SPARC - The 2nd Season

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "SPARC - The 2nd Season"

Emery Nash
5 years ago
Views:

Location: Time: SPARC: Meeting Summary - 11/14/12 Carter G. Woodson Museum 2240 9th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712 5:00-8:00 p.m. St. Petersburg Artists Resource Collaborative Presented by the City of St.

Purpose of the Meeting: Launch of SPARC - The Second Season To preview business workshops to be offered by the Business Assistance Center for artists interested in making a living with their art.

and don ts of startup for the artist, the value of collaboration for the startup artist, and starting an artist s incubator. Meeting Outcome: 54 RSVP d for the meeting and 44 signed in.

1 Location: Time: SPARC: Meeting Summary - 11/14/12 Carter G. Woodson Museum th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL :00-8:00 p.m. St. Petersburg Artists Resource Collaborative Presented by the City of St. Petersburg Business Assistance Center in collaboration of SCORE Pinellas. Purpose of the Meeting: Launch of SPARC - The Second Season To preview business workshops to be offered by the Business Assistance Center for artists interested in making a living with their art. To begin an exploration of branding and networking; business plans for artists, and city services & incentives for artists To participate in a panel discussion of local artists addressing the dos s and don ts of startup for the artist, the value of collaboration for the startup artist, and starting an artist s incubator. Meeting Outcome: 54 RSVP d for the meeting and 44 signed in. The Planning and Economic Development Director Dave Goodwin, welcomed the group and facilitated self introductions of all attendees. Mayor Bill Foster thanked the group for loving art and St. Petersburg. He noted that American Style Magazine named St. Petersburg the number one arts destination for the third year in a row. He also indicated that art is a significant economic engine and mentioned that efforts are in place to strengthen the alliance between art and tourism to pit heads in beds. The Mayor also advised that efforts are being made to generate a greater support of art among the community s top CEOs. Council Member Jeff Danner announced the $500,000 Arts Endowment. This will have a positive impact on initiatives such as the Central Avenue Plan, Artist Overlay District, Art in Transit, Art Alliance, and the St. Pete Arts Endowment. Art is jobs, taxes and employment. Manager Sophia Sorolis and Zoning Official Philip Lazzara of the Planning and Economic Development Department provided an overview of business incentives, permitting and zoning services specifically of interest to artists, including the Artists Enclave Overlay District which provides a way to create artists space in residential neighborhoods. This concept is modeled after the art community in Gulfport. *The incentives, and zoning /permitting presentations can be found at the SPARC website. ( Manager Shrimatee Ojah-Maharaj of the Business Assistance Center provided an overview of BAC services, especially designed for artists. In addition to the business counseling and workshops offered at the BAC., SPARC will provide two business development modules for startup and established art businesses. *The BAC presentation can be found at the SPARC website. Module One: Collaborating with SCORE, various City Departments, local artists and galleries 8-10 bi-weekly sessions starting in Jan. 2013; Focus: Making a living as an artist. Seminar topics include: The artist s business plan; determining your niche; branding; developing a media packet; and presenting yourself as an artist; accessing city services for artists; and working with galleries. Continued...

2 Module Two: Includes collaboration with local artists and galleries such as the Morean Arts Center, Florida Craftsman Gallery, St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, Downtown Arts Association and the Warehouse Arts District Provides mentoring and guidance for Module One graduates; support in applying business skills learned in Module One; and specialized art training SCORE Pinellas Chairman Cliff Sullivan provided an overview of key components of the artist s business plan. He noted the importance of speaking to other artists, whether they are seen as competitors or collaborators, to have a clear understanding of the competitive market. He reminded attendees that although they will think like an artist, they must run their business like a CEO, if they what to make a living as an artist. Mr. Sullivan also mentioned Patch.com for sharing art news. *The business plan presentation can be found at the SPARC website. Toby Martini, web marketing expert with SCORE Pinellas, shared information on branding and networking for artists. His tips included the following: Always include an educational component when marketing your art. Tell people about how you create your art. Tell the story of your art. Identify who your art is for and speak to those people. When determining your target market, know how your target identifies themselves and speak to that identity. When writing or blogging about your art, write to that one person who enjoys your work. When you write to everyone, you don t connect with anyone. How do you find that person who appreciates your art? Determine what that person likes to do and where they like to go and market your art to them through that vehicle. Your message should resonate with those who enjoy your art. Do not spend time marketing to those who do not enjoy your work. Use first page of website to require the visitor to take action. When networking, key strategies are to be knowledgeable, helpful and available. Find out about the other person s line of work and ask how you can assist. Follow-up is key in networking. Record the person s needs and contact info. When you assist them they will want to learn more about what you do. *The marketing presentation can be found at the SPARC website. Page 2 Marketing Tip: When writing or blogging about your art, write to that one person who enjoys your art. When you write to everyone, you don t connect with anyone. Toby Martini, Web Marketing Expert SCORE Pinellas

3 Graduates of the Inaugural Season of SPARC addressed the group and spoke about the impact of SPARC on the development or growth of their art businesses. Scott Durfee (Spathose): Through the business mentoring opportunities at the BAC, Scott received guidance with pricing and also became very involved with the development of the Artist Overlay District. Diane Gugliotta (Gugliotta Gallery): Diane recounted how, through SPARC connections, she received assistance with negotiations, organization and determining her target market Carol O Bryon (O Bryon Designs): Carol recommended the marketing assistance she received from the BAC. Elizabeth Brincklow of the city s Arts and International Relations Department facilitated the panel discussion of local artists. Panel participants were Lance Rodgers ( Lance Rodgers Arts), Donna Gordon (Donna Gordon Gallery), Bob Devin Jones and Mark Aeling ( MGA Studios ). Panel discussion topics included: Critical aspects of starting an art business; business startup pitfalls to avoid; the art collaborative and the art incubator. Mark Aeling (Art Business Startup) Have a plan and then market your art. Recognize your skill, determine your niche and apply your skill. Learn various ways to apply your specific artistic skills. Luck is where opportunity meets preparation. Be prepared! Pitfall: Being unprepared and not presenting yourself professionally is self-sabotage. (ie: always be on time). Art Business Startup Tips: Have a plan and then market your art. Luck is where opportunity meets preparation. Be prepared! Mark Aeling, MGA Studios Lance Rodgers (The Value of Collaboration for the Startup Art Business) Do good work and work around artists who do good work. The best artists are typically generous. Working in an art collaborative provides someone to bounce ideas off of. Other artist provide feedback that makes you defend your work and think about things you may not have considered.. This strengthens your art. When preparing to work with galleries, you must have your artist portfolio prepared. An art collaborative should be open to bringing in artists from outside the group to feature. These artists will bring in new people who will be exposed to the entire collaborative, Page 3

4 Bob Devin Jones (Topic: The Art Incubator) Recognizing the extraordinary collection of the artistically talented in St. Petersburg, was created as a way to develop an art space for the community. was the first home of freefall Theatre. Our motto attributed to growth over the years The answer is always yes! Sometimes.success, sometimes.not, but that is ok. This philosophy has contributed to nearly 10 years in business. Create your vision, add your resources and put your energy behind that effort. Donna Gordon (Topic: Collaborative Efforts/Art and Tourism) Believes there are no competitors in the art world. Artists should assist each other and lend a hand (ie: pass along other artist s tweet and Facebook invitations. Tourism season is from January to the first half of April, but St. Pete as an art destination is becoming a year round occurrence. St. Pete galleries are becoming the third leg of the Dali/Chihuly art tour. Would like to see the creation of a Concierge for Arts. Comments and Information Sharing More literature on the arts in St. Pete. is needed. An online gallery guide app is needed. Recommend training the tourism commission on arts exposure in St. Pete. Consider sharing the costs to hire a sales rep to better promote the local galleries. Council Chair Leslie Curran shared the following information: Tourism is a $5 billion industry Recommend showing up at council meetings to make your arts requests known. The city needs to hear the artists input re: Central Avenue Trolley improvements. We need to continue to make the city s appearance more inviting. Elizabeth Brincklow is working on a grant for arts trolley tours. Art Collaborative Tip: Other artists provide feedback that makes you defend your work and thing about things you may not have considered. This strengthens your art. Lance Rodgers Lance Rodgers Art Art Incubator Tip: Create your vision, add your resources and put your energy behind that effort. Bob Devin Jones Page 4

5 The Next SPARC Session: Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2012 Time: Location: 10 a.m. - noon Business Assistance Center 440 2nd Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL Cost: $5 RSVP/Information: Refreshments will be served! Page 5

Report on Economic Development Contracts Pinellas County

Pinellas County Economic Development Annual Report to the Florida Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research Pinellas County Fiscal Year 2017 Report on Economic Development Contracts Pinellas