Public Art is Good
This mural is at Addison and Lincoln, very close to the Cornelia Arts Building. I had been considering asking the Alderman if we (local artists) could reclaim the wall and make it representative of the neighborhood and local artists (it had become fairly decrepit and peel-y) but the Chicago Mural Works did a really good job fixing up their work. They’ve vastly improved the composition too, recalling murals made during the Works Progress Administration and urban graffiti.
"The First Ones In, Last Ones Out", Chicago Mural Works. Re-touched mural at Lincoln/Addison, Chicago
I like to see art in unexpected places and to see unexpected places become art. That’s what living in a city is all about.
“2-Story City,” a collaborative exhibit for Chicago Artists’ Month
October is Illinois Humanities Month and also marks the annual celebration of Chicago Artists’ Month. Coordinated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the month-long event features hundreds of neighborhood art walks, art exhibits and happenings across the city.
2-Story City
"End of the Line", watercolor, 16" x 20", by Emily Rapport
Emily Rapport and Andrew Steiner are two Chicago artists who have joined forces in a collaborative exhibit titled “2-Story City”.
The exhibit takes place at Morpho Gallery, 5216 N. Damen Ave., Oct. 2nd, 3rd and 4th in conjunction with Chicago Artists’ Month. An opening-night reception will be held Friday, Oct. 2nd from 6:00-10:00 p.m.; the exhibition will continue Saturday, Oct. 3rd, 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 4th, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Ms. Rapport and Mr. Steiner will be on site throughout the weekend to answer questions and discuss their work.
"Street Scene", archival digital print, 13" x 19", by Andrew Steiner
Recalling daily life in Chicago’s neighborhoods, Ms. Rapport’s oil paintings and Mr. Steiner’s documentary photography relate to a broader human experience. Mr. Steiner’s dynamic compositions frame downtown immigration rallies, Devon Ave. street festivals and candids of passersby. Ms. Rapport’s expressive, fluid paint style imbues the familiar with a sense of spirituality in depicting neighborhood homes, fast-food restaurants and street scenes. The artists moved to Chicago from Rochester, N.Y., to attend the School of the Art Institute and have since established a creative dialogue through a shared, humanistic vision of art and life.
For more information visit the event website at: sites.google.com/site/2storycity/
Branded: The Rise of the Artrepeneur
In 1991, when I entered Art College, students used hand-held devices called books and wrote research papers on electric typewriters. Artists didn’t have personal websites and our imagined lives after school were murky, undefined careers that involved belonging to a stable of artists with a reputable gallery. In this age of innocence there was no sense from professors or peers that when we emerged from the developmental cocoon of our BFA programs as artists we would also be in business.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago expects an average of 3,000 new students each Fall at $34,000 a head. That’s tuition only – living expenses and materials not included. Despite the accrual of a student loan debt to rival that of any MBA graduate the advanced study of fine art does not increase the earning potential of its disciples. Up until 2008 The School of the Art Institute provided no business training for fine art students although the school does host an Arts Administration program. Fortunately, art colleges and art organizations have begun to recognize a gap in the education of young artists and are beginning to provide access to the real-world tools needed to attend to the business of art. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs hosts a one day Creative Expo each year where arts service organizations and nonprofits display their wares and provide seminars on both creative and business aspects of the art-making life, from time-management to grant-writing. Thousands of artists and creatives attend this event indicating that this is a much-needed resource for professionals and emerging artists alike.
In recent artist stories on the CAR website, and in other publications for artists, marketing tools have grabbed the spotlight. This sudden re-casting of the artist as “artrepreneur” is really a culmination of trends over the past 20 or 30 years in how we make, look at, and buy art. The global, media-centric world is moving at a dizzying pace set by social-networking, blogs, and websites where we can make and sell objects from the custom to the customized. The term artrepreneur, coined to acknowledge that artists are in business, makes it acceptable and even commendable for the garret-ed artist to join in the commercial and technological fray. A burgeoning sense of possibility and self-determination is distilled in the artrepreneur: the Super Artist who is not only a prodigious Creator but is also able to market and sell their art all in a day’s work. As the numbers of graduating artists swell and merge with those returning to the field of art, after raising a family and/or following another career path, artists provide a new and expanding market for a range of business services and products, consultants, coaches, and competitions that suggest fame and fortune are a few clicks away.
The Secret to Success
The business of art has always been intricately linked to commerce and speculation. From religious commissions (it took a lot of dough to build those cathedrals), to Dutch paintings celebrating the haul of the merchant class, to the sky’s-the-limit value of art during the 1980′s – art has consistently shown a complete lack of any price equilibrium. The limitless potential return, and the genius status associated with being an artist, have created a mythic vacuum in which all art can be priceless. Branding, marketing, and selling ourselves (an artist is their own brand), easily absorbs 80% of our time and is changing the way that we think about, and make, art. In a culture that revolves around advertising, success is not synonymous with merit. The current generation of artist is applauded for their marketing savvy and style first, with artistic excellence coming in second. Stewed in popular culture the artist and the viewers sense of history is limited to decades and frequently art seems to devolve into self-expression without any transcendent intent. Meanwhile, advertising silently permeates everything and even ironic references to main-stream culture (prevalent just a few years ago) have been eroded to a tolerant acceptance and even revelry in current brand superstars. Art becomes advertising and distinctions between hi-art and popular culture is an art-world faux pas.
The values that the artrepreneur may gain through embracing market demands and methods can also threaten the critical self-awareness necessary to be an artist. Artists are like entrepreneurs in that we are engaged at every level: from conception, to creation, then marketing and finally selling. However, the business model of supply and demand does not translate well to the creation of art because, despite one’s best efforts, producing a painting (or any artwork, individually produced for an individual experience) is not the same as producing a novelty hat (or any object that can be manufactured, for a universal audience and a general, public experience). The intangible investment of our education includes ongoing labor and experimentation with new techniques, materials and ideas. This, in addition to the important failures necessary to achieve a vision over our lifetime, is the inherent cost of art production. Unlike novelty hats, consumer demand and the set price of an artwork should not be determining factors in what, or how, an artist produces. The role of the artist is to respond to the spiritual needs of society, not just to provide amusement or escape. The artist’s career path cannot be easily predicted because it is dependent on variable inputs of space, time, money and life experience. Despite the cumulative investment the artist will make in their art practice over the course of their lifetime, there is no model to predict success for an artist.
The visual artist ought to be an expert in visual communication. We know about color, light, shape and have absorbed an extensive vocabulary of cultural symbols. By creating lesser works with the sole intent of generating a profit (or from disregard or ignorance of or what makes a work of art, “art”), artists undermine their important role in society as questioners, observers, absurdists and representatives of human ingenuity. As marketing tools, vanity publications and the public expectation to be entertained align themselves in impenetrable mediocrity, galleries, artists, museums and curators must broaden their market share and provide shows that sell in order to stay in business. All of this means less risks taken by artists and institutions with the “art” becoming a series of interchangeable goods.
Adapt on Your Own Terms
Artists, and their art, are adapting to a dynamic, competitive marketplace by becoming advertisers and designers but the trade-off is something unquantifiable – the spiritual value of art. The European citizen, surrounded by architecture and works of art that are centuries old, has a sense of history and culture that remains an active accompaniment to daily life. In the United States, where we never really got modern art, the ruler of utilitarian value finds no legitimate purpose for art and our relationship to it remains unresolved and awkward. If art is entertainment, it can suddenly all make sense and we may collectively relax, roaming art fairs and museums confident that something (at least, in the gift shop) will suit our tastes. In order to connect with the public (and make money) contemporary artists opt for more easily digested works, and finally derivative objects such as copies of recognizable masterpieces, gicleé prints, and t-shirts.
Simply telling artists that they are in business and must incorporate business methods into the art-making process does not acknowledge the contrary demands of these two mind-sets. One of the major flaws in the new programs to educate artists in the ways of the world seems to be an assumption that a mere refresher course in do’s and dont’s is all that is needed. Business, after all, is common sense. Actually, common sense is common sense and business sense is how to get what you want at the least possible cost to you. Business success comes not by following the rules, or doing the right thing, but through the power of networks, collegiate ties, and a shared profit motive. Business leaders hang out with lawyers, accountants, developers and politicians – that’s how they get things done. Artists hang out with other artists and spend most of their time thinking about their own, individual problems. Artists need to get a sense of the big, cultural picture. Our strengths are collaboration, creative genesis, observation and criticism.
Thanks to technology and the Internet, there are many tools available to artists that make developing a sustainable career possible; from creating an online portfolio, to staying in contact with peers and collectors, to researching opportunities and broadening the audience for our work. Above all, our most important resource is each other. Artists have a shared interest to develop the public appreciation and understanding for the experiential value of art. The pursuit of this goal will in turn establish personal and professional standards that truly allow us to pursue our lifetime commitment to art.
Art Meets Reality (Television), or, A Supreme Victory for Capitalism!
"The revolution will not be televised." - Gil Scott-Heron
Bravo television, renowned for reality programs like America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway, has a new concept program titled, “Untitled Art Project”. I am imagining fashion make-overs at Urban Outfitters, paint splashes courtesy of Dick Blick and soundtrack by Someone’s iPod. Like all reality television, it will have little to do with the actual lived-in reality you and I humbly call “dragging ourselves out of bed in the morning”.
The artists who attended the Bravo auditions may simply be motivated by a desire to be liked. Or, they could be savvy strategists with social-networks and hundreds of “friends” ready to vote for them when the competition gets rough. Before we continue, we should acknowledge that seeking fame and fortune are, if not literally touted as character-defining ambitions in our culture, suggested means of attaining grudging respect, professional jealousy and free stuff (aka. sponsorship). Why shouldn’t a visual artist also be a pop-culture icon? The agreement to pursue, or, to play the game, for those tokens representative of success and power is typically rewarded with – whatdd’ya know – more tokens. From the gold rush to reality television, beating the odds and competing against your neighbor has been synonymous with “Ye Olde American Dream”. We are constantly surveying the lay of the land over the figurative picket-fence, sizing each other up and placing ourselves in a social hierarchy based on where we live, how we dress, what we drive, and what we do for a living. The emerging artist just wants a piece of that dream.
Contrary to some purist views about “selling out”, money does not (necessarily) pollute the innocent intention or oceanic feeling of the Sensitive Artist. Neither money, nor art, has any intrinsic worth but represents the values that we imbue them with (all things being equal). Unless independently wealthy themselves, artists need a flexible job or patronage of some kind in order to develop their craft. People who have earned, or are blessed with, a stable financial future should want to (and usually do) foster cultural enterprises. The patron and the artist are like chocolate and peanut-butter and society benefits from their collaboration – the creative exploration by the artist generates new ideas, philosophies and may even provide an influence on the visionary aspects of technology and science (take Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machine for example); meanwhile, the speculation and support from patrons of the arts generates the all important cultural productivity that marks a prosperous civilization. Mass-media outlets, and the corporate entities behind them, could pick-up where private patronage and government funding for the arts have waned to become cultural stewards and incubators of future artistic movements.
Just one small problem there – American corporate interests and its brand-ors have no “taste”. Adept at absorbing anarchistic elements (take any youth culture movement from Hippies to Hip-Hop), its digestion and re-packaging of youth fashion, sensibilities and rebellion leave only a trace of original content. This liquidation of a range of values into the one-size-fits-all cultural entertainment model sells. The formula for success has been made efficient and precise, from films and music to industrial design. In terms of contemporary art, most obviously in today’s popular music, the assembly-line logic applied to creative output means art can only be entertainment. Entertainment sells more advertising and, most importantly, disseminates an increasingly potent brew of wants that supersede needs. If we don’t know how to think, and looking at art that makes us think is tedious, boring, and hard, why would we want to learn how to do that? Art offers no reward to the palate accustomed to convenience and mediocrity. Decorative pillows and gallery wrapped giclée prints are scaled to our experiences and desires. Understanding, a sense of deeper meaning, and a connection to the world through a work of art requires effort and meditation. As with anything worthwhile – it must be cultivated and learned. Good art is able to communicate and transcends the mundane clutter of our app-addled brains because it has intent, purpose, drama and humanity.
Marketing gurus will never be able to master the universal elements of the human story. They can imitate – but their language is too much about simplification, the breaking down of unique elements to form a generic, palatable object like remembrance-bracelets for-all-occasions. Artists’ are builders – we destroy in order to create. Taking apart an idea, structure, or image we learn how it works, what is essential to its process and finally how that idea, structure, or image relates to ourselves as members of a larger society.
Ultimately, we have the choice to watch or not watch as a group of hapless artists submits itself to degrading competitions that measure only their willingness to please the judges. I admit, I am interested if only for the critical fodder and sheer spectacle. Intellectually we understand that “reality television” is an oxymoron, a parody of reality, where we can be entertained by a cast of characters that approximate ourselves but not quite enough to cause us any discomforting introspection. I only hope that the participating artists will realize the tawdriness of their bargain and do something unprecedented that upsets the rules of the game – like working together.
Read more about is in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/arts/television/20bravo.html?_r=1
And, if you want to know more about Gil Scott-Heron, who wrote and performed the spoken word piece, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (later sampled by Public Enemy), look him up. Find him on YouTube or start at NPR.org >>
Artists need studios – will they fight to keep their spaces and communities?
A last look at what was a serious space to work.
As an emerging artist, my studio is the core of my creative development. In August of 2007 the “Chocolate Factory” building where my studio was located, and another building belonging to Central Services, LLC, were sold. I could not afford to pay a 30% increase in rent or find another space and so I must give up my studio of the past 3 years. My studio space had been below market value ($8-10/sq. foot) under its former landlord allowing it to become an incubator space for artists, tech industry and nonprofit groups. The establishment of a higher market value ($15 -17/sq. foot) is relative to the perceived desirability of the area and monopoly interest and capacity of one real estate holder, not to any physical changes or improvements to the building at 4541 N. Ravenswood.
Here lies the other side to the development of Ravenswood Corridor (and development of any mixed-use area). Artists have long been an indicator species: settling in rough, raw spaces and generating speculative interest by their presence. Ravenswood, once an industrial hub of Chicago, has quietly become a hub of culture. This evolution has happened in the periphery of everyday business and life. Virtually unknown to local business councils and chambers whose priority has always been industrial retention and business services, the large community of professional artists has no advocate or unified voice in the meetings that will decide the fate of Ravenswood Corridor. Current zoning and amenable landlords have kept rents affordable but it is clear that is changing. The artists who have settled here over the past twenty years, and who have accumulated 20 years worth of work-in-progress and inventory, will likely “choose” to leave their studios over the next 2 years as rents increase and leases expire.
The Ravenswood area is beginning to show its prosperity and white-collar businesses and restaurants are starting up. Developers are making applications for zoning changes and rents will continue to increase. Artists are also businesses. Artists spend and make money, locally. We make areas desirable places to work and live for white collar professionals. Some critics might apply the same Darwinian standards to the survival of a fine-art business as to a restaurant or design firm, arguing that artists don’t “give back” to their community. It is a distinct over-sight to disregard artists who are not “profitable”. Many of the professional artists in Ravenswood are teachers, or work with public art groups, or mentor youth in after-school programs – and we create art. The knowledge and appreciation of art is enabled by an experience of it. Without artists in Ravenswood, there will be no more open studio tours – a unique opportunity for visitors and neighbors to interact with professional artists and to learn about the process of art-making.
It is increasingly important for communities of artists and arts advocates to foster the development of working and emerging professional artists. Show art in your place of business, sponsor a mural, or maintain affordable rent for artists who would otherwise be dislocated by rising property values. All of these actions sustain the larger community and keep urban spaces interesting and alive.
The problem of zoning (artists are not legally allowed to “manufacture” art with the intention of showing and selling in a area zoned as residential) and the issue of affordable space for artists is real. Business groups and interests are making decisions for the benefit of the community they understand and can quantify, mainly based on household income and revenue generated for the city. They are not specifically aware of how their decisions will result in changes to the cultural landscape.
Artists need to recognize themselves as businesses with an interest and stake in what is happening right now. For artists in Ravenswood, we need to work with other groups who share these concerns, such as the Jane Addams Resource Corporation and Cornelia’s Friends of the Arts to establish a broader dialogue that isn’t fueled by misconceptions such as: “Artists have no business sense.” or, conversely, “Developers want to kick-out all of the artists.”
Artists have an interest and a responsibility to take the lead in this discussion. If we are passive, the outcome is 100% certain that we will be displaced entirely.
What can we do that is pro-active to raise awareness for our concerns as stake-holders?
Do we see ourselves as part of a community that can work together, that must work together, to make our needs and interests real to a broader audience?
Can we make businesses understand what might be lost, not just for us personally, but to the cultural vitality of the area?
Can developers make money and save room for artists with lower incomes to continue to work and develop their businesses (provide incubator spaces)?
Think about it and, if you are an artist in Ravenswood, consider doing something about it.
Tales of ArtWalkRavenswood: Rocking the Boat
An Update
The Ravenswood Artists' Walk, circa 1987, had the Cornelia Arts Building at its center.
Once upon a time, before the official arts tour now known as “Ravenswood Art Walk” began, artists managed their own open studio events and created group shows in designated buildings and shared spaces in the Ravenswood and Addison Industrial Corridors. As early as 1987 there was a self-organized tour of existing art studios complete with a xeroxed map of venues (The Cornelia Art Center and F.O.T.A. were a big part of that effort). Until at least 1998, The Jane Addams Resource Corporation hosted a “Tour of Industry” highlighting its programs and members with a walking tour and guide-book that included the history of some of the buildings and businesses in Ravenswood. JARC later become (briefly) the original administrative partner of the small volunteer arts tour group which coalesced in 2001. The first “Tour of Arts and Industry” was born.
ArtWalkRavenswood is now calling their signature event, the Ravenswood Art Walk and their new abbreviated name is “RAW”. Re-branding is always a bit dodgy and losing the partnership of industry in the process is unfortunate. Industry is a vital facet of why the artists located in Ravenswood were able to maintain studios over the past 20 years. The parallel importance of industrial and cultural production is being erased as manufacturing declines, buildings are sold and the white collar service industry takes over. If this is indeed progress than the next, inevitable step are loft condos with plenty or first floor retail and parking. The effect of recent changes are also felt in the annual arts tour: the unique opportunity to visit professional, working artists in their studios is no longer the foundation of this neighborhood event. Every AWR board member is committed to the “Trolley” at any cost – organizational mission, first-born child, pure gold – despite the fact that the entire Corridor could be walked or biked in about 20 minutes tops. This “trolley tour”, kindly sponsored in a show of support by Alderman Gene Schulter, curtails traffic to venues beyond Irving Park on the South and Lawrence on the North. Although the reach of the tour has expanded to include all who wish to participate, the boundaries of the tour have contracted – excluding some legitimate Ravenswood businesses and artists. Work by “guest” or non-Ravenswood based artists are displayed in prime, trolley-stop venues, á la Around the Coyote (circa 2003/2004). At this time, there is no selection process to define professional criteria or jury work.
(Original Post: May 2008)
At last! This May an AWR newsletter arrived in my inbox. The arts tour was “officially” announced followed by the news that ArtWalkRavenswood has a new Executive Director, Sheila Frost. As the former Executive Director of ArtWalkRavenswood, I had an interest in sharing what I knew and what my goals had been with the new ED. I asked Sheila to meet with me to discuss the upcoming Tour of Arts and Industry in Ravenswood Corridor – she kindly agreed.
We discussed my concerns that ArtWalkRavenswood, for better or worse, is the public face of the artists in Ravenswood Corridor. They set the tone for how artists are percieved and determine a standard of respect for artists by their actions (or, lack of action). In 2007, ArtWalkRavenswood earned a very high-level of artistic investment and worked hard to develop relationships with local businesses and community groups such as the Jane Addams Resource Corporation, Threadless (based in Ravenswood), and majority real-estate interest Hayes Properties.
A nonprofit, especially a new nonprofit, faces many challenges: organizational structure; funding; development of programs; board member and staff turn-over; defining and redefining the purpose and mission as environmental changes take place. Building any organization or business is a creative and turbulent process that requires all of its members and directors to meet and agree on one thing: that they are there, together, for the same purpose and that they understand it is their duty as representatives of the organization to fulfill that purpose by giving of their time and talent.
Sheila’ s time with AWR is limited. She leaves in October, after the 2008 arts tour. Once more bereft of their worker bee, the post-tour work may be disconcerting to a group that has evidenced no succession plan or shown more than a sporadic interest in the clean-up. Perhaps, a thank you e-mail to artists for their participation, a request for the return of signage, some holiday fund-raising … maybe? All of these were missing from the 2007 November – December post-tour time period.
Yes, Board Members are volunteers with work and family lives outside of the AWR group. But, being a Director on a nonprofit board comes with responsibilities which a volunteer knowingly accepts. Without guidance and structure, the untended organization will become overwhelmed by even the most simple tasks; “Who will manage the website?”, “Who will maintain contact with artists?”, “What is the guiding vision for the future of AWR?”.
While Board leadership is needed – artist participation is of equal (if not greater) importance. I hope to encourage, exhort and persuade the artists of Ravenswood that their ACTIVE participation is the only way to create an arts tour that represents the level of professional work created in our neighborhood. To be taken seriously we need to take ourselves seriously. We should not be content with a block-party simply because we don’t want to rock the boat.
October is Chicago Artist’s Month
Originally Published: June 06 2008
I know that October is a long way away. It’s only June, Summer is just beginning, so why would I want to even think about October? I guess you could call it the Hillary Clinton syndrome. I just can’t let it go. This year will be the 13th October Artist’s Month organized by the city. For the past three I have registered my open studio, held in a public building, in their free listings. This year I was disallowed.
I met all the requirements and got my application in before the deadline. I even received a confirmation e-mail that a confirmation letter would be arriving post-haste. Instead, there appeared another e-mail alerting me to the fact that ArtWalkRavenswood had also registered and that I was covered by their activities. And, perhaps, I should get in touch with them and register through their tour.
“You mean, the tour that hasn’t been announced yet? With the registration form and information that is perpetually coming soon? That ArtWalkRavenswood?”
“Yes, maybe you should go talk to someone – we just can’t list you.”
I explained that I had attempted to talk to and persuade several board members that communicating with the artists about their plans was a priority. Like my dad after me about my homework, I pestered anyone who would listen: “What is the status of the arts tour?”. Each time I got the brush-off, “It will happen. You don’t need to worry about it.”.
It is logical that the city should suggest I register with my neighborhood tour. That this neighborhood tour was lifted to prominence in the city’s eyes because of the work that I and some hard-working board members and volunteers invested – is a bitter irony.
After this phone-call, I was ready to go to the next board meeting and formerly protest the lack of interest the current organization had in the community of working artists whose studio practices are located in Ravenswood Corridor. We are not hobbyists entertaining ourselves with expressive, playful doodling! ArtWalkRavenswood and its directors are accountable to us and the duties and responsibilities that they accepted when they joined the board to sustain a nonprofit mission.
Without a unified presence and voice for advocacy it is all too easy for the artists to disappear from our Ravenswood neighborhood. Development, prosperity, neighborhood diversity – all of the current circumstances that our neighborhood enjoys are due in large part to the existence of small businesses. Artists are small businesses. We have employees, we purchase supplies locally, we sell art in Chicago. We deserve the same respect and attention that any Chamber of Commerce business would receive.
Perhaps honing in on the righteous indignation raging in my head an e-mail from ArtWalkRavenwood arrived that evening. Apparently, it is time to register for the arts tour.
The fee has been raised from$25 to $35, which is still quite reasonable. Distinctly missing from their notice was any mention of art, community, or why we have the arts tour. Never mind a reference to the theme of the 13th annual City of Chicago October Artist’s Month (its “Vote Art!”).
I can accept that future tours might not be what I and my collaborators would have worked to create. I just want to see some evidence of effort – that the board can get it together to work towards a unified goal and see that there is an important, active, professional arts community at stake in Ravenswood.
The Peter Jones Gallery says "good-bye".
4th of July, oil/canvas, 31" x 31", by Emily Rapport.
“Grand Goodbye”, the final exhibition at The Peter Jones Gallery (ending its 20+ year tenure in Ravenswood), will open this (correction) Saturday, June 6th, from 6 – midnight. The grand finale exhibition “will showcase the diverse talent of artists whose paths have crossed through Peter Jones’ Gallery and studios over its twenty plus years of operation. 60+ Chicago area artists will hang in the gallery as well as in salon style mini-galleries created out of vacated artist studios.”
Emily Rapport, a former denizen of Ravenswood Industrial Corridor, is just one of many artists exhibiting in the final show at the Peter Jones Gallery.
Photography by Andrew Steiner will also be on view. View more of Andrew’s photography at: http://andrewsteinerphotography.com
From the Devon Avenue Series. © Andrew Steiner
We say good-bye to the Peter Jones Gallery with the knowledge that new artistic ventures will naturally occur in its stead. Artists will continue to work together in the cooperative spirit that Peter Jones, and others like him, have fostered over the past 20 years.
The opening reception this Friday will include performances, film and music. The show continues through June 21st. Regular gallery hours are 3-6pm, Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information about the show visit: http://www.peterjonesgallery.com
The Fine Art of Self-Promotion
A deluge of “promotional” artist newsletters, possibly spawned by the 2009 Artist’s and Graphic Designer’s Market Guide, have recently inundated my in-box. A few important tips for artists and creative professionals:
- Research your mailing list.
- Introduce yourself and explain why you thought I should be on you mailing list in 2 – 3 sentences.
- Make it clear what you want to happen. Is this an announcement? A “hire me” promo?
- Keep images small and links that relate your blog/website/etc. together as part of your signature.
- Fonts and font color should be legible and logical. Avoid multi-colored text or other annoying visual word EMPHASIS.
- Include a text note and link for those that wish to be removed from your mailing list.
I think e-mail is a great free way for artists to promote themselves. If you want to create an e-mail promo or newsletter – keep it professional, concise and relevant. By adhering to basic e-mail etiquette and craft … you vastly improve your chances that I will read, click on and forward your missive.
The Book
The 2009 Artist’s and Graphic Designer’s Market Guide has an excellent article on this subject.
How to Turn Your Art Out
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs regularly hosts and coordinates panel discussions, workshops and events for Chicago artists. The event written about here was a panel discussion called, “How to turn your art into a successful career.” A podcast of the discussion should be available on the CAR website soon.
For the most part, the panel discussion focused on elementary studio practices (aka. the “successful habits of successful people”). The artists on the panel highlighted persistence, resourcefulness, self-confidence and networking as essential tools for the arts professional. As in any field, it is hard work and tenacity that will allow you to outlast your competition. But, even if you have the focus, the talent, the drive – how do you sustain your material self? For those who have made it, in retrospect, it looks easy. They worked hard, they hung in there, they defied rejection. And, they were lucky.
How do we, as emerging artists, make our own luck without sliding into magical thinking or giving up? All of the panelists agreed that when it comes to making your own luck, you have to be resourceful. To paraphrase photographer Dewoud Bey, we can interpret, “That’s interesting, keep in touch.” – as a pointed rejection or take it at face value – and actually keep in touch. The right place at the right time ultimately translates to being prepared and open for an opportunity.
Collaboration and networking, recognizing the value of our peers and using that community for support and motivation was touched upon several times, especially by artist Tony Fitzpatrick who implored us to all exchange e-mail addresses and just call each other up and hang out, and then he gave us his e-mail address and said we could call him with any questions – it was very generous and communal and if he weren’t so darn special, maybe I would!
The audience was concerned with very basic issues; “How do I price my art?”, “Should I have a website (or will people steal my ideas)?” and “Should I sell the rights to my art?”. The answers are (respectively); “Research”, “Live a little.” and “Hell no!”.
More advanced questions for those balancing on the next peg of the professional ladder, “Okay, so what if you want to have an apartment show and advertise it to the public – how do you deal with permits and liquor licenses?”, went unasked (I couldn’t think of what I wanted to ask at that exact moment). Legal concerns seemed to be covered by the blanket mantra: Don’t wait for permission, ask for forgiveness. Which I admire as bold and subversive but not quite in harmony with the you are now in business warning that art organizations and the City of Chicago are keen to impress upon us creative types. I am not so much a rebel, I want to comply with the rules and regulations. But, hypothetically speaking, I going to be arrested and sent to jail if I were to paint in my residentially-zoned apartment now that I’ve lost my studio space? Or, what if I invited a buyer or gallery owner to stop by and view my new work, and then they bought something spontaneously, would that make me guilty of retail activities? It’s confusing. My semi-recent trip to the Department of Business Affairs and Licensing was not very illuminating either. Thinking back on the moment I came face to face with the stone-wall of insensate bureaucracy, perhaps … I did not get the right answer because I did not ask the right question. But – that’s another story.
Maybe I’ll call up Tony and ask him what he thinks.
The very important thing I learned, if not the ultimate truth in the slow-but-steady lane to success, is that we all have a persistent complaint. Mine is that I have no time to make art. As with all persistent complains, we allow them to persist. We encourage them and drown them in our solicitous tears until they mature into the dreaded, and yet highly anticipated, self-fulfilling prophecy. (Except for this week which is totally different: I really do not have time to do anything except work on a certain design project.)
The point is, if I want to be a painter than I have to paint – now, today! The idea that I have control over my time and can be empowered to do what I really want to do – is challenging and threatening – because if that is true, than there are no more excuses.
Things I was inspired to consider:
1) Host a networking party and invite 10 artists that I know and ask them to invite 10 artists that they know (or, maybe 5 and 5).
2) Curate a show and ask a business to host it.
3) Go to some art openings around the city – and make time to paint.
Emily commented on: Artist at Work Series, “How to Turn Your Art into a Career”. Arts writer, activist and curator Paul Klein invited artists Juan Angel Chavez, Dawoud Bey, Tony Fitzpatrick, and Joyce Owens to discuss how they’ve turned their art into a career. Hosted by The Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago Artists’ Resource. Check the CAR website in 2 weeks for audio download of the discussion.
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