Positive Effect

Nearly two weeks ago I drove a rental car to the Hudson Valley to be a visiting artist and lecturer at SUNY New Paltz. I started the day with my lecture and took some great questions from the audience at the end. After a potluck lunch with the metals department, I did 13 back-to-back crits that lasted 20-30 minutes each. It was intense and awesome! I loved talking with every single one of those wonderful people. They are working so hard and it's obvious in their work and in the way they question it. I try to get to the heart of things right away and give each person something solid to think about, always challenging in such a short period of time. The lecture I gave that day is now available online, too. There are a few minutes of chatter at the beginning so you can hear me talking about all sorts of things with a few people in the audience. The talk begins around the 3 minute 25 second mark.

I also want to share this wonderful Facebook status, posted by Grand Valley State University student, Anna Petlick, last night:

"After Amy Tavern's lecture and workshop at GVSU two months ago I was inspired to create a piece using limited materials in my studio. Although I did not limit my time for the creation of the piece, I'm very happy with how my brooch turned out! The materials include a leg from a teddy bear, fabric from a child's night gown, and pearls. This piece was featured in the Free Radical gallery show in downtown GR. A big belated thank you again to the wonderful Amy Tavern for coming to our school and helping me see creating from a fresh and different view!" 

I was a visiting artist at GVSU at the end of September and had a wonderful time there, too. Comments like this are so reassuring and also challenge me to do even better next time. Thanks so much, Anna!

Thanks for reading.

How Lectures Help

I gave my first resident artist talk at the Penland School of Crafts to an audience of maybe 70 students and instructors in May, 2009. I was incredibly nervous and the talk was only five minutes! My voice was different when I began, it was higher or something. My heart raced and I found myself out of breath even though I was just sitting there. I read from a script, too. When it was over I was relieved and also disappointed. I didn't feel strongly about what I said and it felt like I had missed a chance, albeit brief, to share my work with others. Plus, the talk fell short for the simple, yet complicated reason that I didn't sound like "me." At that moment, I promised myself I would work on this and I would become a better speaker. Over the next three years, I had lots of opportunities to talk about my work to different audiences and for different lengths of time. I made lots of work, too, and honed my aesthetic, my concepts and my understanding of what I was doing… and over time, I became a better speaker. I talked to my audience like I was having a warm, engaging conversation and my personality came through. I stopped using a script or even notes, I learned to manage my nerves, and I became more relaxed. All that practice had helped immensely, not only for the quality of the talk, but also because I was learning to articulate my thoughts simply and clearly. It was exciting for me!

Last night I spent a few hours working on my next talk which I will give tomorrow. I began by revisiting my last PowerPoint presentation: I moved slides around, I changed images, I edited. I saw things in a new way, too, and made changes that will make the talk richer and more succinct, as well as visually stronger. These lectures are one way for me to share my work and, every time I present it like this, I get to know it a little bit better and I get a little bit better at talking about it, at connecting... and this is even more exciting to me.

If you live in the Allendale/Grand Rapids area, please come say hello at my lecture on Thursday, September 25 at 7pm at the GVSU Mary Idema Pew Library 030, Atrium Level. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Thanks for reading.

Lecture!

This weekend I head to Raleigh to teach my chain making class, "Innovating the Chain," at the Pullen Arts Center. I'm really excited to teach again, especially this class because I'm all about chains right now. I know it will be fun. Then Saturday at 5pm I will give a lecture about my work. The talk is free and open to the public. I hope you will join us!

Artist Talk

Pullen Arts Center

105 Pullen Road

Raleigh, NC 27607

919.996.6128

Saturday, July 20 at 5pm

free and open to the public

Thanks for reading.

I Might Also be Coming to Your Town to Teach

teaching at Pocosin Arts Center

My 2013 schedule includes lots of teaching and lecturing. This week I leave for Yuma, AZ to present at the Yuma Art Symposium and immediately following I drive to Long Beach, CA to give a different lecture at Long Beach City College. My talk at Yuma will be about Belgium and the work I made there, while my talk at LBCC will be geared toward professional development.

Just a few weeks after I return to Asheville I head back to California, this time to Oakland to be a visiting artist at the California College of Art. I will be giving two lectures there, one for the department and another one for the class I'm visiting. The department talk will be about my work and my process and the class talk will focus on how I use color and spray paint. I will also teach a workshop on color on metal. The department lecture is free and open to the public, Thursday, March 14 from 3-4pm.

Then shortly after that I leave the US again for three months with my first extended stay in Certaldo, Italy where I will teach at the ECU Italy Intensives program. The dates for this are April 8-12. I imagine this to be a rather casual time--I will be present in the classroom, helping students as needed, giving a lecture, doing impromptu demonstrations, and spending time with students one-on-one.

teaching at City College of San Francisco 

When I return to the US in July I will be in Raleigh, NC to teach my chains class at the Pullen Arts Center. The two-day workshop, "Innovating the Chain," will take place July 20-21. Then in September I will teach the class again, but this time all the way over in Snohomish, WA at The Ranch Center for Arts and Crafts just outside of Seattle. The dates for this class are September 7-8. Later at the end of the month I will return to Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts to teach a longer version of "Innovating the Chain" from September 22-28. I love teaching this chains class so I'm psyched to have a chance to teach it around the country.

Here are two examples of chains my students made when I taught "Innovating the Chain" last year at Pocosin Arts Center:

 Hilary Anderson

Joanne Lang

If you have any questions about these classes or lectures, please feel free to email me at amy@amytavern.com.

And, here's a link to my collection of teaching pictures on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

presentation report, snag installment #1

time to start writing about all that happened at SNAG... i think the best place to start is my presentation. after a few intense weeks of preparation and some serious self-doubt (including a desperate phone call to my mom), i put my very first power point to bed the night before the seminar. (come on, how much fine-tuning can one really do?) i felt good about the content and visuals and had practiced many, many times. i had to stop, but not before another run-through with my friend and fellow presenter, marthe le van. we practiced one final time at about 11:30pm as we lounged in our matching twin beds in what we now refer to as "mansion camp." (we stayed at an extravagantly decorated brownstone in downtown savannah.) the next morning we made our way to the conference hotel, stopping at the fantastic SCAD shop for some very helpful retail therapy. (i was so nervous at this point!) i bought a ridiculously good fabric brooch made by kristen hlis. (this name might be a little wrong...i'm taking it from my receipt.) for the next 4 hours we dealt with all the technical stuff, which wasn't easy - there were a lot of issues. finally, after transferring our presentations to one laptop, the seminar started at 2. i spoke at 4:30. by that time, i had calmed down quite a bit and i have to say, i am pleased with the way it went. my talk had 4 sections, starting with my background. then i outlined indie shops and galleries, indie craft shows, and trunk shows. i defined each topic, discussed pros and cons, and mentioned my personal experiences. i really hope the attendees (all 200+) got something out of it.

now about this public speaking thing, i think it's always good to make oneself do difficult things, like public speaking. (it builds character, no?) like i said, i wouldn't do anything differently, but over the next few days i paid extra attention to the other presenters. they are much farther along in their careers and have more experience presenting. i listened to how they opened and concluded their talks, noted their transitions, and the overall structure. i even took some notes which i'll just file away for future reference. eventually, i would like to make my presentation public. it might be a good resource for many emerging jewelers and other artists.

p.s. marthe le van is an editor at lark books. they publish wonderful art and craft books including my favorites in the 500 series, like 500 brooches.

thanks for reading.

lecturing...!

i am going to give a short presentation during the professional development seminar the day before the annual snag (society of north american goldsmiths) conference. i am both freaked out and excited. normal. here are the details...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Harriete Estel Berman
San Mateo: October 12, 2007 (650) 571-7726 studio

The 2008 Professional Development Seminar Open To All Artisans

The 2008 Professional Development Seminar “Crosscurrents: Navigating Toward New Markets” will address topics that are important to artists and crafts people. The afternoon will cover how photography plays a crucial role in establishing a visual identity and provide help in finding new marketing channels that yield better exposure and stronger financial return.

The speakers include Bobby Hansson who has 40 years of experience in photography and will discuss how to attain quality images of your work. Marthe Le Van, Editor of Lark Books, gives her unique perspective on which images are preferred by publishers when considering inclusion to a publication. Megan Auman will introduce us to blogs, Etsy and other inexpensive internet venues to market your artwork. Amy Tavern addresses new trends, trunk shows and nontraditional venues. Ivan Barnett, April Higashi and Heidi Lowe bring their experience and insight in opening their own galleries.

This is a rare opportunity to learn from our speakers who bring their expertise and unique perspectives for an afternoon of learning. The 2008 Professional Development Seminar will be held:

WHEN: Wednesday, March 5, 2008
TIME: 2:00 TO 6:00 PM
WHERE: The Savannah Marriott Riverfront, Savannah, GA (Conference Hotel)
COST: $10 covers the entire seminar afternoon
REGISTER: Either with your Conference Registration or at the PDS door in Savannah

The PDS (organized by Harriete Estel Berman, Andy Cooperman & Don Friedlich) is designed to offer information vital to establishing and maintaining an art career. Conference Registration is not required to attend the PDS. Updated information about the PDS program will be available at:

http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10037

Questions and comments can be directed to:

bermaid@harriete-estel-berman.info.

i will talk about my experiences with trunk shows, selling at boutiques, indie shops and galleries, my website, and other ways i get my name out there. i love doing this kind of thing. (and i do get very nervous!) i have spoken a few other times - at my alma mater, uw seattle, and at the penland school of crafts. i like telling others about my experiences, both good and bad, regarding my work and business. it can be difficult to find this kind of information as an artist so if i can help others in this way, i am very willing. plus, i get to learn power point and i am very excited about that!

i guess this means i am a professional.

thanks for reading.