From the Prez:  Barbara Schicitano

Dear WCA Members:

The End of Season event is on Sunday April 27th from 3 to 5 PM.  This is a Members Only event.  Student scholarship awards will be presented. 

A huge thank you to Kathie Stewart who is resigning as Treasurer this month.  She did a terrific job and I will miss her.  I will also miss Eleanor Merritt as one of my advisors and Genevieve Perkins as our Social Coordinator.  They have resigned this year after many years of dedicated volunteering.  Thank you so much to all!!

Serious business.  In April 2009, I will have been president of WCA for five years. Most of the Board of Directors has been with me throughout.  Most directors are stepping down to make way for new leadership.  There is no one “in the wings” or coming forth to be nominees for these positions.  Will there be no more Board for WCA? This became an urgent situation for this season but is crucial for the next.

 We need a strong nominating committee to form immediately and someone to do that

2.   We need leadership for some of the non-Board committees and coordinators. These on Page 9.  Some positions are in place and will remain.  PLEASE NOTE: This is not a call for volunteers to be on committees but for the leadership of that committee.

3.   There must be 7 or 8 members out of 148 who are willing take the leadership for WCA

4.    The WCA Election will take place at the Holiday Event on December 7th (tentative date)

5.   We are in immediate need of a treasurer to keep the books.  Our dear treasurer Kathie is resigning as of this May.  Kathie will train whoever takes this position.

This isn’t hard work, ladies, nor is it rocket science.  It’s truly fun and rewarding.  Until there is a Nomination Committee, if you would like to run for office, please contact me or another member of the Board. See page 9 for Job Descriptions

 Congratulations to our Student Scholarship Award Winners

Mikaela Williams and Mandy Seckington

from the Ringling College of Art and Design

Former Scholarship winner and WCA member Ramona Mayer will speak at the End of Season Event on April 27th. 

The new Award Winners will present their work to the membership.

 Grace Landon: “Mikaela Williams is a very creative woman who works in all media including oil, prints, sculpture, and watercolor. All of Mikaela’s work followed a theme and was deep and stimulating. Her talk and power point show (at our end of season awards event) will be enlightening to our members.

 Mandy Seckington, a fiber artist, is very prolific and exciting in her work.  Mandy does wonderful sculptural work in fabric. Some of it is very large, some is flat, and some is 3-D and free hanging.

 Both of these young women are marvelous. We are very lucky to have them as our Scholarship Members of 2008-2009”.  

Please consult the WCA website frequently for announcements, updates, general information, archived newsletters and directions to all events.

LUNCH BUNCH events continue throughout the summer and start at 11 AM

GUESTS ARE WELCOME and ALL must RSVP

Bring your own lunch - The host will provide drinks and dessert

It's a MUST to RSVP to the member host

NOTE: When you are the host, please keep an accurate list of who is attending so that if you must cancel, your guests can be contacted. Then please give that list to Marianthe.

            2008 Schedule

May                    Elisabeth Stevens

June                   Joan Bisser

July                    Sally Sloan

August               Kathie Stewart

September         Judy Lyons Schnieder

October              Christina Caserta

November          Bernice Gaines

December             open

There are dates open that need hosts.   Lunch Bunches are usually on the first Monday of each month unless a holiday interferes.  The Lunch Bunch is an informal and excellent way to meet other members. Please volunteer your home and also attend as often as possible.   To arrange to host, or for further info, please email Marianthe Pastore at marianthepastore@yahoo.com  or call at 377.7375.  Thanks for your participation.

MEMBER NEWS

 http://www.womencontemporaryartists.com/membership.htm

 
“I Saw the Light at 44th and Broadway” by Kris Parins will be included in the Southern Watercolor Society 31st Annual Juried Exhibition to be held in Quincy FL February 29 - March 29, 2008. Linda Moyer NWS served as juror, and selected 86 works from a total of 436 entered. The society includes members from 19 southern states. www.krisparins.com  

Carol Doenecke won a Third Prize at the Northern Trust Exhibit at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts show which ran February 22 - March 9, 2008. She also won a Merit Award at the Portrait and Figure Exhibit at the Venice Art Center in January 2008.

“Serendipity” Stumbling upon interesting discoveries by chance…..two artists….a photographer, Judy Kramer, and  mixed media artist, Melody Oxarart…their meeting, their approach to their media, their second exhibition.  Join the artists on Friday, April 4 from 5 to 7 P.M. for the Opening Reception of “Serendipity” at The Glen Gallery of Longboat Key Center for the Arts. Judy searches for the unusual view of ordinary things – swimming pool reflections, walls with peeling paint, cars in junk yards—her subject matter might surprise you. Melody uses materials not usually associated with art - dog hair, radiator remnants and expanding foam to create provocative and fascinating two and three dimensional works. "Serendipity" will be on view from March 16 to April 15, 2008. The Longboat Key Center for the Arts is located at 6860 Longboat Drive South, Longboat Key, FL 34228. Phone at 941-383-2345 for directions or further information.

Mary Lou Ringers had two pieces, “Heart Beat” and “Black on White” juried into the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society Signature Member’s Show running at Art Center Manatee through April 11. She also had one piece, “Lookin’ Up” juried in to the WCA show at Joan Peter’s Gallery.    

Joan Peters won a merit award at the student's show at Longboat Key Center for the Arts for her oil painting “Oranges”.  Joan was taking a workshop with Jean Blackburn.  Joan also was first place winner in our March exhibition.

Elisabeth Stevens will have an art exhibition of ten large etchings at the Sarasota Art Center from May 20 to July 26, 2008.  The opening is on Thursday, May 22 from 5-7 p.m.   All are invited.

NEWS TO USE

Your signature should be you.  It is your logo.  Make it consistent from one painting to the other. It should be recognizable and readable.  Don’t hide it.  Be sure it is on the painting where you can see it, not under the mat.  Prints, Giclée’s and copies should be signed on the border below the print area.  The number of the print should be on the left corner, the name of the piece in the center and your signature in the far right corner.  A silver or gold Jellyroll pen or a black fine line marker all work well. Never, ever date your paintings.  Many organizations have a time limit in their prospectus and why box yourself into that hole? Be sure to put the copyright symbol © by your name.

NOTE: You do not have to register with the Library of Congress to copyright your work.  The minute you sign your work, you automatically own the rights to your art.  To further protect your rights ( and receive financial damages from someone who infringes or copies or sells you images) you may want to fill out the simple copyright form and file it with the Library of Congress before any infringement takes place.  Only then will you have the right to file for financial damages.  Forms can be obtained by calling (202) 707-2600 or downloaded from the internet from the Copyright Office home page – http://www.loc.gov/copyright.  The cost of registering your work with the Library of Congress is $30 per image, unless you can prove a series.  Then it is $30 a series.  This can be done by providing either a color photo or a digital photo.  Also remember, when you sell a painting, the buyer owns the painting, you own the image and all the rights of reproduction.

Want more artistic exposure? Sign on for a free profile on www.artscuttlebutt.com.  It’s easy to create a profile, upload your art images, and link to your own website and/or your WCA member web page.  This is part of the Art Calendar site www.artcalendar.com which is chock full of info and opportunities for the artist.

 Portfolio Presentation   A great rule of doing business is “Make it easy.” Even better, “Make it irresistible.”  by Carolyn Blakeslee

Online Presentations:  If an artist e-mails me a 10-mg or even a three-mg file, I’ll often reply requesting removal from their mailing list. Truthfully, though, artists are actually “guilty” of sending huge e-mails to us less often than arts organizations and galleries! E-mails of that size clog inboxes and can downright jam a server (and they have done same to mine). E-mailed images as “teasers” are fine as long as they are eensy. All the artist has to do is set the pixel resolution as onscreen or “72” and set the largest dimension as five or six inches. One or two images can be sent with a URL that would enable someone to see more if they’re interested.

I’ve seen hundreds of e-mails asking me to visit URLs; some are abrupt, some are polite, and some are sent shotgun-style to “undisclosed recipients” or to a huge list. Like bulk mail, generic requests for attention are usually ignored by their recipients.

A correct e-mailed presentation is addressed personally (with correct spelling), includes a low-resolution teaser image, demonstrates the artist’s familiarity with the recipient’s business and focus, and invites the recipient to visit a URL for more information, with the URL being properly linked for instant access.

Besides a URL, online tools can enable spectacular presentations. Personally I don’t care for PowerPoint, but www.OneTrueMedia.com site offers a great alternative. Ultimate Fade-in Slide Show is another option (visit www.DynamicDrive.com/dynamicindex14/fadeinslideshow.htm).

When it comes to posting videos online, the leading service is www.YouTube.com. You can present videos of yourself working on art, or you can give studio tours, provide teasers to your workshops, and more. You can even broadcast your own live webvision programs (www.Stickam.com), enabling you to offer webcast workshops for students living anywhere in the world, or, getting back to presentations, invite interested people into your studio for a long-distance appointment, video-conferencing style.

Mind Your Business: You Will Lose All The Rights to Your Own Art - Mark Simon is mad as hell and, in this month's "Mind Your Business," he tells you why you should be too.

http://mag.awn.com/?ltype=pageone&article_no=3605 

            Making the Most of Art Receptions By Deborah Rubin

 Whether artists exhibit work in profit or nonprofit spaces, sooner or later they will have to attend an art reception. Often artists think receptions are unnecessary aspects of their exhibits, something they are obligated to attend, but don’t need or want to attend. How wrong they are, and how damaging it can be.

I’ve attended many receptions for my work throughout my career and learned that an artist’s behavior at a reception can affect the artist’s stature and sales. At receptions for artists in group shows, for example, I have seen artists arrive late, leave early, be rude, become inebriated and surround themselves with friends, leaving no space or time for strangers to interact. As a result, there have been negative reactions from gallery directors and art viewers, and the artists’ sales have suffered.

Converse with the crowd: I have learned that a reception is my “reality” public relations. It is a chance for me to sell myself and my work. The gallery or museum director will usually introduce me to people, clearing the way for conversation. However, sometimes I’m on my own at a reception, and that has taught me how to create a rapport with people. I have an outgoing personality so it is easy to talk about my work and work life to strangers. For others who are generally shy, this takes practice.

I like to keep an air of mystery about my work in my conversations — not be too pedestrian and banal. In other words, I don’t give away too much information. I don’t say a particular painting was quick and easy to do if it looks detailed and difficult. Or if it was truly difficult, I don’t say it was laborious or tedious. There are ways to talk about the work that leave it wonderful and fresh without lying. I pay attention to words I use, think before speaking and talk in general terms rather than specifics. The more the viewer knows about the work ethic, process or my personal life, the less magical and mysterious the artwork becomes. And that mystery is part of an artist’s aura. It is part of what attracts people to art. Artists need to be salesmen, and learning what to say and what not to say can make or break an art sale.

Stand out:  My dress is also important. Many artists want to look as if they just finished their last painting. That might work in some venues, but not in others.

The artist should be recognizable in a crowd. I do that by knowing the place and knowing what people will be attending, and then dressing up or down, accordingly. If the reception is in a college town, the people will probably dress casually; therefore, I dress more formally so I will be recognized. If it’s a formal crowd, I dress down.

When I first exhibited my art at a young age, I thought the art stood for itself and that I didn’t need to look attractive or polished. But I’ve learned that people are drawn to beauty, whether it’s in the art or the person. It’s all part of the public relations.

Make a creative presentation: The reception can be more than art and refreshments. Anything extra might entice more people to attend the exhibition. Of course, these types of plans must be cleared with those in charge. Artists can decorate a space with items that tie into their work. For example, at an exhibition of my flower paintings, vases of fresh flowers were displayed throughout the space. At a different show, European maps showing the places I painted were next to the paintings.

Another idea is to add music, dance or even poetry to the reception. One artist I know illustrated a book about a dancer and invited the dancer to perform at the reception for the work. Another exhibit on ’50s diners used the diner theme throughout the reception. A jukebox played ’50s music, the director wore a waitress outfit, and the gallery served ice cream. I even sang in my community chorus at one of my receptions. The doors were open to the outside, the music was loud, and people jammed into the space to hear the music and then look at the artwork. If these are advertised, they bring in people who might not otherwise attend. They also generate more publicity. And above all, the reception can be a refreshing break from the typical one.

Offer a gallery talk: I have scheduled brief gallery talks during the reception and longer talks on other days as a way to increase visibility and interest as well. The gallery talk is printed with the reception information and also included in any public relations materials. Usually local newspapers list the event and may even have a reporter cover the talk. The gallery talk allows me to talk more formally about my work, as well as have a question and answer period. It helps me clarify my work, and the listener understands my work better. It also gives people another chance to meet me if the talk is on another day. Some artists will talk for an hour with a visual presentation. Others, like me, speak for 20 minutes, followed by a 20-minute question and answer time.

Art receptions are important to an artist’s career, and when he pays attention to his demeanor and dress as well as the exhibition space, the artist can make the reception a positive experience for everyone.

Copyright © 2008 Deborah Rubin. Deborah’s work may be found at DeborahRubin.com. E-mail DeborahRubin@comcast.net.

10 Great Towns for Working Artists - Number 5 is Bradenton, Florida - Village of the Arts By Kim Hall

What makes it special: Celebrating its seventh birthday, the Village of the Arts, with help of the city, a handful of artists and the Village’s nonprofit organization, the Artists’ Guild of Manatee, set out to create a community where artists of all disciplines could live and work. Forty artists later, the Village is well on its way. With monthly art walks that fill the streets with art lovers, loads of special events, outdoor movie nights, gourmet food and a location just minutes from the beach, this is the Gulf Coast’s largest artist community in one of Florida’s most culturally-rich areas. Attracting a variety of artists, including those middle agers in the midst of career changes to fine arts, this focused arts district is full of burgeoning and established artists who passionately support one another’s careers.

What it offers: The city is providing artists who purchase property in specific areas of the district with up to $10,000 in matching renovation grants (1:1 match). There are also a variety of properties available with designated mixed-use zoning.

Web: www.villageofthearts.com / Contact: 941-747-8056 or villageofthearts@gmail.com . To reach city, e-mail mike.kennedy@cityofbradenton.com .