| SCC E-News, Vol 5, No 5 . March 05, 2010 |
| 813 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon, SK S7N 1B5 • Ph: 306.653.3616 • fax: 306.244.2711 Mark Stobbe - Executive Director Website: www.saskcraftcouncil.org Archived Newsletters available on the Saskatchewan Craft Council website |
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“A man at work, making something which he feels will exist because he is working at it and wills it, is exercising the energies of his mind and soul as well as of his body. Memory and imagination help him as he works.” William Morris CRAFT COUNCIL NEWS 01. Unity & Diversity Catalogues for Sale The SCC has a limited number of catalogues for the Unity and Diversity exhibition at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale for sale. This richly produced 200+ page catalogue provides an excellent overview of contemporary Canadian craft. Copies can be purchased at the SCC Gallery or Traditions for $40. Betty Scarpino has taught wood turning at famous craft schools such as the Arrowmont School of Arts and Craft and the Centre for Turning and Furniture Design. She has been working in wood since the 1970s, has a degree in Industrial Arts from the University of Missouri, and is represented by some of the most prestigious galleries in the United States. She’s a contributor to publications such as Woodworkers’ Journal and American Woodturner. You can see some of Betty's work on her website... Betty will be one of the instructors at the Saskatoon Twenty Ten Wood Turning Symposium to be held this July 23 to 25th. It is an unique opportunity to learn from one of the very best. But act now – registration is limited, and the Symposium is filling up quickly. Click here for the registration form. 03. Save Money! Build Relationships! “Offer your customer a long term relationship, then do everything possible to build and maintain it.” So says sales guru Brian Tracy. The fact of the matter is the when people buy your craft, they are saying they like it. That means they want to like you as well. And if they like you, they’ll buy more. One key to build a relationship is to stay in touch – to let people know you remember and appreciate their patronage. A tool to do that is dropping them a note from time to time – let’s say a postcard. In order to make this easier and less expensive for you, the SCC is trying bulk buying of postcards. It will save you $50 to $80 from what you’d pay ordering a single set yourself. This is a time limited offer – click here for order information. Craft artists are generous people. A year ago, we did a survey that revealed that, on average, craft artists give away over $1,000 worth of professional time and product to various community organizations for fundraising. That commitment to community is commendable. However, the volume of requests can get depressing. The SCC gets an average of a request a week from charities asking us to help solicit artists for donations. Our response is to ask if the event is "artist friendly" (as per CARFAC guidelines). If not (and the only ones that have been since I've been here have been our own Fine Craft Auction, the NDP, and the Broadway Theatre) we tell them that we can't help and why. In general, I think, it falls on deaf ears. Many members report being overwhelmed with requests for work. Worse yet, in many cases, a donated piece is often essentially given away. A $500 piece might sell for $50 in an auction that has no reserve bid. A production piece valued at $50 might go for $2 or $3 worth of tickets at a draw table at a local hockey tournament. Understandably, many craft artists look at their income compared to the incomes of those going home with the discounted work and get, well, resentful. Understandably so. Here's one thought, however. By focussing on the poorness of artists, we ourselves devalue our work. If you are poor, then complaining about this sends a message that what you make doesn't have a lot of value. If it is not worth anything, then it costs nothing to give away. When turning down a request for a donation, I’d suggest a different approach as a reason. Highlight your success, and the value of your work. Here's an example: "Thank you for your e-mail [or photocopied letter] requesting a donation of my work for your fundraising event. My sculptural pieces retail for $1,200. As such, a donation of work represents a significant contribution, by me, to your organization. Before making a decision on whether to donate or not, I'd like to know:
Quite simply, I often donate work to charity, but have no desire to donate a piece of art valued at $1,200 if (a) it will be essentially given away at your event, or (b) if the requested donation by artists dramatically exceeds the donation request you are making from other occupational groups. I look forward to your response to these questions. When you send them, please note that I receive an average of 14 requests for artwork per year. If I said "yes" to all of these, my charitable contributions for the year would be in the range of $15,000. Therefore, before I decide on your request, I will also need a more detailed outline of the use to which the money will be put so that I can evaluate your request against the many other donation requests that I receive." Loan Program Information Sessions: The Creative Industries Consultant is holding one-on-one sessions for applicants to learn more about the program and discuss their business ideas. These sessions will be held in Regina on March 19 and 30 and in Saskatoon on March 23, 24, 25. Additional information sessions will follow. To book an appointment, contact: Karen Henders, Creative Industries Consultant - Phone: 306.787.9634, or Toll-Free (SK: 800.667.7526. Email: kphenders@artsboard.sk.ca. Flexible Loan Guidelines and Procedures PDF... During the spring and summer, many SCC members participate in regional studio/art tours events. We’d like to help with publicizing these events on our website and by generating some articles for magazines that highlight this activity. We’d like to get this up on the website soon, and will need information asap to generate magazine articles in time for publication deadlines. Therefore, could you e-mail a PDF of your region’s tour promotional brochure to Colin at colin@integrityimages.ca. If there is no brochure as yet, please send Colin an e-mail with the following information:
Multi-tasking is the buzz word of the new millennium. People used to talk about walking and chewing gum at the same time as a standard to strive for. Now it’s commonplace. It’s the same with our objects. One object. One function. Times have changed. With one of today’s phones you can take pictures, send e-mails, play games, listen to music, and even talk on the phone. It’s time to show the world that anything Stephen Jobs can do, Saskatchewan craft artists can do even better. The deadline for the Bi-functional craft contest is Friday, March 12. Get your entries into Traditions or the SCC Gallery- and have a shot at winning fame and fortune (or at least $500 cash and a $500 shopping spree at Traditions). 08. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Prairie Excellence: The Today and Tomorrow of Prairie Craft Some of our early communication for Prairie Excellence stated that the entry deadline would be May 31st, 2010. Please note that this ENTRY DEADLINE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO MAY 3. We apologize for any inconvenience that this change may have caused you. The attached brochure (click here) outlines how Prairie Excellence will be selected, by whom, and how to enter. All of the information you require should be in this – if you have any other questions about HOW to participate, give Mark a call at 306.653.3616 ext. 27 or e-mail at scc.director@sasktel.net.
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EDUCATION/WORKSHOPS Too Shy to Sell? To be successful, Craft artists have to do two things:
Let’s face it, selling can be tough. You are meeting new people at places like markets, and trying to engage. It’s not easy. There’s more. Most craft artists set out to be craft artists, not sales people. Most feel more at home in the studio than on the market sales floor. HELP IS AT HAND! Toastmasters International has been helping people feel more comfortable in speaking and public interaction since 1924. They’ve helped millions of shy people become more confident in public. The SCC has enlisted Toastmaster’s to help you. If you feel awkward and uncomfortable in settings such as craft markets, the “Too Shy to Sell?” session is for you. If you do “okay” at markets, but want to do better, the “Too Shy to Sell?” session is also for you. Prince Albert: Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Art Gallery of Prince Albert (142 – 12th St. West, Prince Albert), 7:00 to 9:00 pm. View PDF Poster here... 02. Murray Phillips / Roger Arndt Workshop Date: March 23 and March 24, 2010. Price: $195.00 for the two day workshop. Location: Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre, Stitchery Room, Regina. Time: 9:00 am to 4:30pm. Please bring your own lunch. Artist's Websites: www.murrayphillipsart.com and www.rdaart.com. Murray Phiilips may be reached by phone: 604.864.7220. Jean-Francois Escoulen has an obsession with defying the laws of gravity. He satisfies this obsession with his unique and whimsical wood turning. What’s more, he’s been teaching others for the past two decades. You can see images of his work here... Jean-Francois will be coming to Saskatchewan for the Saskatoon 2010 Wood Symposium this July 23 - 25th. It’s not often we get a wood turner from France to teach here – and he’s just one of the 15 instructors who will be at the Symposium. It’s a unique opportunity to learn from the best – from around the world. Registration will be limited to the first 100 – act now to avoid disappointment – the Symposium is almost half sold out already. Click here for the registration brochure. Attention all Artists and Art Educators - 1st Annual “Art in the City” Art Educator and Artist Retreat. April 15-17, 2010 at the Moose Jaw Art Gallery with Rob Froese (clay and wheel throwing) and Ward Schell (cartooning and drawing). This workshop is designed as an informal educational gathering for elementary to high school art teachers, community art educators and artists from every walk of life and range of experience. It is a hands-on opportunity that will challenge all. Everyone from beginners to seasoned art educators and artists are welcome! Registration is limited to the first 30 paid registrants so call the SSEA office now to secure your spot! Please contact Lorna Scott at: 306.975.0222, 1.800.667.7732 or email: ssea@sasktel.net for more information. View PDF Flyer for more details... CARFAC REGISTRATION INFORMATION All workshops are free and open to the public unless otherwise stated. We encourage pre-registration in case of cancellation or change. Call: 306.522.9788 in Regina, or 306.933.3206 in Saskatoon. (Members may use the toll-free telephone numbers printed on the back of their membership cards). Email: programs@carfac.sk.ca, or visit the CARFAC website for more details. 05. So Many Ideas So Little Time: Time Management for Artists This workshop is a discussion-based session that will explore the pitfalls artists face with time management. Many artists juggle multiple roles as an aspect of their career choice. Some work full-time, part-time or multiple jobs in addition to a studio practice. How can artists efficiently balance their working lives? This workshop will discuss some concrete strategies for creating balance, some simple ways to maximize studio time, scheduling strategies, how studio set-up impacts creative efficiency, and some of Heather Cline’s hard-learned lessons in time management. April 24th from 9:30am to 11:00am at the Signal Hill Gallery, 424 - 10th Ave. South, Weyburn, SK. The session will discuss tips and strategies for pricing artwork. How to determine what fair market value is - size, reputation, dealer’s commissions, prices of similar work, can all influence pricing. Monday, April 12th beginning at 7:30pm at the Gallery Building, at the Corner of College Ave. and Cornwall (old Mackenzie building beside Darke Hall), Regina. This workshop will give you guidelines on how to approach public and commercial art galleries, and other exhibition venues. The workshop covers preparing a portfolio and resume/artist’s CV, contracts, copyright, insurance and how to pack and ship artwork. Saturday, April 24, 2010, from 1:00pm to 3:30pm at the Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre, Llodyminster, SK. |
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CALLS FOR ENTRY 01. Smaller Than A Breadbox Exhibit 2010 Festival Dates: June 25 - July 7. Application Deadline is Monday May 1, 2010. This exhibit has been inspired by ceramic cone box exhibits, where no piece is larger than 3 inches by 3 inches by 6 inches. Traditionally Cone Box shows are made primarily of clay, but this exhibit is open to all mediums. You do not have to provide your own box but your piece must not exceed 3 x 3 x 6 inches. The Works Art & Design Festival is the largest event of its kind in North America. The Works features over 30 exhibits and 250 special events annually and attracts artists and art-lovers from around the world. If you would like to learn more about The Works please visit: www.theworks.ab.ca. For all Calls to Enter please click here... 02. 3rd Annual Chalk Art Contest 2010 Festival Dates: June 25 - July 7. Application Deadline is Monday June 1, 2010. Claim your space in The Works 3rd Annual Chalk Art Contest. Advance registration is recommended as the number of sidewalk sections are limited. Chalk is provided for Adults $20 and Children $10. For all calls to enter please click here... For more information, contact Glyn Evans-Percy via email: marketing.assistant@theworks.ab.ca. 03. The Works Art & Design Festival in Edmonton The Works Art & Design Festival in Edmonton, AB is calling all artists to participate in The Works Art & Design Festival’s 25th Anniversary June 25 to July 7, 2010. The Works will continue to be the largest art & design festival in North America with over 290,000 people attending, over 500 participating artists, 60+ live bands, a vibrant art market, 30 exhibits and 250 special events annually and attracted artists and art-lovers from around the world in 2009. We would like to offer the opportunity to any interested artists to participate in the upcoming festival in The Works Smaller Then A Breadbox Exhibit. This exhibit has been inspired by ceramic cone box exhibits, where no piece is larger than 3 x 3 x 6 inches. Traditionally Cone Box shows are made primarily of clay, but this exhibit is open to all mediums. Click here for details and entry applications... 04. Make parking your bike a beautiful thing We are inviting artists to submit sketches to a competition being held by Road Map Saskatoon, We Are Many (WAM), and the City of Saskatoon. The competition’s goal is to provide attractive and functional bicycle parking that will bring cyclists into commercial districts and contribute to people-friendly spaces. We intend to install bike racks throughout three communities in Saskatoon and hope that these bike racks can provide a visual symbol of Saskatoon’s commitment to becoming a sustainable, vibrant, and creative city. In order to make this happen we need input from our local artists, sculptors, and designers. The goal is to commission five to ten designs that will be used to create at least 15 bike racks. More bike racks may be commissioned pending increased funding from the City of Saskatoon. Sketches will be chosen by a panel composed of members of the art community as well as the Saskatoon Cycling Advisory Group. Each chosen design will be commissioned from the artist at a price of $400. Designs will be chosen based both on artistic merit as well as the functionality of the design as a bike rack. Sketches will be accepted until March 6, 2010. Please contact us to obtain an information package with more details about this project and how to submit a sketch. We encourage you to distribute this invitation to other local artists who would be interested in this project. For more information contact Amber Jones with Road Map Saskatoon at ajones@meewasin.com or 306.665.6887, and please refer to the attached press release. 05. Call for Entries - Land of the Loon Gallery The SCC will be again partnering with the Land of the Loon Resort at Anglin Lake to hold two exhibitions during the summer of 2010. The exhibition will be held in the Raven Room of the Land of the Loon Resort. One show will run from the May 14, to July 5. The second will run from July 6 to September 10, 2010. Work in the exhibition can be one-of-a-kind, limited edition, or production pieces. Work in the exhibition should be “for sale” with a 40% commission rate being charged. Multiple copies of the same piece can be provided in order to provide replacement exhibition pieces as work is sold. Work can be in any medium – however, we are looking for work from three craft people for each exhibition, which will consist of:
Please note that the primary target market consists of tourists, so work should be transportable and not excessively fragile. The exhibition will be juried from photographs of the work. To be considered, please forward by email, 3 images, representative of what you would have in the exhibition to, scc.exhibitions@sasktel.net, along with the following information:
All photographs and entry information must be received by Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Those selected will be notified by Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The work will need to be delivered to the SCC Gallery in Saskatoon one week before the beginning of the exhibition. It will be transported to Anglin Lake and installed by SCC staff. In 2009, we had 6 craft artists exhibit in the Raven’s Room Gallery. 4 sold work, 2 did not. We’ve adjusted the exhibition dates to give both shows a more equitable distribution of long weekends. If you wish to talk your ideas, please call Mark at 306.653.3616 ext. 27. |
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SCC GALLERY EXHIBITIONS The Art of the Book '08 – Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG) fifth major touring juried exhibition. February 26 – April 5, 2010. Art of the Book '08 Press Release (PDF) Homage – Necklaces inspired by outstanding Canadian women, historic and contemporary, created by Donald A. Fri, Apr 23, 2010 - Sun, May 30, 2010. Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty – Contemporary blown glass vases and sculptures by Susan Rankin, originally from Moose Jaw, SK, now from Ontario. Fri, Jun 4, 2010 - Sun, Jul 11, 2010. Artifact – Exhibition of small objects created by Emma 2010 International Collaboration participants, curated by Michael Hosaluk. Fri, Jul 23, 2010 - Sun, Aug 8, 2010. Compelled - Fri, Aug 13, 2010 - Sun, Sep 26, 2010. Please checkwww.saskcraftcouncil.org for updated listings |
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OTHER NEWS 01. Leslie Potter & Alicia Popoff exhibition "Third Sound" New Exhibition at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery - THIRD SOUND, March 7 to April 11, 2010 Visual artists Alicia Popoff and Leslie Potter are launching a touring exhibition of their work, entitled THIRD SOUND. The work consists of Alicia's oil paintings on canvas and Leslie's welded steel sculptures. The exhibition will start at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery in Yorkton from March 7 to April 11, 2010 with an opening reception on Sunday, March 21 from 2 to 4 pm. The tour will continue at the Allie Griffin Art Gallery in Weyburn, (Sept. 1 to 30, 2010), Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre in Lloydminster, (Oct. 14 to Nov. 30, 2010), Art Gallery of Regina, (Dec. 6, 2010 to Jan. 31, 2011), Estevan National Exhibition Centre, (April/May, 2011) and the Art Gallery of Swift Current. Follow the tour: www.thirdsound.ca. For more information contact: Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, 49 Smith Street Easy, Yorkton, SK. 02. Cottage Reno generates major commissions Interior Designor Happy Grove of HAPPYLIVINGSPACES turned to the SCC's Member Directory when he needed Saskatchewan Fine Craft When his long standing client told interior designer Happy Grove that she wanted to use handcrafted Saskatchewan furniture for her cottage in northern Saskatchewan, he turned to the SCC’s Membership Directory to identify possible suppliers. As a result, 5 Saskatchewan craft artists are busy working on 8 commissioned pieces. Mr. Grove used the SCC’s directory to identify 8 craft artists who had work displayed on their member pages that looked interesting to him. He contacted these artists, and, after follow-up discussions and proposals, gave commissions to:
It’s a tidy package of work for these craft artists, and will mean a truly wonderful looking cottage for Mr. Grove’s client. “Saskatchewan has craft artists who do wonderful work,” says Mr. Grove. “The SCC’s website made it quick and easy for me to locate the artists who were doing work that would be of interest to my client. As an interior designer, my relationship with furniture has been to buy it wholesale or from a retail outlet. The website made it possible for both me and my client to work as a collaborative team with artists to end up with something that is beautiful, unique and completely suited to the needs of my client. Working directly with the artists is a lot more exciting than simply flipping through a wholesale catalogue or going into a retail outlet.” 03. Saskatchewan Fashion - June Jacobs Thirza Jones of Media Group in Saskatoon produced a segment on Saskatchewan Fashion for Sasktel Max on Demand. June Jacobs is featured as part of that production in studio and in the Gallery. June's interview included a discussion on the inspiration for creating fashion accessories - hats, shawls, scarves, wristlets etc., and a walk through some technical aspects of making them such as felting, sculpting, dying, surface treatment, and embellishment. 04. 2010 Handwave Gallery Exhibition Schedule
A Reception is held on the first Sunday of each exhibition from 2:00 - 5:00pm. Hand Wave Gallery - 409 3rd Ave., Meacham, SK S0K 2V0 (62 km east of Saskatoon). Website: www.handwave.ca, Phone: 306.376.2221, Email: june.jacobs@handwave.ca. The Centre Mall, Centre East Galleries [Magenta Gallery] will display the Saskatoon Spinners & Weavers Guild - Exhibition of Fibre Art, featuring SCC members Alison Philips, Gwen Klypak, Judy Haraldson, June J. Jacobs. The exhibition will be held from March 1 to March 28, 2010. 06. Artists' Workshop "20th Anniversary Annual Show and Sale" Fri. April 16, 7:00-10:00pm, Sat. April 17, 10:00am-5:00pm, Sun. April 18, 12 noon-4:00pm, at Grace Westminster Church Auditorium, 10th Street & Eastlake Ave. - Saskatoon. Recent Works by: Virginia Beaubier, Valerie Borycki, Lou Chrones, Janet Danyliuk, Inger M. Grieve, Olga Kardash, Karen Maguire, Gail Prpick, Kathleen Slavin & Marilyn Weiss. The CQ fiber competition is on again and Hedi Gossweiler has entered two of her creations - now she needs your vote. Please help to put Saskatchewan, Canada on the map, we won Olympic Gold why not Fiber Gold? Hedi has two entries, under Fashion, titled "Wild Bag," and under Art, titled "Butterfly Art - Born Again." You can vote once only, make sure you make the right choice! Your vote counts! For more information, visit the website: www.llamas-alpacas.com/Showcase/ Saturday, June 12th and Sunday, June 13th, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. Tour the nursery on your own or with a guided tour group and see the projects underway BBQ hamburgers and refreshments available; potted lilies available to purchase. COST: NO ADMISSION CHARGE. AS PART OF THE TOUR WE WILL HAVE ARTISTS AT HONEYWOOD WITH SAMPLES OF THEIR ARTWORK TO VIEW AND PURCHASE WITH ON-GOING DEMONSTRATIONS THROUGHOUT THE TWO DAYS:
Tour information at: www.shellbrooktour.com 09. Being In Beauty ~ The Art of Transformation A solo exhibition of paintings by Dominique Hurley, March 18 - May 2, 2010, at The Refinery Arts & Spirit Centre, 609 Dufferin Ave., Saskatoon, SK. Transformational Opening, Friday, March 19, 7:00 - 10:00pm. For more information, view PDF Poster, call The Refinery 306.653.3509 or visit Dominique's website. 10. Regina Visual Artist Resgistry Regina Downtown BID has been working on art projects in Downtown for the past several years. Though the program has been successful, it has been limited. In response to this a revamped program was developed that will incorporate murals, window front displays, sculptures and art on power boxes. An artist registry database has been created to organize the artists that will be available for this and future projects. Please fill out the following form to be included in our growing database. The process is free and could result in your art being chosen for projects Downtown. The form is also available online at our website: www.reginadowntown.ca or view more details here... SCC Member Cherie Westmorland provided the photographic images for the book Life in the Canopy, a book of poetry by Regina poet Bruce Rice published by Hagios Press. The Winnipeg Free Press describes the visual effect of the book as “stunning.” 12. EMMA area - Bison on the edge The Sturgeon River Plains Bison Stewards will be hosting the upcoming conference "Bison on the Edge." Registration information and a DRAFT agenda for the meeting is available on our website, www.bisonstewards.ca. We also have volunteer opportunities if you would like to come and help with the conference. For more information, call Joanne Reimer (Conference Coordinator) at 306.469.4882, or email bisonstewards@hotmail.com. 13. The Stall Gallery presents: Bryce Erickson Sunday, March 07 - April 17. The Opening Reception will be held on Sunday, March 07, 1:00 - 3:00 pm. For more details, visit the website: www.thestallgallery.com, phone, 306.653.0800, or Email: info@thestallgallery.com Art Placement is pleased to present On Collecting, featuring works by Robert Christie, Reta Cowley, Terry Fenton, Greg Hardy, Robert Hurley, Dorothy Knowles, Ernest Lindner, Nancy Lowry, John McLean, Wynona Mulcaster, William Perehudoff and Allen Sapp. Please join us on Thursday, March 4th for an evening of artful conversation, wine and great company as we celebrate, with Hagios Press, Terry Fenton's new book About Pictures. For ticket information, please contact Linda at 306.664.3385. |
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