The Kentucky Arts Council is accepting applications for the Kentucky Crafted arts marketing program through Aug. 15. Kentucky Crafted assists visual and craft artists through networking, promotional and sales opportunities and business training.

“Kentucky Crafted artists enjoy more than just the right to use the Kentucky Crafted brand on their work,” said Dave Blevins, arts marketing director for the arts council. “Many artists have broadened the reach of their personal brands through the recognition that comes with being a Kentucky Crafted artist.”

Kentucky Crafted is a symbol of artistic excellence in the commonwealth. Artists in the program have been adjudicated by an independent panel of professional artists and leaders within the arts and craft community. Among many other benefits and privileges, Kentucky Crafted artists become eligible to exhibit at the annual Kentucky Crafted Market.

Louisville artist Sabra Crockett said being in Kentucky Crafted has opened doors for her and her work: “I have been invited by many different fairs and art events to attend, including Woodland Art Fair, Arts On the Green and Saint James Art Festival. If I had not participated in The Kentucky Crafted Market, I believe I would not have had those invitations.”

Crockett enjoyed a successful weekend at The Kentucky Crafted Market in March, which she said gave her momentum.

“Just attending the Kentucky Crafted Market has brought me more sales, more connections and a broader sense of community in Kentucky. The artists I have met through the program are part of my close community, and I have been able to create strong bonds with some of them.”

That bond with her fellow artists is one reason Crockett believes artists should apply for Kentucky Crafted.

“Being an artist can be a very lonely and isolating experience. This is a way to form stronger relationships with other artists,” she said. “It also pushes you to really hone your craft and raise your artwork to a professional level. You’ll also be part of a network of supportive artists and arts administrators to help you further your career as an artist.”

In addition to exhibiting at The Kentucky Crafted Market, artists are eligible to apply for consultancies from the Kentucky Peer Advisory Network (KPAN). Artists may also use the Kentucky Crafted logo, which will be included in the online directory of artists, and can take advantage of cooperative advertising and exhibit opportunities.

For more information about the Kentucky Crafted program, contact Blevins at david.blevins@ky.gov or 502-892-3120.

Las Vegas officials are gathering community feedback as they explore the possibility of building a state-of-the-art African-American museum and cultural center as part of their ongoing work to help revitalize the west side.

The project is loosely tied to the Historic Westside district, a historically Black neighborhood that thrived during the 1960s but has struggled with disinvestment in recent decades. The area is bordered by Owens Avenue in the north, U.S. Route 95 to the south, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the west and Interstate 15 to the east, and is part of the HUNDRED Plan, or the Historic Urban Neighborhood Design Redevelopment Plan.

During the second of three listening sessions that took place in June, residents shared oral histories through one-on-one interviews, filled out a survey and contributed to interactive posters that lined the room with maps to display where they migrated from, the places they have visited in Nevada and other details about their family origin and history. 

Organizers also showcased prototypes of museum offerings to prompt ideas about what residents might want to see in the museum and cultural center, including contemporary art galleries, historical and future-oriented exhibitions, community activations (or marketing experiences that generate awareness), a performance venue, landmark sculptures and installations. Attendees were surveyed to identify “the local narrative” and cultural assets that will bring economic power to the area.

“Oftentimes, communities like ours don’t even know what makes our magic, magic,” said data scientist Maya Ford, CEO of FordMomentum, a Houston-based communications firm that is working on the project, in an interview during the event. “And so we’re here to present a mirror. We do that through a series of exercises that help people tell us ‘I see myself there, I don’t there. That’s me. That’s not me.”’

Organizers behind the discussions were hired by the City of Las Vegas and include Las Vegas-based businesses and people who helped bring the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., online. Images were propped up of local ambassadors of the project including pictures and quotes from North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown, Clark County Libraries Executive Director Kelvin Watson and Mario Berlanga, owner of Mario’s Westside Market, a grocery store that serves the neighborhood. 

Ford said the museum will take on elements from the past, present and future to align with the Las Vegas market. The project is still in the discovery phase, without a budget or location.

“Another part of the discussion is where could it be located?” said Shaundell Newsome, owner of Las Vegas-based SUMNU Marketing. “Is it a building, or is it a neighborhood? What is it like?”

The event comes nearly two years after city leaders and national figures from African American museums met to talk about the development, which is part of a larger master plan for the Historic Westside. 

Ford described the future Las Vegas African American museum project as a measure of justice, stating that African American communities have not traditionally had the ability to control their own cultural assets.

She said her work is not designed to shy away from racial injustices and that her strategy to discover the hidden uniqueness of Las Vegas’ Black community will mainly focus on extrapolating the mindset, skills and people from data collected at listening sessions. Ford said it takes tools to uncover these details because they are often woven into movements that combat racism and injustices.

“When we see blight, it’s so personal, but we don’t know that it’s systemic,” she said about the Historic Westside. “We don’t know that the tools that were used to get to that, are being used exactly the same way in cities across the nation … but we have a tool to break right through that, for the element that’s unique.”

A range of museum types

During a September 2021 meeting, leaders hosted a public forum and presentation to share the varied African American museum concepts from around the country, inviting public input as the implementation of the HUNDRED Plan pressed forward. The conversation ended with a lot of skepticism toward an international museum concept that would aim to attract locals and tourists alike. 

Residents feared that local stories of triumph or racial justice would be lost; that the location might be outside of the Historic Westside district, which is a criticism of the site of Legacy Park, which honors Black community leaders, and that the museum might not come to fruition at all.

“By all accounts, this is one of the most important and complicated projects to come out of the plan,” Tammy Malich, leader of social innovation at the City of Las Vegas, said about the HUNDRED Plan during the 2021 meeting.

The meeting was moderated by Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear of Ward 5, where residents hope the museum will go. Other presenters included George Davis, former director of the California African American Museum (CAAM); Anna Barber, former senior major gift officer for the Smithsonian Museum and fundraiser for the National African American History Museum in Washington D.C., and Ford.

“We got some heavy folk in the room working on this project,” Crear said about the “professional historic consultants.”

The museum consultants went over potential sizes for the museum that ranged from 44,000 square feet to 450,000 square feet; costs to build, which ranged from $460,000 to $700 million; fee structures, which included free admission concepts that rely on federal funding and others with prices ranging from $6 to $7 dollars, and permanent collections ranging from 5,000 objects to 40,000. 

“Seventy percent of the overall annual operating budget is federal appropriations,” Barber said about the National African American History Museum, which has a $40 million annual operating cost. “Our collections were primarily donated through private citizens, which really made the museum very, very special and personal.”

Presenters also went over the different types of concepts and how they differ from one another, such as historical sites that include preserved homes and permanent structures, archives, community centers that focus on local stories, museums that hold artifacts and historical documents, and science, nature or geographical history-focused centers. 

Davis said costs can increase based on storing certain art pieces and retaining permanent art collections, and that Black art has recently “gone up exponentially in value,” after being traditionally left out of mainstream museums and galleries.

“CAAM had a lot of works from very well-known artists, that were really mostly well-known in the Black community,” he said. “And now they’re getting more mainstream [attention]. And we became a generous lender to a lot of institutions with a traveling [art exhibition] called ‘”Soul of a Nation.’”

The discussion came after Crear and then-Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly released an updated rendering of the HUNDRED Plan in 2020 to alert people that leaders were moving forward with the revitalization strategy using new resources. 

Since then, several new developments have been launched, including a street project to reinvigorate Jackson Avenue — which was once known as the Westside Strip — that broke ground in December, the College of Southern Nevada workforce development center at the Historic Westside School, an 84-unit housing development planned for Jackson Avenue, a MGM-backed urban farm in James Gay Park and plans geared toward the rebuilding and relocation of the West Las Vegas Library. 

“The community said ‘We would love to see some culture in our community,’” Crear told attendees during the 2021 museum presentation. “So we took that back. And one of the first steps is to go out and find subject matter experts who have done projects like this, of this size.”

Shea butter, healing rooms and concerns

At a listening session last month, residents shared many ideas about what should be showcased at a local African American museum and cultural center, including a statue that could be seen from the Las Vegas Strip made in the likeness of Ruby Duncan, a veteran activist in Las Vegas who fights for the welfare of poor people. Other ideas included developing a stunning building and landscape that resembles Africa or creating a cultural campus where people can enjoy an outside space. 

Attendees also discussed how food might come into play, ranging from fine dining, to restaurants that center around vegetables that traveled with Black people from West Africa such as cornbread, okra, rice and tomatoes, to reaching back in Las Vegas history with the recreation of Hamburger Heaven, which was built in 1955 on the west side and torn down in 2011.  

“I heard someone say they wanted our center to smell like shea butter,” said Amaya Edden, organizer for SUMNU Marketing. “​​I’ve also heard people say they wanted to have resource centers around it … to help the community.”

Edden said each listening event garners a lot of engagement from the community, and that Friday’s gathering was the fourth of many to come. 

She said over the last several weeks she’s heard ideas from residents including a quiet “healing room” for people. Attendees also encouraged leaders to think about features that would help the homeless population in the area. 

Edden also said when it came to the topic of slavery, some people did not want to reach back that far. 

“They were saying that sometimes we are stuck in the trauma that happened,” she said. “So they wanted something to uplift the generations.”

Kimberly Estell, 55, has lived in Las Vegas for about 30 years. At the listening session, she told The Nevada Independent that she hopes the museum expands opportunities such as apprenticeships in the STEAM field for youth that focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. 

Her friend, Tee-azha Akin, 31, who was born and raised in Las Vegas, said she is looking forward to local artists being lifted up by the new museum.

“I like what they have laid out, especially when it comes to the community activations and the art, because I would love to see Vegas really flourish as an art space,” Akin said. 

Most concerns regarding the project that were shared at the 2021 event and in a June listening session centered on the thought that an international museum might not showcase the stories about local movements, that the emphasis would be placed elsewhere and leave out local historians. 

TaShika Lawson, 39, who was born and raised in Las Vegas, said it was hard for her to get on board with the project, voicing concerns about an African American museum that already exists in the Historic Westside — Walker African American Museum and Research Center on West Van Buren Street, which is run by Gwen Walker.

“Because she has a museum that she’s already approached the city about – for it to actually become something that’s bigger and more expansive and does real justice and brings life back to Jackson Street,” Lawson said about Walker at the recent listening event. “And although she may not have had a big plan, it’s no less than what we’re seeing here. It was a dream.”

In a July interview with The Nevada Independent, Walker, 66, said that after at least 10 years of seeking resources from city officials to refurbish and expand her museum, she felt blindsided and betrayed by the exploration of a “world class” African American museum, because originally the HUNDRED Plan included a revitalization of Walker African American Museum.

Walker said she has built up her collection for over 50 years, which has been used by UNLV students who study African American history, and that it includes at least 50,000 artifacts, with pieces that date back as far as the 1800s. She said she is not on board with the plans to build a second history museum, especially after feeling pushed aside by city officials.

“I was floored for about three weeks,” Walker said about the moment she learned of the second museum proposal. “I almost couldn’t function. I was so hurt and so upset. I cry every time I think about it.”

BY DUCK PATERSON

A Chemainus retiree is turning a hobby into a way to help children in the community.

Peter Shepherd, a retired military instructor, police officer and legislature constable, has been creating painted rocks which he calls Salish Sea Stones since the start of the pandemic.

“It started as a self-therapy method for me in those early months of COVID lockdown. In my struggles for recovery from PTSD, I would explore the peaceful areas near my home in Chemainus,” said Shepherd, a marksman who trained police in Kosovo in 2000-01.

He had seen some painted stones and thought they were pretty, simple and comforting, and so he got his hands on some of the temporary tattoos handed out to children visiting the B.C. Legislature building in Victoria.

“I worked on putting these on small smooth stones I gather in my wanders in my special area on the Chemainus River and areas along the Salish Sea, which is also my healing place,” he said.

The stones are painted white before the tattoos are applied, then comes a protective clear coat and a piece of felt on the bottom.

“I started to give these stones to family and friends and the feedback was that I should sell these,” Shepherd said. “That started me to thinking again and along the lines of starting to give back. As a child, I was helped during some challenging situations.”

The stones that are seen locally have been created by First Nations students at Penelakut Elementary School. All proceeds from the sale of the stones goes to support that school’s educational, cultural, sports and dance programs. Students are encouraged to create their own art to put on the stones.

“This project aims to empower the children, seeing their confidence grow. Each student will have different strengths to bring to the project, so we would like to give them a chance to shine and also encourage them to learn new skills,” Shepherd said. “There are many parts to the stone art process – stone collection, the painting and assembly processes, the intricate personalization of the stones and the marketing of the stones.”

Shepherd is from Scotland and has used his contacts back home to get seven schools in the U.K. participating in creating art stones. He has a goal to get more schools and organizations involved, wishing to help sick children in hospitals and hospice on Vancouver Island and elsewhere, but said he needs more sponsors.

Currently the Salish Sea Stones area being sold at Neck of the Woods general store, Wild Poppy Bistro, Little Otters Den, Salish Sea Market, Cottage and Castle bed and breakfast, and visitor centres in Ladysmith and Chemainus, along with other locations.

For more information, visit www.salishseastones.org.

READ ALSO: Nanaimo artist shares her painted rocks

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Art

Lenovo India recently launched a new video series, called ‘Brave New Art’, which explores the convergence of traditional analog art and digital technology. In collaboration with Intel, the series features renowned artists who use Lenovo Yoga laptops to create immersive and innovative works of art. The artists featured in the series are Santanu Hazarika (multi-disciplinary visual artist), MC Heam (rapper and producer), Meher Malik (belly dancer), and Prithvi Shetty (graphic designer and music producer).

In an interaction with Adgully, Chandrika Jain, Director – Marketing, Lenovo India, speaks at length about the objective and vision of the campaign,Lenovo’s marketing strategy for the Lenovo Yoga laptop, bridging the gap between analog and digital, and more.

What is the main objective behind Lenovo India’s ‘Brave New Art’ video series? How does the series explore the convergence of traditional analog art and digital technology?

Lenovo has always been recognised as a pioneer in the realm of innovation, consistently pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Lenovo continues to foster creativity and expression. In the midst of a fiercely competitive market, Lenovo recognised the need to craft a compelling narrative that would resonate with Generation Z, helping them transform their inspiration into expression.

In a world that is constantly evolving technologically, where various avenues and approaches to creativity abound, the realms of ‘analog’ and ‘digital’ continue to flourish independently. We saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between these two worlds, bringing together the traditional art forms rooted in analog mediums and the digital realm of expression, all within a single cohesive narrative. The catalyst for this convergence is the Lenovo Yoga, which has increasingly become the go-to tool for artists and creators around the globe.

From this vision, ‘Brave New Art’ was born. This groundbreaking initiative showcases a spectrum of artists, such as Meher Malik, Santanu Hazarika, MC Heam, and Prithvi Shetty. Its overarching objective is to propel creative expression to unexplored frontiers – a realm where diverse artistic expressions coexist harmoniously, giving rise to innovative ways of representing creative ideas. Brave New Art transcends the conventional notion of being just another advertisement; it seeks not only to push the boundaries of creativity, but also to establish new benchmarks in artistic expression.

Why were Santanu Hazarika, MC Heam, Meher Malik, and Prithvi Shetty chosen as the featured artists for the series? And how do the artists utilise Lenovo Yoga laptops to create their works of art?

Lenovo Yoga is a customised device designed to cater to the requirements of creators. With its versatile multimode and touchscreen, stylus support, vivid OLED displays, immersive Bowers & Wilkins sound, and advanced AI Engine +, these features collaboratively empowered our creators throughout their endeavours.

The artists were thoughtfully selected, with an attempt to bridge the analog and the digital creative universe. We hoped these creators would complement each other and also create some bold forms of artistic output through their collaborations. On the one hand, we have visual artist and illustrator Santanu Hazarika and belly dancer Meher Malik, while on the other hand we have chosen rappers, electronic producers, graphic designers, and dabblers in AI like MC Heam and Prithvi Shetty. Their style of expression hugely inspires GenZ and millennials, who are our target audience for Yoga devices.

Are there any plans to expand the series to include more artists or art forms in the future?

These pilot episodes marked the beginning of our creative journey. Our intent is to collaborate and expand exploring exciting frontiers with generative AI, augmented reality, virtual projections, and more. Alongside these cutting-edge technologies, we hope to out-find mavericks who not only excel in their craft but also fuse it with technology to push artistic boundaries.

What marketing strategies will Lenovo India employ to promote the ‘Brave New Art’ video series?

Brave New Art will be promoted both organically and through targeted advertisements on popular social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) and OTT platforms (like Hotstar). Since the majority of our target audience is active online, this approach ensures maximum reach. Additionally, we will focus on generating visibility and engagement through on-ground activities, especially in our exclusive stores. Our team has collaborated on an exciting 3D immersive rap music video, which is one of the pioneering formats in India. Viewers will not only watch the video, but also participate in the immersive experience by transforming into avatars and navigating through the virtual space. We anticipate that this unique offering will engage our audience, and we plan to maintain interest by continuously providing cutting-edge immersive experiences, interactive contests, exclusive offers, and more.

How does Lenovo India engage with its target audience and encourage their participation in the ‘Brave New Art’ series? Are there any plans for social media campaigns or influencer collaborations to amplify the reach of the series?

In our initial phase, we partnered with prominent influencers in the nation to spread the word about our pilot project through their social media platforms, forming an essential component of our organic media strategy. As we move forward into the second phase, we plan to expand our collaboration to include a wider range of creators and artists, aiming to make an even greater impact in the online sphere.

In addition to our social media efforts, we are also exploring OTT platforms like Hotstar for hosting and promoting our content.

What platforms or channels will Lenovo India use to distribute and showcase the ‘Brave New Art’ video series?

Based on our research, we understood that most of our audience can be found on social media, streaming platforms (OTT), and CTV. Therefore, we will be hosting and promoting Brave New Art on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Hotstar. Initially, the series was partially live on some platforms, but it entered its peak promotional phase from June 10. Our goal is to build engaging content that our audience enjoys.

Will there be any interactive elements or opportunities for audience engagement within the series?

Episode 2 of the ‘Brave New Art’ campaign offers an unprecedented 3D immersive music video experience, which is a rarity in India. In addition to watching it like a typical music video, viewers can also generate their own avatars and explore the virtual reality ‘world’ of the video. By utilising the avatars of Santanu and MC Heam, users can fully immerse themselves in the music video by navigating through the virtual space. This virtual realm showcases elements from their creative journey and displays their art, essentially acting as a digital playground, where users can fully engage with the music. Moreover, the experience includes a karaoke screen, enhancing the experience.

How will Lenovo India measure the success and impact of the ‘Brave New Art’ campaign? Can you provide any insights into the target audience for the ‘Brave New Art’ series and how Lenovo India plans to connect with them effectively?

We utilise specific marketing and media metrics to measure the success of our efforts. Our primary objective is to ensure that Brave New Art not only educates and entertains our audience, but also effectively demonstrates the capabilities of the device and motivates them to consider it for their future purchase. To gauge our progress, we will closely monitor metrics such as reach, views, video view-through rate (VTR), and the uplift in Google Search Engine Result Page (SERP) visibility. These indicators will provide valuable insights into our campaign’s performance.

Additionally, we aim to generate significant attention and position the versatile Lenovo Yoga as the ultimate solution, positioning it as a top-performing premium device in its category.

They started construction in 2014 and the home, located at the end of a cul-de-sac, was completed in 2018. Now, with their children heading off to college, the couple is listing the two-acre compound with Wendy Peterson of Island Sotheby’s International Realty for $12.6 million. 

The main house has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, a large living area with a wood-burning fireplace, an open kitchen with wood paneling, and a music studio carved from honed lava and cedar. 

Cale repopulated the landscape with native fruit plants, including avocado, mango and papaya trees. Upcountry is usually a balmy 70 degrees nearly year-round, and the house defines indoor-outdoor living, with a saltwater pool and jacuzzi and wraparound decks on both the main house and a three-bedroom guest cottage with art studio across the ravine. In fact, Anderman said her favorite spot is the swing out on the lanai, where she quiets her mind and finds inspiration for her artwork.

“Almost every morning, I take my tea out to that swing, breathe in deeply and take it all in,” she told AD Pro. “Not just the bicoastal view of the island, but the sounds of tropical birds, the gentle touch of the air, the quiet rustling of the palm trees.”

A Gilded Age mansion turns up on Long Island’s Gold Coast

About 90 minutes outside Manhattan in Suffolk County lies a sprawling waterfront estate that delivers unparalleled views of the Long Island Sound. Villa della Pace takes its inspiration from the palazzos of Renaissance Italy, as evidenced by its four-story tower, Ludowici terra-cotta tile roofing, limestone-and-terrazzo courtyard, and lush formal gardens.

Completed by Gilded Age architect Henry Corse in 1917, the five-bedroom mansion was built for scientist Frederick Steenken, who sold it to industrialist Frederick Gurney as a summer residence. Gurney’s son, John, was a principal performer in the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and ’40s, and regaled guests with impromptu performances in the music room—earning the home the nickname Villa del Canto, or “House of Song.”

He is retiring after 18 years leading the Arts in Healthcare program that has been a hallmark of VCU Health.

July 05, 2023

Digital platforms and technology have enabled Indian artists and artisans to reach wider audiences. However, they face challenges that are related to economic sustainability, market access, the digital divide, crime in the art world and preservation. A collaborative model promoting cultural economy can help encourage India’s soft power by creating an ecosystem of innovative technology-based start-ups, providing guidance, technical support, infrastructure, access to investors, and networking opportunities.

The creative economy is one of the youngest and fastest-growing sectors, with unique challenges that often go unnoticed by public and private investors. There is now growing recognition of the economic importance of the arts sector as it helps in the creation of jobs, economic growth, tourism, exports, and overall societal development.

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Decoding the boom in India’s digital art

Recognising the economic importance of culture, the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022) was held to address contemporary issues in multicultural societies. The goal was to share a vision for the future of cultural policies and to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to leveraging culture’s transformative power for sustainable development.

Challenges and status of artists

Online platforms, social media, and digital content creation enable artists, writers, film-makers, musicians, and other creatives to engage with audiences, and monetise their talents. While Indian artists and artisans play a vital role in preserving traditional art forms and creating contemporary artworks, they face challenges that are related to economic sustainability, market access, and the preservation of traditional art forms in a rapidly changing society. Government support, cultural institutions, and initiatives provide financial assistance, training programmes, and opportunities for artists to exhibit their work. However, more efforts are needed to promote contemporary artists as brands and ensure equal representation and financial assistance.

There are challenges in the selection of artists for financial assistance in organising cultural events. Lack of transparency in the selection process creates inequality in representation. There is no systematic or rotational mechanism in place to provide this assistance, and the selection process is often random or based on subjective criteria. So, talented artists, particularly those based outside the city, are unable to gain from sponsored platforms. Additionally, unlike in other countries, there are no serious efforts by private or public institutions to promote contemporary artists as brands. Artists and artisans with creative ideas require a market, market research, business facilitation, and a platform.

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The ‘Upside’ of NFTs | Lisa Ray’s digital art platform, TheUpsideSpace, promises a curated experience

Crime in the art world includes art theft, copyright infringement, forgery, fraud, and illicit trafficking. Addressing these crimes requires increased security measures, international cooperation, public awareness, and advanced technology for authentication and tracking. Tackling crime in the art world will help foster a healthy creative economy. Artworks depicting or exploring criminal activities, as well as criminal activities within the art industry, pose significant challenges. There is no institutional infrastructure, expertise and technology to verify the original artwork. The gap is leading to injustice towards genuine artists.

These offences affect cultural heritage and cause financial harm and erode public trust. Exploitation of Indian artists, unaccounted money preserved through artworks, and the dissemination of disinformation about cultural history through various media only compound the issue. Solutions include increased security measures, international cooperation, public awareness, and advanced technology for authentication. Regular audits of acquired artworks can enhance trust and preserve a collection’s integrity. An institutional record of incoming and outgoing artworks with a verified identification mark is required.

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New digital archive promotes South Indian visual artists and their works

A workable solution

Having a collaborative model promoting the cultural economy is an effective solution to address the challenges faced by the creative economy and promote the economic contribution of culture.

To promote economic growth, a solution can be to encourage India’s soft power by having a capacity-building centre; this should help create an ecosystem of innovative technology-based start-ups in the arts and crafts sector, providing guidance, technical support, infrastructure, access to investors, and networking opportunities.

The needs of artists must be bridged through training, professional development, market access, and participation in larger communities and networks. A facilitation centre would help foster knowledge sharing, economic empowerment, and sustainable livelihood solutions for artists and artisans. Data analytics should be used to foster creative ecosystems that contribute to a sustainable world. The government along with private players can empower artists, help bridge industry gaps, and contribute to the overall development of the creative economy by providing support, resources, and opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.

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With FutureFantastic, art goes the AI way

Additionally, existing institutions should address the various needs of artists, such as training, professional development, material support, access to markets, public validation, and participation in larger communities and networks.

A facilitation mechanism should operate by focusing on fostering knowledge sharing, networking, and economic empowerment for individual artists and creative entrepreneurs by offering business training, incubating innovative projects, and connecting them with global marketing platforms, tools, and practices. The centre should also be a platform to provide sustainable livelihood solutions for artists and artisans through participatory models, leveraging the latest ICT tools to enhance their participation in the business ecosystem. It is also time for new data that shed light on emerging trends at a global level as well as putting forward policy recommendations to foster creative ecosystems that contribute to a sustainable world.

Also read | How going digital and increased community engagement helped Indian museums adapt to the new normal

Finally, the economic and cultural significance of art, culture, and the creative economy in India, while addressing challenges and proposing solutions, should support the growth and development of artists and artisans as a whole.

Harsha Bhargavi Pandiri is Assistant Director on deputation with the National Gallery of Modern Art, Ministry of Culture, New Delhi

In Latin, memento mori translates roughly to “remember you will die” and has been used as a visual trope employed in art for centuries, often in the form of a skull. In 17th-century Vanitas still-life paintings, other symbols like hour glasses, clocks, extinguished candles, fruit, flowers, or game animals were added as a constant reminder of the fleetingness of life. For artist Sarah Conti, the nature of existence is as much a subject as the avians she sculpts. Existing in delicate balance within their increasingly imperiled habitats, she says, “[Birds] can’t evolve at the rate we are changing the world.”

Surrounded by family members who were avid birders, the artist traces her interest in the feathered creatures to childhood. The more she learned, the more she admired how birds have captured humankind’s imagination. Later on while enrolled at the University of Montana in Missoula, the onset of the pandemic made the school’s studio spaces inaccessible, prompting her to be outdoors more often. She says, “All the time I used to spend in the studio transitioned into time spent in wetlands and woods looking for birds. I had the time and access to see many new species, and it ignited so much interest and wonder in me.”

“(Im)Migration.” Photo by Rio Chantel

In 2020, Conti began to think about more about the human impact on the environment, as well as political and social issues, finding that the ubiquity of birds—and our endless fascination with the avian world—presented an apt way to express critical concerns. She hones in on the relationship between beauty and discomfort, highlighting dualities of presence and absence or the seen and unseen. For example, “Lost History of Women” illustrates how ornithological study has generally focused on males, paralleling the way women have been omitted from human record.

Conti shapes distinctive birds from clay, often making dozens at a time for large-scale installations. For “(Im)Migration,” she made 75 pieces in about 75 days, which were then given a surface treatment before being fired in the kiln. While each individual component can stand on its own as an independent work, Conti says, “I am very interested in making installation sculpture as a way to tell a larger story, to talk about the massiveness of these issues, and to make the viewer feel enveloped in the work. I want viewers to think about how it relates to their presence and their role in these issues.”

Audubon recently commissioned a piece that will be featured soon in the quarterly’s ongoing series called The Aviary, and next March, Conti will be a part of Radius Gallery’s 9th Annual Ceramics Invitational. Find more on her website and Instagram.

Detail of “(Im)Migration.” Photo by Rio Chantel

Black-necked Stilt, detail of “(Im)Migration.” Photo by Rio Chantel

“A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow”

Detail of “A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow”

Detail of “A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow”

Two details of “A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow.” Left: Common Nighthawk and extinct Eskimo Curlew. Right: Extinct Carolina Parakeets

“Lost History of Women”

Ring-necked Pheasant, detail of “Lost History of Women”

Red-naped Sapsucker, detail of “Lost History of Women”

Redhead Duck, detail of “Lost History of Women”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Sarah Conti’s Expressive Ceramic Birds Migrate Through Social and Environmental Issues appeared first on Colossal.