It's All About Respect

What do you do when you've been wronged...when you discover your work was included in a publication without your knowledge or consent?  And, when you look for the credit line, acknowledging your work in that book, and find nothing?  What do you do then? 

These aren't idle questions; this situation happened to dear friend and Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild president Penny Arrowood.  You can read about the whole story, the satisfactory conclusion and lessons learned on her blog, "Thoughts Askance".

As events unfolded, Penny asked me to be another set of eyes reading through her correspondence prior to sending it.  In each letter or email, I was struck by the way she was always respectful of the author and publisher; asking questions instead of hurling accusations. It was a great illustration of what my grandmother used to say--"You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar".  In this situation, it was clear that reasoned, calm discourse and asking pointed questions produced the desired results.  Kudos to Penny for her perserverance, good humor, and for her unwavering insistence on doing the right thing.

For me, one of the lessons learned is that we as artists must be vigilant about how our work, the product of our own creativity, is handled.  And, while sometimes this makes us seem unkind or rigid (for example, I do not allow photography of my work when I am at shows unless I know specifically how that photo is to be used), we must respect our work enough to value it, and require others to do the same.  We artists must give and receive credit for our creative output; it's the right thing to do. 
 
You'll note the addition of the "Artists for Respect" badge on the sidebar at right.  It represents the following pledge, from Julie Prichard, on her blog:

You are pledging to:

Review copyright laws and be conscious about using images in your artwork that are not your own.

You're pledging not to use music in your videos without consent from the recording artist. (Not even for a minute.)

You will not pass off someone else's work as your own whether it be online or in person.

You're pledging to respect the artist or instructor who worked hard to provide art or instruction for you.

If you're an artist with a blog, and agree with this pledge, grab the badge and display it too. 

It's all about respect.

Show Report: African American Festival of Raleigh

Kindred Spirit Studios display at AACF 2011

One month ago today, I was doing last-minute preparations for the African American Festival of Raleigh and Wake County.  This was the second year of this Labor Day weekend show, and my first time there as an exhibitor.  I attended last year's event, to check it out (which is what I always advise artists--don't do a show unless you've checked to see if it suits your work, is well-run, and seems to have a good, buying crowd). 

The set up went easily, and since the venue was downtown Raleigh, which is about 15 minutes from home, we didn't have to wake up at the 'crack of dawn' as we often do on day one of a show.  There was a very small juried section of artists, including my friends Larry "Poncho" Brown and Karen Y. Buster, who'd both done the show last year.  The rest of the exhibitors sold buy/sell objects of various types.

Over the two days, we greeted friends who became new collectors, and met new people who became new collectors, too.  It was a very good show for me, despite the dire predictions that the economy would keep people away.  In my experience, people enjoy meeting artists, learning about their processes, and I love seeing them appreciate my work, and subsequently purchasing a piece which I hope they will enjoy for years to come.  



Leaf  Dance series:  now sold out!



My Kindred Visage series of bamboo wall hangings made their debut at this show.  And while there were many, many positive comments and interesting questions about them, none sold.  I know from experience that this does not indicate anything except that the right people weren't there to acquire them. Mirrors, magnets, clocks and some of my other bamboo bowl wall hangings were popular items, and we came home with empty bins--a sure sign of a good show.

This was our last scheduled show of the season, since we decided after last year to severely curtail the number of shows for this year.  It's time to make our 2012 show schedule, and we're looking into some new venues and new opportunities...details as they become available!