The Art Gallery or the Web, Which One is Better for the Independent Artisan?

I recently came across a blog featured in the Huffpost Arts & Culture that made me think about some things. It was written by Jason Landry an artist/gallery owner who wrote about the importance of art galleries.

He says, "The gallery mode, as we know it, is flawed". What he is referring to here is the use of technology such as the web/internet. He points this out as being the reason for the defective way art is now being viewed.

He also seems to think that this new way of viewing art has encouraged the art consumer to do other things, "...more people can view the work online and decide if they like it enough to leave their house to visit the gallery, or attend the opening reception, or just stay in to watch another night of reality television". 

He then offers his assumption that his observation also contains a flip side,"...maybe the artist sees marketing the work to a critical mass over the web beneficial to their career. Or maybe it's the collector who would like to see the work online first to get a sense of what they might want to acquire". 

Art is a business, yes it also can encompass many other things but a gallery is a business. In order to make a business profitable, you need to be accommodating to the consumer.

I see that the statements he made were all pointing to the fact that the consumer was being benefited by the "flawed" way art is being seen, bought, and sold today. That I see as a positive, not as a negative strike against the art world.

He then goes on to say, "Artists and dealers know that art must be experienced in person to truly get a sense of its magnitude--it's the outsiders who don't get that".

Here is where I would like to draw special attention to the word "outsiders". I believe this attitude of dividing people in the art world as those who get it and those who don't is why many artists have turned to the web/internet to get their artwork shown and noticed.

Although he does have a point that seeing art in person can give a viewer much more visual accuracy, this does not mean that seeing art online is taking away from the art itself.

Independent artisans are utilizing a marketing vehicle that enables them to get their work shown and bought. There is no exclusivity when it comes to the web/internet. All artists and consumers of art are able to partake in this exchange.

I feel that marketing your work via the web/internet has given more freedom to artisans everywhere. It has provided them an outlet that many galleries have not allowed them. 

I am not against art galleries, I actually love visiting them. I just wanted to point out that as an artist and a consumer of art, the web/internet has done a remarkable job of opening doors for many artists that a gallery is just not able to do. 

There is room for both the gallery and the web/internet for art makers and art lovers. Working as a team which provides inclusion, can benefit the art world. Working across the aisle is conducive to maximizing the benefits for all involved.

Indigenous/Native American Beadwork Artist Melissa Buffalo

Melissa Buffalo

and her children

Beadwork is a Native American's must-have when it comes to the regalia they wear as they are engaging in the pow-wows (a gathering of Native Americans for celebrations and various dance competitions) scattered throughout the U.S.. I would venture to say that it ranks right up there with frybread. (A fried dough that is a staple in many Native American cultures)

Beadwork for those of you, who are not familiar with it, is an intricately designed piece of artwork that Native Americans use to represent themselves in many areas of their lives. For example, when they worship, and perform their sacred ceremonies, and when they dance at the pow-wows.

It is the sewing together of tiny little colorful beads into patterns or images. It can be worn as jewelry or as an ornamental piece in their regalia.

This next artist I am about to interview has chosen to create beautiful and colorful jewelry pieces. Her work includes earrings, bracelets, and medallions. Her name is Melissa Buffalo

Melissa, when did you start beading?

I started beading in high school at a program called Upward Bound, they taught us to bead, using the peyote stitch and it stayed with me.

What inspires you to create your beadwork?

My Lakota and Meskwaki culture, I try to incorporate them into my designs so when people look at the beadwork they may have some idea of where it came from. I also let people choose their colors, that seems to sell more when people have requests and also have certain colors that are popular. I try to make each piece unique and not duplicate, so that is what makes it time consuming, but I love it. I love when people wear my pieces and send me pictures or people come to me because they saw my work.

How does being Native American affect your craft?

My beadwork is who I am as a Native person. Seeing other Native work and how beautiful our culture is, how vibrant it is and the love I have for supporting other Natives truly comes from being a Native person who was raised around other Natives.

What made you decide to use social media to market yourself and your work?

Because today’s world is moving so fast and people are using the web to pretty much do everything, shop, socialize, meet and be kept up to date.

What type of technology do you use?

I have a twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts that highlight my work but my Facebook page “Butterflybuffalo” is now my primary source for advertising my work. I also have Etsy but didn’t really get into it and didn’t give my work enough time to be highlighted there. You pay Etsy for each piece, then they also take a small percent when you sell, and PayPal also takes a percent. It wasn't worth it to me at the beginning. I love Facebook, everyone is on there, and older Natives are starting to use it, which is so cute! I would love to see my dad on there, wait maybe not.

How has technology empowered you?

I love it. A page can travel fast when I post work on Facebook and Instagram. I think it makes it easier than having to purchase a booth at an event or pow-wow to advertise you work.

I would like to thank Melissa for taking the time to answer my questions and for allowing me the opportunity to show her wonderful beadwork on my blog.

I am very proud of this Native woman and her desire to represent her Native pride through her beadwork.

Blessings on your journey Melissa!

Click here to contact Melissa Buffalo:

https://www.facebook.com/butterflybuffalo

Indigenous/Native American/Entrepreneur/Artist Edwin Conway

I  recently had the privilege of conducting a phone interview with an American Indian artist by the name of Edwin Conway. He is an artist on staff and part owner of a t-shirt company by the name of INDIGENOUS INUS. This company is owned entirely by Native American tribal members. 

He is a member of the Paiute and Shoshone tribe, who lives on the Stillwater reservation located near the town of Fallon Nevada.

I asked him if he considered himself an artist, he was hesitant at first but slowly commented with a yes. He stated that he thought he was never good enough and questioned his own credibility.  I think as fellow artists we can relate to being our own worst critics.

He began to draw when he was in 5^th grade when he became interested in comics. He said it eventually lead him to graffiti which was big in the 80’s and that this type of artistry made him better.

He was also inspired by the other people he hung out with who were also practicing their drawing abilities.

He was raised in Oakland California till he was 18, then moved back and forth for awhile until deciding to settle down on the Stillwater reservation.

I asked him how being Native American has enriched his art. He said that it gives him something and somewhere to pull from; by “living on the rez” he is able to catch within himself the feeling that other Native Americans feel. This enables him to put into each piece a bit of himself. “It empowers me to show them the creativity in me”; “I see them in it”.

He wants them to think, “What I am buying is ME”.  He said, “I know what they are feeling and where they are coming from”. He wants them to feel that they are being represented in the art he makes.

As for how technology has empowered him he says that it helps him to do more and it also helps him to better express himself. It gives him more tools to work with and helps with clarity and speed.

It has enabled him to obtain exposure for his art work and for himself as an artist. He believes that technology has helped him get further than he could have otherwise. He said, “I am able to go across to other states and I don’t need to be present to get this 
done”.

I am happy for this Indigenous independent artist and what he has accomplished so far. May he be blessed as he continues on his journey.

I would like to thank Mr. Conway for allowing me the opportunity to interview him and for allowing me the chance to display his art here on my blog. It has been a pleasure getting to know him and to see his creations. 

Click here to see more Native apparel:

http://www.indigenous-inus.com/
http://instagram.com/inuscustomapparel
https://twitter.com/indigenous_inus

EDWIN CONWAY-PAIUTE/SHOSHONE

Tools in the Fair Trade Business for Indigenous Artisans

As I was looking through my tweets the other day I came across something very interesting. When I saw what it can do for the Indigenous artist I was excited. I knew I had to share this with my readers.

This new technology can open another avenue of marketing for an artist to get exposure for their creations. It can tell their story and what went into the making of their particular product.

I believe this will not only help the consumers connect with the piece but will also provide a connection to the maker of each piece. It will help to explain the art and provide any details that might be important to get the word out, to be noticed, appreciated and more importantly authenticated.

This new technology will help to encourage fairness in trading. It will be a help to many Indigenous artists to prosper and possibly thrive.

The Fair Trace Tool™ is the name of this new technology. There is a campaign going on now until the 30^th of October. Check out the website and see for yourself what is going on around the world with other Indigenous artists. 

Click here to read the article in its entirety:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-fair-trace-tool

Indigenous Artisans,Improve Your Rank on Google With Search Engine Optimization

In my pursuit of finding content for this blog,  I decided to utilize Google using the words Indigenous and Native artists. 
I thought it would be interesting to see what I would find.

I was overwhelmed with how many pages that Google offered me to view. There are thousands upon thousands of sites that I could observe. 

I did not know which one to visit first. I wish I had the time to see all of them but that is not realistic. If I were to visit even seven pages worth of websites which contain 10 listings each, it would be extremely time consuming. It made me wonder how all the other 93 pages are ever going to be seen. This made me understand the importance of what my instructor was talking about this week in class which is "Search Engine Optimization".

SEO is something all Indigenous artists need to utilize so that you can increase the likelihood of your websites being listed in the first few pages of someone's google search. 

This can empower your ability to be seen. This can bring more exposure to your art and to who you are. 

Click on the link below to gain access to the SEO Starter Guide and put into motion the tools you need to get yourself located on the first page and possibly the first listing on someone's google search.

Good Luck Artists!

Click Here:

https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.com/en/us/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf