by Val Allen
Artists wear many hats….deadlines and promotion are two of them.
I recently read a super hashtag on Instagram. #ibelieveinartists
Yes, I do and I feel as a curator and working artist I can relate to the many facets of being an artist ranging from creative practice to marketing your brand. It all adds up and each bullet point is important. I’ve missed my fair share of deadlines through the years for calls for artists as well as underestimating the power of a well-placed social media post. Here are 5 bullet points to keep in mind as an artist!
- Find your tribe or community of artists. This can be a collective, a guild, an association. It’s the group of artists who share encouragement and opportunities.
- Attend networking events that are either virtual or in-person. Even on the ever-present Zoom meetings your name will be in front of people as an active and engaged artist.
- Keep a calendar with deadlines so you don’t miss a call for artists. Push yourself to meet the deadline.
- Post images of your work on Instagram and Facebook. Tell a story about the work as well as title, size and if it is available or sold.
- Be part of the 10% of artists who meet deadlines, send biographies, provide images that are cropped, sharp and clear and you will be ahead of the game. Be proactive and make it easy for galleries, organizations and the press to promote you.
50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay Region Submission Deadline is Here!
Friday, April 23, 2021
You will find all the information HERE for entering this regional biennial exhibition. Artists selected will be part of the fall exhibit in our gallery at Studio 23 as well as have weatherized image plates placed on the Art Around the City trail located on both sides of the Saginaw River and Downtown Bay City for two years.
There will a $1000 cash award for Best of Show selected by the panel of jurors as well as awards of merit and honorable mentions. Here is complete list of the awards:
$3000 in Cash Awards
$1000 Best of the Region
$1000 Popular Vote
$250 for 2 Runner-ups of the Region
$250 for 2 Runner-ups of Popular Vote
The Juror Panel 2021
Thor Rasmussen is the marketing and creativity manager at the Saginaw Art Museum and the Temple Theatre in Saginaw, Michigan. With a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, he runs a small photography company with a special focus on documentary family and wedding photography. When not working with clients, his personal photography projects explore the observation of place and seeing uniqueness in familiar spaces.
Janet Danek earned a B.S. in art and design at the University of Wisconsin–Stout and began her career designing the interiors of Boeing aircraft. She later taught design at her alma mater, then moved to Michigan to design museum exhibitions at a Midland firm. As an independent contractor, she has managed the design and production of numerous museum exhibitions. Since 2010, she has been coordinator of exhibits at Central Michigan University’s Park Library.
Leeds Bird is active in the arts community of Bay City. A retired teacher of drama, he owned a professional picture framing business and served on boards of directors for Bay City Players, Studio 23/The Arts Center, and Bay Arts Council. He finds his training in the visual aspects of theater serve him well in appreciating the visual in other arts. His personal collection of art reveals a highly eclectic taste.
Kathie Fuce-Hobohm is CEO of SPACE, Incorporated, an interior design firm in Midland, Michigan. SPACE, Incorporated creates beautiful and functional interior space for their commercial clients in the Great Lakes Bay Region and their federal government clients throughout the United States. Professionally, Fuce-Hobohm is passionate about creating work environments that help agencies and businesses promote their culture, align with their mission and vision, and attract top talent.
50 Artists Application Form: Click Here
Land To River continues through May 15, 2021
Check out our ongoing video series for Land To River that is available on our Facebook Page at Studio 23/The Arts Center. Click here to view our current video on Alex Gilford.
Congratulations to all the artists in this invitational exhibit collaboration with Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy.
The featured artists are Mark Bleshenski, Zachary Branigan, Alex Gilford, Frits Hoendervanger, Erwin Lewandowski, Alan Maciag, John Sabraw, and Larry VanSteenhouse.
Congratulations to Artist John Sabraw on his recent interview with Savvy Painter International Podcast host, Antrese Wood.
Click here to listen to John Sabraw’s complete interview.
In conjunction with our Land To River events, I will be presenting a Zoom Workshop on Saturday, April 24, 2021 starting at 1:00pm. It will also be streamed on Facebook Live at that time and saved on our Facebook Video Library for future viewing. The topics covered will include: Methods on safely disposing art materials, creating artwork from recycled/reclaimed objects and calls for artists with environmental themes.
Click on photo for details.
Land To River is sponsored by Waste Management of Saginaw
SAVE THE DATES!
Circling back to the beginning of this blog post and the idea that artists wear many hats, during our 2021 Summer Solstice event, sponsored by Michigan Sugar, we will feature professional development Zoom sessions with experts in marketing and social media as well provide creative art making opportunities for artists across our region. Take a peek at this ambitious schedule of events with more being added in the next month. Call us for more details or email me at vallen@studio23baycity.org.
We are open and ready for visitors this spring. Downtown Bay City is bustling with activity! We continue to maintain our gallery and classrooms safely, wear masks and social distance. Our hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm. Please stop in!
Kind regards,
Val
Valerie Allen, curator
Studio 23 is part of the Amazon Smile gives program for nonprofits. Please consider using this when ordering from at smile.amazon.com and choose Studio 23 as your nonprofit.
