Non-profit New Media assignment

The virtual non-profit that I am proposing is similar to one currently in existence but with twists. It will be called Working Art Studio Tours. Instead of an “art fair” tour genre, it will be promoted as a working studio tour. I am proposing using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs for my media tools.

The Facebook site will have links to artist websites, links to blogs, images of studios and artwork and include periodic information of dates of the tour, member artist gallery events, and other art related community events.

The Twitter will also inform of dates of the tour, links to blogs, member artist gallery events and other art related community events.

The YouTube will include narrated brief videos of the artists at work in their studios as a teaser for what the public will see when they tour the studios. Or the consumer may view it after the tour to select art that they have thoughts of purchasing.

We will have a main blog tab on the website with artists submitting blogs on their wide range of issues, thoughts and topics of interest to them and their work. Each artist will have a brief biography of themselves and description of their work or the thought process that goes into a piece. Being that this is a visual community the emphasis will be on the written blog but they may contribute a few images to each blog.

Each artist will need to contribute a small amount for some print publishing that needs to be done with a directory and map. But some of this expense can be countered with community grants.

The desire for this non-profit is that the visitor will see the artist in their environment. See the art in different phases of creation. Yes, the artist may sell artwork to visitors to their studio, but this is to be presented as a working studio tour and not an “Art Fair”. I see this as an educational opportunity for the public to see how much time, toil and talent an individual artists puts into a handcrafted piece of local artwork. A hopeful bonus is that the public will appreciate the pricing and value of handmade local artwork. This is not a traditional Art fair; this is a school field trip for the general public.