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Dates: April 4, 11, & 25, 2017
Times: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. for each session
Location: The Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Registration Fee: Before March 29 – $85 ($75 for Create Appalachia members), After March 29 – $95 ($85 members)
Presenting Yourself Professionally: Creating a Basic Marketing Kit in Three Easy Sessions, presented by Dr. Katie Hoffman of Appalworks.com.
Artists and makers of all genres need to be able to market themselves effectively. This workshop is designed to help artists of all types create the three basic items they need to pitch themselves and their work. At the end of the series, you will have created a customized marketing kit including:
Having a compelling, coherent, and grammatically correct bio and artist statement is important for any creative hoping to connect with a venue that will purchase or showcase their art. These documents can also be the initial elements of a simple, do-it-yourself website. This series will teach you how to craft a statement that best promotes and describes you and your work and how to adapt it for a specific purpose, such as submission to an exhibition or gallery, promotion of a performance, or publicizing a speaking engagement. In the final session, a professional photographer will work with you to make another essential element: an artist photo for your kit. Our photographer is Kalani Odom of White Creek Photography, who has a great deal of experience working with other creatives to highlight themselves and their work. You can see her latest photos here.
With a Ph.D. in English, over twenty years’ experience teaching rhetoric and composition, and experience as an artist herself, Dr. Katie Hoffman is well equipped to lead you through the process of creating a set of professional promotional materials. You’ll receive good advice, input from your colleagues, and individualized attention customized to your specific needs.
But sign up now! Space is limited. Because this fee includes one-on-one consultation and advice from Katie, we cannot accommodate more than 20 people. Thanks to a generous grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for providing a venue, we can bring you this series at a surprisingly low cost. Sign up by March 29, 2017 for all three sessions and you’ll pay a discounted price of $85 ($75 for Create Appalachia members). After March 29, the price of the three-session series will go up to $95 ($85 for members).
Single-session signups for April 4: Artist Biography and April 11: Artist Statement will be available after March 29 at $35/session. In order to attend the last session and meet with the photographer, you must pay for and attend the first two sessions.
All sessions will be held at 6 PM at The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 520 Birthplace of Country Music Way, Bristol, VA 24201. One-on-one appointments will be scheduled individually at the end of sessions 1 and 2. These may be done by phone or email rather than in person, depending on your particular situation and schedule.
Session 1: Artist Biography (April 4, 2017, 6–9 p.m.): Prior to the workshop, Katie will email examples and preparatory activities to each paid participant. These will help you generate ideas about what makes you and your work distinctive. During the workshop discussions, she will help you take the insights you’ve developed and craft a professional bio of about 250 words. We’ll also discuss how to craft a mini-bio, another important promotional tool. Every artist will leave the session with a working draft. Finally, you’ll set an appointment with Katie for the one-on-one editing/proofing session that will help you put a professional polish on your new bio. You’ll have the first important step completed in promoting your work!
Session 2: Artist Statement (April 11, 2017, 6–9 p.m.): As with the first session, Katie will email you ahead of time with some idea-generation activities. You’ll come to the session prepared to create an artist statement that reflects your own passions and philosophies. You’ll learn to avoid vague, fluffy, confusing “artspeak,” creating a statement that helps others understand how to approach your art. You’ll emerge from this session with a draft that you can polish and refine during your next one-on-one session with Katie. And you’re 2/3 done with your marketing kit!
Session 3: Putting it All to Use (April 25, 2017, 6–9 p.m.): During the final session, a professional photographer will be on hand to create head shots at no additional charge. Katie and other speakers will also offer advice about how to use your newly created marketing kit. Artists will share their work and collaborate on preparing plans of action. And voilà! You’re equipped and ready to get out there and sell your artistry! (Please note that in order to attend session 3 and meet with the photographer, you must have attended the previous two sessions.)
Create Appalachia is grateful for the sponsorships that make the Arts@Work 101 series possible. Many thanks go to the Tennessee Arts Commission, which has given us a generous grant, and to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for providing our series venue. For more information about Create Appalachia visit CreateAppalachia.org.
