Upcoming Events

 

 

25th March 2017

 

 

 

 

Twilight Markets

Ipswich City Mall

4 pm to 8 pm

 

 

 

 

Some of my current cards on sale!

 

$4 each

 

 

Profession Practise

The Art of Selling Yourself Short

As artists you need to think in terms of yourself as running a small business. Business seek to make a profit.  For many artists that is very small. However their is every chance you are paying people to take your work home.

I often see works with prices less than the price it costs to put on the wall, for the sake of making a sale.  Even if you don't value your efforts, you don't need customers to follow suit. We have enough friends trying to get their hands on our work for next to nothing.

As professionals its time to stop selling yourselves short. How do you know you can't get more for your work if you don't ask?

Here's something based on an article I read recentlyL


Pricing artwork is difficult for all artists, for most of us it’s a blind guess and none of us knows for sure if we’re meeting our costs letting alone making any money. Here is a formula I found online.  Step one is knowing — what it cost you to put it on a gallery wall, online or market stall.

Costs include: Art supplies, framing, gallery hire or market fees, galleries commissions; advertising and marketing costs, packaging and postage, online fees and admin costs like phone calls.

Labour: Something for your time and effort for first times or emerging artists this will not be an hourly rate, but you want something for your time and effort. I increase this cost with each exhibition I host or take part in.  It work is unsold I may reduce the price at the end of each year.

In other words you should be charging something for your experience and skills even if for now that’s five dollars so if you’re happy with $10 in your pocket. The price is:-

Costs plus $5 = sale price

This is your bottom line – the minim amount you’re willing to bank.

I should never see $10 to $15 on an original piece hanging in a commercial gallery or even a market. (Even if you are sharing the gallery with others).  It’s time to start valuing ourselves as artists even if others do not. Carolyn Edlund recommends you bottom line is actually twice the costs plus profit amount. You can read her article online.

Canvas and frames often start at $10 so I know local artists are currently selling their work to low.

Ignite calling for expression of interest

The Road Ahead

 

As you know we have changed our name to better reflect our goals for 2017. Our goal is to build a inclusive artist network in the Ipswich region, through mentorships for emerging artists.  As manger I am currently working on two submissions for funding for our new look program. A number of informal mentorships are already taking place, as we join FOCAL Community Living and Ipswich Square in there Friday Night Markets give the community  a contact point to come and chat about the development of our network.

 

Going forward we see the development of a social enterprise and user pays services as possible solutions to create a funding base.  In 2017 we will be researching possible models to apply for seed funding to kick off in 2018 with a more stable future. We are using the markets to form part of our research base.  The question is What type of revenue could markets provide. These markets are to raise funds for Focal Community Living and we extend a warm thanks for allowing us to participate free of charge.

 

 

Stage one is being supported by local artists Kate Den Otter. She and I am currently being support by Nancy Brown through my arts business development mentorship.  I deeply value each partnership and their generosity to support my vision.

 

The Network is for emerging artists: Emerging artists be begun their professional life as visual artists and have been selling their work for less than five years. If this is you than we are now seeking expression of interest for mentorships to commence in 2017. Feedback from previous applications was they were to complex and off putting to even well qualified art practioners. Thus we are encouraging all artists to attempt to complete our expressions of interest form, with no pressure to answer all questions, just do your best.  Or video tape your current art practise, as this is evidence to include in our funding submissions. Expression of interest forms give more info on this format of applications.  Simply email us for a form.

 

There is one form to use regardless of how you hope to become involved.  If you are seeking paid employment are simply ask to attach additional information.  There are no closing dates as we many need to make several submissions before we are successful.  We have a submission to loge be 5 February and our two candidates for 2016 will form part of this submission.

 

We are also applying for RADF funding to run one off workshops, you can also email us for these EOI forms.

 

 

So what is a mentorship and why should you apply?

 

Firstly I think anyone wanting to grow in their artistic and professional practise such apply.  A mentor can assist you:-

 

• To develop your artistic skills
• To develop your artistic practise
• To promote your wrote and write a business plan
• To develop and plan an exhibition

 

We will develop the format of your mentorship if you are successful.  If you are able to pay for your own mentorship than we can immediately begin to set this up for you.

 

Artists who are socially disadvantage

 

Artists Living with disability can use the same for to apply for a 8 week professional development mentorship being offered in partnership with Access Arts (there is only one place) and this application closes Feb 28th @ 5pm.

 

If you are eligible for the NDIS you might want to visit us at the Twilight Markets for info on writing your ndis are goals.

 

Hope to receive your expression of interest form soon.

 

Deb Chilton

Manager

Welcome to 2017

2017 Let's Go!

 

 

2016 was an amazing year for me as I surrounded myself with amazing talented artists in the Ipswich community.  I enjoyed putting my hand to traditional water colour at BIA; took part in the Ipswich Festival parade, sold my first piece of artwork through Brisbane Rotary Art Exhibition, flew to Sydney to se my artwork display on a graffiti wall.  Attended conferences and workshops on the NDIS; had my first solo exhibition at Drawing Point Gallery,  my art began selling alongside others artists, began designing my own fabric, made my own patchwork quilt, took part in five collaborative art exhibitions and made new friends along the way . . .

 

 

Arts Connect in the Ipswich Festival Parade

 

 

 

Fresh Futures Market 2016

 



The buzz in the disability sector is the arrival of the NDIS and the roll out that commences in July this year. It is a time of anticipation for some and a nervous wait for others. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is not the latest funding reform in disability care.  It is a revolutarily way to empower people living with disability and their families to participate in the life of their communities. Offering them choice and control over the way they are supported to life their best lives. 

 

 

Accessing and participating in the community

 

 

Choices can be made about the types of activities people want to participate in (known as goals); the way the wish to be assisted to participate (know as pathway steps); the types of support, equipment and services the want to be able to reach their goals (known as resources) and who will be responsible for ensuring funding is spent correctly. (known as administration of funding).

 

 

Pathways to choice

 

 

The key agenda in this reform is participation.  The government no longer wants to see people  with disability sitting at home.  The National Disability Insurance Agency wants to see people with disabilities out and about in the community.  This could include employment, self-employment, community work, study, training, life skills development, sports and leisure, art and craft and so much more.

 

 

Part of my NDIS plan is to grow my small business and mentor other artists through Ignite Artists. I am currently writing a number of submissions to enable me to get my venues off the ground, hopefully including some market research to lay a firm foundation for 2018.  Hey!  Rome wasn't built in a day.

In the mean time you can find me or one of the Ignite Artist Team in the Ipswich Mall at the Twilight Markets on Friday's between 4 pm and 8 pm. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Blair Disability Links 2016

Supported by Shayne Neunnam MP

Great to catch up with my colleagues at Blair Disability Links yesterday.  The launch of the 2016 Disability and Seniors Links booklets brings a list of service providers together for those needing support in the Blair Electorate. These should a real asset for those planning to live their best lives under the National Disability Scheme in Blair.  I more than happy to come have a chat with you about where art fits in with your NDIS goals.

Personally I like to thank Shayne for his acknowledgement in parliament of the work I do in Ipswich and highlighting the access issues artists with disability encounter in their daily lives. Today being International Day for People with Disabilities, we don't want to focus on our inabilities but continue to work together to build an inclusive community for us all to work, live and play.

I am committee to continuing to highlight the access issues for all people with disabilities to ensure into the future we are fully participating in the lives of our community. You can support my work through purchasing our Artisability Christmas cards here or email us your order.

All Cards are $2 this year

and designed by our talented artists.

View Shayne Neumann's Disability Links Video to see how your money is being used to enable our artists to access the community.

Accessing the Arts Community

Artists with disability have the skills, talent and ambition to compete in the arts industry both here and overseas, but few of us meet this reality.  Why?

All of us knows the long unpaid work hours it takes to get our work from the studio to the gallery wall or floor, in the hope to achieve sales. Yes, there are days . . . . many days we think arrh too hard. Add to this a layer of communication disorder or needing to depend on an advocate to negotiate with a gallery.  Then you needed to nargivate a team of supports and bring them onto the same page.  Your advocate and legal guardian, chances these two people know little about art and even less about working with galleries.

These are the artists I seek to work with . . . But that's not where the access issues begin.  #1 access issue is to have these artists valued as artists and their contribution to the arts community recognised by others.  This begins with pricing work right?  Very wrong. . . This begins with convincing people that artist with disabilities can produce artwork worthy of hanging in public galleries.

. . . Convincing parents, guardians and advocates that these artists should be training at a professional level.  The means the artists I work with are selling or intending to sell their artwork.  Art for well being and warm fussy is great and truly worthwhile. However that is not what I am on about.  Nor do I want to be a tool or participate in tokenism.  I do not like selling other people's art at less than the cost it cost me to hang on a gallery wall.  As if their time and my time is of no value.  This being the case the buyer might as well create the work themselves.

Personally, my support workers are not happy with my own prices. However, I am the one smiling . . . as many of my works do sell.  People usually can recognise my work.  I value my work, my time and my skills and this is what every artists needs to accomplish in order to be working as a professional artists.  How do you ensure this happens when you can speak?

To add insult many of the artists I attempt to work with have to justify the investment in the training, even when its their own money, because they have a guardian.

The # 2 issue is not cost of workshops and classes it is the cost of transport to attend workshop, which is often more than the cost of attending a class. A cry when a parents admits defeat.  Its not work the costs.  No wonder why their self esteem is low. Their begging for the right to go across town in a cab or a few $100 to travel to Toowoomba buy cab. 

Opportunities for the artists I work with will always be limited by the access costs.

# 3 issues is physical access . . . arriving at a building with no wheelchair access, poor lighting and noise.

These are the issues we can easily address with funding. Once we convince people the costs are justify.  The world shouldn't be like this.

You can assist me in addressing access issues for these artist by purchasing you Christmas cards through Artisability.  All cards cost $2 and were designed by those involve in out programs.

can be purchased online

Deb's Roamings

December 3rd is International Day of People with Disabilities

On this day we celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities and there reliance to overcome the obstacles face due to disability. It also provides an opportunity to create discussion in the community around what disability is and how it impacts the lives.  Living with disability does not make us completely incapable and there is still much work to be done in terms of dispelling common myths.

As the National Disability Insurance Scheme is currently being rolled out across Australia the key agenda is to increased participation rates of those living with disabilities, to ensure they have the same opportunities as their able body peers.  Supporting individuals with disabilities gives family members opportunities to participate more fully in life.  These are basic human rights.

So its time to talk about what I can do not my disabilities.  Guess what?

I can do art . . .

And this is the theme of an art exhibition I am participating in to celebrate International Day for people with disabilities. "I can dance and sing in the rain if that's what I chose to do!

This exhibition opens on Monday 28th at 4pm and is hosted by Ipswich Inspirations Gallery in Ipswich City Square.  Gallery is opened Wed to Saturday.

So if I can do art some can many other people living with disability in the Ipswich Region. In 2017 I am hoping to build a socially inclusive network of artists in the region.  If you want to know more I will be at Blair Disability Links on Friday 2nd December between 10 am and 2 pm at Brassell Shopping Center and would love to chat to you about how you can be involved.

I will also be joining in the celebrations hosted by Ipswich City Council on the 4 December 8:30 to 12 pm @ Redbank Plaza Chimera. where the ArtISability team will be assisting people with disabilities to participate in art activities.

As well as celebrating ID4PWD's I am participating in Artistian Markets and two group exhibitions.  You can purchase may artwork at:-

1.  Gifted - Drawing Point Gallery 203 Brisbane Street Ipswich. Opening Night 2nd December @ 6 pm and runs through to Christmas.
2. On the same night I am at Catalysis Twilight Markets 4 pm to 9 pm. Catalysis Church Brassell.
3. Off the wall exhibition - By members of Arts Connect opening night December 9 th @ 6pm.

So I hope I can connect with you sometime over that period.

You can also purchase my work online through my Etsy Store.