or links to web sites via e-mail. Send
SASE for return of materials if desired.
Attn: Chairperson Exhibitions Committee
Department of Visual and Performing Arts
Lock Haven University Lock Haven, PA
17745. Gallery floor plan: bit.ly/1lvz2KO.
Contact: Jason Bronner, 570-484-2141,
[email protected], bit.ly/1i8iSCY.
GA [Ongoing]
CALL FOR ARTISTS –
EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITY
We are accepting artist submissions
for upcoming shows in our Duluth,
Georgia, (Metro Atlanta) gallery. Please
submit your images or links to your
website to [email protected]
for consideration. Check us out at www.
artevaggio.com for more information.
FREELANCE ART
OPPORTUNITIES
CHINA [Ongoing]
CALL FOR ARTISTS & ART
TEACHERS!
Online & On-site opportunities to be part
of China’s biggest children’s art festival!
Based in Beijing, 798 ICAF organizes
several festivals in cities across China
annually. Get paid to lead art workshops
via live video streaming / pre-recorded
video tutorials all year-round on 798 ICAF’s
online arts education platform! Also plenty
of opportunities to be invited to China
(all expenses paid) to lead workshops
at the festivals. Check out 798 ICAF
2014’s video here: v.youku.com/v_show/
id_XOTIzMTk3NjQw.html. Contact: Harriet
Petty, 8613716744690, harrietpetty@
btinternet.com, en.798kids.com/index.aspx
GALLERIES/NONPROFIT
SPACES REVIEWING
PORTFOLIOS
CA [Ongoing]
GEARBOX GALLERY SEEKING
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
ARTISTS *
GearBox Gallery is a contemporary
art collective centrally located in West
Oakland next to Transmission Gallery. We
are active members of the Oakland Art
Murmur and First Friday events. GearBox
is currently reviewing applications for
membership. GearBox member artists
receive ongoing monthly exposure as well
as an annual exhibit opportunity. Artists
must live/work within the SF Bay Area. For
more information and application, visit our
website at gearboxgallery.com. Contact:
Jules Campbell, (510) 859-5208, info@
gearboxgallery.com.
DC [Ongoing]
CALL FOR JURIED MEMBERS
The Foundry Gallery is seeking a few
established and emerging artists in the
greater Washington, D.C., area. If interested
in applying for membership send up to
five images, an artist’s statement, and bio
to [email protected]. The oldest
cooperative in Washington, the gallery
holds monthly solo and members shows at
its beautiful townhouse space in Dupont
Circle. Contact: Jill Bateman, 301-4524005, [email protected], www.
foundrygallery.org.
JURIED SHOWS | GALLERY
SETTINGS
NJ [Deadline July 15]
GREAT SPIRITS AMONG US:
SAINTS, PROPHETS, HOLY
PEOPLE *
This exhibit begins the fifth year for this
international gallery. We invite artists to
submit high quality figurative work in any
media including free-standing sculpture
of any of those ‘great spirits’ alive now
or already gone forward, known by many
or known by few. Please visit the gallery
website www.nailsinthewall.org to learn
more about the gallery, get all submission
information and download the prospectus.
Additional questions? Contact gallery
director, 732.322.6512, Linda LaStella.
[email protected],
www.nailsinthewall.org
NAT [Deadline March 4]
SECRET LIFE OF THE
STORYBOARD
FireHouse Gallery, Rogue Community
College is seeking entries for a juried
exhibit in the contemporary format of the
Storyboard, related to graphic novels, film
video, animation, or any other expression
or use of sequential narrative images. Open
to all artist 18+ working in any media. To
enter, submit (3 max) digital images, image
list (include title, media, size), contact info
and statement to [email protected].
If accepted the artist is responsible for
shipping costs to and from the gallery. A full
prospectus is available at www.roguecc.edu/
galleries/callforentries.asp. Heather Green:
541-956-7241, [email protected], www.
roguecc.edu/galleries.
ONLINE GALLERY
INT [Deadline March 3]
ARTIST DIRECTORY APP *
Artist Directory of local artists worldwide
is launching an Android App & Chrome
Add-on where individuals can view images
of your best work using our mobile app.
No fee to download the app! Our goal is
to reach 1 million installs within the first
year. Looking for the best local artists to
showcase in our app. Contact: Gary Coles
via email [email protected] for instructions
and requirements. All artists should have
their own art website. Go to Google Play
and search for Art Hype the name of our
android app. Contact: Gary Coles, 412-7587514, [email protected], www.arthype.co.
[Ongoing]
CALL FOR FINE ART ARTISTS –
GLOBAL ART EXCHANGE
Global Art Exchange is an International
online gallery for Fine Art. We invite artists
to list their original fine art such as paintings,
sculptures, drawings, mixed media, glass art,
photography and sculpture. Artists may list
their art for sale at no listing fees. When the
art sells the artist gets 80% of their asking
price. We are marketing to the business
industry and to art lovers on a national level.
Go to www.global-art-exchange.com to see
the site and list your work. Contact us info@
global-art-exchange.com.
[Ongoing]
ONLINE ART GALLERY
OAC Gallery is an online art gallery that
sells original, curated work priced under
$2,000. The gallery is currently accepting
submissions from established artists.
For more information, visit oacgallery.com
and review our Artist FAQ section.
Contact: Sarah Biondi, 505-842-8419,
[email protected], www.oacgallery.com.
[Ongoing]
ADDICTION AND ART
Online gallery www.AddictionAndArt.
Org is seeking artworks addressing the
complexities of addiction and recovery
to post/share with a worldwide audience
– for the good of mankind. This site gets
significant traffic. Works in any media,
completed in any year are eligible. www.
addictionandart.org - go to “Submit Art
Images” in the menu. Direct Questions to
[email protected].
RESIDENCIES
CHILI BOWL WORKSPACE
RESIDENCY AT WOMEN’S
STUDIO WORKSHOP *
The Chili Bowl Workspace Residency is a
four- to six-week opportunity for ceramicists
who want to make bowls for our annual Chili
Bowl Fiesta and work on their own projects.
Each February, WSW sells over 900 bowls,
mugs, and tumblers at our Chili Bowl Fiesta.
For this residency, artists pay $100/week and
make 50 glazed or 100 bisqued bowls, in
exchange for onsite housing and 24/7 studio
access. bit.ly/1h05CHE. Contact: Rachel
Myers, 845-658-9133, rachel@wsworkshop.
org, www.wsworkshop.org.
ART-IN-ED WORKSPACE
STUDIO WORKSHOP *
The Art-in-Ed Workspace Residency is
a five-week opportunity for artists with
teaching experience; knowledge of intaglio,
silkscreen, or hand papermaking; and an
interest in creating their own work while
working with students. Artists may work
on their own projects in any of our studio
disciplines. Artists teach in WSW’s studios
two days/week for three weeks and visit
the students twice in school. In exchange
for teaching, residents receive onsite
housing and unlimited studio access. Fall
residents work with high school students.
bit.ly/1IXnADD. Contact: Rachel Myers, 845658-9133, [email protected], www.
wsworkshop.org.
STUDIO WORKSPACE
STUDIO WORKSHOP *
The Studio Workspace Residency is a four- to
six-week opportunity for artists to work in any
of our studio disciplines: intaglio, letterpress,
papermaking, screenprinting, photography,
or ceramics. For this residency, artists pay
$200/week, plus materials, in exchange for
onsite housing and 24/7 studio access. Artists
are given a thorough studio orientation at the
beginning of their residency, but should be
able to work independently. bit.ly/1J1Vfxd.
Contact: Rachel Myers, 845-658-9133, info@
wsworkshop.org, www.wsworkshop.org.
INTERNSHIPS
WI [Deadline April 1]
JOHN MICHAEL KOHLER
ARTS CENTER INTERNSHIP
OPPORTUNITY *
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center offers
internships for individuals considering or
pursuing careers in museum work and
related fields. Internships will expose interns
to the inner workings of a contemporary
arts center and are designed to provide
hands-on experience and interaction
with professionals, promoting awareness
of career opportunities. Summer 2016
Internships: June 6-August 19, 2016 (dates
may be flexible depending on department).
Candidates may consider internships in
several areas of the Arts Center, and may
include: Arts/Industry Studio, Exhibitions
and Collections, Resource Center,
Education, Community Arts, Performing
Arts, Special Events, Marketing, Friends of
Art (Volunteers). Visit www.jmkac.org to view
more details about internships available
and to learn how to apply.
PUBLISHING
OPPORTUNITIES
INT [Deadline June 30]
PUBLICATION IN MALAYSIAN
JOURNAL OF PERFORMING AND
VISUAL ARTS (ASIAN ARTS) *
The Malaysian Journal of Performing and
Visual Arts is a fully peer-reviewed research
journal that focuses on the Asian performing
and visual arts & related fields. Published by
the University of Malaya Cultural Centre it
appears in December as an online e-journal
with hardcopy on demand. See our website
for further information: e-journal.um.edu.
my/publish/MJPVA. Manuscripts should be
5,000 to 8,000 words, using 12-point Times
New Roman font, 1.5 line spacing, and
conform to APA style. The Abstract, related
directly to the main content of the article,
should be approximately 100 words with 5
to 6 keywords. Illustrations should include
captions, and their sources duly cited and
acknowledged. Image resolution must be at
least 300dpi. In-text citations and endnotes
are acceptable following APA format. Submit
articles to: [email protected]. Contact:
Dr. Ghulam Sarwar Yousof, Chief Ed,
[email protected].
77
CALLS to ARTIST$ [with fees]
[with fees]
Listings with entry and
prospectus, or acceptance or
handling fees, may be listed for
$50 in one issue of Professional
Artist magazine or for $12 per
week on ProfessionalArtistMag.
com. Rates are per insertion.
To post your announcement
on ProfessionalArtistMag.com
or in print in Professional
Artist magazine, visit
www.ProfessionalArtistMag.com/
adlisting/adcreator.asp.
For questions, call 407-515-2603.
its member colleges and universities as a
means of supporting, encouraging, and
recognizing the work of young sculptors
and their supporting schools’ faculty
and art program. Faculty, nominate your
sculpture students today! To nominate
students for this competition, the
nominees’ university must first be an ISC
University level member. Nominations
Open: January 1, 2016; University
Membership Registration: March 16, 2016;
Online Student Nomination Form: March
23, 2016; Online Student Submission
Form: April 13, 2016. Contact: Jeannette,
609-689-1051 ext. 305, studentawards@
sculpture.org, www.sculpture.org/
StudentAwards/2016.
EXHIBITION
OPPORTUNITIES
CA [Deadline March 15]
POINT OF VIEW *
COMPETITIONS
FIRST STREET GALLERY – 2016
NATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION
June 23 - July 16: Open to U.S. resident
artists 18 yrs. or older. Juror: Lori
Bookstein, owner, Lori Bookstein Fine Art,
exhibits 20th and 21st century American
art with a focus on American Modernist
art and second generation NY School
artists. Representing contemporary
artists, ranging from early and midcareer to established artists. Entry fee:
$35/1-3 works, $5/ea. additional work.
Eligible works: oils, acrylics, watercolors,
pastels, drawings, prints, mixed
media, photography and sculpture.
Online applications only. Prospectus:
firststreetgallery.org/njeprospectus16.
Contact: [email protected];
646-336-8053, [email protected] or
visit www.firststreetgallery.org.
INT
[Deadline March 23]
2016 OUTSTANDING
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN
CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE
AWARDS
Each year the International Sculpture
Center presents an award competition to
SFWA Gallery invites all Bay Area artists
to submit images that reflect unique
perspectives of objects, places or
people. All 2-D mediums are welcome.
Deadline: March 15, 2016 Exhibition: April
5 - May 7, 2016. Juror: Alan Bamberger,
SF art consultant. For information and
submission: sfwomenartists.org/wp/
call-for-entries-point-of-view/ SFWA is
an historic nonprofit membership arts
organization that continues to support and
promote Bay Area artists. Each month it
presents a juried show, featuring regional
fine art in SFWA’s spacious gallery at Irving
& 8th in San Francisco’s vibrant Inner
Sunset. SF Women Artists Gallery,
415-566-8550, sfwomenartists@sbcglobal.
net, www.sfwomenartists.org
BIGGS SHOT JURIED
PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION *
The Biggs Museum is pleased to
announce Biggs Shot 2016, the fourth
juried photography competition featuring
the work of professional and emerging
photographers, working and/or living in the
Mid-Atlantic region (open to artists from
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington
DC, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey).
Winning images, selected from digital
submissions, will be featured in a 2016
museum exhibition and the best in show
will win a $1,500 purchase prize. Contact:
Ryan Grover, 302-674-2111, rgrover@
biggsmuseum.org, www.Biggsmuseum.org.
VA [Ongoing]
CALL TO ARTISTS: SOLO SHOW
Solo or group exhibition opportunities for
artists in all media for one-month show
in 2016; 380 square feet of exhibition
space w/ prof. track lighting in thriving
43-member gallery in Arlington, VA (just
outside DC), voted “Best Art Gallery”
in Arlington Magazine 2015; opening
reception promoted in local publications
and extensive patron list. Jurying
required. $50 non-refundable appl.
fee; $305 fee if accepted; to apply:
www.galleryunderground.org/
our-mission/show-opportunities.
JOB POSTINGS
[Ongoing]
INSTRUCTORS WANTED FOR
GRUMBACHER WORKSHOPS
Grumbacher is actively seeking realistic
painting and drawing instructors! This is a
great opportunity for artists and teachers
to share their skill and ability with others
while creating artwork in a fun and family
friendly classroom setting. Classes consist
of drawing and acrylic painting lessons
dealing with landscapes, seascapes, still
life, realistic and illustrative subjects.
Instructors teach two-hour beginner level
workshops, and receive 90% of registration
costs per student per class! Contact us
today to get more information on job
openings, application and portfolio
submission. Happy painting! Contact:
Education Coordinator, 413-584-5446
ext.458, [email protected],
www.chartpak.com
JURIED SHOWS, GALLERY
SETTINGS
CALL TO ARTISTS: ROAD TRIP
Gallery Underground (DC metro area)
announces Road Trip, national juried art
competition. All-media artists, sculptors,
and photographers are invited to create
visual works that portray the subject of
a road trip - literally, figuratively, and
metaphorically; scenes from the road,
trips imagined, solo or group journeys
in all manner of transportation. Gallery
Underground seeks artwork that brings a
road trip to life via landscapes, cityscapes,
abstract concepts, works depicting roads,
modes of transportation, and people
met along the way. $500 in cash prizes
awarded. Digital entries only ($35 for up to
2) at galleryunderground.org. Sandi Parker,
571-483-0652, info@galleryunderground.
org, www.galleryunderground.org.
VMRC JURIED ART EXHIBITION *
Juried multimedia visual art exhibition (for
security reasons jewelry NOT included).
Open to all artists living in USA. Panel
of 3 jurors, each a working artist, an
experienced juror, and an expert in a
different area of art: Richard Weaver,
Anita Cooper, and Robert Sulkin. NO
commission on sales. 39% of 2015 and
2015 exhibitions works were purchased.
Visit website (www.vmrc.org/juried-artexhibitions) for prospectus and entry form
as well as images of 2015 exhibition. For
additional information, email artexhibit@
vmrc.org or call 540-564-3400. Contact:
Anne Pauley, [email protected], www.
vmrc.org/juried-art-exhibitions.
NY [Deadline March 22]
RECYCLE *
Juried show of art crafted from cast-off,
discarded and re-purposed materials.
We are seeking to exhibit sophisticated
two- and three- dimensional art created
in the re-use genre. We want to see
art that demonstrates the importance
of conserving our limited natural
resources. Juror: Harriet Taub, Executive
Director of Materials for the Arts. Entries
must incorporate at least 50 percent
of repurposed, recycled or reused
materials. $3,000 in cash prizes. Contact:
Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition,
718-596-2506, bwac.org/wordpress/
wp-content/uploads/2015/11/RecycleProspectus-11-3-15.pdf, bwacinfo@aol.
com. Contact: Jane Gutterman,
718-596-2506, [email protected],
www.bwac.org.
INT [Deadline March 31]
CPSA 24TH ANNUAL
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION *
Open to artists 18 years or older,
regardless of geographic location. Media
must be 100% colored pencil. Concept,
design, and execution of the artwork shall
be solely that of the artist. All artwork
must be for sale. Gallery setting is the
American Art Company, Tacoma, WA, June
25-August 13, 2016. Last year cash awards
totaled $16,400, top award $5,000. Go to
the website at: www.callforentry.org and
register well before the March 31, 2016,
deadline. Prospectus also available at the
CPSA website (Please read prospectus
carefully.) Contact: Arlene Weinstock,
[email protected], www.cpsa.org.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: IT HAPPENS
TO ONE, IT HAPPENS TO ALL *
Gutfreund Cornett Art, a curatorial team
that creates “Art as Activism” exhibitions,
seeks art in all media that speaks to race,
conditions of the working class, disparities
in global wealth, power, education,
shelter, access to food, water and health
services, immigration issues, criminal (in)
justice, women’s rights, and the gender
queer in the modern world. Share your
vision and help change the world through
art. All media accepted. Artist panels,
catalog and online gallery to accompany
the exhibition. Enter on our website: bit.
ly/1Zqzxr8. Contact: Karen Gutfreund,
[email protected],
www.gutfreundcornettart.com.
NAT [Deadline May 2]
2016 ANNUAL NATIONAL 2D
COMPETITION *
National Juried Exhibition: June 24 to July
18, 2016. Cape Fear Studios, Inc. is looking
for art from all over the nation created in
all 2D painting and drawing media, hand
pulled prints, and collage. Photographs
and digitally produced images will not
be accepted. JUROR: Dan Beck, artist,
teacher, and author. Workshop June 24 25, 2016. AWARDS: Best in Show – $1,000;
1st Place, $350, 2nd Place $250, and two
$50 Honorable Mention Awards. Entry
fee: $35/2 entries. For prospectus and
entry form, go to www.capefearstudios.
com. For more information send
email to artgallery@capefearstudios.
com or call 910-433-2986, Ann Griffin,
[email protected], www.
capefearstudios.com.
CA [Deadline May 13]
HAGGIN MUSEUM NATIONAL
JURIED EXHIBITION *
2016 (59th Exhibition) STOCKTON,
CALIFORNIA – The 59th Juried
Exhibition at The Haggin Museum
sponsored by Stockton Art League. July
7 - September 11, 2016. Cash awards
over $5,000. Open to all U.S. artists. No
photography or computer art. Deadline:
May 13, 2016. client.smarterentry.com/
sal. Juror: Brian Blood. Prospectus:
www.stocktonartleague.org. Inquiries:
[email protected] Type “Haggin” in
subject line. Contact: Maria Elena Flumiani,
209-603-2375, [email protected],
www.stocktonartleague.org.
PA [Deadline Sept. 14]
WAYNE ART CENTER’S CRAFT
FORMS 2016 CALL FOR ENTRIES *
22nd International Juried Exhibition of
Contemporary Fine Craft: December 2,
2016 - January 28, 2017. $8,000 + in Awards
www.craftforms.org For online application,
visit www.craftformsentry.org. Digital
Entry Fee $45. Deadline: Wednesday,
September 14, 2016. Wayne Art Center,
413 Maplewood Avenue Wayne, PA 19087.
Contact: Karen Louise Fay, 610-688-3553
x 211, [email protected], www.
wayneart.org.
ONLINE EXHIBITIONS
NY [Deadline March 7]
MANHATTAN ARTS
INTERNATIONAL HERSTORY
EXHIBITION – CALL FOR
WOMEN ARTISTS *
Manhattan Arts International will present
HerStory, an online exhibition of women
artists from around the world, March 20 April 20, 2016. All 2D and 3D art including
painting, drawing, sculpture, works on
paper, mixed media, photography, digital
art, fiber, assemblage, installation art,
and one-of-a-kind, functional art. All
styles, subjects and sizes accepted. Cash
prizes and widespread publicity. Juror:
Renee Phillips, director, Manhattan Arts
International, renee@manhattanarts.
com. Entry fee: $15 for two entries. For
details, visit www.manhattanarts.com/callsfor-artists/herstory-exhibition. Contact:
Renee Phillips: [email protected],
www.manhattanarts.com/calls-for-artists/
herstory-exhibition.
79
the ARTREPRENEUR coach
By Renée Phillips
Art Marketing Advice from Expert Artists
A
s an artist coach, I get to work
one-on-one with artists to help
them define their goals and
then find the most powerful strategies
to help them achieve those goals. In
this column, I interviewed some of the
most successful artists I know to learn
how they define success and find out
what marketing they recommend to
grow a successful art business.
Although these artists are unique in
their styles, mediums and geographic
locations, they all agreed it’s vital
to develop one’s creative voice
and continue to acquire skills and
knowledge at every career stage.
They each strive to reach out with
their stories and their art, with social
media, professional collaboration
and networking. These basics of art
marketing, when followed routinely,
reap the desired rewards.
Listen in for the details:
For Hamish Blakely (hamishblakely.
com), a painter who lives in the United
Kingdom, a highlight in 2015 was a
major solo exhibition, Out of Work
Angels, in Mayfair, London. The
most important lesson he shares with
other artists is: “An artist must have
a good team to work with, sharing
the same goals. This has to be done
with as much passion as the artist
can muster,” he said. “The curator,
the public relations company and
the gallery staff all have choices in
the way they manage and promote
the work. If they are all passionate, it
makes a huge difference to how that
exhibition will be received.”
Linda S. Watson (lindaswatsonartist.
com) lives in Hawaii and creates
abstract art with an emphasis on lava.
She credits her success with knowing
how to talk to people about her art.
She reminds less experienced artists
that “people are really interested in
the story behind an artist’s work.”
+MAY 2016
80 Professional Artist APR
APR+MAY
Because collectors like knowing details
about the artist’s life, Watson “makes
sure that every gallery that represents
me has my current biography, artist
statement, resumé and articles
about my art. These practices have
increased my sales in 2015.”
Watson also keeps the conversation
going on social media by posting
routinely. “Every time I create a new
painting, make a sale or get a piece
accepted into a juried exhibition, I
share its image on Twitter, Facebook
and LinkedIn,” she said.
Matti Sirvio (mattisirvio.com) lives in
Muscat, Oman and travels worldwide
showing his large abstract paintings.
He’s currently preparing for a solo
show in Cairo.
When other artists ask, he advises:
“Explore your freedom in your style
to the maximum. Work hard. Don’t
cry nor complain. Don’t let anything
nor anyone discourage you, but
learn to hear people’s comments.
Sometimes they are right. Look
at a lot of art in magazines, and
exhibitions in your dreams and
fantasies. Read artists’ interviews.”
To keep himself abreast of the
artwork, he spends his free time
reading endless articles online and
attending as many art fairs, lectures
and panels as possible. And he strives
to talk with other artists internationally
and “networking, networking,
networking,” he said.
Arizona artist Nancy Christy-Moore
(nchristy.com) creates colorful
paintings that capture the vitality
of horses. She makes social media
work for her by posting ‘demos’ on
Facebook. “I post still photos at the
end of my painting sessions. Several
Facebook friends have become
collectors and have purchased
these paintings even before they
are completed.”
Her plans: “Increase horse-centered
markets, do more workshops, have
more classes, and be available to
demonstrate and talk about my art. In
short, get in front of more people and
share my gifts and love of art.”
Florida artist Dolores Kiriacon
(doloreskiriacon.com) photographs
nature’s forms in evolving beautiful
stages of growth and decline. She
advises: “Do work that inspires you.
Master your skills in whatever your
medium. Study the master’s in art
history. Be patient — it takes time and
hard work to master your skills and
build a body of work and career in art.”
Her art marketing practices
include frequent updates to her
website, a regular email newsletter
and relentless updates of new
photographs on social media.
New Jersey artist Nancy Staub
Laughlin (nancystaublaughlin.com)
combines photography and pastels
to develop a new concept of still life.
Her current focus: “Perfecting the
lenticular printing aspect of my new
work and preparing for a one-person
exhibition in 2017.”
She advises: “Be the squeaky wheel,
but in a professional way. There is a
fine line between being a nuisance
and ‘doing your job.’ Do what is
asked of you in a timely manner.”
Good advice for all of us. PA
Renée Phillips is founder/director
of Manhattan Arts International,
manhattanarts.com, which promotes
artistic excellence through curated art
programs and online exhibitions. She is
the founder/editor of The Healing Power
of ART & ARTISTS, healing-power-of-art.
org. Known as The Artrepreneur Coach,
she helps artists attain their goals through
consultations, coaching, and art-business
articles and e-Docs available on reneephillips.com.
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Radiate Confidence

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