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PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: VISUAL ARTS SEMINAR BLOEMFONTEIN

by Audrey Anderson — last modified 2010-07-12 14:33

Professional Practice for the Visual Arts Seminar for Artists and Arts Administrators Bloemfontein 5 & 6 August 2010. Being successful as a visual artist is not just about making good art. It takes a considered combination of delivering quality art, opportunity and astute management to turn a talent into a career.

 

It’s an  industry that does not come with a handbook nor is it governed by a set of criteria for success. Managing the sometimes complicated relationships and opportunities that it brings can be intimidating for new artists entering the market.  Contrary to popular conception, opportunity doesn’t come knocking on the door of an artist who is closeted away in a studio waiting for inspiration to strike.

Johannesburg based  Artspace Gallery and consultancy Art Source South  Africa will be hosting a seminar on professional practice for visual artists who want to learn how to effectively manage and direct their careers. This seminar is presented in association withOliewenhuis Art Museum in  Bloemfontein.
 
The seminars have been successfully run in  Johannesburg,  Pretoria & Cape Town. Due to demand we are pleased to offer this opportunity toBloemfontein artists and members of the art community in the  Free State area.

 The seminar asks artists to take decisions about themselves, their desired career path and their artistic objectives.  It looks at how to set and achieve goals and what strategies need to be applied to successfully reach these.  It will also talk to the business side of the art world and consider how to engage with this successfully. 

Topics covered include:

  • Taking decisions on how to engage professionally outside of the studio
  • How to establish yourself as a professional artist
  • Defining a strategy related to your individual career plan
  • How to successfully build an artistic profile
  • The value of networks
  • Marketing yourself and your work to realise your objectives
  • How to increase and leverage the value of your work
  • Building a professional ethos in the South African art sector
  • The roles and responsibilities of the gallery or agent and the artist
  • The value of a well planned  PR and marketing plan
  • How to engage with and manage the media  
  • Art projects vs art exhibitions  - the difference
  • Exhibition management and curation
  • The gallery system
  • Sales and pricing of artworks
  • Funding and sponsorship – the differences in approach
  • Mobilising resources
Where:          
Oliewenhuis Art Museum, 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein

When:          
09h00- 17h30 on Thursday 5th August and Friday 6th August 2010
 
Cost:
R 1000-00 (Incl VAT)
This includes a full course pack
& refreshments.
Lunch excluded but available at
The Terrace Coffee Shop and
Restuarant on the premises.


About the presenters:

Les Cohn

Art Source South  Africa was established in 2001 by  Les Cohn, a qualified artist and an experienced arts administrator and arts project consultant. She well networked within the South African cultural sector. She specializes in strategic career management for artists

Teresa Lizamore

Over the past 27 years Teresa Lizamore has developed a sound career in the  industry, as an art consultant, curator and gallerist. She consults for several major corporate collections and has been director ofArtspace gallery for the past 8 years. She was the curator of the Sasol Art Collection for 27 years and currently curates the RMB Corporate Collection.

Taryn Cohn

Since 2002 she has worked in various capacities within the sphere of arts management and cultural marketing. Her areas of specialty include marketing and communications for art and development projects, financial management, project management and strategy.
Feedback from past participants:
“I was moved by your strength and drive, your incisive and motivating style has given me valuable insight into my own position as well as sensible guidance regarding my way forward.”
 
“Thank you for your informative and inspirational seminar. I liked your no-nonsense straightforward, but at the same time funny, warm and relaxed, style. As I said to you after the seminar, your enthusiasm is contagious! "
 
"What you bring to the industry is a level of quality and principle. Marketing art and finding a suitable support base is a serious business."