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help a new artist get started - please!

updated sun 29 nov 98

 

kpotter on thu 19 nov 98

HI ALL,

I am looking for advice on exhibition opportunities, retail/wholesale
shows and residencies.

What exhibitions are the most prestigious? Which shows are the most
publicized? Which have the best financial opportunities?

Which shows are best for a no-name? Is there a directory of shows in
the North East? Does one have to purchase a booth?

Does anyone have advice on how best to apply for residencies (i.e.
special resume secrets)? Is there a source that lists all the
residencies that are offered in clay? How does one find out about
different residencies?

I will appreciate your help!

Karen R. Betts on sat 21 nov 98

On Thu, 19 Nov 1998, kpotter wrote:

> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> HI ALL,
>
> I am looking for advice on exhibition opportunities, retail/wholesale
> shows and residencies.
>
> What exhibitions are the most prestigious? Which shows are the most
> publicized? Which have the best financial opportunities?
>
> Which shows are best for a no-name? Is there a directory of shows in
> the North East? Does one have to purchase a booth?
>
> Does anyone have advice on how best to apply for residencies (i.e.
> special resume secrets)? Is there a source that lists all the
> residencies that are offered in clay? How does one find out about
> different residencies?
>
> I will appreciate your help!
>
_______________________________________________________________________________
I, too, am looking for opportunities for artists. I am actually more
interested in opportunities to help other people express themselves by
learning art/clay. I hope to do art therapy eventually, and I am not sure if
any one of you out there would know of these, but if you know of hospitals,
rehab centers, or other such places, that might offer or be in need of art
teachers for their patients, I would be grateful for any leads that I might
check out. I especially would like info for places in the southeastern U.S.
Florida preferred, but I'd check out anything.

Thanks in advance,
Karen R. Betts
Ceramics Senior
University of Florida

Cheryl Tall on sat 21 nov 98

Hi Kpotter: Excellant exhbitions opportunities in Florida include the
Coconut Grove Art Show ( around Feb. 14) the Las Olas Art Show (March)
and the Winter Park Art Show (March.) To enter these you need a slide
of your booth plus three slides of current work plus a fee and entry
blank. You have to buy the canopy and booth set up then you use if for
years. A good kind of Canapy is the K-d Canopy or EZ - up - you can
find them used in the Sunshine Artist Magazine ( lists all shows in the
SE and gives them ratings.)

For a booth set up we made wooden pedestals of different sizes that fit
inside each other to take up less space in the van. I have been using
the same set for many years and just keep repainting them different
colors. You can also use them in your studio to display finished work
or use them in exhibitions where they do not have enough pedestals.

cheryl Tall

Karen Gringhuis on sat 21 nov 98

With no clue as to what your work is like let alone the quality of it,
it will be hard to advise you - except this:
1. DROP "prestigious" to the BOTTOM of your list of concerns and
moving finding a place to work your tail off & develop to the
TOP of your list.
2. Scour back issues of CM etc and build a file on shows and possible
sales venues to see if your work MIGHT fit there.
3. The only resume secret I know is strong work in good slides
backing it up.
4. As for advice on residencies and how to get one, itsn't that
what you've paid your faculty for??
Karen Gringhuis

Jean Lehman on sun 22 nov 98

Sorry, I accidently deleted your e-mail address...

You are asking for a LOT of different things here. First of all, I strongly
suggest not starting with the BEST shows. Go to a few local shows, find
ones that have customers who seem to be purchasing things,see if your
things will fit into that type of setting, talk to craftspeople, and then
apply to local shows first. Get your feet wet with a show that isn't quite
so overwhelming as the BEST ones are.

Yes, you have to have a booth. That alone is a big endeavor, and there are
a lot of things to think about before buying or designing one.There are
workshops which deal only with designing a good booth. (If you ever get the
chance to take a workshop on booth design from Bruce Baker, I strongly
recommend it.) You also need to go to shows and just look at the the booths
and talk to the craftspeople. Most potters are willing to talk about their
booth if they aren't busy with customers at the time.

A few years ago I wrote an unpublished article on booths, but it is too
long to include here. If you would like it, I will e-mail it to you
privately.

Jean

---------------------------->
Jean Lehman, in Lancaster, PA
j_lehman@acad.FandM.EDU (that's an _underscore_ not a hyphen)

Check out the 1998 Strictly Functional Pottery National at:
http://www.art-craftpa.com

eden@sover.net on sat 28 nov 98

I would like to underscore the tip about utilizing Bruce Baker, if
possible, with this instructive tale:

In Dec of must have been 1988 I got a 5 yr contract to do West Springfield
wholesale (ACC) and went to town generating new work. About a month before
the event I went to a workshop by Bruce Baker up in Middlebury VT. Most
of the stuff was stuff I didn't need to hear, about trying to avoid the
"Pots by Patsy" look with ruffles...maybe you like ruffles that's just his
take and also mine.....but he did me a big favor.

He talked about brochures. I told him I was about to do West Springfield
wholesale for the first time and he just about picked me up by my
collar...put his nose about an inch from mine.....and told me I couldn't go
to a big wholesale show without a color catalog sheet. Now maybe he was
wrong but maybe not, anyway I hussled and got me one in time for the show
and I have never regretted the advice.

Eleanora

At 07:14 PM 11/22/98 -0500, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Sorry, I accidently deleted your e-mail address...
>
>You are asking for a LOT of different things here. First of all, I strongly
>suggest not starting with the BEST shows. Go to a few local shows, find
>ones that have customers who seem to be purchasing things,see if your
>things will fit into that type of setting, talk to craftspeople, and then
>apply to local shows first. Get your feet wet with a show that isn't quite
>so overwhelming as the BEST ones are.
>
>Yes, you have to have a booth. That alone is a big endeavor, and there are
>a lot of things to think about before buying or designing one.There are
>workshops which deal only with designing a good booth. (If you ever get the
>chance to take a workshop on booth design from Bruce Baker, I strongly
>recommend it.) You also need to go to shows and just look at the the booths
>and talk to the craftspeople. Most potters are willing to talk about their
>booth if they aren't busy with customers at the time.
>
>A few years ago I wrote an unpublished article on booths, but it is too
>long to include here. If you would like it, I will e-mail it to you
>privately.
>
>Jean
>
>---------------------------->
>Jean Lehman, in Lancaster, PA
>j_lehman@acad.FandM.EDU (that's an _underscore_ not a hyphen)
>
>Check out the 1998 Strictly Functional Pottery National at:
> http://www.art-craftpa.com
>
Eleanora Eden 802 869-2003
Paradise Hill
Bellows Falls, VT 05101 eden@sover.net

"Can love, through the exercise of art, overcome death?" ---SalmanRushdie