Workshops: Professional Presentation for the Practicing Artist
Informed by my dual roles as both a practicing artist as well as my 15+ years working in arts administration specific to visual arts galleries, centers, and museums, I present workshops to give artists a necessary skill set for survival with promotions, presentations, and proposals. Often, these survival skills are not taught in art schools, or as artists enter the field later in life, are simply unknown (and mysterious!).
The workshop, Professional Presentation for the Practicing Artist, covers the basics of being an exhibiting artist, from putting exhibition and grant proposals together including how to write résumés and artist statements, edit your work, and put together a professional package, to the exhibition and sales of your art (packing and shipping, basic framing, labels and exhibition design, selling, gallery relationships). We review promotions of artwork, including web sites and other on-line outlets, postcards and other hard copy materials, book and magazine publicity, and networking. The material is covered from both the perspective of an exhibiting and teaching artist with her fair share of both successes and failures as well from the vantage point of a gallery director who has worked with artists from the local level to internationally known on various arts programming including art exhibitions and artist lectures, workshops, and book signing. During my tenure at Morehead State University, I have worked with Faith Ringgold, Judy Baca, Chip Kidd, Eleanor Heartney, and Lynda Barry for a range of arts programming.
This workshop, normally 4 – 6 hours in length with a brown bag lunch break, has been hosted by the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, the Cave Run Arts Organization, Morehead Art Guild, Photos in Common, Ohio Valley Arts Organization, University of Kentucky, and Morehead State University. Participants have included emerging and established artists, art students and faculty, craftspeople, and novice artists exploring options to “professionalize”.