November: PRICING
How much is your work worth?  

Pricing your artwork can be one of the most difficult aspects of being an artist.  Medium, size, complexity, cost of production and previous sales history, all play a role in determining the final sales price.

Facilitated by Rebecca DeWitt, this workshop will mix gallerists, museum directors, and art collectors: Joe Thompson(Director of MASS MoCA), Jo Ellen Harrison (Owner of Harrison Gallery), Stuart Chase (Director of Berkshire Museum) and Kurt Kolok (Owner of Kolok Gallery), Nancy Fitzpatrick (Art collector) and Geoffrey Young (Owner of Geoffrey Young Gallery). 

December: BRANDING
How does one artist stick out in a crowd?... and how does the artist find the crowd to stick out in? 

In this age of information and advertisement overload, savvy companies understand the importance of targeting their market and creating a strong brand. A good brand appeals to all the senses, through all channels and yet continues to deliver the same message.  Artists, too meet the challenge of branding and promoting themselves.

Jonathan Secor, MCLA's Director of Special Programs, will interview some of the Berkshire's branding gurus to explore the key components of a good brand and the most effective methods of delivering that brand:

David Carriere (Author of 'Publicity: 7 Steps to Publicize Just About Anything'), Kevin Sprague (Photographer, Owner of Studio Two) and  Mitch and Seth Nash (Co-owners of Blue Q).

Kevin Sprague's presentation HERE.

January: WRITING
How do artists write about their work?

"Revealing what, how and why you do your art does not dismantle either the beauty or mystery of it. Quite the opposite. Your effort to reach out invites others to participate in the mystery and to share the beauty." - Ariane Goodwin, author of Writing the Artist Statement

Facilitated by gallerist Leslie Ferrin, this workshop will look at a plethora of artist statements to understand what connects us most to the work. 

Panelists: Seth Rogovoy (Editor of Berkshire Living) and Meryl Joseph (Artist).

February: SHOWING
Which galleries should you approach and how? What other venues are there to show?

Finding galleries that relate to your work is the first step in finding a gallery that will promote and sell your work. Yet getting into a gallery is not easy.  You must first navigate your way through the unwritten rules of approaching and submitting. In this workshop we will learn ways to determine which venues to approach and how best to go about it.

Facilitated by Jessica Conzo, MCLA's Berkshire Cultural Resource Center's Program Coordinator. Participants: Cathy Deely- the producer of "Made in the USA in Pete's Motors" and Pip JS Deely- a NYC gallerist/curator, Gail and Phil Sellers- River Hill Pottery, Andrew Davis- artist and gallerist.

March: SCHMOOZING
The Art of the Schmooze: Making networking work for you

Interacting socially with collectors, curators, gallerists, media professionals, and other artists can make a huge difference in an artist's career - if it's done right. Leslie Ferrin (Owner of Ferrin Gallery) and freelance writer Bess Hochstein (Freelance writer and Cultural Correspondent for Rural Intelligence) will talk about how to gracefully navigate the scene and work the room. This program will cover techniques that can help you advance your career in social situations; how to close the conversation (or the deal); the dont's and do's of the schmooze; why booze and schmooze don't mix; and how to capitalize on social media tools like Facebook and Twitter.

April: CREATING
How can you secure a residency?

The series come full circle. We have priced, branded, written about, showed and schmoozed about our work.  So now it is time to find the time and space to be inspired and create new work.

Local artist and MCLA professor Melanie Mowinski will talk with artists and residency programs to learn how to choose the best one for you. Also on the panel Heather Phillips (Director, Contemporary Artist Center at Woodside), C. Ryder Cooley (Artist) and Calliope Nicholas (Residency Director, Millay Colony for the Arts).