Many of you may have a personal account on facebook but would benefit from knowing how to make a successful page that will help promote your work.

Here is the twelve step process that will help you create a useful facebook page. A facebook page does not replace your own website, but rather SUPPORTS your work and helps to build your profile.

1. Get in the right mindset – this is important!

Remember that your art does not speak for itself and it will never be able to. The best person to help build the profile of your art is you. Think about promotion activities as an extension of your art — not separate from it. Writing about your art, displaying photographs of your work and communicating with your audience are all great opportunities that shouldn’t be wasted. Good language skills put you in control of you as your art’s ‘brand leader’. Take time to think about what is important in terms of presenting yourself an artist and take the time to get the words and images right. When you do this, there will be little room for being misunderstood.

2. Create your facebook page under your professional title.

A Facebook Page, sometimes referred to as a Fan Page, is a single page separate from your personal account that people create for many different purposes outside personal sharing. Think of it as a one-page meeting place, with information, links, a message forum box, RSS and anything else you want. The way people will get to interact with your page is by ‘liking’ it or finding it. Once someone has ‘liked’ it they will receive your status updates and be able to view your photo albums, just like a regular Facebook account page.

Take action: Go here to create your facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

3. Choose a Unique Page Image

This is one of the most crucial components of a fan page. It’s a simple component yet this image is of the utmost importance. Your image can either be of the most striking examples of your work to date or great high resolution photo of you at work. This photograph has the opportunity to leave a lasting impression so make it good!
Have a look at some of the examples of ArtWeb members that we think really fit the bill: (Sorry, in this edition they all happen to be attactive females!)

4. Make a gallery of your images

A major advantage of facebook is the ability to share images. Begin to think: how is your work divided up? Do you have different collections? Would you like to show a tour of your studio or represent your artistic influences? We recommend that you create different albums and upload images periodically. When you update new content, users are insipired to revisit your page. We recommend always maintaining a strong image of yourself in your ‘profile’ picture and change it only once every couple of months (if at all).

5. Create a good bio and include relevant data for the ‘info’ section

As previously mentioned, visitors will definitely appreciate your art without the addition of words, but the right words can make critical connections between you and your audience. A well-written statement and biography is the backbone for any promotional effort you make, and a good statement takes time to incubate. Include:

Education (if you deem it relevant)
Current location
Prizes you may have won
Exhibitions you are involved in
Main web address

and anything else that you believe may be of interest for both you and your audience.

Take action: Add this information to the ‘info’ tab of your facebook page – click on the ‘info’ tab, then press edit information.

6. Interact with your fans

Always allow people to comment on your wall. That means every time someone comments on your new status, a photo, a video, a discussion thread, or anything else, you need to comment on it. You need to be talk to fellow artists and fans alike. They’ll ask you questions that you can reply to and you can ask questions as well. Ask for their feedback on your work in a natural way. This will ensure that fans keep coming back if you interact from your spectacular brand!

Take Action: To allow people to post on your wall, click the ‘edit page’ link (under your profile pic) then click ‘Wall Settings’ then check the ‘People who like this Page can write or post content on the Wall’ box.

7. Landing page

You can control which page people land on first and so you might like to ‘control’ their experience by making sure that new people arrive somewhere interesting like an album of your artwork. If you ideally want and get good feedback from your fans, then the wall is good too.

8. Import your twitter feed into your facebook page

We hope you’ve already started your twitter account. If not, join today, it takes literally five minutes. (don’t forget to go straight to TheArtistsWeb and ‘follow’ us too!) By importing your twitter feed into your facebook page you will have a continual flow of updated information, even if you are only ‘tweeting’. It also gives facebook fans an even more detailed look at the content you share.

You can do this using the ’selective twitter’ facebook application (currently the official twitter facebook application only works with personal accounts).

Take Action: Go to http://www.facebook.com/selectivetwitter and click on ‘Add to my page’, then configure with your twitter username.

9. Publish useful, relevant content

Just like in other areas of social media (blogs, Twitter, etc) you can easily provide interesting content to your readers. Your Facebook page will be no different. Unlike a personal facebook page, you should use your facebook fan page to regularly reference content you think will be relevant to artists and buyers. Because you have taken the time to do this, your fans will keep returning to your page. A Facebook Page will give you a weekly update of how many visits you have had in one week, and a repeat visitors is one of the most effective measurements of the success of your communication!

So how do you find interesting content?

Start with your favourite blogs, websites, video clips, and other forms of content aggregators like Delicious.com and Digg.com. If you are outside of the new media industry, you’ll have to use traditional sources like Google News, Google Blogsearch, and the mainstream media.

You can also repaste content from other users! Just like a retweet in twitter, re-pasting other people’s content is complimentary to that person and will result in more exposure to what you want to present later.

10. Use widgets to get more fans

A widget a stand-alone application that can be embedded into third party sites by any user on a page where they have rights of authorship (e.g. a webpage, blog, or profile on a social media site). Widgets are fun, engaging, and useful applications that allow users to turn personal content into dynamic web apps that can be shared on just about any website.

End users primarily use widgets to enhance their personal web experiences, or the web experiences of visitors to their personal sites.

The use of widgets has proven increasingly popular allowing users of social media are able to add stand-alone applications to blogs, profiles and community pages.

You can put widgets on your website, other webpages you have to encourage people to become fans:

e.g. http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like-box

The bottom line is communicating about your art will help YOU learn more about it and thus how to share it effectively with others. Understand that defining your art gives you control and confidence. A great Facebook Page created especially for your career is definitely a step in the right direction. Remember until you know and understand the soul of your art, you can’t explain it adequately to others.

Visit the ArtWeb Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ArtWebcom/278685876393
And follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheArtistsWeb

11. Monitor your progress

Facebook makes available detailed information about the visitors to your facebook page – use this information! Click on the ‘view all’ button under the ‘insights’ box on the left column. Here you can see historic data as to when people comment, like, and remove your facebook page. Pay particular attention to when there is any significant change – maybe you are posting too much and people hide you from their newsfeed, maybe you just asked a particular engaging question and this attracted a lot of opinions.

Facebook even gives you a quality rating – this is key, the better your rating the more your page’s activity will be visible across everyone’s newsfeed, so it’s really essential you work to keep that high. Use the insights section to get a reliable picture of what works and what doesn’t.

12. Be patient

Building up to a popular facebook page can take time, you’ll probably get a chunk of friends and contacts supporting you at first and then progress may not continue with exponential growth. You might be tempted to keep repeat inviting people (that’s the ‘Suggest to friends’ link), but be very cautious about doing this more than a couple of times, it’s better not to be seen as ’spamming people’. You might also be tempted to ‘Promote with an advert’, as Facebook often encourages you to. Rather be patient at first and watch to see what organic growth your new page will muster, once you’re been up and running for a month or so then you have a better picture as to how things may continue to grow.

And finally, be sure to follow us on facebook – we’ll be continuing with more detailed articles and tips:http://www.facebook.com/pages/ArtWebcom/278685876393.

UPDATED: 13th August 2010

Are you interested to know how much your fellow artists are selling their artwork online? Well so are we, so we set up a survey to get some real statistics on the subject. We asked all our artist friends (from artweb.com, twitter and facebook) and now have answers from almost 200 artists across the globe, which we present to you here.

What do you think of these results?

1. How to create an artist’s successful Facebook page.
2. How much will artists sell online in 2010?

This week on Spotlight, we are joined by German-born photographer Tobias Titz, discussing working full time as a professional photographer, as well as his incredible new exhibition ‘Marnti Warajanga’, on display in Canberra, the capital city of Australia..

The Exhibition: In Marnti Warajanga you will meet Indigenous Australians from the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia, and non-Indigenous people who have worked closely with their communities. In their own words they bear witness to momentous historical movements and reflect on their ongoing work for social and political change at a community and national level.

In Tobias Titz’s unique collaborative portraiture process, each person is photographed with a large format camera using Polaroid Type 665 film. He then photographs the same space without the person in it. Following this, the subjects write something of their choice into the wet ‘empty’ negative. The texts relate to questions about major events such as the Pilbara Strike of 1946, the 1967 Referendum and the 2008 Apology to the Stolen Generations.
Tobias says that providing a place where often long-buried stories can be told “allows us to understand where we come from and how to move forward”.

Toby, thanks for joining us on Spotlight. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be a photographer living and working in Melbourne Australia…

I grew up in Germany and studied photography in Munich where I was living and working as a freelance photographer. In 2000 I met my wife who is Australian – that’s how I came to Melbourne.

What kind of photography do you find yourself mainly involved in? (Client base etc)

I work as a commercial photographer but I also make sure to put some time towards my personal projects. One of these personal projects resulted in “Marnti Warajanga – we are travelling”, which is currently exhibited at the Museum of Australian Democracy in old Parliament house in Canberra, Australia’s capital city.

For those thinking about turning a passion for photography into a career, could you give any advice?

I think it’s important to keep it fresh – find interesting topics do personal work never stop observing – there are so many interesting stories out there.

Your latest exhibition Marnti Warajanga–we’re travelling is a collaboration between the Museum of Australian Democracy, Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre and yourself. Could you tell us how this project came to be?

It all started in 2007 I got in contact with  wangka maya the Pilbara aboriginal language centre and we decided to do a project about the 40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum. From there it developed over the years and resulted in the “Marnti Warajanga” exhibition which will tour Australia for 5 years.

The technical process you decided on was very interesting for this unique collaborative project. Could you tell us about it?

Usually the subject in a portrait has no possibility to interact with the photo.  The subject can relate to the photographer as the shoot progresses, but once the shutter has fired, that’s it.  I thought I would give them the opportunity to comment or contribute to the image itself, that I had just shot.  Normally a portrait is just a single image, but I thought I would extend the process by giving the subject the chance to have a direct input to the finished piece. When you ask people to have an input – to leave a mark, it gives them an active role not a passive role.

I take 2 photos the first one is the portrait photo the second one is a photo of the background the subject scratches their comment in the second empty negative.
I use a large format camera and Polaroid 665 film.

How did you grow developmentally as an artist during this time?

That’s hard to say… what I can say though is that going to these remote communities and meeting these people is a very enriching experience.

Thank you for joining us on Spotlight Toby. Where can people find out more about your work?

You can visit the exhibition in the museum of Australian Democracy in Old Parliament House in Canberra till February 2011. Otherwise visit www.moadoph.gov.au and check out my website www.tobiastitz.de.

When did you decide to pursue art as a career? Is it your main job?
I have always been passionate about art from early memory.  I’m still teaching painting techniques at 67!  That’s just one day a week as it’s a lot of work and of course the rest of the time I’m painting.  I also do a few workshops in the Summer; it helps me keep my car on the road!  I do enjoy it. Everyone is creative, you see….if someone enjoys looking at paintings then the chances are they can paint; they just need a bit of direction and to be shown how!  I think it’s very thereputic; it’s like the way golf is for some men….a bit of escape!

'The Audition'

You mention in your Biography that until 2000 your art consisted mainly of landscapes; what prompted the shift towards figurative art after this?
I began painting landscapes around 1995 after spending a few summers touring Northern Scotland. I did landscapes for a long time as I was doing a lot of travelling up north and was just bowled over by the scenery. The wild beauty and ever changing light inspired me. The landscapes sold really well in the galleries up North so I just kept going!  Then I suddenly got fed up because at this point I was just churning them out. I didn’t have the passion there for them; I have to have a passion for what I’m doing before it becomes exciting.  So then I started on the figurative work which takes a lot longer and is a lot more difficult! I start off with one figure and then start to add other figures and to develop a narrative; the imagination kicks off after I’ve started the work.  I tend to take figures I’ve drawn and place them within a different settings then let imagination do the rest.

Many of your pieces seem to have a story unfolding behind them; where do you get your inspirations for these narratives? Are they based on real experiences or do you just have a very active imagination?
I observe people, facial expressions and movement without realising it. I carry a sketch book everywhere I go.The other night I was at a wedding and sitting there drawing people!  I do that all the time; I can’t help it!  I suppose people might consider me to be a vouyer? I’m often secretly watching people and drawing them!  Then I incorporate them into my paintings and let my imagination go.

'Boozin' At The Nappy'

‘Boozing At The Nappy’ is basically how they used to drink in old Edinburgh in the nineteenth century; I did a lot of research into Edinburgh’s history as it fascinates me.  I decided to do a bigger painting of that work; ‘Boozing At The Nappy’ basically translates as ‘drinking in the pub’!  I did a series of paintings around old Edinburgh’s history and Robert Burns’ poems – these were bought by the National Library Of Scotland. (Editor’s note: see question below!).

The National Library Of Scotland bought two illustration works that you produced as books! Bravo! How did these works come about? Was the commission to produce the works as books or did you come up with that idea?
When I was doing a post-grad art course I decided to do some illustrations as part of it rather than just paintings.

'Cockburn Street'

I wanted to illustrate something Scottish so I chose two different areas as I mentioned before; Edinburgh history and Robert Burns’ poetry.  I decided to illustrate those themes and the National Library Of Scotland heard about them. They buy fine art books if they’re originals so they bought them, which was great! They’re one-off pieces.  I did a lot of engraving and etching on the old-fashioned presses and the books are created with original copper etchings.

With your landscape painting and some of your Edinburgh paintings, how do you capture the scene? Do you use photographs, sketches, your memory or do you paint on site?
I use photographs for reference. I do lots of little drawings in cafes from my car or on site depending on weather. These are essential for finished work.

How long does a piece take you from concept to finished painting and do you find you gain more satisfaction from a longer piece which had become a ‘project’?
Figurative work is more time consuming and more difficult than landscape work. Some pieces take months, others weeks.  I do gain more satisfaction from paintings which take me longer to do, such as figurative paintings, because there’s so much more going into it. You need to come up with a lot of imagination, do a lot of research and all that takes time.  So you do feel more satisfied at the end!

‘When The Saints’, ‘Summertime’ and ‘Summertime Blues’ look like they were painted in New Orleans! What was the inspiration behind these works and are you a jazz fan? Do you like to capture aspects of your personality in your art?
I think my personality is in all my art. I love all music; it touches the soul!

'When The Saints'

Do people who buy your art feel a personal affinity with the subject or scene? Do they respond in a way that you expect or are you ever surprised by their reactions?
My paintings usually draw people into the scene. Everyone reacts differently depending on the image.

Any tips on how to get your art into galleries that other artists might find useful?
I exhibit as much as possible. Artists need the public to see their work! I have never painted for fashion. I don’t stay in one area; I paint what I feel passionate about.

'Market Day'

Some galleries reject me, other galleries like my work.  To get work into galleries, I tend to just pick up the paintings I can carry, drive into town and walk them round the galleries I want to show in!  That way they get to see it first-hand which is lacking in an email.You need to be quite brave to do that because there is rejection sometimes if you just turn up but then sometimes not; it’s a gamble you take.  I paint now because I want to and because I’m passionate about it, not because I want to make money.  So any money is a bonus to an already big passion!

How have you found the recent recession with regards to your work as an artist? Have you struggled or have you not noticed much of an impact?
I think the recent recession has had a major effect on both galleries and artists.  Prices for good work are below average. Many galleries have closed. With my landscapes, I had quite a lot of success with the galleries in the north of Scotland -  mainly I think because of the tourists visiting the area; tourists like landscapes! With my figurative work it’s been far more difficult. I’ve only got one or two figurative paintings  into galleries.  I think figurative work is not so fashionable; so much of what some galleries will accept and show is to do with fashion.  Not many will show your work for the sake of it.

What is the best aspect of being an artist and what do you love about it?
Art is the love of my life. I am 67 years old and still feel the excitement of beginning a new work. There is great fulfilment and joy when I get it right.  If I couldn’t paint I would just fade away!

What are you working on next? Any future plans or projects in the pipeline that we should look out for?
At present I am absorbed in figurative work, “People and Places”. I paint whatever touches me emotionally.

I’d like to thank Maureen for her friendly chat and allowing us into her thoughts regarding her work and art.  We wish her all the very best for the future and great continued success….and if you’d like to have a closer look at her imaginative, thought-provoking work, take a look at her website:

http://maureenmonteath.theartistsweb.co.uk/

Title:          Lead Artist, Arts Partnership Nottinghamshire
Location:   East Midlands
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 10 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/lead-artist-4/

Title:          Company/Artist commission, Hoxton Hall
Location:   London
Salary:      (£10k-15k) Full time
Deadline:   Thursday 10 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/companyartist-commission/

Title:          Public Artist, Highfields Science Specialist School
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£15k-20k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-artist-3/

Title:          Visual Artist, Swale Borough Council
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/visual-artist-18/

Title:          Art in public – Shaftesbury, Wide Open Space
Location:   South West
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/art-in-public-shaftesbury/

Title:          Tender for the delivery of arts activity in Queen’s Park, Well London
Location:   London
Salary:      (£30k-40k) Full time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/tender-for-the-delivery-of-arts-activity-in-queens-park/

Title:          Commission opportunities, RUNS ON THE BOARD
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 14th June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/commission-opportunities/

Title:          Public Art Scheme: Williams Street, Little Lever, Bolton, Bolton at Home
Location:   North West
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 14 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-scheme-williams-street-little-lever-bolton/

Title:          Deaf & Disabled artists for exciting Paralympic opportunity, Creative Bucks
Location:   South East, East Midlands
Salary:      (£40k-50k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 17 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/deaf-disabled-artists-for-exciting-paralympic-opportunity/

Title:          Commission, 52 weeks of art
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 17 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/commission-3/

Title:          Inside Out: artist led engagement projects, Olympic Delivery Authority
Location:   London
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 21 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/inside-out-artist-led-engagement-projects/

Title:          Artist-in-residence, John Mason School
Location:   South East, Oxfordshire
Salary:      (£15k-20k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 21 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-in-residence-22/

Title:          Lead Artist, Yorkshire Artspace
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 25 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/lead-artist-3/

Title:          Call for Craft Artists, MK Arts for Health – Milton Keynes
Location:   South East, Milton Keynes
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Wednesday 30 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/call-for-craft-artists/

Title:          Public Art Commission, Sheffield City Council
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Wednesday 30 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-commission-16/

Hi,

I just wanted to add whilst you are considering that my dear mum is 85  years young and has just completed a snow scene in pastels.  To be able to produce such good quality work and still receive commissions at that age is amazing!  Art has no barriers or age limits and it is a passion that burns within our souls.
(Just a proud daughter www.olga-rudenko.co.uk

We agree, Sonia!  Here’s a link to Olga’s snow scene in pastels which Sonia mentions…truly lovely!

http://www.olga-rudenko.co.uk/new-work/215595_snow-scene.html

Keep your comments and news coming, folks!

Admin

PROVIDE THE CENTREPIECE FOR NOZSTOCK FESTIVAL AND GET IN FREE…

Nozstock is a fantastic festival taking place in the Summer heat (hopefully!) of July in beautiful Herefordshire.  More intimate than it’s big brothers, Glastonbury and Reading, it is attracting some glowing reviews and some class music acts.  Interaction has always been at the very heart of Nozstock and this year for the very first time there is a competition for Nozstockers to design and build the centrepiece of the festival which will be displayed in the middle of the lake. The winner will receive two free festival passes, a feature on the Nozstock website and inclusion in this year’s festival programme and publicity campaign.

Are you the creator of a strong, visionary sculpture that deserves to be seen by many or perhaps you have a concept that could be developed in time to exhibit?
We want to see your existing images or preliminary sketches. The winner of the competition will have their work presented at Nozstock as the focal artwork present at 2010’s festival.
The piece should complement the ‘Handmade’ theme of the festival and needs to be no heavier than a ton, no wider at the base than 4 foot and no taller than 15 foot. Works should be unique and hardy, capable of dealing with the English elements.
The centrepiece will be visible from the festival site looking down on the lake in the Coppice field. It will be backed by a canvas of display lighting of the field’s perimeter trees and highlighted through the festival day and night.
All entries are to be received by midnight Friday, May 28th 2010. The winner will be informed by June 4th, providing artists with unmade sculptures one month for completion. Please do not enter the competition if you will not be able to complete your sculpture within the month (Nozstock will not provide material costs).

Take a look at the entry page on the Nostock Festival website HERE:

http://www.nozstockfestival.co.uk/festival-home/latest-news/130-provide-the-centrepiece-for-nozstock-festival-and-get-in-free

To enter:
Please send photos/drawings and information to:
Centrepiece Competition, FAO: Toki Allison, Nozstock Festival, Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire HR7 4LS
toki@nozstock.com

The winner will receive:
- A stage for their sculpture with a plaque from the main viewing spot
- A news article on the official Nozstock website profiling the sculpture and artist
- A profile within the official Nozstock programme for 2010’s festival
- 2 free tickets to the festival for the full weekend

- Competition Terms and Conditions
1. This competition is open to entrants aged 18 years or over.
2. All information detailing how to enter this competition forms part of these terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the entrant agrees to abide by these rules. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions.
3. To enter this competition, entrants must submit their sculpture design or photo in along with an explanation of the inspiration for their sculpture to the published email or postal address. Entrants must include their name, address and contact telephone number. The written element of an entry must be in English and be no more than 200 words long. Entries will not be returned.
4. The final sculpture will be no taller than 15 foot, no wider or deeper than 4 foot, and be no heavier than a ton and made of durable materials. It will be visible from above and for a 180° aspect from the front.
5. All entries must be received by midnight on Friday, May 28th 2010.
6. All entries submitted must be the original work of the individual submitting them. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that their entry does not infringe the rights of any third party or any laws.
7. Rights in all designs submitted for this competition remain with the respective entrants. However, in consideration of Nozstock Festival providing the competition, each entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to Nozstock Festival Limited to feature any or all of the submitted essays and designs in any of their publications, their websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this competition without payment to the entrant. The individuals responsible for any designs so featured will be fully credited.
8. Only one entry per person. Late, illegible, incomplete, defaced or corrupt entries or entries not within the design criteria will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt. Entries must not be sent through agencies or third parties.
9. The overall winner shall be announced on the Nozstock website and via our social networking media and on Friday, June 4th 2010. The winner will be the entrant whose sculpture, solely in the opinion of the judges, displays the most original and exceptional thinking and inspiration, whilst suiting Nozstock Festival. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
12. The winning entrant shall have their sculpture exhibited at the festival, which will be on display throughout the weekend of 9-11th July. The sculpture will be commemorated by a plaque, placed at the best viewing point with the winner’s name and biography. The winner will also receive free entry for themselves and a guest for the full festival weekend and will have a news article written profiling their work.
13. Travel, accommodation or incidental expenses for attending the ceremony are not included.
14. The winner may be required to take part in publicity.
15. The prize as described is available on the date of publication. All elements of the prize are non transferable and there are no cash alternatives.
16. Events may occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter and accordingly the Promoter may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the Promoter as a result thereof.
17. Nozstock Festival is responsible for the publication and adjudication of the competition and also for the provision of the prize.
Nozstock Festival Ltd, Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire HR7 4LS

Plans for the new Basildon Art Trail are gathering pace and now with venues expressing interest, the trail needs local artists to display their work.
Visual artist Dean Smith, whose idea it was to run an art trail in Basildon, has been delighted by the enthusiasm for the trail already and now wants professional artists who live or work in Basildon, Billericay and Wickford to apply to show their work. The Art Trail will run from Thursday 16 until Monday 20 September 2010.  Dean, who has a studio at Barleylands Craft Village, understands the need for creative professionals to find new outlets for their art:‘Artists are constantly seeking new audiences to share and enjoy their work. An Art Trail is a fantastic way for local people to discover the talented individuals in their area whom they may otherwise have never known were there!’ he says.  ‘Basildon, Billericay and Wickford have vibrant arts communities that sometimes get overlooked. The Art Trail is a way to celebrate our artists and help them connect with their local community who in turn will discover a wealth of talent on their doorstep.’
This is the first ever Basildon & District Art Trail.  Basildon and District has a population of approx 150, 000 and more than 500 practicing artists within that population.
The Basildon and District Art Trail covers three different geographical areas: Basildon, Billericay and Wickford and will lead visitors to the some of the famous Basildon Art Collection currently on display at the Towngate Theatre. The collection contains works by internationally renowned artists such as Dame Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Frink, Ivor Hitchens, Patrick Heron, Joe Tilson and William Scott.The district has a wealth of public art to discover. In Basildon is the famous Mother & Child Fountain, a work by architect Sir Basil Spence and sculptor Maurice Lambert. The last piece created by T.B. Huxley-Jones, The Figure Of Christ, can be found over the porch of St Martin Of Tours Church.
If you would like to take the opportunity of having your art displayed in shops around the area as part of the art trail, you will need to download an application form from the Art Trail website (www.thebdat.com).  Deadline for submission is Friday, 18th June 2010.  There are no size or genre restrictions for submissions although artists should consider that their work will mainly be going into shop windows throughout Basildon, Billericay and Wickford – so wall mural-sized creations are out!
Work submitted to the Arts Trail will be considered by a selection committee made up of some notable local figures. This will ensure a very high standard of work on display.
If you interested in hosting an artist’s work in your premises and would like to finds out more about the Basildon Arts Trail, please contact: Dean Smith

Email:deansmithart@hotmail.co.uk

Postal address:
Studio 41
Barleylands Craft Village
Billericay
CM11 2UD

Tel. 01268 522973

What is the voyeuristic impulse behind our attraction to the gruesome and the horrible? Where does the magnetic appeal of the sordid and the scandalous come from? Is ugliness also in the eye of the beholder?

‘How beautiful ugliness is!’ is a forthcoming exhibition of works by 30 artists exploring the concept of ugliness, the monstrous and the repellent in visual culture and the arts. With abundant examples depicting ugliness in painting and sculpture ranging from ancient
Greek amphorae to Bosch, Brueghel, and Goya among others, this provocative exhibition aims to explores in-depth our present day notions of the horrid, evil and depravity, as well as darkness in art and literature.

The down-side of beauty lets one discover a vast and often unsuspected iconographic vein. This exhibition endeavours for visitors to consciously face ugliness wit the hope that they will exclaim: ‘How beautiful ugliness is!’

This show has a participation fee of £60 per artist. The combined participation fee will ensure that Red Gate Gallery can print postcards, catalogues and posters for promotional purposes as well as cover the hiring cost of the venue and other overheads such as electricity,
rates, etc..

We are looking for:

·         Artists must be London based. (This is due to avoid shipping difficulties)

·         25 2-D artists working in various media such as acrylic, oil, photography and
collage. The subject matter for the show focuses on ‘ugliness’. Each artist can only exhibit
one piece of work relating to the topic. The dimensions of the work must be 60cm x 60cm
or 24″ x 24″ – works bigger or smaller will not be accepted.

·         5 3-D artists working in new-media, installation and sculpture

·         Each artist can only exhibit one piece of work. The dimensions of the work can
be up to 1 m2.

·         Deadline for submitting statements and sample jpgs 30th of April 2010 – 5pm

Contact Yara Tschallener, Red Gate Gallery on info@redgategallery.co.uk

What we need from participating artists who would like to submit work:

·         Short supporting statement about your work relating directly to theme. Not more
than 50 words.

·         1 – 3 good quality high res jpg of works to be submitted.

·         Full name, e-mail address, phone number when sending the application

·         participation fee only to be paid when accepted for the show

·         Deadline for submitting statements and sample jpgs 30th of April 2010 – 5pm

Contact Yara Tschallener, Red Gate Gallery on info@redgategallery.co.uk or call 02073260993
for submissions and further queries.

What is the voyeuristic impulse behind our attraction to the gruesome and the horrible? Where does the magnetic appeal of the sordid and the scandalous come from? Is ugliness also in the eye of the beholder?  ‘How beautiful ugliness is!’ is a forthcoming exhibition of works by 30 artists exploring the concept of ugliness, the monstrous and the repellent in visual culture and the arts. With abundant examples depicting ugliness in painting and sculpture ranging from ancient Greek amphorae to Bosch, Brueghel, and Goya among others, this provocative exhibition aims to explores in-depth our present day notions of the horrid, evil and depravity, as well
as darkness in art and literature.

The down-side of beauty lets one discover a vast and often unsuspected iconographic vein. This exhibition endeavours for visitors to consciously face ugliness wit the hope that they will exclaim: ‘How beautiful ugliness is!’

http://www.redgategallerylondon.co.uk/