Thursday, February 19, 2009

National Art Societies in the UK - Open Exhibition dates and deadlines

I keep a schedule each year of the various exhibitions of art societies and art competitions - and realised just recently that I'd forgotten to continue to update all the details for 2009.
  • Today I'm going to summarise the major open exhibitions which relate to national UK art societies
  • Tomorrow I'm highlighting the major art competitions
Major Open Exhibitions - as opposed to the major art competitions - are nearly always linked to national art societies and the larger regional art societies.

The definition of an Open Exhibition is that any artist may submit work to be shown in the exhibition. You don't need to be a member of the relevant art society.

Most of the leading national art societies are affiliated to the Federation of British Artists based at Carlton House Terrace and the exhibitions are held at the Mall Galleries. The major exception is the Royal Watercolour Society which exhibits at its own gallery - the Bankside Gallery next to Tate Modern. National Art Societies may also have members only exhibitions which are not included in this list. Some non FBA art societies also choose to have their open exhibitions at the Mall Galleries and have their exhibitions administered with the assistance of the FBA. Yet other societies choose to administer their open exhibitions themselves and locate their exhibitions at other locations and galleries.

Annual exhibitions of the major art societies normally follow well known schedule. You can find the detailed listing for all those showing at the Mall Galleries in 2009 on the website Mall Galleries - Call for Entries 2009. This also includes details of other national art societies not affiliated to the FBA and some of the major art competitions which also show at the Mall Galleries.

My dog-eared copy of the 2009 Call for Entries Leaflet
- details are also available online

Dates and deadlines: One of the bonuses of art societies affiliated to the FBA is that details of their open exhibitions are always printed for wide circulation - details are always known well in advance and are now also available online (via a pdf file) for all exhibitions through to the end of 2009. I guess that's partly why they tend to attract a large number of submissions - and associated fees - which of course are always so important to the finances of any art society!

I find it difficult to understand at times why it takes so long for some of the other art societies to announce dates and details of submissions. My perspective on this is influenced by the fact that most serious artists I know who submit work to societies and art competitions tend to work to an annual calendar so that they can plan their work and exhibition submissions. Most actually start producing work well in advance of the dates when details are actually announced. Which is fine if criteria and dates are the same year after year and is very definitely not if they change! In my view, any exhibition by a national or major regional art society which seeks work from professional as well as amateur artists needs to take a lead from the FBA and to announce details of dates and submission criteria a good six months (or more) in advance of deadlines for entries.

Major changes: There have been some major changes to the normal schedule of exhibitons at the Mall Galleries and some exhibitions have moved months. For example, if you're used to seeing the Pastel Society exhibition in March, you need to know it's now showing in June! UKCPS have also changed their criteria for submissions in 2009. Details to be announced shortly.

Major Open Exhibitions in 2009

Here is a list of major open exhibitions - ordered by the date of submission. I've included the exhibitions at the beginning of the year even though the deadline has passed as the exhibitions are current or imminent.
For all FBA member shows or administered by the FBA:
  • the call for entries, eligibility criteria for all submissions and details of how to submit for the the FBA shows plus certain others administered by the FBA are all available right now in Mall Galleries - Call for Entries 2009.
  • The registration form (submitted with all framed works) and labels are available in the Registration Pack which is available to download as a pdf file. You can also obtain both sets of documents by writing to the FBA.
This is a big improvement in communication about administrative facts and forms compared to previous years.

If there's one thing I'd like to see now it would be a rolling 12 month calendar (as a pdf file) providing all the details of dates and deadlines for future shows which gets updated on a monthly basis.

I'm sure people will remind me if I've forgotten to include any leading art society from the list - I'm well aware my listing is somewhat London-centric! :)

Posted by Making A Mark on Thursday, February 19, 2009 0 comments
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Marketing Art - How to write an Artist's Statement

I guess that most of the people reading this post will probably have agonised about their artist statement.

I know I've rewritten mine more times than I care to count! Inevitably I tinkered with it again while writing the posts for yesterday and today as I checked it out against my own checklists! The thing is that over time it genuinely has got better because it's now simpler in terms of concepts, language and structure - and it explains me and my work much better as a result. Which is not to say it can't be improved still further!

The Ecology Park Pond series #9
- Willows and Grasses
coloured pencil on Arches HP
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Is there one right way of writing an artist's statement?

Probably not - although a number of people are in agreement about what it should and shouldn't try to do.

In doing my research for this post and my new information site How to write an Artist's Statement [UPDATED - with link to new website] I looked around on the Internet for what other people had to say about writing an Artist's Statement and the better ones are listed on the information site.

Here are some articles which were the best I could find about how to write an artist's statement. Note they all talk about the artist's statement from a slightly different perspective.
We each respond to advice in different ways and my guess is one of these will provide the trigger you need to get started on writing your artist's statement - or maybe revising and updating it.

If not - you may find the following helpful. It's my summary of key points about how to write an artist's statement. They have been derived from what I've read and what I've learned in many years of producing and editing written material. I've also had experience of helping quite a few artists to arrange their thoughts as an artist's statement in a way which works much better than what they had before - according the very positive feedback received!

What is an Artist's Statement?

It was actually quite fascinating to see how many people talked about an artist's statement without saying what it is. Here's a few views about what an artist's statement actually is.
An artist's statement is a short document written by the artist which provides a window into the artist's world. It offers insight into a single piece or an entire body of work and by describing the artist's creative process, philosophy, vision, and passion. It enlightens and engages while at the same time giving the audience - potential buyers, exhibition curators, critics, fellow artists, or casual browsers - the freedom to draw their own conclusions. An artist's statement reads easily, is informative, and adds to the understanding of the artist.
EBSQ - How to Write an Artist's Statement by: Melissa Wotherspoon
while Alan Bamberger offers this perspective
Your artist statement is about facts, a basic introduction to your art; it's not instructions on what to experience, what to think, how to feel, how to act, or where to stand, and if it is, you'd better do a rewrite.
Your Artist Statement: Explaining the Unexplainable
Here's my version
An artist's statement provides an insight into the artist's work and how it came about. In short, an artist's statement is a brief summary of what an artist would say if they could explain their own work in person. It focuses on the present while providing as much information from the past as is relevant. The best artist's statement is authentic and is written in the artist's own voice, although not always by the artist, and in language which is always simple and accessible.
What are the most important aspects of an artist's statement?

This is a summary of all the things I've read that I agree with - plus a few recommendations of my own.
  • Always be authentic - Be yourself. Say what you mean and not what you expect people to want to hear.
  • Be inclusive not exclusive - your statement should help people to understand you and your work, rather than exclude people from your world.
  • Keep it simple
    • Use words which anybody can understand
    • Keep sentences and paragraphs short.
    • Keep it concise - edit, edit, edit!
  • Use a spell check! A spell and grammar check is even better.
  • Write in the first person - I guess I'm not the only person who feels uncomfortable doing this - but practice really helps to break down the barriers on this one. Thinking about it as a conversation also helps - it's the written equivalent of speaking to somebody about your work at a Private View.
  • Write it for the people who you want to buy your art - this is not an academic essay!
  • Aim to communicate rather than obfuscate (a word I've used quite deliberately to make the point!!!) Ignore all that conceptual artspeak and jargon that you see around - I've come across very few people who are impressed by it which rather suggests buyers might think likewise. Also remember that it's now very much associated with a contemporary art scene which has just fallen off a cliff in terms of sales and art which is now being devalued. Plus remember that the most articulate people are those who can explain complex ideas in simple terms.
  • Highlight the essential 'need to know' facts - who / what / when / where / why
    • Who produces your art - if it's just you, learn to say "I paint" (or whatever it is you do to produce art). If you get people to help I personally think you need to indicate the precise nature of their input.
    • Identify what you produce - this is the output of your efforts. What should it be called? (eg landscape paintings in oil; flower paintings in watercolour). When you're doing this you might want to check out the popularity of different keywords relevant to art. I always have a keyword tool (eg Google Adwords keyword tool) open every time I change the text on my website. I write the content first and then check to see if I've used the most appropriate works to say what I want to say. Remember content first, check second.
    • Say what your art is made of (eg dry media) - don't leave them guessing!
    • Identify when you produced your art. Tie in the work you're writing about to a time and a place, maybe an exhibition, if that's appropriate. (eg. "I'm currently working on my etchings for the annual exhibition of the national print society where I exhibit every year" or "I've been working on this series of paintings for the last year")
    • Say how long you've been working in your current media or pursuing your current theme/motif (eg is it a new series?)
    • Indicate places which have influenced your art ("Last year I produced a series of paintings based on my three month trip to Outer Mongolia")
    • Explain your reasons for your current choice of subject matter - Say why you work in this way. You might be exploring a concept. You might be exploring a place. Or you could be painting in series (which makes life sooooo much simpler!) For example, you might be developing a series of drawings with a view to achieving a gold medal in botanical art.
  • Work out what are your core and supplementary statements - Lead people through your work. Don't try and say it all in one go! On my website the core and overarching statement goes on the 'About the Artist' page along with all the information I highlighted yesterday. However I also have supplementary statements on each of the gallery pages. For example..........
The Ecology Park Pond Series grew out of my interest in investigating a place through working in a series and my involvement with the group of artists who publish the Watermarks blog. In 2009 I'm making a record of three ponds in East London using sketches, drawings and photographs. See The Ecology Park Pond Series - an introduction Ecology Park Pond Series - Drawings by Katherine Tyrrell
  • Never forget that the short version takes longer. Start long and aim to get shorter and shorter until you get to concise! Draft, revise, review, edit, redraft, revise, review, edit etc
  • Don't be afraid to review and revise over time - Don't worry if you keep changing your artist's statement - your art also changes over time so it's logical that your artist's statement should to. It can also be a very positive sign. It's very good if revision reflects how you are becoming clearer about what it is you do and what influences the way you work and what you produce.
Some tips for writing

Find good examples of an artist's statement and then work out why you like them - why they speak to you. Maybe review them against my check list? Then you can use the lessons you learn from your research to help you draft or revise your own artist's statement.

Say it out loud. Imagine yourself at a private view. The gallery owner comes over to you and introduces a new client who wants to start a collection. Now who you are, what you do and explain your art and record what you say.
  • For some people this might be an embarrassing revelation about just how many words and clauses you can get into one sentence before you insert the full stop. When editing I frequently find people have often written never-ending sentences! However this is really not an issue to be too worried about on your initial draft. If still keeps happening then you need to get better at reviewing your own work or have somebody who is a reliable editor to help you.
  • the number of times you say "errrmmm" out loud will quite likely correlate to the amount of "filler" words you use when writing. Again, that probably means you will need to do a ruthless edit yourself or find a good editor. Filler words are ones which can be left out without changing the meaning of what you are saying. I find when editing that I delete very large numbers of filler words on my first "pass".
  • In my experience of giving very many presentations to hundreds of people at a time, if you have difficulty saying it simply, then the chances are you'll also lack the skills to write it simply. Keep saying what you mean until it sounds really easy on the ear and like the sort of conversation that you might have with a client.
The best artist's statements have an internal rhythm which stays in your head - like poetry, rhetoric or music - while also sounding authentically like the artist when he or she talks. That's something to aim at rather than something you'll achieve at your first attempt

Consider getting somebody else to help you write it or write it for you. At they very least get other people to review what you've written.

Some people lack confidence, other people lack writing skills and some have brains which do odd things with words sometimes. I've found that quite a few artists have difficulty with writing but are loathe to ask for help. Did you know that a great many artists are left-handed? Or that being left-handed is associated with dyslexia? It explains why some can artists sometimes struggle with words. Examples of difficulties I've come across include - writing sentences back to front; using words in a peculiar order, finding it difficult to simplify a sentence structure. However none of this is a problem if what you have to say is edited by somebody else.

If you're not confident in your writing skills then try and get somebody who has skills to help you write it. However always makes sure it comes out sounding like you and not like them!

and finally......

Help me and I'll help you.

I'd like to include more examples of good artist's statement on How to write an Artist's Statement (UPDATED - now on my Art Business Information for Artists website). I'd also like to encourage people to review practical examples and develop their skills in evaluating what works and what lacks impact.

So the deal is this:
  • identify what you think is the best example you can find of an artist's statement - leave a note of the name of the website and URL as a comment below (anybody can comment)
  • the examples which I agree are good will be listed on this blog at a later date and also included in How to write an Artist's Statement. (Feel free to comment on the examples which get listed below)
  • You can nominate an artist's statement any time between now and the 1st March 2009. You're not limited to one nomination.
  • The person who, in my opinion, has identified the best example of a good artist's statement will receive free consultancy from me to help them improve their own artist's statement. So whether you're just starting out or looking to improve I'll review whatever you've produced so far, provide editing input and help you work on the statement to improve its authenticity and impact.
The bonus is that in looking at how other people write statements you'll also be developing your own skills at evaluating how good they are and whether they 'speak' to you - plus everybody reading this post gets to share in a variety of examples of good artist's statements.

Do let me know if you're up for this and have started looking!
Posted by Making A Mark on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 7 comments
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Marketing art - people buy you as well as your art #1

As an artist, how often do you regard yourself as part of the selling experience?
Do you regard yourself as personally relevant to whether or not people collect or buy your art - or not?

This post is about the notion that people buy YOU as well as your art.

Shock horror is probably what some people are feeling right now! Being prepared to paint and sell your paintings and put them online is no guarantee you're also happy about selling yourself as well! However, if that's the way you feel, you'll probably be pleased to know that you're in very good company as lots of other artists feel exactly the same way.

However there's no getting away from it, unless you're buying a print in a department store, information about "the artist" is very often a part of the buying experience. In the absence of being able to see original art in person in a gallery it becomes even more important in my view. Remember gallery owners will frequently talk to a prospective buyer about who the artist is and what their background is. At its most extreme of course, people can end up buying a piece of art solely because of the name of the artist!

In effect information about the artist and their reputation is part of the "packaging" that enhances people's perception of a painting. Hence the way you present yourself online (or in a gallery) begins to frame and define what people think about you and their disposition towards your art.

Today and tomorrow I'm touching on two statements artists frequently make
  • today - About the Artist: the background details, sometimes called the CV (if you're in the UK) or resume (if in the USA) - and I haven't got a clue what other people call it!
  • tomorrow - the Artist's Statement
Plus I'll be returning to this theme in future marketing posts when I'll comment on what your blogs (and appearances on forums an social networks) say about you.

The Ecology Park Pond series #8
- The Bull Rushes
coloured pencil on Ampersand Claybord
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Who looks at who you are?

The people who look at who you are on your website fall into a number of categories
  • fellow artists
  • anybody who has come across a link to your blog or website on another website
  • people who review or comment on the work of other artists
  • gallery owners
  • past purchasers/possible repeat buyers
  • prospective purchasers
  • the network of people associated with anybody who has bought your work

All have a valid reason for wanting to know a bit more about you.

How do you present yourself on your website and/or your blog?

In the course of writing my regular 'who's made a mark this week' posts and exhibition reviews, I regularly look at a huge number of blogs and websites of artists who I don't know personally. I have a 'rule' when referencing new artists that I always look at what people have to say about themselves. I've got an aversion to highlighting links to websites which say nothing about the artist - and I'm only putting a link in a blog post, not buying a piece of art!

This post was prompted by realising that recently I've been looking at an awful lot of blogs and websites which said very little about the artist.

Now I really don't have an issue with blog profiles being somewhat brief - so long as they have a link to another site which has that information. However I do get more than a bit surprised when I see websites with very little information about the artist and that's if the artist has said anything at all! Alternatively it's not unusual to find a very long list of where people studied and have shown their work and absolutely nothing about the artist!

Let me make it clear I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to maintain your privacy. People are also perfectly entitled to behave in a reclusive or introverted manner - although it can help if you have "a person who talks" who does the business on your behalf. Plus I'm certainly not suggesting you "tell all" on your website or blog or share everything about your life, home and family. However there is a happy medium.

Put simply, I think you need to provide just enough information for people to understand who you are and where they can find out a bit more about you. In addition, a resume for an artist on their own website is not the same as the sort of resume required to get employment. It emphatically is not about your life story!

About the Artist - what I like to see

I think people are often not sure what they should include on their "about the artist" page. What you can be certain about is that whatever you choose to include or leave out will say something about you. Whether it's helpful to other people viewing your site is another matter.

How about if I tell you what I like to be able to read?

You can then comment and say if that's different on what you like to see. That way we can all learn something new about what's the best way of saying something about yourself.

Scannability: Whatever you write assume that people will scan it initially rather than read it. That's just a fact of life. Content is wasted if people don't read it so you need to help people decide whether they want to read in more depth

Scanning is helped by:
  • summary up front - I always try to start a blog post by saying what it's about (check this one!). My posts are long so people who are interested will read on while I won't waste the time of those who are not interested. My website summarises me as follows. What's the first thing people read on your "About the Artist" page? When do you get to the point about who you are and what you do?
Katherine Tyrrell is a British contemporary artist who is also an author and teacher.
  • signposting
    • use headings intelligently; resist being clever in favour of being informative - make sure they say what the section is about
    • embolden key points
  • accessible language - keep it simple and AVOID long paragraphs with complex sentence structures and/or technical or esoteric language.
Personal information: At a minimum, tell me what nationality you are and where you live! It's so much easier for people to make a personal connection with you if they know just a little bit of personal information. Say as much as you are comfortable with - but say something! I don't tell people anything about my age or marital or family status - so far as I'm concerned they simply aren't relevant to my art. However if you're comfortable mentioning personal facts that's fine - just make the information relevant to what you produce. For example, it's fine to talk about having children if you're producing portraits of children and paint your own children.

You can drip feed more information about you in the rest of your website. It doesn't all have to be on the 'about the artist' page. I know I really enjoy the websites of people who tell me why they choose to draw or paint particular subjects.

Photograph(s): A photo helps you to make connections. Let's face it most of us are going to go for flattering over contemporary(!) - plus some of us always seem to be the ones holding the camera rather than the subject so actually getting a photo of yourself is not always easy! I personally don't like what I call "studio shots" and would much rather see people doing what they do if possible. To that end, I've scattered a few small photos of me sketching in the field throughout my website. Finally - smiles are always good - if they're natural rather than forced! I use a photograph of me which is probably the best most recent photo taken of me smiling. If you don't want your face on the internet try cropping it.

A photograph of your work in an exhibition or on a wall also really helps people to understand what it looks like in context.

Education and professional development: If you have relevant information to share, then why not share it? Being awarded a relevant art-related degree or - if you're teaching workshops - a formal teaching qualification is relevant information.

I don't mention my two degrees or my two professional qualifications on my portfolio site because neither seem to me to be particularly relevant to art. However I do have a degree of education and a teaching qualification and these are relevant to teaching workshops!

Of course, it goes without saying don't ever make the mistake of claiming a qualification just because you followed a course. You've either got it or you haven't. Misleading people can only serve to undermine your reputation when if people find out - as they will.

For example, I'm officially counted as an alumnus by the University of the Arts in London because of classes I took at Central St. Martins for a few years. However I would never ever suggest I have degree in art - because I don't!

Your journey as an artist: Do people want to know your journey to where you've got to? I'm ambivalent on this one and I think it's got something to do with the way people write about their journey as an artist. I'd tell it if an interesting story or it's relevant to your art right now. I'd personally avoid negatives unless you've got the silver lining story to tell as well.

Media: Say what sort of media you work in. People can have very decided views about what sort of work they will exhibit in a gallery or like to buy.

Exhibitions: If you've participated in quite a few exhibitions consider having a separate page for these. These can tend to turn into long lists. It helps if you group them. The most important thing is to separate out solo shows from group exhibitions. I think it's also helpful to make a distinction between national art societies and local art societies. This is what I say on my "about the artist" page - and I then provide a link to a separate page which lists the exhibitions .
I've had work in group exhibitions in the UK, the USA and Canada. I've also had work accepted into juried annual exhibitions of national art societies.
Collections: Make sure you list the most important up front. Again with lists of names people lose attention very quickly. If you've sold overseas and want to do so again then say where your work is now.

Press and editiorial: If you've generated editorial or articles in either the traditional or online media then that's worth a mention. If it's online be sure to provide a link or access to a readable copy.

Personal data and communication: An online form or an email is essential for communication. I refer people from this blog to my website where they can see a graphic of my contact email address. That might seem over the top but it keeps the spammers at bay and the number of queries I get to a reasonable number.

Personally I'd never ever give out a telephone number on a website. That's something you can provide to somebody after you've decided to converse with them. Would you give your telephone number out to a spammer?

In terms of where you live, remember if you're selling direct from your website then it's a legal requirement that it includes an address (more about that later this week). The address needs to be real and one associated with your business but it doesn't need to be your home address.

You must provide clear and understandable information to enable the consumer to decide whether to buy. This must include your business name and, if payment is required in advance, your postal address.

Office of Fair Trading - Distance selling Regulations - Prior information

The Artist Statement - This is essential - but it's not the same as the CV or resume - and is the subject of tomorrow's post. I mix my statement in with the rest of the data discussed above.

In the meantime I'll be adding this post into a new site I've set up How to write an Artist's Statement - Resources for Artists. If you have any links to sites which provide helpful information for people improving their "About the Artist" page please give details in a comment below.

Over to you

What I'd like you to do is suggest (and provide links to) examples of what you think are really good "About the Artist" pages relating to the CV/resume data.

Posted by Making A Mark on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 12 comments
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Monday, February 16, 2009

How does a recession impact on artwork and art jobs?

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1872 by Thomas Moran
213.36 cm (84 in.), Width: 365.76 cm (144 in.)
Department of the Interior Museum, Washington, D.C. (image sourced from wikiedpedia)

How does a recession impact on the art world?
  • What happens to the way artists are employed and remunerated?
  • What happens to the sort of art that gets produced?
  • Does subject matter change or stay the same?
  • Do sales patterns change?
  • What actually sells?
In my view these are not only fascinating questions, they are also ones that a lot of artists think about even if they don't always ask them out loud. For professional artists it's obviously essential to address such issues to make sure income continues to be generated and that they can survive the downturn.

On Saturday there was a really fascinating article by Dorothy Spears on this topic in the New York Times - Tough Times Call for Shrewd Artists - which is a RECOMMENDED READ.

This looks at various points in the history of the USA when the economy 'crashed' and highlights how artists and latterly the government responded.

I've summarised it below and I've also added in more points and links dug out from a variety of websites plus I've also provided links to what's been happening this month in relation to the economic stimulus package and support for arts jobs.

The panic of 1837

Thomas Sully (1783-1872 - born in Lincolnshire; emigrated to the USA) was a portrait painter. The impact on him was that people who commissioned portrait started to fail to pay up. It highlights how he went from painting Queen Victoria to more commercially oriented paintings

The crash of 1873

The 1873 was triggered by the weight of civil war debt and was followed by a long depression of 5+ years. Painter Thomas Moran (1837-1926 - born in Bolton, UK; emigrated to the USA) first made his name painting the monumental landscapes of the American West and was one of the foremost landscape painters of his day.

His paintings of Yellowstone are said to have been decisive in debate about the creation of the Yellowstone National Park and are important in the cultural history of the USA. As well as being a notable artist, apparently he was very business-like and attuned to commercial considerations and after the crash, he switched to more commercial smaller works - typically of Long Island and Manhattan and Venetian Scenes. (Small is of course relative when you've been producing paintings measured in feet!) . I also note from the NGA site that he started producing Prang chromolithographs of Yellowstone - which presumably made them more affordable - and illustrated Hiawatha.
Fully aware of changes in the market, Moran told a Denver reporter in June 1892, "I prefer to paint western scenes, but the Eastern people don't appreciate the grand scenery of the Rockies. They are not familiar with mountain effects and it is much easier to sell a picture of a Long Island swamp than the grandest picture of Colorado."
NGA website - Thomas Moran feature
A Long Island River (1908) by Thomas Moran
50.17 cm (19.75 in.), Width: 76.2 cm (30 in.)
Private collection (image sourced from wikipedia)

In later life Moran is reported as having produced paintings of the canyon that were used as promotional tools in hotels, offices, and railroad cars in exchange for rail passes and hotel accommodation. Additional images were distributed on calendars in guidebooks and brochures, even on stationery.

Do take a look at the excellent gallery of his work set up on the National Gallery of Art website to see his amazing landscapes of the West and to note the change in later years. You can also see more of his works on the Atheneaum website (sorted in date order) and here.

Wall Street Crash 1929 and Depression

The article comments on diverse responses to the Depression.
  • The Museum of Modern Art opened its doors 10 days after Black Monday 1929. The article compares the attendance figures for its opening show of "fashionable" paintings Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, Van Gogh [MoMA Exh. #1, November 7, 1929-December 7, 1929 - 47,203] with those for the next show 2. Paintings by 19 Living Americans [MoMA Exh. #2, December 12, 1929-January 12, 1930 - 27,924.
  • Prompted by the article I dug out the Archive of Exhibitions at MOMA 1929-1939 which indicate they were not only cultural - they were also linked to initiatives designed to help the economy recover such as the National Exhibition of Art by the Public Works of Art Project [MoMA Exh. #35, September 19-October 7, 1934] This link explains the Public Works of Art Project
  • This link provides a history of the New Deal Art Projects and the article in Survey Graphic provides a great deal of detail about how projects worked and what was produced as a result
WHEN the CWA admitted artists suffering from the depression to a place in its program, last December, the federal government suddenly found itself fostering a burst of creativeness in the fine arts that is unique in the history of democracies.
Art Becomes Public Works by Florence Loeb Kellogg Survey Graphic, Vol. 23, No. 6 (June, 1934), p. 279
  • The article also highlights how in the mid-’30s the Works Progress Administration emerged as a financial patron of struggling artists. The aim was to also make art more central to everyday life. It involced artists in creating murals
  • commercial illustration was also identified as a way in which artists could make a living
When the Great Depression hit, president Roosevelt’s New Deal created several public arts programs. The purpose of the programs was to give work to artists and decorate public buildings, usually with a national theme.

The first of these projects, the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), was created after successful lobbying by the unemployed artists of the Artists' Union. The PWAP lasted less than one year, and produced nearly 15,000 works of art.

It was followed by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (FAP/WPA) in 1935, which funded some of the most well-known American artists.

Several separate and related movements began and developed during the Great Depression including American scene painting, Regionalism, and Social Realism. Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, Grant Wood, Ben Shahn, Joseph Stella, Reginald Marsh, Isaac Soyer, Raphael Soyer, and Jack Levine were some of the best known artists.
Visual Arts of the United States - New Deal Art
  • Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975; taught Jackson Pollock ) is highlighted in the article as an artist whose response involved travelling around the country and making lots of sketches - recording life and the positive aspects of people's responses to the challenges of the Depression. Along with Grant Wood in Iowa and John Steuart Curry in Kansas, he was a founder of what came to be known as the Regionalism movement which is an American realist modern art movement that was popular during the 1930s. Wood wrote that Regional artists interpret the physiography, industry, and psychology of their hometown.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Regionalist art was widely appreciated for its reassuring images of the American heartland.
Wikipedia - Regionalism (art)
  • others commented on how other artists documented suffering and endurance.
The credit crunch of 2008

The story so far on the economic front has been and continues to be that we are at the edge of a systemic economic meltdown. Last week in the USA, the US House of Representatives and Senate finally approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which is a $787 billion economic stimulus package which is the 2009 version of the New Deal (with a further $2.5 trillion rescue plan for the financial system!).

In the process of agreeing this stimulus package there was quite a debate about whether jobs in the arts were real jobs. The House of Representatives proposed a $50 million funding package for the NEA to support the arts and artists which the Senate initially rejected. Advocates involved in the debate included Americans for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.
The House's version of the stimulus bill included the $50 million for nonprofit arts groups, with the NEA to send $20 million of it to state arts agencies, and distribute the rest via its own grant-making pipeline. The Senate's proposal contained zilch, incorporating an amendment from Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn that specifically excluded museums, theaters and arts centers from receiving stimulus bucks, lumping them among other "wasteful" and "non-stimulative" destinations for federal money aimed at saving jobs.
Arts funding: a cliffhanger in Washington
This process of the decision-making was reported in some detail by the LA Times Culture Monster blog - as follows. The posts make a very interesting read.
[Late Update] Finally, the New York Times did a 'wrap up' job with this article in today's edition Saving Federal Arts Funds: Selling Culture as an Economic Force - which recognises the lobbying done by various arts groups to get the money passed.

So far nothing has happened in the UK which equates to this sort of package.

and finally - two questions for readers of this blog

In the credit crunch story of 2008/9/? associated with current challenges:
  • What role are you going to play in supporting the arts and protecting jobs for artists?
  • What's going to be your story about how the recession has impacted on your art? Will you be changing what you do and how you produce it?
Posted by Making A Mark on Monday, February 16, 2009 9 comments
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

15th February 2009 - Who's made a mark this week?

Walk with me - Kennack by Sarah Wimperis
Watercolour and Pen in Sketchbook

Congratulations to:
 Art Blogs
  • Rama (The Portrait Party) has declared the month of February as self-love month - self-portraits
in honor of valentine's day, the portrait party will celebrate the greatest love of all with an entire month of self-portrait parties. draw yourself. share the results. self-portraits will be posted until midnight on february 28th.
Art business and marketing

Marine Inversion at Carmel
14" x 18", pastel
copyright Katherine Tyrrell
At Economy
"Why do people think artists are special?" Andy Warhol once asked, "it's just another job". And, during a recession, it is harder to plead the case for painters, authors, musicians and photographers.
Arts and the economy - uncomfortable bedfellows?
  • In the USA, the arts got some funding for the arts as part of the package which has just been agreed. Here's Razia Iqbal, the BBC's arts correspondent's blog post about art in a recession Arts and the economy - uncomfortable bedfellows?
  • Charlotte Higgins questions whether now is the right time to be building giant sculptures in the countryside - like Mark Wallinger's White Horse at Ebbsfleet
Art Education
Art galleries and museums
Civilisation - a breathtakingy ambitious project that featured a thousand years of art, architecture and ideas, written and presented by former Director of the National Gallery, Kenneth Clark.

  • Next an important alert! This month, the National Gallery celebrates the 40th anniversary of Kenneth Clark’s 1969 BBC2 series Civilisation - orginally commissioned in part to showcase colour television - and has lunchtime screenings over 13 consecutive weeks on Wednesdays at 1pm starting on 25 February. There is also a (free) Lunchtime Talk Kenneth Clark's Civilisation on 18 February 1pm and a Study Day (£25) with Sir David Attenborough, Simon Schama and AA Gill on 21 February, 10.30am. The wikipedia article provides an outline of the contents of each episode. The Daily Telegraph obituary of Michael Gill , responsible for creating Civilisation provides a fascinating account of how the programmes got made.

The series had difficulty at first in finding a home on American television, but success was assured after the National Gallery of Art in Washington put it on at lunchtime in the gallery theatre. This seated 300 people, but on the first day 24,000 turned up.
Wikipedia - Civilisation (TV programme)
Art History
Book reviews
Copyright

The interpretation of copyright law has been getting very interesting of late!
Tips and techniques
websites and blogging
and finally.............

This week the Daily Telegraph came up with a list of The national art treasures Britain cannot afford to lose. I wonder how many have seen all these works? Do you agree with the choice?

The article also quotes David Barrie, the director of The Art Fund as saying
government funding of museum acquisitions has almost entirely evaporated and as we enter the deepest recession that anyone can remember, it will be increasingly difficult to secure public and private donations in the event that a masterpiece comes up for sale.
Posted by Making A Mark on Sunday, February 15, 2009 3 comments
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