Surtex Field Trip - part two

Yesterday I discussed my visit to Surtex. The National Stationery Show, and The International Contemporary Furniture Fair were also open for business at the same time at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, in New York City. I had plenty of time, so I checked them out too.

The National Stationery Show is HUGE!!!!! It's not only paper products. There are also other items that you'd find in stationary stores and gift shops. I walked the aisles, past hundreds of booths. Most were not of interest, but toward the end of my journey I visited five booths that had various trims and ribbons. Very exciting since I've been having trouble finding nice embellishments for the sweaters I'm repurposing, recycling, reconstructing, upcycling, redesigning, tweaking. (I really need a good terms for what I'm doing!)

At one booth, I ordered 13 spools of ribbon, mostly black, white and/or grey, in various widths, 25-50 yard lengths, for wholesale (yeah!!!). Great prices! Another booth had the best French ribbons and laces! I ordered one spool with grey velvet and black cotton lace, and a spool each of cream and black cotton lace. Very pricey (for a whole spool), but so beautiful! When I break the cost down per yard, the price is very reasonable. It's total cost for the spool that adds up. The scan isn't very good, but they are shown in the picture with this post.

I also walked the entire International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which was wonderful, and also HUGE. I have many friends who would have loved the experience. Great furniture, rugs, fixtures, etc. There were some individual artists exhibiting, but it was mostly small to large companies. I did stop to talk to some of the artists because I was curious about how they chose to be there. Everyone was very nice.

The work of most interest to me was by a group of young British artists who were wonderfully creative. One had huge hanging ceiling lamps made with different fiber materials, one had felt wall pieces, another had wall fiber pieces with many tiny found objects sewn to it. One other amazing artist was a fiber artist from London who had incredible fabrics he embellished with paint and thread. He said he has had great success selling his work to some popular catalogs and stores. Very impressive. He was a bit shy about it, but I was really happy to hear about his success. There were also interesting objects on exhibit by some more commercial designers that involved felt, which is always fun to look at.

If you ever have the opportunity, do visit Surtex, as well as The National Stationery Show, and The International Contemporary Furniture Fair. If you're luckier than I was, maybe you can also visit The Supply Side: An Annual Exposition Featuring Suppliers to the Social Stationery, Giftware and Graphic Arts Industries.

Surtex Field Trip - part one

I went on a field trip to Surtex, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, in New York City. This trip was possible thanks to one of my alma mater's MassArt (Massachusetts College of Art and Design). The trip was open to graduating painting and illustration majors, and alumni.

On Monday, I woke up at 5am, and left the house at 5:45am to drive into Boston. At 6:30am we drove via bus from Boston to New York City, where we had the day to wonder around Surtex, as well as The National Stationery Show, and The International Contemporary Furniture Fair. (Unfortunately The Supply Side: An Annual Exposition Featuring Suppliers to the Social Stationery, Giftware and Graphic Arts Industries was not open on Monday. I would have LOVED to wonder around that show. Oh well.)

For anyone not familiar with Surtex, here is the description of who exhibits and attends, from their website:

"Markets Represented:

Art and design for sale and license to numerous industries: decorative fabrics, linens and domestics, contract textiles, wall coverings, floor coverings, apparel textiles, stationery, greeting cards, giftwrap and other paper products, tabletop, giftware, housewares, toys, ceramics, packaging and publishing."

"Profile of Attendees:

Art buyers and licensees from the home furnishings, domestics, apparel, contract, gift, housewares, toy, stationery, greeting card, paper product, publishing and automotive manufacturing industries, plus retailers, licensing executives, advertising agencies and stock houses."

As a mixed media/fiber artist, I found Surtex very interesting. From what I understand from what exhibitors told me yesterday, Surtex used to be a huge trade show, with many hundreds of exhibitors. Due to I'm not exactly sure what, it was down to less than 300 exhibitors this year.

There was a wide range of work shown. Many commercial artists showing holiday and themed art. There were also many artists showing flowers, patterns and etc, that were very nice, and a number of artists from Japan with beautiful work. I was very happy to see over a dozen more funky artists, with more interesting patterns, colors, and textures, with samples based on different printmaking and painting techniques.

I stopped by those booths and spoke briefly to the artists. I found just about everyone was nice about sharing a few thoughts and experiences about their show experiences. The repeat exhibitors said they got a better response in the repeat years because the attendees remembered them from previous years and wanted to see how their work grew from one year to the next.

There were some recent art school graduates exhibiting with the most innovative work. Their friendliness, excitement and energy was really nice to see.

I loved visiting the booth of one new exhibitor, a seasoned artist, who I felt was more in line with my interests/esthetics. Her style was very different than the other exhibitors. I really liked her playfulness with color and texture. She exhibited her art, as well as her line of patterns for possible paper or fabric licensing, in her booth. I spent some time talking to her sister, who is her business partner. She was very helpful in discussing their business and offered to answer questions via phone or email, if I have any, if I decide to exhibit. It was a nice connection, and I am very happy for her having a good show and wish her much success.

A few weeks before the show, MassArt had a panel of artists discuss their experiences at these shows, and it was good to have the background before the trip.

I have wanted to visit Surtex for 15-20 years, but have never had the money, time nor access, so this was a great opportunity for me to participate. One strange thing for me was we wore "student" badges, instead of "guest." I haven't been a student since 1980, so when asked where I was a student, I explained I was an alumn who travelled with students to see the show. The conversation changed (in a nice way) as I explained I was there to learn about the show as a practicing artist.

On the way down and back to/from New York, there was good bonding on the bus between artists. I'm always glad to have new art friends. The trip ended when we returned to Boston at 11pm, and I was home by 11:30pm. Long day, but a good day.

Over the next few months, I need to think about whether I want to be an exhibitor in coming years, if I can come up with the $3000-5000 in expenses for the booth, setup, PR, travel and housing in NYC. Money will be my biggest issue.

Sorry this is a long post, but I know many artist friends will find this interesting.

Tomorrow, I will post about The National Stationery Show, and The International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Stay tuned.

Arts in the Stimulus Package!

Interested in how the Arts survived in the Federal Stimulus Package? Read this:

"Saving Federal Arts Funds: Selling Culture as an Economic Force," by Robin Pogrebin on February 15, 2009 in the New York Times.

Also, it probably didn't hurt that over 35,000 people (so I've heard) got in touch with their legislators in support of the bill. Great networking!

The argument from the opposition was that Arts funding wouldn't contribute to "real" jobs, but that was ridicilous. I am a small incorporated business in the state of Massachusetts, and though I doubt I'll personally receive any funding from the bill, here is a list of some of who I do business with as an artist:

My photographer, printer, accountant, insurance companies (plural, not singular), Apple Inc, various software companies, Staples, the US Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, the state of Massachusetts (taxes, corporate fees, tolls and etc), the US federal government including the US Copyright Office, bank, credit card companies and PayPal (who charge fees), my internet hosting company, phone company, natural gas and electric companies, my auto mechanic (bless his heart!), gas stations, galleries who benefit from my entry fees +/or any sales I may have, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and etc. That's just from the top of my head. If I went through my books, I'd have a longer list.

Thank you to the House/Senate for compromising, and doing the right thing for the Arts.

The (Art) Week in Review

Below are is some of what happened in the Arts, in the Massachusets, this week.

Federal Stimulus Package:

Mass. could get $11.7b from stimulus by Matt Viser and Michael Kranish on February 14, 2009 in the Boston Globe.

Quoting from the article: "The Massachusetts Cultural Council would probably get about $400,000, which would be redistributed to various groups and artists, and a similar amount would be sent directly from the NEA to individuals and groups in the Bay State. The funding would help make up for a proposed $600,000 cut in the council's state funding." (Yeah!)

Shepard Fairey and/or ICA Boston:

"Artist Sues The A.P. Over Obama Image," by Randy Kennedy on February 9, 2009 in the NY Times.

Scroll down the The Art Law Blog to read the most current posts, and go all the way down to "Fairey Files (UPDATED 2X)" which was posted on February 9, 2009. There are a lot of good links here.

"Cultural acclaim, residents' anger. Artist's arrest points to a Boston divide," By Maria Cramer and John R. Ellement on February 10, 2009 in the Boston Globe.

"Fairey's art of hypocrisy," by Kevin Cullen on February 12, 2009 in the Boston Globe. Everyone's got an opinion, but all I can say about this is one is "OUCH!"

Stephen Colbert (my hero!!!), had a segment on his show, The Colbert Report, "Obama Poster Debate - David Ross and Ed Colbert," on Thursday February 12, 2009, where "David Ross and Ed Colbert debate the AP lawsuit against Shepard Fairey. (06:37)" Click on the link and search for the segment.

Art Education in the Boston Public Schools:

"Study urges more arts classes. Offerings dwindle in higher grades," by James Vaznis on February 12, 2009 in the Boston Globe.

Boston area college Art Museums:

"Campus icons, Amid uncertainty at Brandeis over the Rose Art Museum's future, officials at other institutions vow to keep their collections intact," by Lisa Kocian, on February 8, 2009 in the Boston Globe.

"Museum in Peril," by Kimerly Rorschach, Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Gary Tinterow, Engelhard Chairman, Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern and Contemporary Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Adam D. Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown Director, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University:

Speak Clearly Rose.

300 attend Rose Art Museum town hall meeting by Ben Terris, on February 10, 2009 in the Boston Globe.

Arts in the Stimulus Package?

The headline on Boston.com yesterday afternoon was "Deal Reached on Stimulus," but no details (yet) if there is any money for the Arts, in the House/Senate compromise.

While we wait to find out, here are some things to read, that are probably a moot point (or as the family joke goes, "mute point"), but still interesting.

"Stimulate the Arts and Keep American Strong," by Robin Bronk on February 6, 2009 on The Huffington Post.

"In economic stimulus package, arts deserve place in line," by Chris Jones on February 9, 2009 in the Chicago Tribune.

"Do arts jobs count as jobs?," on February 10, 2009 on ArtsJournal.com.

And, here's a strange bit of news:

"Soprano's senator dad buries arts stimulus funding" by Mike Boehm on February 10, 2009 in the LA Times.

The (Art) Week in Review

Here is how last week started, and below the status by the end of the week, as far as the Arts are concerned. What a strange combination of events.

A week ago, the House of Representatives approved a version of the economic recovery bill that includes the Arts!

"NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANTS AND ADMINISTRATION:

For an additional amount for ‘‘Grants and Administration’’, $50,000,000, to be distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn: Provided, That 40 percent of such funds shall be distributed to State arts agencies and regional arts organizations in a manner similar to the agency’s current practice and 60 percent of such funds shall be for competitively selected arts projects and activities according to sections 2 and 5(c) of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 951, 954(c)): Provided further, That matching requirements under section 5(e) of such Act shall be waived: Provided further, That the amount set aside from this appropriation pursuant to section 1106 of this Act shall be not more than 5 percent instead of the percentage specified in such section."

On Friday, the U.S. Senate, approved an amendment to the economic recovery bill that stated “None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project.”  No thanks to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) who offered the amendment, it passed by a vote of 73-24.

Now we wait and see what the compromise is between the House and the Senate.

- - - - -

Brandeis University /Rose Art Museum:

Letter: Brandeis president apologizes for handling of museum issue.

- - - - -

Shepard Fairey / ICA Boston:

"Famous Artist Comes to ICA; Gets Arrested," posted by Matthew Gamber on February 7, 2009 on Big Red & Shiny.

... and ...

"How phony is Shepard Fairey?," by Dan Wasserman on February 2, 2009 in the Boston Globe.

But thankfully, there was also this:

"Shepard Fairey, success," by Geoff Edgers February 7, 2009 on Boston.com.

- - - - -

It's going to be interesting to see what happens next, with the economic recovery bill, The Rose Art Museum, Shepard Fairey, and also with everything else that's going on in The Arts. Please stay tuned.

Hard Time for The Arts Right Now

It's a hard time for the Arts right now. Besides the fact that artists of all kinds are having difficulties making a living as artists, and besides the fact that Brandeis University wants to close the Rose Art Museum and sell it's huge art collection, there is more Arts related news. I was rather taken aback this morning when I clicked on Boston.com (the Boston Globe's online newspaper), and saw three arts related headlines as the lead. Check out the links below.

"Boston schools face big job cuts, by James Vaznis on February 5, 2009 in The Boston Globe. This article is about the millions of cuts the Boston Public Schools need to make next year, including possible cuts of all art and music programs.

"Stimulus funding for arts hits nerve. Some doubt it would create jobs," by Michael Kranish on February 5, 2009 in The Boston Globe. This is about the Arts part of the stimulus funding proposal, with opposing opinions on whether the Arts are worth funding, and questioning whether it would create jobs. A must read for Artists.

A very good Opinion/Op-Ed piece by freelance critic Ed Siegel, who is a former theater and television critic for the Boston Globe, "Why should we care about the arts?," on February 5, 2009 in The Boston Globe.

"AP wants credit for Fairey's Obama image," By Hillel Italie on February 5, 2009 in The Boston Globe, about whether Shepard Fairey, whose show just opened at the ICA in Boston, is involved in copyright infringement.

Quoting the article: "The image, Fairey has acknowledged, is based on an Associated Press photograph, taken in April 2006 by Manny Garcia at the National Press Club in Washington.

The AP says it owns the copyright and wants credit and compensation. Fairey disagrees."

To sum up what I think about all of this, Oy vey!!!!!!

Economic Recovery and The Arts

The Arts are being discussed as part of the economic recovery. It's hard to find information about it, so below is some information I've found in the past few days. This post is long, but worth reading if you're interested.

Posted with permission:

"House Federal Stimulus Bill Proposes $50 million for the Arts; MAASH to Advocate for an Increase

Dear Friends,

US Rep. David Obey (D-WI), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, released yesterday a proposed federal stimulus bill that includes $50 million for the arts.  The bill will be debated on the floor of the United States House of Representatives possibly as early as next week.

If included in the final passed bill, this is an important step in our history of advocacy as it shows that the United States Congress understands the important role that arts and culture plays in our nation’s economy.

Americans for the Arts have been effective in advocating for the arts to be included in the federal stimulus package.  MAASH will be visiting Washington next week to meet with representatives of the Massachusetts delegation to petition for an increase in arts spending and to include cultural facilities as stimulus eligible infrastructure projects.

The new arts spending is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill, an economic stimulus plan proposed by the House to spend $825 billion for economic recovery, divided into $275 billion in tax cuts and $550 billion in spending.

To facilitate quick implementation, Congressional leaders are looking to existing programs and guidelines to allocate the money.  Consequently, the $50 million, if passed, will be disbursed through the National Endowment for the Arts under existing guidelines.

Under those guidelines 40% of the funds will pass directly to the state arts agencies such as the Massachusetts Cultural Council and 60% will be available under the competitive grant process.

The Senate has yet to release its version of the proposed federal stimulus package.  MAASH will be meeting with representatives in the offices of Senator Kennedy and Kerry to urge that the Senate include similar language and greater arts funding.

The proposed language in the House bill follows:

“For an additional amount for ‘‘Grants and Administration’’, $50,000,000, to be distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn: Provided, That 40 percent of such funds shall be distributed to State arts agencies and regional arts organizations in a manner similar to the agency’s current practice and 60 percent of such funds shall be for competitively selected arts projects and activities according to sections 2 and 5(c) of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965.”

Sincerely, Dan Hunter (Executive Director) and Hathalee Higgs (Development Director), Massachusetts Associates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities (MAASH) on January 22, 2009.

* * *

Also, check out the Americans for the Arts' nine recommendations in "Economic Recovery & the Arts" (PDF doc) on their website.

Quoting the first paragraph:

"The arts mean jobs and tremendous economic activity in America and must be part of our country’s economic recovery. Nationally, 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations are members of the business community—employing people locally, purchasing goods and services within the community, and involved in the marketing and promotion of their cities and communities. Nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year, support 5.7 million jobs, and return nearly $30 billion in government revenue every year—proving that the arts are an economic driver in their communities that support jobs and generate government revenue. Every $1 billion in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations – and their audiences – results in almost 70,000 full-time-equivalent jobs." Read more.

* * *

There are people who don't understand how the arts can affect the economy, as per this quote I found from Appropriations Ranking Member Jerry Lewis, R-Calif:

"I'm scratching my head trying to determine how items like $50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts will create jobs or provide relief for families across the country," Lewis said." (from Money.CNN.com)

I urge all artists, arts organizations, and arts supporters, to pay attention to what happens with the Arts part of the Stimulus Bill, and to contact their elected officials as needed.

Gallery Changes in Boston

Rarely is an article about art or art galleries found on the front page of the Boston Globe, but there was one today. "Redrawing the map of Hub galleries, New economic scene brings moves, closings," by Cate McQuaid, discusses changes happening with 14 of Boston's art galleries. The economy, rent, changes in gallery owners' lives, and the internet are a few of the reasons for the changes.

Maverick Arts Magazine's "Shakeup of Boston Galleries - Leases Expires on Newbury Street and South End," by Charles Giuliano on June 16, 2008, is another article worth reading.

The Arts are very much alive in Massachusetts, as judged by the National Endowment for the Arts' New 
Artists In The Workforce Study, but public funding is low for the Massachusetts Cultural Council's Artist Fellowships, and for Public Art in Massachusetts. The gallery changes are yet another bump that artists must deal with.

National Endowment for the Arts Artists Study

Two very interesting newspaper articles about the same thing, but each has a different focus.

After New York and California, Massachusetts has more artists than other states in the US. Read the Boston Globe's article, "Study finds Mass. draws artists," by Geoff Edgers, June 12, 2008.

Or, read the New York Times' article, about the Arts in different US states, "A 21st-Century Profile: Art for Art’s Sake, and for the U.S. Economy, Too," by Sam Roberts, June 12, 2008.

This is the National Endowment for the Arts' New 
Artists In The Workforce Study press release.

And here is the NEA's actual Artists In the Workforce study, in PDF format. It's 150 pages long, so it might be slow to load.