ACWR takes creativity to the next level

By: Murad Erzinclioglu

Area artists are being given the opportunity to develop their skills.

Since October 2011 the Art Council Windsor & Region has been running educational workshops for local artists under the WE Launched banner. The ACWR is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the quality of life for all by strengthening the arts and the community through leadership, education and promotion. Past workshops have focused on branding, promotions and marketing among other topics.

Creative Business, the most recent workshop, was a one-day seminar providing artists tools, tips and resources for starting, flourishing and expanding various art businesses and products. The event was designed to provide information to artists about meeting the demands of today’s market, taxation, as well as copyright and trademarking law. Locally-based industry standard professionals provided the content for the workshops and seminars offered.

Eric Boucher, 26, is the ACWR public programs coordinator. He was hired to facilitate three workshops for the organization that will run through to August. Boucher said the workshops are a general call to artists in the community of any medium that want to increase the profitability of the creative pursuits.

“I think it’s really important, especially if you want to make a living. There are so many creative people here, often doing favours or bartering services,” Boucher said. “To be able to have a type of system or structure to be able to sell those things is becoming more and more important for people that want to get out there and make a living from doing their art.”

Nicolas De Cosson, 29, is currently finishing his master’s degree in fine art at the University of Windsor. De Cosson, who works in integrated media art, will be graduating this spring. He came to the workshop hoping to gain some skills he can put to use in the coming months as he enters the workforce. Creative business is the first ACWR workshop he’s attended.

“My interest is to stay here in Windsor, I need to be able to develop how to be able to make money. It seemed like a obvious choice to come here and try and learn as much as I possibly can in terms of different aspects of starting up a business,” De Cosson said.

De Cosson said he sees the challenge in merging creativity with a functioning and profitable business.

“How much am I willing to compromise my work in terms of the goals I want to achieve versus knowing what I think people may actually want to buy,” De Cosson said.

Dianne Clinton is an established painter in the city and also owns and operates The Hook Pusher, creating custom designed crochet goods for the public. She was a key speaker at the conference and found herself learning as much as she was teaching.

“Learning about the parallels of my business with Kris (Gene of Tsunami Glassworks), someone who is internationally known and fully established and the hardships that he went through. Just knowing that it’s okay to evolve and change and rebrand yourself to figure out what works until it actually happens,” Clinton said.

All ACWR workshops are open to the public and cost $10. The next workshop is slated for March and will focus on portfolio development for artists working in any medium. More information can be found at www.acwr.net