Do you know where your Art is?

Megan Echman has written a great post over at handmade spark. In Fine Art Invetories. Megan shares an amazingly simple process for artists to put together an inventory of your work. A Word document? Takes time, but is so easy. She also shares Bethany Dirksen's flash card method and Google Docs idea. Check out Megan's other art biz articles.

While you're at it, check out Senior Artists Initiatives. SAI informs artists about the need to and the benefit of organizing their art and the legal and tax issues faced by artists and heirs.

SAI is a nonprofit organization that assists senior artists in understanding the need for and processes involved in organizing their life's work and by developing programs that provide recognition for senior artists. We educate artists about the process of documenting and inventorying their work, legal issues pertaining to their art, estates, and rights, exploring venues for exhibiting their art work, and placing their work with museums and other nonprofit organizations.

You might be interested in the upcoming Senior Artists Initiative event:

Preserving the Artist's Heritage

Sunday, November 7, 1 to 3 pm

Ann and Herman Silverman Pavilion

James A. Michener Art Museum

138 South Pine Street

Doylestown, PA 18901

FREE and open to the public;
registration required by calling 215-340-9800

Panel of experts:
Beth Bensman, Archives specialist, National Archives
Jeffrey Fuller, Fine art appraiser
Bruce Katsiff, Director/CEO, Michener Art Museum
Robert Louis, Attorney, Saul Ewing
Stephen Tarantal, Artist and former Dean of Academic Affairs, University of the Arts
Richard Weisgrau, Executive Director, Senior Artists Initiative

Included are strategies to inventory artwork and information on the tax implications of artwork as part of an estate. Donations of artwork to museums and other non-profit organizations also will be featured.

Video game inventory
Photo by matt.hutchinson

"oo ee oo ah ah" Part Deux

Remember--before the Minivan and SUV there was the VW Bus?

If you read Monday's Artful Aging post in your Reader or here on the web, you got your TREAT!

However, if you receive Artful Aging via email, you are probably scratching your head and wondering about yesterday's post. What the heck are all these questions about Scooby-Doo and Alvin and the Chipmunks and "The Witch Doctor"--and what do they have to do with Artful Aging! Did you feel TRICKED?

A video was part of Monday's post which prompted  the 4 "remember when" qustions (the Aging part) and the "remember when" tied into memories about music and cartoons and animation (the Art part). Anyway...the video didn't show up in the email and we forgot to add that all important sentence, "Can't see the video? Go to Artful Aging and enjoy!"

So now, pop over to It's the Monday before Halloween post and see the silly Scooby-Doo Halloween Cartoon-- "oo ee oo ah ah" Part Un!

scooby doo bus
Photo by Sacred Destinations

It's the Monday before Halloween! 4 Questions to test your "oo ee oo ah ah . . ."

Question #1 - Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons before the Cartoon Network?
Question #2 - Do you remember watching Scooby-Doo before he made it big in the movies and was a mere TV star?
Question #3 - Who originally sang "The Witch Doctor"?
Question #4 - Did you own an Alvin and the Chipmunks Album when albums were actually albums made of vinyl?



#1 - Crusader Rabbit made television history on August 1, 1950 at 6pm on KNBH (NBC) in Los Angeles when it became the first cartoon expressly made for television to be broadcast.
#2 - Cartoons have a long history, but Scooby-Doo started in 1969, long before the Cartoon Network arrived in the US in 1992.
#3 - The song declaring, "Oo ee oo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang," was written and performed in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. under the name David Seville. (Did you own the 45? * )
#4 - Alvin and the Chipmunks is the animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., popularly known as David Seville (yes, of "The Witch Doctor" fame!) in 1958. Alvin and the Chipmunks recorded "The Witch Doctor" in 1960. Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. has carried on the Chipmunks journey since 1972.

* Bonus Question - Do you know what a 45 is?

Take Notes! A little bit of this and a little bit of that . . .

Artists and Aging Services, you can't ignore Social Media any longer. Social Media is here to stay.

Renee Philips shares excerpts from her teleclass on Publicity from her Artrepreneur Success Program and gives you  17 Basic Tips for Increasing Your Public Persona. In addition to Creating Extraordinary Artwork and Use Strong Connections from the Past, read Renee's tips about using Social Media:

• Create an Email Newsletter - Probably one of the easiest ways to promote and publicize yourself and build a following is by sending out a free email newsletter. You can link your email news to your Twitter, FB and LI accounts. Take advantage of Constant Contact free trial offer. *
• Post Comments on Other Blogs - You can add your knowledge to a plethora of blogs related to your typical market niche and customer profile. Place keywords related to your art and the word "blogs" in search engines and see what leads pop up. Offer to be a guest blogger. So many bloggers would welcome a day off. If you contribute something of value it will garner the attention you deserve and lead the blog readers to your Web site.

*(Artful Aging suggests you check out Mail Chimp. We use is it and it is easy and free.)

The Pew Research Center reports in Older Adults and Social Media that:

• Between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking use among internet users ages 50-64 grew by 88%--from 25% to 47%.
• During the same period, use among those ages 65 and older grew 100%--from 13% to 26%.
• One in five (20%) online adults ages 50-64 say they use social networking sites on a typical day, up from 10% one year ago.
• Among adults ages 65 and older, 13% log on to social networking sites on a typical day, compared with just 4% who did so in 2009.

Krishanna Spencer over at Creative Wonk shares 4 Tips for Social Media Beginners. Find out what she means by:

• Always tell the truth about yourself.
• Show yourself.
• Stop cramming your business opportunities down my throat.
• Be as generous and positive and as supportive and nice as you can be.

Over at Kyle Lacy's Blog, Randy Clark guest posts about 5 Tips to Connecting with the Boomer Social Boom. He tells you:

• Keep it simple.
• Explain boundaries.
• Grammar does matter.
• Teach us social network netiquette.
• Speak our language.

And Ventureneer has an informative e-book to download. Check out Nonprofits and Social Media: It Ain't Optional and learn:

• 10 Highly Successful Social Media Habits for Nonprofits
• Rules of the Road
• How Nonprofits Implement Social Media

Now go out there and get Social!

Social media as art
Photo by SFview

Third Place in Show . . . First Place in Artful Aging!

Pterodactyl

Sam Hanselman’s entry Pterodactyl has been awarded 3rd place in the 36th Annual Juried Art Show at Hopkins House Gallery of Contemporary Art. Congratulations, Sam! But the really interesting news is that when Sam was awarded 3rd place, the jurors had no idea she was 90 with dementia!

Sam is Teaching Artist Barbara Hanselman's mother. Barbara shares her mother's artful journey:

Sam, who is 90 and suffers from dementia, has finally found something she can 'get lost in' and feel a sense of accomplishment about - I call it painting with tissue paper. Sam has always loved color but was never encouraged to use color alone to create a work of art. There was nothing freeing about her past experiences with water color, pastels & colored pencils and as a result, making ART for her became synonymous with failed struggles. Now that is no longer the case; painting with tissue paper requires no formal training - if someone can put glue on a board and rip paper, they are on their way to making a masterpiece! It's amazing how some Mod Podge glue, recycled mat boards from a local frame shop and torn tissue paper from Target can be the means of self expression so desperately needed. I am convinced that people who suffer from dementia & depression yearn to tell the world of their angst and this (as well as clay which I teach) are wonderful ways to do so.

If you are interested in seeing Sam's art in person, here are the exhibit details:

The 36th Annual Juried Art Show

Hopkins House

Gallery of Contemporary Art

250 South Park Drive

Haddon Township, NJ 08108

The Opening Reception will be held

Saturday, October 23rd from 2 to 4pm

The exhibition and reception are open to the public and free of charge.The show runs from October 23rd to November 22nd, 2010.

Read about Barbara Hanselman's creative journey in clay on her blog BH Claysmith and view her art-making videos on YouTube.

It's Monday! "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!"

Here's a little something that's a little different. Start your Monday with Dr. Seuss ...

"... be sure when you step.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life's

a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left."

Naomi Dunford is a fabulous marketing blogger over at IttyBiz. But don't worry, this isn't about marketing. (Or maybe it is.) It's Naomi reading Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go. 

"And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)"

Now, go get that cup of coffee or tea, sit back, relax, click Play and listen to Naomi read Dr. Seuss to you ...

(Can't hear the MP3? Go to Artful Aging and enjoy!)

P.S. While I highly recommend IttyBiz as an entertaining blog with great advice, I must warn you--Naomi is not for the faint hearted! She writes boldly and bluntly and chooses her words as if she's NOT reading a children's story! (Don't say I didn't warn you!)

Caring for Your Aging Parent

The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) and the Free Library of Philadelphia are cosponsoring a program entitled:

“Caring for Your Aging Parent.”

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.

Free Library of Philadelphia
Parkway Central Library1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA

Skyline Room - 4th Floor

In this one-hour Lunch & Learn Workshop, PCA trainer Lois Hayman-El will talk about the range of services available to older adults, as well as the supportive help available for those who care for them. Whether you happen to be a young person worried about an older relative, a Boomer concerned about a parent, or you are an older adult yourself needing help with a spouse or partner, this workshop is for you.

Read more details about the workshop in this flyer.

Loving hands
Photo by sparkle glowplug

Teaching Artists--It's FREE and it's for YOU !

Sign up for Full-Day Boot Camp - NOW!

Teaching Artists, here is an opportunity you just can't refuse! The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance have joined forces to present: 

Marketing Yourself as a Teaching Artist

Full-Day Boot Camp

Sunday, November 7

9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Fleisher Art Memorial, 709 Catherine Street

Free parking available

Free of charge

Registration (and commitment) required!

The Bartol Foundation’s three-part workshop is being combined into a full-day Boot Camp:

#1 Creating Your Personal Brand

• Define what you are offering
• Articulate your mission as a teaching artist
• Outline a clear resume of your experience
• Define your "signature" programs
• Develop your Teaching Artist Packet

#2 Negotiating the Gig ~ led by Andrew Simonet, founder of Artists U, a career/life planning program for artists

• What is your time worth?
• What are the things you must have to provide a successful program?
• Where are you willing to compromise?
• Where’s the sink?
• Tools and templates for setting fees, defining roles and diplomatically negotiating

#3 Creating Your Marketing Plan

• Explore the components of a marketing plan – the 4 Ps
• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion.
• Tie in components of previous sessions
• Know your product(s)
• Understand the need for multiple price points
• Where do audiences exist?
• What specific tactics can you can employ to reach them?
• Websites
• Blogs
• Social media*
• Press releases
• Events
• The toolkit will include
• A sample marketing plan
• A sample press release
• A sample media planner
• A sample budget
• Links to relevant blogging and social media sites.

You must agree to attend for the entire day. But, hey--it's FREE and it's jam packed with great information! Did I mention it's FREE?! And jam packed with great information?!

To register, click here.

*Social Media? Yes, social media! Check out Artful Aging's posts about Facebook and Social Media:

• OK, Class, Let's Review Facebook . . .
• Facebook 4-5-6... Take Notes!
• 10 Really, Really Good Reasons to Care About Social Media
• When it comes to social media, IS ignorance bliss? Take Notes!
• 10 Out of 100 Thoughts on Social Media

Day 89 - Boot camp

Photo by tsheko

3 things we need for Great Work especially on a Monday

"Step out to the edge of who you are."

Happy Monday!

Michael Bungay Stanier has a book, Do More Great Work, but his little video inspires all on its own.

(Can't see the video? Go to Artful Aging and enjoy!)