CAA News

For the 2011 Annual Conference in New York, CAA seeks established professionals in the visual arts to volunteer as mentors for two Career Services programs: the Artists’ Portfolio Review and Career Development Mentoring. Participating as a mentor is an excellent way to serve the field and assist the professional growth of the next generation of artists and scholars.

Artists’ Portfolio Review

The Artists’ Portfolio Review provides an opportunity for artists to have digital images or DVDs of their work critiqued by professionals in the visual arts. CAA member artists are paired with a critic, curator, or educator for twenty-minute appointments. Whenever possible, artists are matched with mentors based on medium or discipline. Mentors provide an important service to artists, enabling them to receive professional criticism of their work. Art historians and studio artists must be tenured; critics, museum educators, and curators must have five years’ experience. Curators and educators must have current employment with a museum or university gallery.

Interested candidates must be current CAA members and willing to provide at least five successive twenty-minute critiques in a two-hour period on one of the two days of the review: Thursday, February 10, and Friday, February 11, 8:00 AM–NOON and 1:00–5:00 PM each day. Conference registration, while encouraged, is not required to be a mentor. Please send your CV and a brief letter of interest to Lauren Stark, CAA manager of programs. Deadline: December 3, 2010.

Career Development Mentoring

CAA seeks mentors from all areas of art history, studio art, art education, film and video, graphic design, the museum professions, and other related fields to serve in Career Development Mentoring. In this program, mentors give valuable advice to emerging and midcareer professionals, reviewing cover letters, CVs, digital images, and other pertinent job-search materials in twenty-minute sessions.

Interested candidates must be current CAA members and prepared to give five successive twenty-minute critiques in a two-hour period on one of the two days of the session: Thursday, February 10, and Friday, February 11, 8:00 AM–NOON and 1:00–5:00 PM each day. Conference registration, while encouraged, is not required to be a mentor. Art historians and studio artists must be tenured; critics, museum educators, and curators must have five years’ experience. Curators and educators must have current employment with a museum or university gallery.

Career Development Mentoring is not intended as a screening process by institutions seeking new hires. Applications are not accepted from individuals whose departments are conducting a faculty search in the field in which they are mentoring. Mentors should not be attending the conference as candidates for positions in the same field in which mentoring participants may be applying. Please send your CV and a brief letter of interest to Lauren Stark, CAA manager of programs. Deadline: December 3, 2010.

Space 4 Art will present a CAA National Professional-Development Workshop for Artists on Saturday, October 2, 2010, from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The full-day event, called “The Nuts and Bolts of Professionalizing Your Art Practice,” will concentrate on career-building skills for both emerging and established artists. The San Diego Foundation is cosponsoring the workshop.

Presenters from the San Diego and Los Angeles areas will conduct the workshop, which includes these topics: “It’s All about You”; “Marketing Yourself to Market Your Art”; “Show Me the Money”; and “Getting Your House in Order to Do Business.” Karen Atkinson, an artist, curator, collaborator, and founder of GYST, will offer a lunch keynote on “Hybrid Careers.”

A light breakfast and lunch are included for participants, and a postworkshop reception will take place from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.

Registration for the workshop is first-come, first-served. The investment is $15 for students, seniors, and CAA members; $25 for all others. Stipends are available; contact Susan Schear, CAA national workshop project consultant, at 973-482-1000. You may pay by credit card or PayPal. Please make checks payable to College Art Association and mail to: CAA Workshops, Space 4 Art, 325 15th Street, San Diego, CA 92101.

CAA’s National Professional-Development Workshops for Artists, sustained by a generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, focus on supporting visual artists in underserved areas. Three additional workshops are scheduled for this fall in Portland, Albuquerque, and Birmingham.

The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque will host a CAA National Professional-Development Workshop for Artists on Saturday, October 9, 2010, from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. The full-day event, called “Professionalizing Your Art Practice,” will concentrate on career-building skills for both emerging and established artists.

Preceded by a keynote address from the art historian Libby Lumpkin on “The Changing Climate of the Art World,” the workshop will include these topics, each one hour in length: “CV/Résumé/Artist Statement Preparation”; “Creating a Digital Portfolio”; “Social Media: Facebook and Twitter”; and “Marketing/Self-Promotion/Networking.” A panel discussion on “Getting into Galleries” will conclude the presentations.

Registration for the workshop is first-come, first-served. The investment is $25 for students and CAA members; $40 for all others. Stipends are available; contact Susan Schear, CAA national workshop project consultant, at 973-482-1000. You may pay by credit card or PayPal. Please make checks payable to College Art Association and mail to: Dept. of Art and Art History, MSC04 2560, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131.

CAA’s National Professional-Development Workshops for Artists, sustained by a generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, focus on supporting visual artists in underserved areas. Three additional workshops are scheduled for this fall in Portland, San Diego, and Birmingham.

The Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland will host a CAA National Professional-Development Workshop for Artists on Saturday, September 25, 2010. The full-day event, called “Marketing and Entrepreneurship for Artists: Maximizing Your Practice,” will concentrate on career-building skills for both emerging and established artists. Workshop cosponsors are two other local institutions: the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Craft.

Presenters from the region will conduct the workshop, which offers two options for morning and afternoon sessions. In the morning, participants can choose either “Marketing 101: Getting Started” or “Entrepreneurship 101: Taking Personal and Direct Control of Your Business.” In the afternoon, “Marketing 201: Thinking outside the Box” and “Entrepreneurship 201: The Company Perspective” will be offered.

A light breakfast and lunch for participants are included, and a postworkshop reception will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

Registration for the workshop is first-come, first-served. The investment for students, alumni, seniors, and CAA members is $15; $25 for all others. Stipends are available; contact Susan Schear, CAA national workshop project consultant, at 973-482-1000. You may pay by credit card at www.ocac.edu/caa. Please make checks payable to College Art Association and mail to: Oregon College of Art and Craft, Attn: CAA Registration, 8245 SW Barnes Rd., Portland, OR 97225.

CAA’s National Professional-Development Workshops for Artists, sustained by a generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, focus on supporting visual artists in underserved areas. Three additional workshops are scheduled this fall in San Diego, Albuquerque, and Birmingham.

Cosponsored by the Louisiana Crafts Guild, the next CAA National Professional Development Workshop will be held at the Lafayette Science Museum (formerly Natural History Museum), located at 433 Jefferson Street in downtown Lafayette. The three-day event takes place Thursday–Saturday, May 6–8, 2010.

Billed as a “maintenance day,” Thursday, May 6 (NOON–5:00 PM) will provide the opportunity for registered workshop participants to receive professional photographs of their artwork. In addition, Louisiana Crafts Guild members may work with a website professional to update their individual artist-member pages. Appointments for photography or website updates are on a first-come basis; please contact Kimberly Jones at San Souci Gallery, 337-266-7999.

On Friday and Saturday, May 7–8, the workshop will present professional-development seminars filled with career-building skills for visual artists, including valuable information, tools, tips, resources, best practices, and networking. On May 7 (8:00 AM–5:00 PM), Thomas Mann will address entrepreneurial thinking and tactics for artists, small-business management, and demystifying public relations. On the next day (10:00 AM–6:00 PM), Bruce Baker will discuss trends and product development, display and merchandising for shows and galleries, increasing performance at juried shows, sales, and customer-service techniques.

Light breakfasts and lunches on May 7–8 are included for participants, and a postworkshop reception takes place on Friday, May 7 (5:00–7:00 PM). Questions? Contact Susan Schear, CAA national workshop project consultant.

Registration for the workshop is first-come, first-served. The investment for students, seniors, and CAA and guild members is $30; $40 for all others. Stipends are available; please contact Susan Schear at 973-482-1000. Please make checks payable to College Art Association and mail to Kimberly Jones, San Souci Gallery, 219 East Vermilion Street, Lafayette, LA 70501; or you may pay by credit card through the Louisiana Crafts Guild.

Future National Professional Development Workshops will be held in:

• Portland, Oregon: Saturday, September 25, 2010, at the Oregon College of Art and Craft
• Albuquerque, New Mexico: Saturday, October 9, 2010, at the University of New Mexico
• Birmingham, Alabama: Saturday, November 20, 2010, at Space One Eleven

CAA’s workshops are supported by a generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

CAA has selected the Louisiana Crafts Guild to cosponsor and present the next CAA National Professional Development Workshop.

The three-day event, scheduled for May 6 (12:00 NOON–5:00 PM) and May 7–8 (9:00 AM–5:00 PM), will be held in downtown Lafayette, Louisiana. The workshop will provide professional-development seminars filled with career-building skills for visual artists, including valuable information, tools, tips, resources, best practices, and networking.

Featured presenters and topics include: Thomas Mann (entrepreneurial thinking and tactics for artists, small-business management, and demystifying public relations) and Bruce Baker (trends and product development, display and merchandising for shows and galleries, increasing performance at juried shows, sales, and customer-service techniques).

Light breakfasts and boxed lunches are also included. A postworkshop reception takes place on Friday, May 7 (5:00–7:00 PM). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis; the cost will be announced soon.

Please visit www.LouisianaCrafts.org or contact Susan Schear, CAA national workshop project consultant, at for details, which are presently being confirmed.

Future workshops will be held in:

• Portland, Oregon: Saturday, September 25, 2010, at the Oregon College of Art and Craft
• Birmingham, Alabama: Saturday, November 20, 2010, at Space One Eleven

CAA’s National Professional Development Workshops, which focus on supporting visual artists in underserved areas, are sustained by a generous two-year grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

CAA is pleased to announce two more National Career Development Workshops, to be held next month in Pittsburgh and Detroit. Throughout 2009–10, CAA is offering eight workshops across America, providing essential training to emerging and midcareer visual artists.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: November 10

The next CAA National Career Development Workshop, entitled “Artists & Communities: Hybrid & Hyphenated,” will take place at the Society for Contemporary Craft (SCC) on November 10, 2009, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The workshop, held from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM with a postworkshop gathering for networking, is a collaboration between CAA and SCC.

After morning registration and a light breakfast, the workshop will be introduced by Susan Schear, CAA national workshop project consultant. Topics for the day will cover networking, artist and digital communities, crafting an art career, community resources, and practical business application. Lunch will be provided, and a tour of the exhibition, Transformation7: Contemporary Works in Wood, will take place.

Workshop presenters include Elizabeth Perry, a writer and new-media artist; Brigitte Martin, a jewelry maker; Laura Jean McLaughlin, a ceramicist; and representatives from the Lawrenceville Corporation, the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative, Braddock Redux, and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.

General admission is $30; $15 for students and seniors. A limited number of stipends are available—please contact Susan Schear. To attend the workshop, please call 412-261-7003, ext. 26, or send an email to SCC. Credit cards are accepted through PayPal on the SCC website. Please make checks payable to College Art Association.

Detroit, Michigan: November 20–21

For the next National Career Development Workshop, CAA will host a two-day event in Michigan that will focus on students and artists living, working, and practicing in the greater Detroit area. The workshop takes place November 20–21, 2009, at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and will include participation from several universities, colleges, and institutions, including the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Wayne State University, Oakland University, and Lawrence Technical University. The workshop runs from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM each day.

CAA spoke to directors and chairs of programs in the region to garner information and ideas regarding needs for professional development for students and communities. The workshops will address overall protocol; developing a strong and compelling professional portfolio (writing, photography, etc.); researching and writing grants; how to approach a gallery and getting into galleries and other locations; securing residencies and fellowships; marketing and networking; the role of technology and social media; how to transform skills for other jobs or positions in and outside the arts (including teaching, museums, galleries, and design); participating in fairs (e.g., fine arts, design firms, architecture); and listening to stories, dos and don’ts, and recommendations from successful practitioners, artists in various disciplines, and business owners.

The workshop cost, with a discount for students and seniors, will be announced soon. Breakfast and lunch will be included.

About the Workshops

CAA’s National Career Development Workshops are supported by a second generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Topics are chosen in discussion with each venue and its constituents, and range in format and subject in order to provide relevant and useful career-development counsel.

CAA has received funding from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation to offer two additional years of National Career Development Workshops for artists in 2009–10. The grant allows CAA to continue the 2007–8 program in which ten workshops were presented at various locations in the United States.

Held in underserved areas, the workshops are designed to meet the specific needs of artists in each region. In the past, topics have included presentation skills, writing artist statements, networking, planning, grant preparation, and career options. The workshops have been highly successful, and CAA has forged partnerships with schools, art museums, co-op galleries, and art societies across the nation.

Artworks in Trenton, New Jersey, is the location for the first 2009–10 workshop. Scheduled for May 9, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, it will provide tools, tips, resources, best practices, and networking opportunities for artists. Also taking place is a postworkshop networking reception, just around the corner at the Mill Hill Saloon, 300 South Broad Street, in Trenton.

The cost for the complete day, including breakfast and lunch, is $25 ($15 for students and seniors). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis; contact Artworks at 609-394-9436 to confirm your place. For details regarding the day’s schedule, write to Artworks or Susan Schear, CAA national workshop project consultant.

The Trenton workshop is cosponsored by the Arts and Business Council of Greater Trenton, in partnership with Artworks and the College of New Jersey.

With the Alaska State Council on the Arts, CAA will present career-development workshops for visual artists on Saturday, November 8, 2008, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The workshops will be held at the BP Energy Center, 900 E. Benson Boulevard, in Anchorage.

In a panel discussion “How the Heck to Sell Work Outside” (9:30–10:45 AM), artists and arts professionals from the Anchorage and national art community will discuss the challenges of making work outside an established art market. Strategies for finding new markets and venues will be discussed.

In “Career Alternatives: Beyond the Gallery” (11:00 AM–NOON), Susan Schear will cover the spectrum of artist opportunities available today; what a graduate school degree means in today’s art market; and how to navigate the exhibition world, including galleries, art fairs, museums, and other venues.

In “Beyond Slides: Technology for Artists” (1:00–2:00 PM), presenter Mariano Gonzales will demonstrate basic techniques for documenting artwork and creating digital portfolios. The session will introduce the computer-based technologies used in developing and distributing artists’ portfolios. Participants will learn to prepare digital images for presentation onscreen and in print using affordable hardware and software solutions. CD portfolios, web galleries, PowerPoint slides, and PDF files will also be discussed.

In “Collaboration as an Artistic Practice” (2:15–3:45 PM), Two Girls Working: Tiffany Ludwig and Renee Piechocki ask the question, “Why collaborate?” As a model for this workshop, they will use their national, interview-based project Trappings, which is a collaboration not only between two artists but also with project participants and commissioning organizations. The artists will discuss the advantages, concerns, and challenges of collaboration that they have encountered in Trappings.

For preregistration, please call the Alaska State Council on the Arts toll free at 888-278-7424.

CAA’s National Career Development Workshops for artists are supported by a generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Topics are chosen in discussion with each venue and its constituents and range in format and subject in order to provide relevant and useful career-development counsel. For more information about the workshops, please write to Melissa Potter.

In locations around the country, CAA offers workshops for visual artists on a range of topics, from health and safety in the studio to grant writing to professional relationship building. Each workshop is developed in collaboration with regional institutions to serve the specific interests of their local constituencies. Please check back periodically as more workshops are announced for 2008. Below are two upcoming workshops.

Cleveland, Ohio
On October 22, 2008, 10:30 AM–3:00 PM, CAA will offer career-development workshops at the Cleveland Institute of Art. The program will take place at the Russell B. Aitken Auditorium and include “The Tools of Self-Promotion: How to Initiate and Build New Relationships,” with Jackie Battenfield; a lunch and networking event; and “Pricing Your Work,” with Susan Schear of ArtIsIn.

Anchorage, Alaska
On November 8, 2008, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, CAA will offer a day of professional-development workshops hosted by the Alaska State Council on the Arts at the BP Energy Center in Anchorage. The program will include a panel discussion called “How the Heck to Sell the Work Outside” and workshops entitled “Career Alternatives: How to Support Yourself as a Working Artist,” “Beyond Slides: How to Be an Artist in the Twenty-First Century,” and “Working in an Artist Collaborative,” presented by Two Girls Working. There will be an afternoon reception.

More Information
CAA’s National Career Development Workshops are supported by a generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Questions regarding the workshops for artists should be directed to Melissa Potter, CAA career development associate.