I’ve written several times about the “Business of Art” seminar series from the Small Business Development 
Center, but here’s a new twist. Queen of social marketing and online media, Karen Kefauver, is teaching a new class that I think artists might really benefit from: “Leveraging Social Media for Your Art.” The class will go from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 27. (Visit centralcoastsbdc.org and check out the “Business of Art 101” section for registration details.)
“I believe that social media is a great way to spread the word about artists’ talents because it’s a very visual format and less expensive than traditional forms of advertising,” Kefauver says.
Karen Kefauver
But, she notes that partaking in and reaping the benefits of social media is not automatic and takes a certain amount of time and training. And that’s where Kefauver comes in. “I think there is a particular challenge for artists to be effective as business people, so I want to help,” she says.
Although it takes some work, Kefauver believes that taking that plunge into using social media as a promotion tool really pans out. She explains that doing so spreads awareness about one’s artwork as well as helps to boost sales. Here are five tips she’s offering to artists:
1. Get help setting up your social media networks correctly. Take a look at what other artists in your medium are doing online.
2. Have a collection of photos of your work and a photo of yourself that you can upload to social media sites. Strive to put a copyright or watermark on each photo.
3. Post regularly on social media and write short posts that inspire, educate, or entertain people who visit your page.
4. Always respond to people’s comments; don’t ignore a negative comment.
5. Be patient: social media networks are free to join but do take time to maintain and develop a following.
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The Digital Arts and New Media graduate program at UC Santa Cruz is always turning out remarkable artists
Eve Warnock
who are creating noteworthy projects. Case in point — artist Eve Warnock who will graduate from the esteemed program in June. As a multi-media and interdisciplinary artist, she is a director, designer, performer and storyteller. Her media of choice include experimental films and installation projects.
Currently she’s serving as an art designer and an art director on an installation performance of “Peer Gynt,” written by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Kimberly Jannarone at UCSC. The performance is a culmination of a yearlong project and will offer various showings in the beginning of March. (Visit thegyntproject.com to learn more.)
As the 34-year-old prepares to graduate, she will teach a course this summer hosted by the Museum of Art & History at UC Santa Cruz titled “Procession.” The final project will consist of “processing through downtown Santa Cruz and ending with an open critique and question and answer,” says Warnock.
Learn more about this multi-talented artist at evewarnock.wordpress.com.
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I’m the type of person who throws everything away. I’ve never been good at looking for the inherent value in
Lisa Hochstein
used paper or recyclables. But a collage artist like Lisa Hochstein? She has a good eye. “Finished collages are reminders of time passing and the shifting value of the objects we live with and leave behind,” she says. “Collage places me face-to-face with sorting out what to save and what to destroy.”
Hochstein’s particular creative inspiration comes by way of vintage sheet music covers which she uses as the foundation for her collages. “Most of this music is from the early- to mid- 1900s,” she says. “I don’t use the musical scores, just the covers, which have beautiful, rich color and lettering that is unlike contemporary published material. Working with material that is imbued with somebody else’s history is a way for me to find a starting point and not get involved with storytelling.”
She found her way into collage as an art student in college when she often ran out of money for art materials. So, she would use her old paintings as material for new work. The idea of salvaging and repurposing her work was appealing to Hochstein, and thus, a collage artist was born.
Discover more at lisahochstein.com.
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So pleased to see our DANM graduate student, eve Warnock, covered today. Her work is, well, I keep telling her she’s the next Laurie Anderson. And she’s ambitious enough to make it that big.
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