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Friday, February 23, 2007
Greetings to all Oregon Crafted artists, crafters, partners, and supporters! After a break from the newsletter in January, this one is packed with important information.
Make sure to have your Oregon Crafted signs out (be sure that the sign is on your property and not in the public right of way). If you are not able to have your studio open, please post a sign with your regrets and when you will be open again.
The year is off to a shining start and we are working hard to continue the success of our programs. As many of you have expressed to the staff, marketing is the key to continuing support for OC Artists. We will be offering a marketing seminar to Oregon Crafted artists in the spring, and we have several upcoming venues that will be excellent opportunities to promote OC regionally, nationally, and internationally.
We are currently focusing on a couple of events to do just that: The Governor’s Conference on Tourism in April and the ACRE show in Las Vegas in May (see descriptions below). It will cost Oregon Crafted additional funds to attend each event. This includes registration, travel, lodging, meals, and promotional materials. Foundations and grant organizations, which have been our basis for funding, do not allocate funds for this type of marketing campaign.
As we continue to refine our plans for long-term sustainability, we need your support. Please consider a direct tax-deductible donation to Oregon Crafted to help us promote our programs. Just send a check to Oregon Crafted with a note that the donation is earmarked for marketing. Oregon Crafted is a program of the non-profit Oregon Council for Business Education which is recognized by the Oregon Cultural Trust. We are also working with legislators and other arts organizations to ensure that our goals are realized.
We are including sponsorship opportunities in the new guidebook; this will help to sustain the costs of printing and distributing the Guidebook. These listings will be placed in a special section in the back of the book. Do you know of any businesses and organizations who would like this opportunity for marketing and promotion? This is a great chance for them to have a presence in the growing area of cultural tourism. Contact kathy@oregoncrafted.org with names and contact information. The deadline for submission is April 1st.
We have been invited to have a booth at the ACRE show (American Craft Retailers Expo) in Las Vegas, May 2-4, where we will showcase the works of 10-15 Oregon Crafted artists, along with a computer show of all of the Oregon Crafted artists who want to sell their work wholesale. The show features 1,000 exhibitors from America and Canada. Attendees will include buyers from many different retail categories. Please contact Patti, at patti@oregoncrafted.org, if you are interested in participating. The deadline for reserving space is March 15th.
The 23rd Annual Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism will be held in Sunriver April 15-17, 2007. We will be joining economic development professionals, community leaders, lodging and restaurant owners & managers, and visitor industry-related businesses of all types and sizes to attend workshops and meetings to further the goals of Oregon Crafted and promote cultural tourism in Oregon.
In July, Oregon Crafted will have an art show at the Eugene Public Library, in conjunction with the Oregon Bach Festival. The reception will be held during the First Friday Artwalk on July 6th. OC artists will have an opportunity to create work inspired by selections of Bach’s music that will be performed at the Festival, or to submit other works to be included in the show (The deadline for reserving space is March 15th).
Lane Community College presents the Artist Learning Conference and Resource Reception, March 22-23, with Bruce Baker. Topics covered will include booth design, craft sales, product development and slide jurying. For more information about the presenter, check out www.bbakerinc.com; for information about fees and to register, contact Leah Murray, Lane Microbusiness, 541-463-4619.
Maude Kerns Art Center has issued a call to artists for two residential lobbies of the first two buildings at Crescent Village, Eugene. For details visit: www.mkartcenter.org or call 541-345-1571. Submission deadline is February 28, 2007. The Art and the Vineyard application can also now be downloaded from the Maude Kerns website. This year’s dates for the show will be July 6,7, and 8.