Spoiled for Choice equals a Guilt Free Art Life

This month I am writing a very simple post about an observation that I hope will make others have a guilt free art life. 

I lived in London for 35 years and London has so many visual arts exhibition, fairs and events that you could never attend them all. I took my students out every Friday to a new major art display at a museum and never ran out of choices. The result was a strange confidence. There is always something to see and do and yes, it is true, when you are tired of London, you are tired of life. 

The result of all this plenty is what I am now feeling in San Diego. When I first arrived and started to make friends and find out what was going on, I tried to attend all the events I could. Sometimes it was quite a thin selection, and I was pretty much able to see everything I was told about. 

But over the last 19 years, San Diego has exploded with art events. Now we are spoiled for choice. Now no matter how hard you try, you could never show up for everything that everyone you know creates. So now I am more relaxed. I know there will always be something to see and I know that no one expects me to show up for this multitude of riches as it is just humanly impossible. Now I enjoy a guilt free art life in San Diego. 

So go out and see some art today, and if not today, then tomorrow. There is plenty to go around.

Scaling Up and Out: The changing audience for the arts.

Sometimes you just need to take the day off and I was more than happy to stay in bed and attend the 2015 Smith Leadership Symposium April 20 at MOPA online.  This was an all day event and although I missed the networking and the lunch and after session cocktails, I think I picked up some valuable insights.The main theme of this symposium was exploring the new audience and how the museum world could address their interests and needs.

This new young millennial Patron is curious, engaged, open minded, looking for new experiences, plugged in because of tech, social, attracted by cool, brand obsessed, looking for meaning, and discerning. They are active, not passive. But they are restless and less loyal. We need to meet them where they live and understand how they feel.

We need to understand the role and value of culture in their lives. They want entertainment and enlightenment; they want to be with friends. They also want enjoyment, enrichment, challenges, aha moments, uses of all senses, and an enlarged world. They want to be uplifted with unique and profound experiences. They use culture to escape stress. They even want to support their community. But they may not want to donate in the tradition way. If we can present the arts as an opportunity to participate instead of a demand for funds, we can create a new paradigm.

They attend events if the cost is right, the subject interests them and if it allows for social interaction. The don’t go if those things are not present and if it is inconvenient to get there. Facebook, Utube and Twitter are still the media of choice. Smart phones and tablets are the devices of choice. Taking and sharing photos, looking at websites and apps, checking in and commenting on shows are all activities on the rise. They don’t join or subscribe much, but when they do, they have to love the institute, it has to offer discounts and the price has to be right.  

Donations are up for those organizations that make a community impact. The new audiences see corporate sponsors as just a way for those to get a marketing benefit but they still admire them for supporting the arts.

Audience behaviors and expectations are ever changing for all age groups.  Leisure time is expanding and new tech continues to alter the way we interface with the world.  How do we embrace this change that is inevitable? So how do we COPE?  My plan is to continue to Collaborate; to make sure that our Online audience development continues by constantly introducing innovative social media experiments; make sure that we include ways for the audience to Participate and have meaningful Experiences at our events and other interactions. 

North County Arts Network meeting at CCAE in Escondido

The second of four 2015 North County Arts Network (NCAN) meetings was held on April 16 at The California Center for the Arts, Escondido (340 North Escondido Boulevard, Escondido, CA 92025). The honorary NCAN host was Jerry Van Leeuwen, the Executive Director of CCAE and all 110 participants were treated to wonderful food and drink by this gracious supporter of north county arts.

Daniel Foster made introductions and explanations as there were many new people attending this event. NCAN aims to strengthen the arts organizations and communities of North County San Diego and beyond through convening, networking, and strategic/collaborative approaches that will produce leveraged impact for arts and culture in the region. The goals for this evenings meeting is to discuss the purpose and forming structure for NCAN, map and survey our NCAN community and priorities, create dialogue and discussion with all attendees, and provide excellent informal networking opportunities to build relationships and sense of community.

A panel facilitated by Leah Goodwin, Education Partnerships, CCAE had in put to help define the need for this newly formed organization  from  Jim Gilliam, Arts Administrator, City of Encinitas, Jacquelyn Kilpatrick, Director, School of Arts, CSUSM, Vincent Kitch, Cultural Arts Manager, City of Carlsbad and Wendy Wilson, Executive Director, Escondido Arts Partnership.

There were five break out groups after the panel. I was one of the facilitators for the first group Marketing, Membership, and Development Group with Erin Decker, Sr. Associate Dir. of Development, La Jolla Playhouse.  Alexandra Kritchevsky, Grants Manager, La Jolla Playhouse was our secretary and will be presenting full notes as will the other four groups.  I hope to post those results in the future.

We started with a brief statement about how the three topics were related: Marketing gets people in. Membership makes them want to stay in and Development turns members into supporters. NCAN is all about coming together and that implies collaborations, so collaboration was a big part of our discussion. We discussed sharing an understanding of our audience and the importance of clarity of our message.  I have outlined below just a few of the strategies that were discussed.

Marketing strategies

• Online networks
• Best practices in marketing strategies
• Cross collaborative events/programs jointly marketed
• Shared ad space
• Potential shared database of North County arts patrons
• Splitting the cost of market research 

Membership strategies

• Joint membership privileges
• Discounts for members at for profit services and shops
• Best practices in membership growth and involvement 

Development strategies

• Joint grants applications (NEA, etc)
• Joint fundraising events for collaborative programs

I found that five breakout groups were not enough for 110 people and the number of people in our group (over 30) made it more difficult to really know the participants. If we intend to do any real projects together, we need to get to know and trust each other. So I am hoping for no panel and smaller groups at the next session which will be held at the Lux Institute on July 16. We might also need to have a separate pre-event for first timers so they are familiar with NCAN and what we are trying to achieve. I see NCAN very much as a pilot program for other parts of the county. If we can make it work in the north and invite others to form their arts network, we can eventually all join together to form an official SD County Arts Council.

The most exciting aspect for me was to encourage some new brave initiatives that might fail but if they succeed will raise all boats on the tide. Sometimes you need the support and help of your colleagues to make this kind of leap of faith.

The four other groups were:

Visual Arts Programming Group

Wendy Wilson, Executive Director, Escondido Arts Partnership

Daniel Foster, Executive Director, OMA

Raziah Roushan, Dir. of Marketing, OMA (Secretary)

Performing Arts Programming Group

Christy Yael, Intrepid Shakespeare Company

Riley Carbonneau, Dir. of Performing Arts, CCAE

Jennifer Pena, CCAE (Secretary)

Civic / Municipal Arts Group

Jim Gilliam, Arts Administrator, City of Encinitas

Vincent Kitch, Cultural Arts Manager, City of Carlsbad

Naomi Nussbaum, Executive Director, Synergy Art Foundation (Secretary)

Arts Education Group

Leah Goodwin, Education Partnerships, CCAE

Merryl Goldberg, Professor, School of Arts, CSU San Marcos

Kirsten Vega, Education Coordinator, CCAE (Secretary)

Daniel Foster opening welcome

Jayce Marie awarding Wendy Wilson as a women of merit in the arts

panel discussion

Break out groups

San Diego Art Prize at the Athenaeum March 2015

I was so pleased to speak at the opening of the SD Art Prize exhibition for 2014 where I announced the 2015 SD Art Prize established artists for 2015. 

The show features new joint work by Marianela de la Hoz and Bhavna Mehta.

Started by Bhavna Mehta and completed by Marianela de la Hoz

Es una cárcel mi piel, son cárceles mis manos, es cárcel el pensamiento,

 It Is a Prison my Skin, my Hands Are a Prison , my thoughts are a Prison

2015

 Stonehenge paper, graphite, embroidery thread 26 x 28”

Started by Marianela de la Hoz and completed by Bhavna Mehta

Joy Is A Long Term Project,

 2015 

Stonehenge paper,white pencil, graphite, embroidery thread

 33 x 26”

This image of the floor layout of tar paper by Joseph Hurppert was directed and photographed by Philipp Scholz Rittermann and then printed on a curved transparency that you see below.

By positioning yourself inside the curve you can line your eyes up and view a section of tar paper placed in the corner of the gallery. This intervention of the space requires the view to become a participant in the art work.

In the forground this lovely and loving portrait of Bhavna Metha painted by Marianela de la Hoz

A large photo display of further landscape interventions by Philipp Scholz Rittermann and Joseph  Hurppert

Here is the speech I gave.

I am Patricia Frischer, founder and coordinator of SDVAN. Together with the SD Art Committee Ann Berchtold, Debra Poteet and Erika Torri, we produce the SD Art Prize.

First and foremost  - Great thank to Erika Torri – we raise a glass to her tonight in absence. Thanks to her whole incredible team lead by the fabulous gallery liaison Maura Walters and installation consultant Stephanie Scanga A round of applause goes to them.

    
We are honoring the artists of the 8^th year of the SD Art Prize at this exhibition and announcing TONIGHT the established recipients of the 9^th year. Exciting plans for our 10^th year are in the work so stay turned.

In 2011, one of our established artist told me in confidence, that he had heard previously of the art prize but did not think too much of it. After all, he had not received it. But after the accolade was bestowed on him, he thought the prize was terrific! Our circle in 2015 will include 36 artists of the SD Art Prize and another 104 emerging New Contemporaries artists and we will have held 28 exhibitions and through San Diego Visual Arts Network we, have given out over $56,000 in grant to these artists and 130 press articles have appears. Jim Chute from UT will be announcing the 2015 recipients later tonight.

These artists tonight have gone above and beyond our expectations. Marianela de la Hoz and Bhavna Tahna did not know each other and have now become fast friends who share many common themes in their work. They actually each worked on one piece partially for this show and then exchanged the work for the other artist to finish. We understand they are going to continue to make some works in this way.

But Philipp Scholz Rittermann was the first artist to embrace the mentorship by co-creating all of their work with his emerging artist Joseph Huppert. This was a first for the prize.  We applaud them and thank all four for helping to raise the bar on the quality of art we see in San Diego. Please enjoy their work while it is on display until May 4 here at these beautiful rooms.

Please also make your calendar for the opening of the New Contemporaries exhibition on Friday, May 1 …all emerging artist nominated this year at Valencia Gallery. Aida Valencia with Gabriela Avila DeMotta are hosting that show for us and it is on at the NTC at Liberty Station next to the Women’s Museum until May 29. A very special effort is being made by Alessandra Moctezuma from San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery to choose the final works which will go on display for this show.

Ann Berchtold will now tell you a bit about the Art San Diego show from Nov 5 to 8 again this year at the Balboa Park activity center.  Ann has exciting news about a SD Art Prize time line that will be on display at the show.  There is also a party hosted by Art San Diego in support of the prize to be held on Sat Nov 7 in the after hours so mark your calendars to attend and see works by the 2015 SD Art Prize winners.

Now to announce the 2015 established artists:
Wendy Maruyama

Roy McMakin 

Wendy Maruyama: headshot by Kevin Miyazaki

Wendy Maruyama - Studio image of wildLIFE Project by Bill Schairer

Roy McMakin

Headshot image by Ilana Panich-Linsman

Roy McMakin: Untitled (with one drawer that doesn't fit), 2011

poplar, enamel paint

58" x 32" x 19" 

© Roy McMakin

Photo credit Roy Porello

Photo courtesy Quint Gallery

You can now read about both artists online at www.SDVisualArts.net and find more details of the all the artists of the SD Art Prize.

Remember the SD View Art Now app at www.sdvan.net/app locates all the art events on our calendar on your gps map so you can always know what visual arts events are in your vicinity. 

I am happy to say we have already had press for this announcement.
Press for Wendy Maruyama, Roy McMakin
Union Tribune, San Diego Art Prize winners named:Wendy Maruyama and Roy McMakin are the 2015 winners by James Chute, March 2015
Press Release, Wendy Maruyama and Roy McMakin, March 2015

True Collaboration Means Sharing Credit

Collaboration can be the pits. The challenges are many when any two people or organizations come together. It is a sort of marriage and many of us have failed at least once at that! You have to compromise, be empathetic, get over jealousies and perceived slights. Your win wins can become loose loose unless you respect your partner(s) and persevere. Sometimes you have to take the road less traveled and re-invent the relationship all together. It is a voyage of discovery.

San Diego Visual Arts Network has facilitated many collaboration. In fact, collaboration is the life blood of this organization. Without collaboration, nothing at all would have been achieved, no directory of the visual arts, no calendar of events, no location app, no Movers and Shakers, no Little and Large or Eat Your Art Out or DNA of Creativity, Hats Off to Life, Art Meets Fashion or SD Art Prize.  Non of this would have been possible without our partner artists, art venues, and supporters. 

But we did not set out to build a reputation for San Diego Visual Arts Network. Our goal was and is to pull the arts community together. We want to show what is possible when we work together for a higher level of quality that benefits us all. 

So this is a call to get out of your silo. Notice what is happening around you. Join together to do more than you can do alone. Work more efficiently by grouping together for promotions. Challenge each other to perform better, have more fun and share the joy. And if all boats do rise on the tide, then remember that healthy collaboration means sharing the credit as well.

Why does San Diego need a County Arts Council?

The envisioned role of the San Diego County Arts Council (SDCAC) is NOT to manage the existing county disbursement of funds by the supervisors. Instead it is our belief that SDCAC will provide a multitude of assets for the benefit of the entire county. It is then that the Arts and Culture Community can continue to help meet the goals of our county.

• On the state and federal level, many revenue streams and resources for arts and culture are simply inaccessible because we lack the collaborative, leveraged approach needed.  National foundations and funders are increasingly looking for community impact as priorities and arts and culture offering a collaborative approach will benefit. SDCAC will capture new revenues.
   
• Strong leadership and regional connectedness and infrastructure are required to serve the needs of the entire arts and culture community in our County. Historically and at this moment, this critical leadership does not exist. Therefore, the huge arts and culture sector of the county is fractured, siloed, and underdeveloped. SDCAC will fill that role of uniting this sector.
  
  
• Within the arts and culture community, lack of communication and collaboration results in redundant and inefficient use of existing funds, minimizing the overall impact on our county.  SDCAC will guide organizations receiving funding to better use and leverage those resources.
  
  
• According to a James Irvine Foundation study, 93% of the population is engaged in the arts. California is rated as the most profitable creative economy.  A large constituent in our County is interested in and anxiously awaiting leadership and the resulting success stories. SDCAC can organize this constituency for you.
  
  
• Monies received from the Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT) are significantly based on cultural tourism, in which visitors stay longer and spend more. SDCAC will increase cultural tourism.
  
  
• Arts and Culture is a proven economic driver.  Our county will see a stronger partnership with arts & culture in increasing economic development (i.e., creative class/arts sector jobs, cultural tourism, quality of life, community branding, etc.). SDCAC will increase existing revenues.
  
  
• SDCAC will increase ACCESS to arts and culture by supporting arts organizations, building innovative collaborations and expanding audiences. It will provide greater VISIBILITY and promotion of arts and culture countywide. It will encourage our cities to COLLABORATE with the arts community to develop and establish vibrant arts programs that will attract and retain the talented 21st century workforce, ensuring sustainability in the global knowledge economy. SDCAC will provide increased opportunities for ARTS EDUCATION to San Diego residents, particularly to K-12 children and youth, and at-risk/under-served populations.
  
  
• SDCAC will assist in the county-wide development of Partner Networks for:  Arts Organizations; City Arts Staffs; Arts Commissions Chairs; Arts Funders and Philanthropists; Marketing and Audience Development; Arts Education; and Arts Advocacy.
  
  
• SDCAC will report on best practices, grant opportunities, creative industries, art districts, and affordable live/work housing to keep creative talent in our County.
   

Valentine's Day celebration

Thanks to everyone who made Valentine's Day such a wonderful celebration this year.

Kale, ginger and carrot salad with shrimp was lunch for Irene de Watteville when we made crafty little Valentine cards

VIP gift card for Debra Poteet who hosted and also it was her birthday

Potatoes before they went into the oven from Patricia and Darwin.

Wonderful chocolate and caramel tart from the Klines

Chocolate from Peru, Dominican Republic  single varieties from Darwin with cookies from Naimeh

Bread and cheese board from Constance and Ralyn

Grilled fish with a wonderful sauce from Barbro and Alex

Greek Salad with Feta from Naimeh and Jonathan

Lamb stew fro Karen and Mike

home made cheese cake thanks to Raymond and Rosemary

Coq au Vin from Deanne and Jeffery

Irene de Wattville, sexy salads

Special salad from Michelle and Roger

Laurie's ....sexy pasta

and Laurie's dish with mussels

Hobby Store Heaven

I was invited by Naimeh Tahna Woodward, the president of the Encinitas Friends of the Arts to go to what I thought was going to be a gift show with fine craft artists,  but it turned out to be a crafting faire. It was at the Anaheim Convention center and we walked in I thought I had died and gone to hobby store heaven.  It was actually the Craft and Hobby Association 2015 Conference and Trade Show. We met up with Deb DeLisi who was attending and taking a course in metal clay jewelry. She did a fabulous job for us at the Art Walk with hands-on one minute mandalas.

Naimeh Tahna Woodward - it was her birthday and here she is posing with a craft fair cake.

I decided to concentrate on the booths from the San Diego region. I choose the following which do give you a tip of the iceberg view of the amazing things we saw.

Charity Wings

This non-profit organization has 6000 square feet in San Marcos and they offer a free art service to other non-profits and open public workshops, party and gallery spaces. On April 10-12th they are holding a Paint.a.Palooza for $249 with special instructors, goody bags (worth $200), lots of crafting projects and lunch both days.

Crystal Ninja

This model was completely covered in hand placed rhinestones as was the three part panel in the background.

Crystal Ninja is Kelllie DeFries and she works out of National City. She has perfected the perfect tool to lift up a rhinestone and place is where you want it. It is a wax tip and the latest version is retractable and sharpenable. She also sells special glue dispenses that are equally as exact. There was tons of bling, foil, shiny stuff of all kinds at the fair. I saw rhinestones sold by the square  yard and intricate designs formed and ready for application. Swarovski had their own display was also present all over the place.

Holster Brands

 

A young women who could have been on Shark Tank, came up with an idea when her hair iron keep falling into the pedestal sink. She invented a design that works both for hair appliances and hot glue guns. It is heat resistant and has a sticky flap that adhere to most smooth surfaces. It comes in several sizes and wonderful bright colors. This company is also based in San Marcos.

Motsenbocker’s Lift Off

I am all for graffiti but there is a time and place and if it is the wrong place then this is the right product. They also have a food, drink, pet stain remover, a marker, pen and ink remover, a sticky, greasy oily stain remover as well as the spray paint remover. And the best part is that they are completely safe on your hands. I have a tester three part and can't wait to spill something!

A shout out to Scented Duck Tape (I asked why and the reply was "why not"), Surehold Plastic Surgery Super Gel Adhesive (dancers have used superglue for years to repair cuts on their feet so that they could perform) and the wonderful yarn shops that blew my mind. 

Watch for a possible knitting project produced by the Encinitas Frinds of the art. All these large letters were covered with a variety of stitches in wild colors.

Above is a completely knitted tent from the Yarnia booth which also included knitted animals, knitted "brick" walls, knitted suitcases and all the characters from the Narnia story.

State of the Arts 2014: Are these the Questions for 2015? by Patricia Frischer

The State of the Arts series is about a wider vision of what is happening in the art world. At the end of 2014 we look forward to 2015 not so much with answers but with a list of questions which I think may be important to ponder, discuss, and perhaps give us inspiration for action.

1. The San Diego Art Institute SDAI has a new director Ginger Porcella. She has to turn an almost dead organization into a thriving innovative art destination. How is she going to do this?  What are the changes needed. How does she balance old with new? SDAI has the prime location in Balboa Park for contemporary artists and the potential to be amazing. Porcella is a highly motivated and articulate young woman from New York. She came up with the idea of a new job description for a staff member at SDAI: Director of First Experience. So instead of a PR person, a fundraiser, an education director, you would have someone who was responsible for the first impression of the institute; how is the institute branded before you even walk into the building and how do you first get involved as an artists or a visitor. This question of the future of the non-profit arts organizations and how they need to change seem particularly important in the year we almost lost the Opera and where the SD Foundation and the Commission for Arts and Culture both have new leadership and as we struggle to establish a SD County Arts Council.

2. Reading about 10x talent agency in the New Yorker (The Programmer's Price), I was impressed with the idea of Rock Stars of Tech. It is fascinating to see how creativity is so sought after. Musician, producers, actors and now software designers all want to be thought of now as “Artists”.  That seems to symbolize that they are innovative. As technology and the arts are tied more and more closely together, what can we expect to see in the future? Besides the development of new ways to make 3-d, video and multi-media fine art, there will probably be algorithms to compute metrics for audience involvement, funding and sales.

3. This leads me to the more specific questions of what are the new trends in commercialization of art on line? SDVAN just joined an online second hand goods fundraising site called WebThriftStore. You can take all those holiday presents that disappointed you and sell them online as a tax donation for SDVAN. They let you upload an image directly from your phone, they even send you a shipping label when the item is sold and the shipping is paid by the buyer. Our very successfully accessory exchange happens only once a year when old favorites are given new homes. Now we hope you will try this out anytime during the year that you clean out your closets. You can sell anything so don’t forget that work of art that may not inspire you any longer but will appeal to someone new. And if you are not the artist selling your own work, you get a nice tax deduction.

4. A question we have been pondering for the last year, is who are the new art patrons? Or maybe we now need a new word for those who support the arts. How do we define the teams that will take the arts into un-chartered waters? Are these Artists as Art Patrons? How do we transition young art attendees into young art supporters? What do the emerging foundations look like and why should they support the arts? Social Networks with Cloud Funding are already fast becoming patrons but they don’t necessarily think of themselves in that role. When we make Cross Collaborative projects aren’t we really patrons of each other? As innovation is seen as a key economic driver, can we expect to see the Politician Patron rising?

Your can read all the past State of the Arts addresses by Patricia Frischer at this link. Please blog back and watch for future opportunities through SDVAN to join in the conversation.