Local businesses are often the best places to sell your original arts and crafts. If your goal is gallery representation, local sales can build your reputation, and fill in your resume. In addition, income from local sales can exceed what you earn with some galleries.
JOIN REGIONAL ART ASSOCIATIONS
Most communities have an art association of some kind. You’ll find them listed in the yellow pages of your local phone book, and sometimes online. Look in categories such as “Clubs”, “Associations”, and so on.
These groups are usually a mix of professionals and eager amateurs. At their meetings, I’ve seen everything from gorgeous, $10K watercolors to crocheted dolls in unnatural colors & fibers. No two groups are the same. Visit as a guest before joining, and see if the association or club is right for you.
Most art associations sponsor regular gallery shows in their own meeting place or in a town hall or library meeting room. They often have at least one outdoor art show, at which you can display your art and perhaps demonstrate your techniques.
Art association meetings include regular demonstrations (of art technique) by artists who will usually sell some art to the members, too. This can be a good outlet if you want to do demos.
Start by creating a form letter that you’ll send to every art association in the phone book. When the demo is announced, make sure that the publicity mentions that you’ll have art for sale, too. The art association takes a commission based on how much you sell, and everyone goes home happy.
USE THE ART ASSOCIATION’S CONTACTS FOR LOCAL SALES
Many art associations have working relationships with local businesses, especially restaurants, bookstores, beauty salons, and banks… anyone with blank wall space that wants an “art show” to generate interest. (They use this to attract visitors and for press releases, publicity, etc.) Libraries are less likely to be able to offer work for sale, but it depends upon the local laws.
This works best if the sales go through the art association. Next to each piece of art, place the art association’s business card. On it, write the title of the art, the artist, the price, and how to contact the art association for more information.
Of course, this should be something better than voicemail; someone needs to be on hand to answer the phone. A member who works at home is good for this job.
If your local art club hasn’t done this before, help them to set it up. The art association can have a single phone number, and use Call Forwarding to whomever is manning the phones that day.
HELP YOUR ART CLUB TURN PROFESSIONAL
If you are in an art association that doesn’t have a working relationship with local businesses, bring it up at the next business meeting. Some members may already work at offices or shops that would cheerfully display your art.
There are issues to sort out, including how the art is insured, if it’s protected from damage, and so on. You can check with other art associations and see how they handle it.
Once you start contacting businesses about displaying local art, you may be surprised at how easy this is.
ART ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT CARD PURCHASES
In most cases, the art association makes the sale, and has a merchant account that accepts checks and credit cards. The art association takes a percentage of the sales, usually about 20%. At the end of the month, the association issues a check to everyone whose art sold that month.
IF YOU CAN’T FIND THE RIGHT ART GROUP FOR YOUR WORK
If you don’t have a local art association–or if their interests don’t match yours–start your own. A simple, free announcement in the local newspaper will attract interest, and your public library can probably provide a free meeting room.
Selling your arts and crafts locally is a great first step for any artist. In addition, it’s usually fun, brings you recognition from your neighbors, and adds a little extra beauty to the businesses that participate.
By: Aisling D'Art
About the Author:
Filed under Business by on Jul 28th, 2010. 
The process of arranging the elements in such a way that it appeals to senses and make you emotional is known as art. Due to this Art CVs are diverse in nature. It includes human activity, creativity, modes of expression. More precise examples include films, music, sculpture, literature, paintings etc. There are different types of jobs available in the art industry.
One of the popular art jobs is organizer or managers of artists. For which you will not be required to be an actual artists. You can also get a job in museums, exhibitions and art galleries. Employers prefer candidates with specific qualities in each area. Creativity should be reflected from your CV. This is the most important thing which you should keep in mind while writing an Art CV.
Employers are always on a lookout for candidates with creative mind. Your skills and creativity will be demonstrated by the work experience which you have in this industry. Your CV must include samples of previous work. If you have worked in a team then you should specify activities you were involved in while finishing the art work. The layout should be professional and must reflect your true character and style. The layout format of an art CV should include Artist’s name, date of birth, birth place, and present country where you are living. Then write a brief summary containing artist’s background. It should not be more than seven to eight lines.
In your Art CV you can tell about your art related education and various milestones achieved. Then provide complete details about all your exhibitions. List them from latest to earliest. Also specify list of awards you have received. Here you can provide details like award name, year and name of person or organization who have given you this award. CV needs clarity, so always keep your CV simple to read. Creativity should be shown in your art work. A fancy and creative type of a layout may be sometimes frustrating to read.
By: Bhavini Mali
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Filed under Business by on Jul 23rd, 2010.
When interview committees and principals interview art teachers, they’re looking for someone who can connect with the entire culture of the school. They’re looking for a person who empowers students to create beautiful artwork, has a presence in extra-curricular activities, and can effectively manage students in a classroom full of messy, sloppy supplies. An art program is often the proud centerpiece of a school’s curriculum and schools want to fill that position with the most competent art teacher available.
Interviewing is stressful for any candidate. My best advice is to be prepared with a complete teaching portfolio and to practice common interview questions beforehand. While you don’t need to rehearse what you’ll say word-for-word, it’s not a bad idea to prepare yourself by thinking about your responses to general questions that will be asked.
Art teacher candidates can expect the common, general teacher interview questions:
- Tell us about yourself.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- How to you integrate technology into your teaching?
- How do you meet the needs of special education students?
- How do you communicate with parents?
But, when hiring art teachers, principals and interview committees have high expectations and often develop more specialized questions. Below are some common questions (and suggestions for answering them) for art teacher interviews:
1. Describe some ways you present and display student work throughout the school and throughout the community.
Whether you like it or not, the art teacher is often responsible for setting the decor of the entire school. You’ll likely be responsible for keeping the halls full of student work and updating displays on a regular basis. You’ll be the one they turn to when they want a mural painted on the gymnasium wall. They’ll run to your room when it’s time to set up the annual display in the district office building. And, when the community art show comes around, you’ll be the one that is expected to coordinate it. When it’s time to create the yearly district events calendar, you know they’ll be turning to the art teacher for a collection of high-quality student work samples. Art teachers have a HUGE responsibility outside of general teaching. You need to reassure the interview committee that you’re aware of these responsibilities and are excited to take on these challenges.
2. Show us pictures of your work as an artist.
You should have your teaching portfolio with you at an interview. Since you’re an artist, your portfolio should include pictures of your own artwork, in addition to lesson plans and student artwork. Be sure the works you show the committee are appropriate for a school setting. Don’t show them your latest **** sketch or a violent scene. Keep the content of the material in your portfolio light, upbeat, and positive.
3. Describe some of the art projects your students have loved.
This is a simple question. Describe your “best work” as a teacher. In other words, you’re looking to tell them about project that was engaging to the students, educational in terms of artistic development, and well-received by others when it was displayed. Pass around some pictures of this lesson from your teaching portfolio!
4. How can you make the most of a small budget for art supplies?
Many school districts can’t offer you huge amounts of money for art projects. Explain that you’re a natural bargain shopper. You’ll always seek out the best deals on art supplies.
You should remind the interviewer of your no-waste philosophy. You don’t let kids throw away big scraps of paper that can be used again. You’ll try to unclog those stuffed up glue bottles, rather than throw them away.
Also, let them know that you can make artwork from simple, everyday household objects. Maybe you know how to make Christmas ornaments from light bulbs or you can turn empty soup cans into lanterns.
5. How can you connect your activities in the art room into lessons taught within other subject areas?
You can easily connect art to Social Studies by teaching cultural art. Example: If students are learning about Australia, you can teach kids to make Aboriginal Dot Paintings in art. You can also connect art to historical themes by making connections with art history. You can also tie into Reading and Writing by teaching kids to describe and critique artwork.
6. Why do you think art is an important part of a child’s education?
This answer, will of course, vary from person to person. Some things you might want to think about: Art is a small, but important part of a well-rounded education program. Art teachers stimulate students’ imaginations, by encouraging them to express themselves creatively. Art teachers develop students’ self-esteem, by allowing them to discover other talents they may have that go beyond the rest of the school’s curriculum. And art teachers help students to better accept the world in which they live by inviting them to view things in different ways.
7. Art teachers have a unique set of classroom management challenges because you see so many kids for such a short time– what would you do when a kid is off-task, unmotivated, or not participating in a lesson?
The most effective way of avoiding behavioral problems is to keep students interested, involved, and engaged from the moment they walk into your room to the moment they leave. It is essential to have classroom rules posted clearly in your classroom. Routines are important– kids should know where to sit, when to get materials, what the clean up procedures are. As the teacher, you must enforce the rules and routines consistently each and every day.
Hopefully, you use positive reinforcement to encourage the best behaviors. You praise your students’ efforts often, and you offer constructive criticism in a positive way. When kids do misbehave, it’s best to handle situations on your own, when possible. (Only the most severe cases of disruption or violence should be sent to the office.) Taking away privileges or responsibility is often an effective method for managing classroom behavior problems.
8. Art is an elective, which means you’ll have to promote student interest in your courses. How will you do this?
This question is for candidates that are interviewing for high school art positions. The simplest answer to explain how you engage students in worthwhile art activities. The final projects come out so beautifully that students are proud of their work, see their talent, and have a strong desire to create more!
Happy interviewing!
For more teacher interview questions, I invite you to download my eBook Getting the Teaching Job of Your Dreams ( http://www.iwantateachingjob.com ). In it you will find 50 common interview questions and answers as well as practical advice for getting the teaching job you want.
By: Tim W
About the Author:
Filed under Business by on Jul 23rd, 2010.
Persuasion is the process of influencing individuals and guiding them in accepting an idea, thought or action. It is a means of problem solving that uses rational processes and is based on appealing to an individual’s powers of reason, their emotions, and should not be based on force or coercion, especially if you wish them to take ownership of the final decision. The Ancient Greeks suggested that there were three elements to persuasion, namely ethos, pathos and logos.
Ethos is about the person who is communicating (or persuading) and whether they can create empathy with their audience i.e. does the audience buy into their ethical credentials and believe they are trustworthy, and credible. If the audience does not believe in the character of the presenter they will not listen to them or allow themselves to be persuaded. Pathos is the factor that motivates the audience and means that once the audience trusts you, they will then emotionally connect with the message. It is important to consider the factors that will either motivate or indeed alienate your audience and ensure that you can engage the audience with the appropriate motivational factors. Logos is the element of reason, which you use to reinforce the emotional engagement and provides the justification to your audience for why they should agree with you.
So when you are putting forward an argument or point of view, do you normally consider these three elements? If not, next time you are preparing a presentation think about:
Having
Ethos
Logos and
Pathos
It really will HELP you to focus it on the needs of your audience and improve your skills of persuasion.
By: Louise Manning
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Filed under Business by on Jul 7th, 2010.
Metal art welding is basically a form of sculpting in reverse. Whereas sculpting starts from a block of stone and the process entails the removal of all material not part of what is to be the finished piece, metal art welding starts with nothing and keeps on adding pieces until the work of art in completed. Two processes, converse to each other, but resulting in the same end.
Unlike sculptors who work in stones like granites or marble, the metal welding artist can use just about any metal, or combinations of metals he chooses to. He may form his creations out of virgin metal sheets, rods or pipes; or he may assemble existing pieces of shaped metal in to final product.
Welding is, in its most simple form, the joining together of two pieces of metal by heating the surfaces and then placing them together until the cooled metal forms a joint. There are different types of welding methods that can be used, depending on the types of metal involved and the nature of the joint – whether it requires strength, a fine finish, whether the metal can withstand high heat etc.
Metal art welding can be done on any scale, from the finest pieces of jewelry that are finely welded or soldered together to huge outdoor sculptures.
The beginnings of modern metal art welding lie in the emergence of “junk” sculpture when young artists understood that the joining of various pieces of existing scrap metal could produce works of artistic integrity and merit. The first works of modern welded metal art were made from things found in junkyards – hence the name. Old car parts, refrigerator bodies, oddly shaped bits of scrap metal, you name it, they were all welded to together and the results were often surprising in their artistic expression and originality. Embellishments were done in the form of special coatings and paint applied to some or all of the metal sculptures.
The next stage was to addition of moving parts – motorized sculptures. Windmill effects, rotating tables and wind driven mobiles were some of the early common design themes used. Much of early welded metal art was created for shock effect and it succeeded.
Today metal art welding is returning to its basics, and, in the opinion of many art critics, its purest form. Simple and expressive forms, created by welding together seemingly uncomplimentary pieces of metal can create a memorable effect, as in the welding of a rusty old car axle to a pair of roller skate frames to express the artist’s opinion of the negatives of fossil fueled vehicles.
While metal art welding can be tiny, as in small jewelry items, it are normally large in size. The largeness of the welded form adds to its impact. That is why the majority of art made by the metal welding process is in the form of outdoor sculpture.
Since most welded art is made up from existing pieces of metal, this is one art form where the mind of the artist must be able to not just envision the finished work of art, but be able to look at using existing shapes to create his vision. Like a jigsaw puzzle, the artist must be able to locate the shapes he needs to create the final effect.
By: Ivan Smith
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Filed under Business by on Jul 4th, 2010.
Although most people think of welding as a way to build buildings and other shapes, there are many people who have chosen to use welding as an art form that is as creative as any inventor.
Generally speaking welding art comes in large pieces where people use scrap metal to form objects that they are interested in. As an example, one artist may use sculptures to create animals or other scenes in nature. Another may use welding to make a statement about something through their art.
One idea that is very popular is the making of sculpted iron gates that are uniquely ornamented. They are very large and can enhance either the entrance to an estate or the entrance to a particular garden or other area within an estate.
Another area where welding art is common and interesting is in the building of temporary stage structures for musical extravaganzas. As an example, one welding artist, Kenny Baird created this type of stage for Kenny Rogers. Baird is also a master welder.
Some of the welding art is experimental to see what types of metals can be welded together in an art form. An example of this is work by Wylie Mitchell of Texas, where he created a sculpture using copper, mild steel and stainless steel. This created an effect that looked weathered and interesting. The contrast in colors made this an attractive piece.
For some welders, traditional welding became too confining and they were bored with construction of buildings and wanted to do something more. They saw the potential to work with the metals to bring them into a fuller way of expression.
Welding art uses the same processes as other welding. Many artists are skilled in arc welding and others use plasma cutters to produce intricate patterns. Still others use lasers to produce certain forms of welding art. This type of art is only limited by the imagination.
Many artists specialize in certain things. Some will create sculptures, others altars and tables and some will concentrate on building large sculptures that sit in front of office buildings or in parks. It will depend on the artist’s tastes and interests as to what they decide to do.
Wall sculptures are very popular with welding because they can be decorative especially when other types of metals are welded to them or they can be shaped through hammering, cutting and shaping the metal into unique shapes.
Many welders who also do art specialize in repair work. They attempt to create that same effect as the original piece wherever possible. The materials used in welding art can be everything from iron to other forms of steel. This really depends on the artist and their preference and skill at using specific materials. Stone and bronze seem to also be popular materials for some welders who do art.
Many art welders use simple and inexpensive tools to get their artwork done. The same equipment that they would use for other welding projects are part of the art toolkit as well.
By: William Walley
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Filed under Business by on Jun 28th, 2010.