UN-CURATED OPS

Un-curated  (or lightly curated) opportunities work for  you, the artist, to get your name and artwork out there. Why not give one or two  a try? Not only do they make great learning experiences, but add to your artist Bio/CV.

I recently (september 2009) participated in an un-curated homage exhibition in New York City at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery. The exhibition an homage to artist Ray Johnson, of the film *How To Draw A Bunny* available on DVD and recommended viewing for artists.

The title of the exhibition, A BOOK ABOUT DEATH takes its inspiration from the late, underground American artist Ray Johnson (1927 – 1995). Ray Johnson’s unbound “book” of the same title was mailed to his New York Correspondence School “students” and included pages in his idiosyncratic style that were funny, sad and ironic “one-page essays” on death. With the A BOOK ABOUT DEATH project, artists are invited to plunge into subject in creating their own pages that score the dramatic final dance of death, contribute by producing an artwork about death then printing it on 500 postcards that will all be in the gallery for visitors to pick up and make their own Book About Death to take away with them.

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH

Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery

537 Broadway

New York City, New York 10012

As a result of participating in this un-curated exhibition, my name and blog link are on the back of 500 postcards in the gallery for visitors to pick up. Plus my artwork is on the project blog, at http://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com/ and on the gallery website along with all the other artist images, at: http://abookaboutdeath.net.

Many artists join Spraygraphic, at:http://www.spraygraphic.com to display their portfolio online for free, and to participate in the regular un-curated gallery exhibitions the site hosts for members only in galleries in major Arizona cities.

FREE LISTINGS FOR NEW YORK ARTISTS:

DEADLINE: Mon, November 30, 2009   (or until filled)

FREE ARTIST WEBSITE LISTINGS: NewYorkArtists.net

FREE ARTIST WEBSITE LISTINGS (limited time offer) on New York Artists Online (www.newyorkartists.net) in these categories from July 2009 – December 2009: Ceramics, Sculpture, Jewelry, Glass, Fiber, Photography

If you’re a NY artist and have a high quality website in one of the above categories, NewYorkArtists.net will place an image, description of your work and a link to your website for free.
Contact:Gloria Rabinowitz |   |  http://www.newyorkartists.net |  gloriarabinowitz@newyorkartists.net

Artist Keemo “Keemo” not only understands Internet marketing, he’s mastered it. In just one year, the whimsical portrait painter has created a huge following for his work via his Web site, regular blogging, an e-mail mailing list, eBay, and online social networking sites.

Keemo

“There are a lot of artists out there not taking advantage of the Internet the way you should,” says the soft-spoken artist. “The mailing list is an important thing. I try to use different social communities like ArtScuttlebutt and MySpace. I always respond to e-mails. I take the time to answer people’s questions. If someone mentions that they are an artist, I try to find out more about their art and try to create relationships. I want this to be more than just about making a dollar.

”While the Internet’s impersonal technological barrier can be a problem for artists trying to attract collectors online, Keemo uses his blogs as a means of creating common ground. He often includes short stories and anecdotes about the work he posts.

“I get quite a bit of e-mail in response to those, as in ‘I love that story,’ or ‘I remember when I was that age,’” he says. “The Internet can be so hands-off and distant. Anything you can do to make it more personable can help.”

One collector recently wrote that his 8-year-old son loved Keemo’s work so much that instead of setting up a lemonade stand, like most 8-year-olds, his little boy was inspired to set up a roadside art stand, where he created small paintings for passersby.

“When I was about 15, and I’m 34 now, I was thinking that art had to be something more than just drawing a car or a football player,” Keemo says. “Ever since then, I tried to draw what I think represents me and what I think about everything. I was never interested in looking at what was big in the art world or what everybody else was doing. I guess I just enjoy the process of creating art, and I don’t think about the finished product. I just get lost in the lines and the color, and then at the end of the painting, I wake up.”

Keemo’s fine art career didn’t happen overnight. Ten years ago, while he was training to be a commercial and graphic artist, he tried to market his work through galleries and became discouraged at the lack of response.“I gave up on the idea of trying to sell my work,” he says. “I gave a lot of it away, but I still enjoyed doing it. One year ago, I decided to take all I have learned from commercial art, as far as marketing goes, and apply that to my own artwork. I had to rely on the knowledge that I had with e-mail/internet marketing and online communities and use those tools to market myself.” Now self-represented, selling directly to his clients rather than through a dealer, Keemo couldn’t be happier. “One of the things that always discouraged me about the galleries is that as a painter, you’re kind of on the outside of those relationships,” he says. “What I love about self-representing myself is all of those relationships that I get to create. The last year or so have been amazing. The relationships I’ve developed are a whole other aspect that is more rewarding than even getting positive feedback on the work.” For more work by Keemo, visit www.KeemoGallery.com , orArtScuttlebutt.com/keemosan. ArtScuttlebutt.com is the online community for Art Calendar andArtCalendar.com . Artists are invited to create a profile and post an online gallery free of charge, participate in the discussion forum and take advantage of the other services at the site.

Etsy, boasts 2.4 million registered members in 150 countries. Its more than 155,000 active vendors sold $58 million worth of goods in the first five months of 2009, doubling Etsy’s sales volume over the same period last year. Despite the recession, the site facilitated sales of $87.5 million in 2008 and is expected to break even for the first time later this year.

Etsy and upstart competitors likeArtFire and DaWanda host vendors of the handmade, and that includes a fine art section on each of these sites.

If you have small original paintings, drawing or limited edition prints, there’s a new online auction of art website featuring living contemporary artists:

http://artistsinauction.com/

Art Auction Worldwide–a  place where artists can auction their art free:

http://philcashdollar.ning.com/

APW art gallery in NYC lists calls for large group shows of paintings on vinyl albums, sketch shows, and other special projects that are often un-curated:

http://apwarts.com/

Good Things, Small Packages

In his extended gig as a health food store “vitamologist,” Denis Gaston, says, “word got out that I also dabbled in the Arts. Before long, I was asked to exhibit work in the store cafe, next to the “all you can eat” salad bar and across from the “grab ‘n go” deli. It occurred to me one day, while noshing on an organic radish, that in a restaurant setting a different kind of art exhibit would be better appreciated.”Thus was born the Grab ‘n Go Art Show, featuring scores of original 3″x 5″ drawings by artist Denis Gaston, that covered the deli walls. Customers simply pulled off the drawing they liked and left $5.00. The artist made enough money from that exhibition to buy more art supplies.

The Grab ‘n Go Art Show will make a reappearance at the July Cool Art Show in The Cloiseum in St. Petersburg. Above are samples of many new works that will be available. Just grab ‘n go….after paying for them.

http://thewritinghood.blogspot.com/