Professional Development Series
Join us as we once again partner with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to provide a series of free workshops for the professional for sharpening your business skills, promoting your work, and for networking with other professional artists. Mark your calendars for these summer dates.
For more detailed information, click to our ProDev page or check out the Workshop page on the Arts Council’s site.
Space is limited for these free workshops, so be sure to RSVP to Hugh Vandivier promptly at hugh@primarycolours.org.
ALL WORKSHOPS BEGIN AT 6PM AND ARE FREE.
NEW LOCATION! The Arts Council of Indianapolis has moved to a new building at 924 N. Pennsylvania Street (map), right next to the Living Room Lounge. All workshops will take place in their new offices.
Free parking is available in the lot just to the north of the building, on the street, or across the street in the apartment parking lot.
Please feel free to bring a coffee, bottled water, or a light snack with you.
July 28 Workshop – CANCELED
August 11, 6pm: Licensing your Artwork (DATE CHANGE from July 28!)
For artists interested in licensing their work for everything from calendars and greeting cards to posters and wine labels, Betsy Knotts can help. Betsy is not only a glass artist in her own right, she is also responsible for licensing the Garfield characters. Betsy and trademark lawyer Connie Lindman will take you through the process of licensing your work while still protecting your copyright and interests.
New this year: Due to high demand from artists who would like to connect with other artists, we have added networking opportunities to each workshop. Come to the workshops then join other artists and presenters at a nearby cafe, coffee shop or watering hole to continue the conversation in a more casual environment.
Extreme Logo Makeover Contest
Primary Colours is looking for a new logo, and we’re seeking your help in designing it.
If we choose your logo, you win the following:
• One year of free promotion (that’s your name/logo on every event piece we promote for a full year).
• Two free tickets to Primary Colours’ events from September 2010 – September 2011.
• A T-shirt of your choice from our catalog.
• Recognition during the Unveiling of the new logo at our Art Vs. Art event on September 24, 2010.
OPEN TO ANYONE & EVERYONE: Design/art enthusiasts, agencies, artists, etc. Feel free to offer more than one submission.
Create your artwork in a vector format. We prefer the Illustrator format but Photoshop can be used so long as the final artwork can be vectorized. All type needs to be converted to outlines. Acceptable submission formats include JPEG, TIFF, EPS, AI, and PSD. Memory Limit:10MB.
Submit or send questions via e-mail to: primarycoloursindy@gmail.com.
DEADLINE: BY MIDNIGHT E.D.T. July 30, 2010. The winning/final design must be prepared in vector for the hand-off to Primary Colours along with all fonts identified for branding consistency.
We would like you to follow these guidelines (pointers) while developing your sizzling hot logo design:
• We are a non-profit organization that works with a lot of painters, but painting is not our only focus. We need an icon/logo that can grow over time as our organization evolves to take on more artists and media formats.
• Please keep your Photoshop effects and filters to a minimum. It’s a great program, but please don’t overdo it.
WHAT WE LIKE:
• A logo we can use in all media.
• Clean and iconic (contemporary).
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE:
• We want a logo that translates well in one color and black. We don’t hate primary colors, but please show us some different options as well.
{CURRENT LOGO}
ProDev: Authentic Arts Marketing
Another capacity group of artists gathered on Wednesday, July 14, for a very interactive workshop on developing a personal marketing plan. Adam Thurman taught how marketing doesn’t have to be a necessary evil. It can be a positive, honest reflection of the art you create. It can be something that you actually love doing. Over the course of an entertaining and engaging two-hour workshop, artists learned how to:
- Gain a different perspective on arts marketing
- Identify their personal mantra and artistic values
- Learn how to translate those values into specific marketing tactics that will ultimately connect more people to their art
Each participant also received an electronic copy of Adam’s e-Book, Authentic Arts Marketing.
Speaker:
Adam Thurman is President of Mission Paradox, a consulting firm that focuses on connecting art and audience in Chicago, IL. As part of Mission Paradox he has led presentations and workshops for Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Civic Knowledge Project and the Arts and Business Council. He also maintains a widely read arts marketing blog at www.missionparadox.com In addition, Adam is the Director of Marketing and communications at Court Theatre, one of the largest nonprofit theatres in Chicago. During his tenure as Director of Marketing the theatre has had some of the highest grossing productions in their more than 50-year history. He has been recognized as an Emerging Leader by Americans For the Arts and the Theatre Communication Group. He has also been featured in Time Out New York and the Chicago Tribune.
ProDev: The Art of the Sale
A full house gathered in the new digs of the Arts Council of Indianapolis on Wednesday, June 30, to learn more about how to sell their art.
For many artists, creating your work is the easy part. But how do you sell it in order to “share it” with others? How do you mix and mingle, engage and close a sale, and enjoy the whole experience? It is an art form in itself! Learn tried-and-true tips from artists, gallery owners, and others for engaging casually interested buyers and turn them from simply interested into full-fledged arts patrons.
Panelists:
Pauline Moffatt, Executive Director of the IndyFringe Festival. Along with her current role working with hundreds of performing artists, Pauline spent eight years in Melbourne Australia working with the Hotel for the Arts promoting and profiling emerging and established visual artists who exhibited in the building.
Ron Zimmerman, Vice President and COO at Elona Biotechnologies, Inc. with 17 years of salesmanship experience including managing and training sales teams of over 100 professionals.
Linda Dorman, Studio Manager for Tom Torluemke Studio and former gallery owner
Tom Torluemke, artist and former gallery owner
ProDev Poster Design
For this year’s ProDev poster, we enlisted the help of John Perez & Jerry Hardister at Ivy Tech. Their graphics design class came up with poster designs that were critiqued by our three members who are professional graphics designers.
The winning poster was designed by Julia Stitt, who is currently a sophomore at Ivy Tech Community College. She is pursuing a degree in Visual Communication with concentrations in Graphic Design and Web Design, and she expects to graduate in Spring of 2011 with an Associate of Applied Science. Julia’s interest in print design and layout was prompted during her freshman year of high school when she contributed to the design of the school yearbook. Besides design, she also has a passion for travel, photography, and chocolate.
Nice job, Julia, and thanks to all who participated.
Installation Nation 2010 Artists
We’re proud to announce the artists participating in Installation Nation on the weekend of June 4-5. Of the 24 entries received, reviewed, and juried, these are the 7 projects chosen:
- Brent Aldrich & Julie Cifuentes, Indianapolis
- Andrew Ball with Todd Bracik & Matt Warren, Indianapolis
- Marci Rubin, Chicago
- Mark Rumsey, Grand Rapids
- Xiaoou Sun, Bloomington
- Ben Valentine, Indianapolis
- Sala Wong, Terre Haute
These artists will each be creating their installation art projects within the 8′x8′x20′ confines of seven large metal shipping containers placed on a vacant lot at 500 N. College in downtown Indianapolis. Each project will receive $750, thanks to a generous grant from the Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.
Artists submitted entries came from far and wide, including such places as Asheville, North Carolina; Shorewood and Bolingbrook, Illinois; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Bowling Green, Kentucky; and Greencastle, Indiana. Thank you to all who entered.
Call for Artists – Installation Nation 2010
We’re pleased to announce that our newest event, Installation Nation, is returning this June. We’re once again inviting all contemporary artists with experience in creating installation art to submit proposals for consideration.
Applications are available now.
Project Overview
Artists will submit a proposal to create an installation piece within the confines of a 20-foot metal shipping container. From the submitted proposals, a panel will judge all completed entries based on their originality, execution and innovation. This year, they will select seven projects and give them each $750 to create their vision within the confines of a metal shipping container. Artists have until Tuesday, April 27, to submit them to us.
Artists may conceive and develop a piece free from any thematic or creative restrictions, and multiple artists may collaborate on a piece. The dimensions allotted for each piece are width: 8 feet, depth: 20 feet, height: 8 feet. Electricity will be available to power each selected installation piece. Selected artists must be available to set their installation up in Indianapolis during the week of the event, beginning Monday, May 31, 2010.
Pieces will highlight Installation Nation, a weekend exhibition taking place on Friday, June 4, and Saturday, June 5, 2010. The event will also feature music, food, and drink.
Event Dates
| Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 5 p.m. EDT | Artist Proposals Due |
| Friday, April 30, 2010 | Artist Notification |
| Monday, May 31, 2010 | Participating artists begin assembly of their pieces |
| Thursday, June 3, 2010 | Assembly of works complete |
| Friday, June 4, 2010 | Installation Nation Exhibition |
| Saturday, June 5, 2010 | Installation Nation Exhibition |
| Sunday, June 6, 2010 | Disassembly of artwork |
Submissions
Entry forms are available from this link. You can submit them via e-mail, post, or in person, but they need to be at our offices by Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 5 p.m. EDT. Late entries will not be considered. Submission fee is $20.
Web Submissions
You can send entries electronically to info@primarycolours.org (place INSTALLATION NATION SUBMISSION in the Subject line).
Mailed Submissions
Primary Colours is located in the Stutz Building at 212 W. 10th St., Suite A.380, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
In-Person Deliveries
If you wish to drop off your submission at our offices, our address is the same as above. (Get Directions)
Questions?
If you have any questions about the event, please review the FAQs in the Comments section below. If you do not see the answer to your question there, contact Dane Sauer at danesauer@primarycolours.org or (317) 413-7720.
Or, post them to our comments by clicking Leave A Comment >> below.
50 Words With…Mamus
As an artist, you go by the name “Mamus.” How and why did you come up with that name?
I’ve had that nickname for a while. When a friend’s child was learning to speak, he wasn’t able to say James…thus Mamus [maym-uhs] was born. When I started showing my work I wanted to use something that sounded somewhat whimsical and more interesting than James Judd. Also, I have multiple illustrative styles that I work with. Using an alias for each helps me distinguish them and confuses the hell out of others.
Were you surprised that your pieces at TOYS were so well received? (You sold a majority of the pieces in the set.)
I’ve learned that most people tend to enjoy work with a curse word (fuck) in the title. So, I wasn’t really surprised that a room full of people drinking beer and wine liked them. What shocked me was that I sold anything considering the amount of wonderful work that was in the show.
Where did you go to school? What did you study?
I studied ceramics at Herron before dropping out a few years ago.
What is your artistic medium of choice?
Currently, I find myself using mostly polymer clay combined with found objects. There’s just something about using a material that most would cast off as a craft medium that’s interesting to me.
What’s your creative approach to developing art?
I’ll walk around thrift stores thinking up ideas for just about everything I see. It’s kind of awful, I have a massive amout of crap that I’ll never get around to completing.
What projects are you working on?
I’m working on ideas for a large scale show/installation. Probably something around 300-500 small extremely affordable sculptures enclosed in their own little world. I’ll start working on them and find a place to show it after the new year.
2nd Chance to Buy TOYS Art
Some of our TOYS artists are showing their pieces created for last week’s show at the Indypendent Holiday Art Sale on Friday, Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Indianapolis Artsgarden in Circle Center Mall.
Dan Thompson and Ryan Alvis will definitely be showcasing their pieces. William Denton Ray, who also painted up a cool skateboard for TOYS, will have more than 200 pieces for sale, which he calls “Whimsical Funk.”
Be sure to check it out. Local art for holiday presents…what a great idea!
Dan Thompson, pen & ink, “Must Have(s)”
Ryan Alvis, “After the Unwrapping,” Watercolor
50 Words With…Mab Graves
How did you feel about winning Art vs. Art?
I was super-crazy exited and surprised! I really didn’t think I was going to win. I don’t really have any friends in the Art Community, so the only people I had there with me were my fiancée, Mom, Dad, little sister, and my Fed-ex guy! I guess they’re all real loud-mouths.
It seemed like an easy decision for you to put the winning painting up for auction and face the Wheel of Death. Why?
I painted the Bride of Frankenstein, and I really kinda wanted to see her die. I adore poetic irony in art. I mean, I didn’t want her to get beaten by another painting, but if I had taken her home with me that night, I probably would have had to cut her to pieces. It was irresistibly perfect.
So, you met your fiancée at a previous Art vs. Art?
Ya. One year ago. There was a lot of celebrating for us that night. Prize money = us eloping.
What’s your day job?
I work for Kids Ink, a local independent bookstore, in their school and library division. I mostly work on bringing authors and illustrators into the state and getting them into schools to encourage creative writing and drawing.
Your Vote Counts!
You determine which of the 113 paintings make the cut and compete at the Main Event on Sept. 25.
VOTE ONLINE NOW!
Just select and submit your three favorites. (Don’t forget to confirm your vote to make it count.) This ain’t American Idol, one vote per e-mail address only.
The top 32 online vote-getters will contend for a shot at the $3,500 Butler Scion Grand Prize at the Vogue. Buy advance sale tickets online here.
Record Number Competes on Paint Day
113 artists with a wide array of experience and styles lined up to test their skills at painting with the same provided materials within the time limit of four hours.
You can preview their completed work here and prepare to help narrow down the field to the top 32 which will compete on Friday, Saturday 25 at the Vogue Theatre. The voting site will be up soon!
Here are some pix from Paint Day.
Yo, Artists! Are You a Contender?
Think you have what it takes for a shot at the $3,500 Grand Prize? Well, do ya?
Here’s the information you need for the Art vs. Art 2009 – Paint Day:
WHEN: Saturday, September 12, 2009. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Stutz Business Center, 1030 N. Capitol Ave. (map) – enter the building on the Capitol Ave – B Building entrance.
COST: $15 entry fee
PRE-REGISTER: You can pre-register online here.
PROVIDED: All materials are provided: one 18″x24″ canvas board; a set of brushes; acrylic paints in the colors red, blue, yellow, black, and white; water; paint trays; and paper towels; one ticket to the Main Event.
PERMITTED: chairs; a sketch, picture, or other prop to paint from.
NOT PERMITTED: personal materials (brushes, paints, stencils, easels, etc.)
OTHER DETAILS: Artists must be 21 or older on Paint Day. The public is invited to come and watch the artists paint free of charge.
OFFICIAL RULES: Click here!
QUESTIONS? Check out our FAQ or add a comment to this post.
ProDev 2009 Followup
Thank you to all who attended this year’s Professional Development Series. If you missed a workshop, our partner, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, keeps a repository of resources from past sessions. Click here for their Resources page.
For those who attended a session and have not filled out a survey, they are available online until August 1. Just click the session below:
- #1 The Complete Portfolio – July 1
- #2 Alternative Spaces in a Changing Art Scene – July 15
- #3 Artist Public Relations for Visual and Performing Artists – July 29
(Surveys are now completed. Thanks for your feedback.)
Many thanks to Shannon Linker of the Arts Council for her great work in putting on these workshops. If you have an idea for a future workshop, just let us know.
Professional Development Series
Join us as we once again partner with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to provide a series of free workshops for the professional for sharpening your business skills, promoting your work, and for networking with other professional artists. Mark your calendars for these July dates.
For more detailed information, click to our ProDev page or check out the Workshop page on the Arts Council’s site.
Space is limited for these free workshops, so be sure to RSVP to Hugh Vandivier promptly at hugh@primarycolours.org.
All workshops will take place at the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Located at 20 N. Meridian St., Ste. 500. (Parking available in the Circle Center Mall or on the street on Monument Circle of Meridian St.) ALL WORKSHOPS BEGIN AT 6PM AND ARE FREE.
July 1, 6pm – The Complete Portfolio
Learn what the essential components of your portfolio should be. Hear what gallery owners and curators are looking for and what turns them off completely about artist submissions. The workshop will focus a great deal on digital images as they are a key to any visual artist’s proposal for a show, a commission or a grant.
July 15, 6 p.m. – Alternative Spaces in a Changing Art Scene
In our changing climate as commercial galleries come and go, the availability and perhaps the need for alternative spaces becomes more relevant for artists. This panel will discuss the pros and cons of showing your work in an alternative space, give tips for making it work for you as well as basic guidelines for making a successful exhibition.
July 29, 6pm – Artist Public Relations – Visual and Performing Artists
Learn from those in know how to talk to the media, mix and mingle with potential patrons at shows and more. Visual artists can sometimes be seen at their openings standing in the corner talking to their friends instead of engaging potenial patrons. Networking and talking about your work may come more naturally for performing artists, but they would also benefit from this workshop. Learn from the experts how to approach and engage your audience. Learn how to create and give your “elevator speech” so you will never be at a loss for words!
Installation Nation 2009 – Videos
Wondering what Installation Nation is about? Check out these videos for a quick preview of our first annual installation only exhibition June 5th & 6th.
More press here.
Hope to see you there.
Installation Nation Participating Artists
We’re proud to announce the artists partipating in Installation Nation on the weekend of June 5-6. Of the 27 entries received and reviewed, these are the ten projects chosen:
The artists will each be creating their installation art project within the 8′x8′x20′ confines of five large metal shipping containers placed on a vacant lot in downtown Indianapolis.
REMINDER: Proposals due April 28
Just a reminder that one week remains to submit your installation art proposals to us. Entry forms are available here. You can submit them via e-mail, post, or in person, but they need to be at our offices by Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 5 p.m. EDT. Late entries will not be considered.
Web Submissions
You can send entries electronically to info@primarycolours.org (place INSTALLATION NATION SUBMISSION in the Subject line).
Mailed Submissions
Primary Colours is located in the Stutz Building at 212 W. 10th St., Suite A.380, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
In-Person Deliveries
If you wish to drop off your submission at our offices, our address is the same as above. (Get Directions)
Project Outline
Artists will submit a proposal to create an installation piece within the confines of a 40-foot metal shipping container. From the submitted proposals, Primary Colours will select ten projects and give artists each $500 to create their vision.
Artists may conceive and develop a piece free from any thematic or creative restrictions, and multiple artists may collaborate on a piece. The dimensions allotted for each piece are width: 8 feet, depth: 20 feet, height: 8 feet. Electricity will be available to power each selected installation piece. Selected artists must be available to set their installation up in Indianapolis during the week of the event, beginning Monday, June1, 2009.
Pieces will highlight Installation Nation, a weekend exhibition taking place on Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6, 2009. The event will also feature music, food, and drink.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the event, please e-mail info@primarycolours.org.
Indy Culture Matters Rally Roundup
A dreary day didn’t deter about 2,000 supporters from mobbing Monument Circle Monday to rally for the arts in Indianapolis. Did you go? What did you think?
The Indy Culture Matters rally was well-covered by local media and well-commented on by local bloggers. Here’s the roundup:
Call for Artists – Installation Nation
We’re pleased to present our new event, Installation Nation. We’re inviting all contemporary artists with experience in creating installation art to submit proposals for consideration. We’ll select ten projects and give them each $500 to create their vision within the confines of a metal storage container. Applications are available now. You have until Tuesday, April 28, to submit them to us.
- Think you have a great installation idea? Download an application here.
