Tracy G. M. James

via Brandi Pettijohn, Photographer

From the NYFA.org site

Selling Your Art: How to Approach Pricing and Your Market

Art Marketing Strategist Aletta de Wal has been been consulting with entrepreneurs and coaching artists for more than 20 years. As a contributor to the online art magazine Empty Easel, she shares some guidelines for pricing your work and making it visible to the appropriate market.

Network with people who are potential buyers and with people who know potential buyers, including other artists. Make sure everyone you know is aware of your art and who your potential buyers are. When your connections come across a good match, they’ll think of you first.

In tougher economic times, sales may be slower, fewer, or simply less predictable. But there are always collectors and dealers in the market for the “right art at the right price.” Stay in touch with them until they are ready buy or exhibit the kind of art you create.

Know your niche market-who’s in it, where are they showing, and what prices are they getting for their work? Galleries and serious collectors are especially interested in similar sales as tangible proof that there IS a demand for your work.

Art dealers and collectors have a sense of the factors that create value in all types of work. Part of your job is to be equally well versed so you can set prices that are appropriate and timely. When you do the research and act on it with confidence, your prices will be received favorably.

What makes your art more valuable to your collectors than any other artwork they have the option of purchasing? If you don’t know this, it will be harder to pitch your art.

Start with an attitude that your art is worth selling, otherwise no price will feel right to you. A big part of sales is self-assurance, so be confident about yourself, your art and your value. At the same time, keep an attitude of respect for your audience. Without that respect, no price will sound right to them. If you do not value your viewers, it’s unlikely you will build relationships that lead to sales or representation.

Learn about your audience’s past art purchases. What is their threshold for styles and price points; how, where and how often they like to buy art? With this knowledge, you can more easily overcome pricing obstacles by negotiating a payment plan or suggesting a smaller piece that fits their budget.

Always know the actual costs and overhead expenses of creating your art. This means assigning a value to everything in the creative process, including hard costs (everything you pay for) as well as soft costs (the value of our time as if you paid yourself wages). Keep track of your sales. The highest sales price you consistently get should become the minimum for your next series of work.

Don’t raise prices without proven demand. It can be tempting to raise your prices because you need more money. If you are selling 1/3 to 1/2 of the work you create each year, you are probably safe to raise your prices by 10 – 15%. If you want to keep your current cash flow steady, then keep your prices stable on the current body of work and offer the next work for higher prices.

Don’t lower prices without a reason. If you aren’t selling as much work as you would like, or need cash flow, you may be tempted to lower your prices. If a collector has already purchased a piece from the same body of work and then sees the lower price, they may feel that they overpaid and may not buy from you again. If you lower your prices rather than changing your overall marketing approach, you may not get any more sales, and yet you will find it harder to raise prices in the future.

Don’t have different prices in different places. Fluctuating prices put doubt in viewers’ minds, and doubt kills sales. They may think that the pricing is done on a whim. For those of you exhibiting your work online and offline, make sure that your prices are consistent. Once you fix a price with a gallery, honor the scope of the agreement to the letter. If the gallery allows you to show the same work on your website, make sure to pass on any commission for sales initiated by the gallery. If you breach the trust you have with them, it may cost you your reputation down the road.

Posted in Art

Artsicle is a website dedicated to helping new collectors discover their taste in art and rent original artwork to enjoy in their homes. We’ve been around for about a year now and rapidly growing. We are looking for candidates passionate about increasing access to fine art and improving the lives of today’s artists to join our small team.

Current fulltime positions include a Curator / Community Manager and Director of Operations & Business Development, as well as a Marketing & Social Media Internship. We offer competitive salaries, benefits, and fun perks like your birthday off and a monthly Artsicle stipend. We work hard and love what we do. If you want to help us make the world a better place, we’d love to meet you.

Full details and application available here: http://blog.artsicle.com/2011/10/10/artsicle-is-hiring/

Artist Community Manager & Curator:

Your passion for the arts is tangible, and, lets face it, you’ve got a great eye for talent. Spearhead our artist recruitment efforts, curate kick ass pop-up shows, and help new collectors start their love affair with art.

You will:

• Be the face of Artsicle to the artist community
• Recruit & screen new artist applicants, including studio visits
• Curate pop-up shows & other spaces across NYC
• Build a supportive community for our artists & collectors
• Love Artsicle, but love our artists more & be their advocate

What we’re looking for:

• Strong communication skills & self confidence
• Creativity in spades; you’ll have ownership to improve the model
• Ability to prioritize, work independently, & communicate decisions
• Relationships in the NYC artist community a huge plus

Director of Operations & Business Development:

Attention to detail & an action driven attitude. Little details, for the big picture. You’ve got balance. Help develop our world changing plans from the bottom up, from packaging to partnerships.

You will:

• Research & develop partnerships to expand our brand & physical reach
• Continuously improve the process of getting artwork to customers
• Think “outside the box” – literally – on packaging & branding ideas
• Obsess over getting artwork on every wall, in every home
• Be a key player in our collector & artist relationship building

What we’re looking for:

• Ability to juggle. (Figuratively, although literally would be fun)
• The power of negotiation & structure of organization
• An extreme bias towards action.
• Experience with shipping, packaging, warehousing, etc. a plus

INTERN: Marketing & Social Media Internship

You’re eager to help develop a new kind of art brand, with the kind of social media skills that could move mountains. Help us tell the world about Artsicle and start a revolution.

You will:

• Write about art, collecting, life, love, and more art for our blog(s)
• Start conversations with customers on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else you think we should be (Perk: having read @GaryVee’s Thank You Economy)
• Bring your vision for what our social strategy should look like
• Identify potential new collectors around every corner
• Get your hands dirty in event planning, schwag creating, and other real life stuff

What we’re looking for:

• Go getting, self-starting individuals who can laugh at us and themselves
• An authentic voice that oozes of passion for art and what we do
• Flexible hours, but must be able to commit at least 5 hrs/week for 8 weeks
• Stipend & other perks available

To apply please contact:
–
Alexis Tryon
Artsicle, Founder / CEO
alex@artsicle.com // www.artsicle.com
C. 817 228 7378
www.twitter.com/artsicle

Posted in Art, Community, Job Openings
Tags: Arts, Artsicle, fulltime positions, Job Opening, nyc artist, recruitment efforts

Posted in Art, Poetry
Tags: Desiderata, Max Ehrmann, Spirituality

CPA 2011 Annual Meeting
“Shifting the Geography of Reason VIII:

The University, Public Education, and

the Transformation of Society”

September 29-October 1, 2011
Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Refer to: Program Details for more information.

Posted in Community, Community Gatherings
Tags: Caribbean Philosophical Association

The NYU Langone Medical Center is seeking to purchase original artwork for key public locations at multiple medical center locations. This Call is open to all artists working and/or residing in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ and CT). NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class patient-centered integrated academic medical center, is one of the nation’s premier centers for excellence in healthcare, biomedical research, and medical education. Consistent with this mission, the NYU Langone Medical Center Art Collection is acquiring artwork of the highest quality that will be integrated into the daily life of the medical center, providing a life-affirming, healing and supportive environment for patients, families, caregivers, students, faculty and staff.

The Art Acquisition program strives to:

• Collect original artwork of high-quality in design and concept

• Showcase the wide range of excellent artwork created by Tri-State area artists with diversity in theme, medium, and execution

• Appeal to a wide audience: children to adults

• Reflect and support the Medical Center’s mission as a world-class patient centered integrated academic medical center.

Approximately $100,000 is available to purchase for the 2011 Art Acquisition Program. All acquisitions will become the property of The NYU Langone Medical Center Art Collection.

The artwork will be installed at the following locations:

• Emergency Department (Adult and Children) • The Women’s Center • The Ambulatory Care Center • Center for Musculoskeletal Care • Other locations throughout the Medical Center

There is currently a need to place art in lobbies, reception and waiting areas, corridors, as well as patient and exam rooms.

CRITERIA FOR ARTWORK:

• 2-dimensional and low-relief original artwork of significant artistic merit created within the last four years.

• Artwork should be suitable and have a broad appeal for long-term use in a healthcare environment. Positive, reality based landscapes and cityscapes, figuration and still life artwork. Serene abstract or non-objective work will also be considered.

• All artwork will be displayed on walls.

• Medical Center environment requires that all 2-dimensional artwork be framed under Plexi-glass.

• 2-dimensional (unframed) and low-relief artwork including, but not limited to, paintings, drawings, collages, textiles, quilts, fibers/textiles, photography, new media and mixed-media.

• Low-relief artwork, that does not protrude more than two inches from the wall, will also be considered (ceramic, metal, glass, and other materials.) • Photography and fine art prints (including but not limited to digital prints, etchings, lithographs, woodblock etc.) are eligible but must be signed and numbered and in a limited edition of 200 or less. No reproductions (including but not limited to digital reproductions, giclee, iris, offset press or inkjet copies) representing original artworks will be accepted.

• Dimensions: 2-dimensional works up to a maximum of 36“ H x 36” W unframed; low-relief works: up to a maximum of 50” H x 50” W x 2” D and a maximum weight of 30 pounds.

• Artwork must be professionally created using archival media, frame-able and must not require extraordinary handling. Artwork must be able to be easily moved and re-installed as necessary.

BUDGET FOR THE PURCHASE OF ORIGINAL ART:

Up to $10,000/artwork, although the majority of purchases will be under $2,500. We will also consider the purchase of artwork for patient rooms under $250. ARTWORK FRAMING NYU Langone Medical Center will be responsible for the costs and management associated with the framing and installation of the artwork. The Medical Center will frame all purchased artwork with archival quality materials.

SELECTION PROCESS:

Submissions will be reviewed by The NYU Langone Medical Center Art Committee. Depending on the number of applicants and any other conditions that may develop, a preliminary review will be conducted by the Manager of Art Programs.

SUBMISSION PROCESS:

Artists must submit the information as identified below via email:

• A maximum of ten (10) works/artist.

• Images must be saved as JPEGS, text as Microsoft Word documents.

• Do not send images as Acrobat (pdf) files. If submitting a VERTICAL image, set image resolution to 72 pixels/inch with image HEIGHT set to 9 inches; if submitting a HORIZONTAL image. Set image resolution to 72 pixels/inch with image WIDTH set to 11 inches. File names must correspond to annotated image list (see below).

• DO NOT SEND PDF’S or files that are embedded in any applications that must be run to view the jpegs. Do not send files that end in .exe.

• An annotated image list sent either in the body of email submission, or attached as a Microsoft Word document. Clearly identify the following: Title of Artwork, Media/Dimensions, Date of Work, brief description of work if necessary, and retail value of work.

• Artist’s statement and resume. Please include your full contact information: name, address, phone, email and website address.

• Incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

PROJECT TIMELINE: (exact dates to be determined, all dates subject to change)

• Application Deadline: October 14, 2011

• The NYU Langone Art Committee Review: December 16, 2011

• Approval of Purchases: February 12, 2012

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 14, 2011

ALL SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO: art@nyumc.org

All questions should be submitted to: jodi.moise@nyumc.org

Posted in Art, Call for Artists
Tags: Art Acquisition, New York University, NYU Langone Medical Center

Starts Fri! Filmmakers in person Fri-Sat at 8:15 & 10:20! For a turbulent near-decade, Swedish journalists crossed the Atlantic to report on the Black Power movement sweeping America. Gaining access to Stokely Carmichael, Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis and other icons, they chronicled a story virtually ignored by US media then, and one still rarely discussed today. Enriched by contemporary interviews with Harry Belafonte, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu and others, this eye-opening collection, much of it never seen before, offers a fresh, crucial perspective on our recent history.

NR, 100 Minutes, Swedish and English
Sweden
Official Website: http://sundanceselects.com

For showtimes, click here.

Posted in Community Gatherings, Film
Tags: Angela Davis, Black Power, Danny Glover, Erykah Badu, Harry Belafonte, Huey P. Newton, Stokely Carmichael, Talib Kweli, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

Tracking Code: 1163

Job Location: Brooklyn, NY, US.

Position Type: Full-Time/Regular

Job Description:

Under moderate supervision and with wide latitude for independent judgment, is responsible for assisting the director with organization, implementation and publicity for exhibition programs for the Pratt Manhattan and Schafler galleries.

Position Duties:

• Plan a schedule of exhibitions for Schafler and President’s Office galleries in conjunction with the Director.
•  Initiate exhibition proposals and implement exhibitions of faculty and student work including all correspondence, loan forms, shipping and installation oversight.
• Serve as curator for the President’s Office Gallery
• Coordinate gallery publicity including advertising, initiating and editing copy for press releases and wall text and listings in “Gallery Guide.”
•  In cooperation with the Publications office coordinate all print jobs including posters, announcement cards and print ads; maintain the Exhibitions web page.
• Participate in fund raising including research, budgeting and preparation of grant proposals.
• Maintain gallery budget ledger and handle all purchase orders, check requisitions, petty cash, etc.
•  Hire, schedule and supervise student crew of 14 to 16 work-study students and graduate assistants.
• Assume responsibility for all gallery registrar duties including shipping, handling, inspection and safety of artworks; examine loaned art works for condition reports and arrange insurance for loaned art.
• Maintain permanent collection, relevant files and database information.
• Perform all other related duties as required.

Salary: Range up to $50,000/year plus excellent benefits package

In order to be considered, all applicants must submit a cover letter,  resume,  and three (3) professional references

Required Skills:

• Basic knowledge of budgeting, word processing, database and page layout and MAC troubleshooting skills are required.
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills are required. Should have a thorough understanding of contemporary art/design and an ability to work with artists,  gallery dealers,  collectors,  museum and graphic design professionals.

Required Experience:

• BFA or equivalent required; MFA or MS in Art History or a related field preferred.
• Must have at least 2-3 years’ gallery or museum experience as well as experience supervising students/staff. 3-5 years’ gallery experience including shipping and handling of art works in the U.S. and abroad preferred.

Posted in Job Openings
Tags: Pratt Institute, Visual art

By Julie Turkewitz

A collection of new laws in African countries has opened the door to imprisoning people with HIV who practice safe sex, mothers who transmit the virus to their children and even those who have HIV but are undiagnosed.

In recent years laws criminalizing HIV transmission and exposure have been enacted or are pending in regions all around the world. Supporters of these laws say they are designed to address concerns about the rapid spread of the virus. But organizations ranging from Human Rights Watch to the United Nations warn that criminalizing either transmission of or exposure to the virus undermines public health efforts and endangers the lives of already vulnerable individuals.

Many public health experts are critical of these laws. “Criminalizing is not prevention,” said Federica Stines, Africa program officer at the International Women’s Health Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit that works with women’s health groups in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Stines, who has spent more than a decade promoting sexual health rights in Africa, added, “Who wants to know their status if they could be arrested?”

A decade ago, not a single African country had a law that specifically criminalized HIV exposure or transmission. Now, at least 27 African nations have legislation that punishes it.

Funding for the development of these laws can be traced to the U.S. Agency for International Development. In 2003, USAID allocated $34.7 million to launch the Action for West Africa Region-HIV/AIDS (AWARE-HIV/AIDS), a five-year project aimed at “contributing to the control of the HIV epidemic in the West Africa region.”

USAID tasked AWARE-HIV/AIDS with reducing HIV infection and improving the health of Africans living with HIV. The program was managed, implemented and evaluated by the North Carolina-based FHI (formerly Family Health International). In 2004 FHI, whose work is heavily concentrated in West and Central Africa, convened a workshop in Chad’s capital of N’Djamena. The purpose was to adopt a legislative template that would protect Africans against HIV infection and encourage testing and education. Representatives from government AIDS bodies from 18 West African countries attended.

(According to Forbes Magazine, FHI is one of the 200 largest charities in the United States, with $369 million in revenue in 2008, more than 80 percent of which came from government support. According to its website and various reports, FHI is a 40-year-old organization currently active in 60 countries, almost all underdeveloped, and has expanded from its initial focus on public healthcare to include development, education, civil society and the environment. FHI also includes a for-profit subsidiary, Novella Clinical, a “Clinical research organization focused heavily on oncology and medical devices,” with projected revenues in 2010 of more than $100 million, according to the Triangle Business Journal.)

DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
In just three days, the Chad group convened by FHI produced a model law that African governments quickly adopted. Today, at least 14 African countries have laws based on the U.S.-funded template, according to Daniel Grace, a doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria, British Columbia who is writing his dissertation on the creation of the model law.

Grace criticized the speed with which the template was created and disseminated. “Processes of legislative consultation and the meaningful engagement with civil society and country stakeholders take time and institutional commitment,” he said. “[But] too often the important contributions of civil society, including publics infected and affected by HIV, are marginalized to tokenistic forms of participation.”

The template contains a number of questionable provisions.

First, it punishes the “willful transmission” of HIV through “any means.” This enables governments to incarcerate a person practicing safe sex, regardless of whether he or she informs a partner of his or her status. It also opens the possibility of punishing mothers who pass HIV to their children, regardless of precautions taken to stop transmission.

Second, the model law penalizes partners who do not disclose HIV status to a “spouse or regular sexual partner” within six weeks of diagnosis. In countries where HIV-positive status can subject a person to social isolation, exile, physical abuse or death, this provision has dangerous implications.

Stines said women will be the main victims of this criminalization trend. They are more likely than men to know their HIV status; more likely to be the victims of rape; more likely to be thrown out of their homes because of their status; and less likely to be able to insist on condom use.

“These laws do nothing to protect human rights,” said René Bennett-Carlson, an attorney at the NYC-based Center for HIV Law and Policy. “They discourage HIV testing. They don’t discourage risk behaviors. They discriminate against HIV-positive persons. And they are rooted in fear.”
Many governments have adapted the model law to permit even broader abuses. Togo’s law makes any sex without a condom an illegal act, regardless of HIV status. Benin’s version makes it a crime for a person who knows he or she is infected to engage in “unprotected sexual relations” without disclosing his or her status—no actual transmission of HIV is required. Burundi’s version says that the government can try a “willful” transmitter for murder.

Robert Clay, director of USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS, said his agency does not support the provisions included in the law. “Criminalization of HIV/AIDS is not supported by the U.S. government,” Clay toldThe Indypendent. “We know stigmatization, stigma and discrimination, are really a driver of this epidemic,” he said. “And we need to make sure that we don’t have those types of laws on the books.”

A spokeswoman at FHI, the health group that orchestrated the N’Djamena conference, said no one at her organization could speak on the record about the group’s involvement.

FOLLOW THE LEADER
U.S. state and federal governments have, in fact, acted as pioneers in creating laws that punish HIV exposure. By 1988, at least eight U.S. states had introduced laws that specifically punished exposure. Today, 36 U.S. states have laws that criminalize HIV exposure and failure to disclose HIV status, according to the Center for HIV Law and Policy. Punishment ranges from a fine of a few thousand dollars to imprisonment for as long as 40 years.

Since 1998, the U.N. AIDS and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights have recommended that governments not criminalize HIV transmission or exposure because these statutes nearly always open the door for human rights abuses.

Despite this, it appears that a growing number of countries believe that HIV criminalization will help them fight their continued AIDS epidemics. In 2010, Ugandan parliamentarians introduced a bill that would penalize HIV transmission. Human Rights Watch denounced the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Act, saying it will discourage testing and encourage stigma. The bill expired when the Ugandan parliamentary session ended in May 2011, but its sponsors have pledged to bring it back.

“Laws do not just happen,” said Grace. “It is important to hold actors accountable and to make visible the processes by which dangerous provisions have been passed across the [African] region.”

Julie Turkewitz writes a blog about AIDS and social justice issues for the nonprofit Housing Works at www.julieturkewitz.com.

Posted in Awareness, Health
Tags: Africa, HIV Criminalization Laws, Julie Turkewitz, U.S.A.

1. Change yourself.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

2. You are in control.
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

3. Forgive and let it go.
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

4. Without action, you aren’t going anywhere.
“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

5. Take care of this moment.
“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

6. Everyone is human.
“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

7. Persist.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

8. See the good in people and help them.
“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

10. Continue to grow and evolve.
“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

Posted in Personal Triumph
Tags: Ghandi