Creative Futures week-4th 3.2013 (Pt 1 of 4 )

Creative Futures week had come around again, unfortunately this year I was unable to make the 10 o'clock opening address due to a prior engagement. That morning I had to go to the framers in the Plassey and see Phil to pick up my work which I had to then take to the Willow Gallery in Oswestry,  ready for my first exhibition.I  was able to make it back for the 1:30 lecture which seemed relevant to where I had been that morning!

All that you need to know about approaching galleries and craft shops.

Tabitha Tansey

1. Tabitha is an ex-Glyndwr student who is successful in selling her product in the UK. She is based in Shropshire and creates glasswork using a technique called Pate de Verre  -this is an ancient method which translates to glass paste. She then talked briefly about her time as a student.

good points

One of the first points was that sometimes it appears that due to commissions taken from artists when displaying their work in galleries, that the gallery actually makes more money than the exhibitor. We looked a little deeper into this statement; in actual fact benefits from exhibiting in a gallery are;1) they use their database to promote you and your work 2) they have overheads of lighting and heating and 3)they need to pay their staff- but they are selling on your behalf as well. The other good point with collaborating with the gallery could be that some galleries may even buy your work 4) some galleries when promoting new artists may sell several works sale or return.

bad points

1) Transportation of your work to galleries can be costly especially if some galleries are further away from your local area. 2) Sometimes you have to learn within this area to be hard skinned because some galleries may not entertain your work for a short time because they don't think that your product will sell - which once you get past the feeling of rejection - rationally this comment is saving you time and money. 3) Some galleries may get you to sign a contract which states that you are not allowed to sell your work within the same area such as town or county. 4) The other issue - pricing your merchandise - as some galleries charge you commissions having your work on display. 

There are many other aspects that may be taken into consideration such as qualifications -some galleries may not take your work because you have not got a degree and sometimes it might be because you have a degree but are studying for an MA. Sometimes this rejection maybe due to the fact that students may not have the workshop of their own and heavily rely on the universities. Therefore quickness in replication and demand in the galleries for work may not be fulfilled. The talk went on to cover how to approach galleries and such events as tradeshows. The importance of signing a contract with the gallery was another aspect as unfortunately some people have been in the situation of galleries going bankrupt and their exhibits not been returned to them. Sometimes there is the downfall of some of your work might be lost, damaged or even stolen and insurance is something else to think about to make sure that you're not out-of-pocket if anything like this should occur.

Lastly there was an opportunity for a questions and answer session with Tabitha.

See link below

http://www.tabithatansey.co.uk/

Interest  10/10

I found this interesting and enjoyed it due to the fact that there is so much more that goes on behind the scenes when actually being in the gallery viewing work, then you had imagined.

Content  8/10

Initially this was aimed at fine art students etc, but being a photographer there were certain aspects where very useful and gave me food for thought, that I hadn't even considered.

Delivery  10/10

For me personally it was delivered in layman's terms which was great. I was able to follow and take in information without being too overwhelmed. It was very informative and broke up each aspect up into categories. Tabitha's delivery came across as  being passionate about the work, very professional, approachable and willing to help anybody get on the right track.

Promotional stalls

There were many information stalls present for the four days which were located in the main reception area and in the Catrin Finch Centre. 


WCVA - 
AVOW -  

The two stalls above we did speak to the volunteers

British Red Cross
Young Dragon Territorial Army
Girl Guides
Hope House
Dynamic- a centre for children and young adults with disabilities
Alzheimer's Society
Breakthrough Foundation,
Nightingale House
Leonard Cheshire Homes
Gwirvol about youth volunteering Wrexham Sports and Fitness Team
Age concern, FOVI ( Mental health life coaching) tenovus
North East Wales Wildlife
Save the Family Vintage Mary Dei shop - selling clothes for charity
A charity that was donating to African AIDS 
Europe Direct

to find out more please visit the various websites