Friday, November 01, 2019

Bootcamp for artists is tomorrow!

The Artists’ Boot Camp

Saturday, November 2nd, 10am-4pm , in the John Addison Concert Hall of Harmony Hall
Harmony Hall Arts Center presents Mr. Lenny Campello’s seminar, “The Artists’s Boot Camp”, open to all Prince George’s County artists, 16 and up.  Mr. Campello is the Greater Washington D.C. area’s pre-eminent art dealer, critic, consultant and blogger as well as artist. He designed his seminar to deliver information, data and proven tactics to artists, and to allow them to develop and sustain a career in the fine arts. Some of the topics that he will cover are, creating a resume, creating a body of work, selling your art, juried shows and news releases, just to name a few. 
The seminar is free and lunch is included. Seating is limited so please call 301.446.3251 or email stuart.diekmeyer@pgparks.com to register and provide lunch preference.

As many of you know, for over a decade or so I have been teaching a course for artists and arts professional, that course, for the last few years has been known as “Boot Camp for Artists.”

That six hour seminar, which has been taken by over 2,000 artists and arts professionals from all over the Mid Atlantic is designed to deliver information, data and proven tactics to allow artists to develop and sustain a career in the fine arts.

In the past, I’ve discussed the importance of artists having their work at the various art fairs held around the world, most notably during Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) week in the Greater Miami area.

Presentation is a huge part of an artist’s professional life, and more often than it should be, presentation is a detractor and takes away from the artwork.

Why am I discussing that here? Because before you start exploring the various ways to get your artwork invited to the “big dance” during ABMB week, as an artist you should be ready to play with the big dogs when it comes to all the tools of the trade needed to set foot in a world-class art fair.

It is not unusual for me to step foot in a gallery and see artwork which (at least from a presentation point of view) is “not ready” for primetime… this is getting to be rarer and rarer as galleries struggle to survive, but still there.

In its six hour format, the seminar covers a wide range of structured issues, including the below list, but essentially artists should at least be aware and explore:

1. Materials – Buying materials and strategies for lowering your costs, where and how to get it, etc.

2. Presentation – How to properly present your artwork including Conservation issues, Archival Matting and Framing, Longevity of materials, a discussion on Limited editions, signing and numbering, Prints vs. Reproduction, discussion on Iris Prints (Pros and Cons).

3. Creating a resume – Strategy for building your art resume, including how to write one, what should be in it, presentation, etc.

4. Juried Shows – An Insider’s view and strategy to get in the competitions.

5. How to take images of your artwork

6. Selling your art – A variety of avenues to actually selling your artwork, including fine arts festivals, corporate acquisitions, galleries, public arts, etc.

7. Creating a Body of Works

8. How to write a news release

9. Publicity – How to get in newspapers, magazines, etc. Plus handouts on email and addresses of newspaper critics, writers, etc.

10. Galleries – Discussion on area galleries including Vanity Galleries, Co-Operatives, Commercial Galleries, Non-profit Art spaces, etc.

11. How to approach a gallery – Realities of the business, Contracts, Gallery/Artist Relationship, Agents.

12. Fine Art Fairs – Discussion and advice on how to sell outwork at fine arts festivals, which to do, which to avoid, etc.

13. Resources – Display systems and tents, best juried shows and ones to avoid.

14. Accepting Credit cards – How to set up your art business.

15. Grants – Discussion on how to get grants in DC, Regional and National, including handouts on who and where and when.

16. Alternative Marketing – Cable TV, Local media


17. Internet – How to build your website at no cost, how to establish a wide and diverse Internet presence.

Harmony Hall
10701 Livingston Road 
Fort Washington, MD 20744

Inaugural issue of the Journal of the Arts and Special Education (JASE)

JOURNAL OF THE ARTS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION (JASE)

Volume 1, Issue 1

The inaugural issue of the Journal of the Arts and Special Education (JASE) is published by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Division of the Visual and Performing Arts (DARTS) and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. JASE is a peer-reviewed open-access scholarly journal that is now available on the CEC-DARTS and the Kennedy Center websites free of charge.


JASE content includes four types of articles that span art forms (visual art, performing arts, music, and media) and include a resource review, research and practitioner papers, policy history paper, and an editorial introduction. The  premier issue contains a paper detailing the history of actions and advocacy that lead to the creation of DARTS, an evaluation of a community program offering a multi-genre arts program for middle-school students with autism, a review of resources for teacher development in music education for students with disabilities, and a description of three research-based programs to teach drama that focus on students’ social-emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and linguistic outcomes. 

The audience for JASE includes special education teachers, teaching artists, arts therapists, occupational therapists, visual art teachers, music teachers, dance teachers, and performing arts teachers. These professionals work in public schools, community programs and institutions, museums, colleges, and universities.

This first issue of JASE is dedicated to the memory of Dr. James Catterall, who embraced accessibility and creativity for all, and whose work has inspired so many researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.

DARTS is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), an organization dedicated to the education and advocacy of individuals with exceptionalities and their families.