Baren Digest Friday, 18 May 2001 Volume 15 : Number 1423 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Kinzua" Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 10:16:05 -0400 Subject: [Baren 14461] Re: Baren Digest v15 #1422 Is it > O.K. to promote yourself when you have a show? I.E. call the newspapers, > call the journals,call gallery owners, etc.... and pitch your opening. Hi, I can't believe anyone is still asking this question. As others have said, who else is going to do it? I usually feel guilty for not doing enough self promotion. I hate it. I've always been told that you should have a mailing list of press, art consultants, curators, etc, that you should use several times a year. Yikes! Press releases for everything. I learned one lesson last year when I had a solo show and sent out press releases and slides to lots of area newspapers. Practically every one of them printed it word for word. I should have varied it a little because a lot of people saw the same thing two or three places. Now I have an ethical question. Let's say a museum is interested in acquiring your work but this museum never buys art, it asks for donations from artists and collectors. Let's say the collector you had counted on to buy the piece and donate it backs out. You are willing bite the bullet and donate the work yourself but the idea of "gift of the artist" under your artwork gives you the willies. Is it ethical to "sell" the work to a friend for maybe a dollar, since this friend can't afford to pay what it's worth, then have the friend donate the piece to the museum? I've heard this happens and I guess that it isn't technically unethical, it just sounds a little like a vanity thing. Any thoughts? Karen Berkenfeld http://homepages.msn.com/timessquare/kfberkenfeld/ ------------------------------ From: Cate-Earthlink Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 09:26:46 -0500 Subject: [Baren 14462] Re: Baren Digest v15 #1422 Let me add my voice to this chorus singing "yes, market yourself." Creating awareness and disseminating information are not the same as self-aggrandizement. The most important thing is to be truthful and to speak to your audience in a language that they understand. Also, talk in terms of benefits - art has many. ------------------------------ From: "Murilo Pereira" Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 11:27:11 -0300 Subject: [Baren 14463] Re: newSurimono charset="iso-8859-1" Jean Eager wrote: I wanna say I think the same as Jean: the prints are excellent and so the explanation of the process. And the photos. You're great. Thanks. Best wishes for all. Murilo,Florianópolis ( is it in the map?) , Brazil. ------------------------------ From: "bemason" Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 08:08:05 -0700 Subject: [Baren 14464] Re: Baren Digest v15 #1422 Karen, Artists have bought each others work and donated it to museums for years. It is the only way to get a tax credit and totally legal, so sell it for the full price to your friend, buy one of theirs for the same amount. Donate or hang on wall and take your tax deduction! Barbara ------------------------------ From: Sunnffunn@aol.com Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 12:31:55 EDT Subject: [Baren 14465] Re: Collaboration Dave is doing one more thing in his work. He is inspiring many of us to just try woodblock printing. That is spreading the art worldwide, just that alone is a huge contribution. Marilynn ------------------------------ From: barebonesart Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 09:29:24 -0700 Subject: [Baren 14466] Re: Baren Digest v15 #1422 Dan, Ditto on all the answers re/self promotion. Send a formal press release and then do a follow up phone call to ensure they received it and give you a step up on all the folks who did not call afterward! I learned this from a newspaper person. To local papers it is a good idea the first time around to send a Press Packet: Resum=E9, Press Release, invitation to the show, phot= o of one piece of work (include SASE to return photo to you) then give them the call a day or two later. Press Releases need to go out 3 weeks in advance. Find out what your papers deadlines are and ask the Arts person ho= w they like the information. Build a relationship with them. I used to take our local person home baked goodies - he was a bachelor and loved sweets. M= y friends teased me about bribing him with my sticky buns, but he gave me pretty much whatever I asked for and even began collecting my work. Good luck! Sharri ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 17:45:18 -0500 Subject: [Baren 14467] Re: Skokie BAREN Exhibit - Important info 05/17/2001 05:45:12 PM Well, the time is here so to speak... to put the show on the road! The second Baren Exchange exhibit goes up this weekend with the shows official opening slated for May 23rd. Approx. 130+ prints representing the work of 95+ international woodblock printmakers will grace the walls of the Skokie Public Library from 5/23 thru 7/3. Thanks to the availability of last years frames for reuse and to the proceeds from the BarenMall sales...no participation fee or monetary help is needed this time around. Thanks to all who by purchasing supplies thru the Mall have in a way contributed and made "our" exhibit a reality. The first stack of 100+ announcement cards went out this morning to local art groups, library patrons and local colleges. All participating Baren artists (exchanges #5-#9 & snakes) will receive their cards early next week. Here is where I need a little help.... If you participated in #1-#4, I have your mailing address on record...also if you were/are in the New Year dragon & snakes exchanges, I got you. That covers about 97% of the 90+ members participating this time. If you have moved, are new for #5-#9 or did not get a card last year....please send me offlist your mailing address so I can add you to the mailing list pronto. If you are new to Baren and would like an announcement card anyhoo...also let me know. For sure I need Chris Bremmer & Josephine Severn's new addresses..and all the new comers.. Elizabeth, you are okay..I owe you for last year. Re the prints selected. Due to this years reduced wall space (we only have the first floor)....I only have exhibit space for about 1/2 the prints from the five exchanges and the Snake exchange. The prints selected by a local artist are representative of our group and the variety of styles found among our group. Later this weekend I will be posting a complete artist list as well as the specific print(s) selected to represent each artist. Of course, photos & url links to follow. thanks again for your support and your many contributions to Baren....Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois) ------------------------------ From: "Gillyin Gatto" Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 18:55:07 -0700 Subject: [Baren 14468] writing your own press release,rubber base ink hello to all and specifically Dan a good way to publicize your show is to write a "press release" (write those very words on the top corner) and send it to all your local newspapers and place it on bulletin boards in likely locations-- like libraries ,schools , cafes etc. newspapers especially WANT press releases and submissions to their "arts calendars" you dont need to sign it even just put press release and date it if it could have a picture of your work along with the text- so much the better if you can "interview yourself" even better that way you can plan exactly what you would want people to know about you instead of hoping that the gallery guy will know to do it cuz he/she probably wont best of luck with your show well, i have tried the rubber base VAN SON ink and my initial reaction was surprise at the SMELL of it which is quite different than the oil base second reaction was frustration at how long it took to dry ! i proofed a block and then i like to NOT wash the ink off /let it dry / carve more but it was not even dry after 3-4 days so i just carved anyway and of course got my hands completely black so far i like my oil base plus better gillyin machias maine usa ------------------------------ From: amanda yopp Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 19:05:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Baren 14470] Re: Baren Digest v15 #1422 Dan, It is not even a question about being modest or humble. It is about letting people know where and when they can see your work. Self promotion is also about giving people valuable information, something to do, and hopefully something to send their money on. Write a press release. It should be short and to the point. If its too long it might not get read and instead will be thrown away. Submit the press release to the papers, public radio stations, etc. Be aware of their deadlines for submission and who to send it to. I have had success with emailing press releases (only to papers that list their email as a place to send press releases). Good luck. - -Amanda Yopp - - ------------------------------ From: Legreenart@cs.com Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 23:43:52 EDT Subject: [Baren 14471] Re: Baren Digest v15 #1422 - --part1_18.d01aa21.2835f478_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear Dan, What is appropriate can vary. As a non- profit with limited staff, money and time, we always hope that the artists will do some promoting. We need all the publicity we can get. We really expect local artists to send out some invitations. But the artist should talk to the galley/host about what they are going to do. Be prepared to to show a proof of the p.r. with the hosting gallery. We have been on both sides... we have published invitations and printed ads for a cooperating gallery, as part as our mutual agreement ... and still had to deal with complaints because of details on the invitation they did not like. The more pretigious the gallery, the more they want control of their image and p.r. The cooperative gallery I belong to prints shoe invitations for group shows, and then individual artists also print their own, using the group copy, but adding their own image to the front, with a byline "featuring the art of Notshy Artist." I really think that is a great idea. However, we maintain good relationships with the local media through a long history of effort, having attended seminars with media representatiives and learning exactly how they prefer releases to be formatted, what the deadlines are, and being available for followup interviews and phot sessions. So we send media realeases for the shows to certain newspapers, radios, and magazines. Having an artist send out a media release without coordinatating with us could create a problem. Now, if an artist is from out of town, were we do not know the media contacts, we would be thrilled to have an artist to send media realeases to their local media. Yours, Le Green Stonemetal Press Email: legreenart@cs.com ------------------------------ From: Legreenart@cs.com Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 00:00:45 EDT Subject: [Baren 14472] Re: Baren Digest v15 #1422 Oh! one other thing. What the newspaper art columnist wants to have from us if he is going to promote the ARTIST and not just the show, is a BIO from the artist and three slides to choose from of the artist's work that will reprint well. Only one out of fifty artists will send this to us. They send their boring resumes... which can be important to buyers, but reprters do not want to read them. They want an interesting narrative that tells something about who the artist is, something about their career, something about how s/he makes the art, something about what the art looks like, and something about why they make the art... Write what you would like an article about you say. Use third person, speak as your own best fan. Send slides of art that is bold, fairly simple so it can still look good even if the presses aren't running right. Now you have done the reporter's jobs for them. The reporter will love you. he can tweek your bio, add the slides, and go home early. Your article gets in print. He looks forward to the next time he hears from you. Yours, Le Green Stonemetal Press Email: legreenart@cs.com ------------------------------ From: CWaimon@aol.com Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 08:13:04 EDT Subject: [Baren 14473] Re: Skokie BAREN Exhibit - Important info Hello, I am new to Baren and would like to be kept up to date on exhibits, etc. Thank you. D. Waimon 1 Cherry Hill Lane New Milford, CT 06776 ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest v15 #1423 *****************************