Art + Business Acumen

What every artist should know: Best Practices for visual artists and makers

Chris W. Carson, Executive Director, CARFAC Alberta

Chris W. Carson will discuss how an understanding of best practices can help all visual artists and makers professionalize their businesses and chosen careers. Participants will learn more about copyright, the sharing of content and intellectual property, in addition to the ground rules for creating a healthy art ecosystem where everyone can begin to thrive.

Chris W. Carson

With undergraduate studies completed at the University of Alberta and a M.F.A. in painting from the University of British Columbia, Chris W. Carson is both professional visual artist and arts administrator. His art career includes exhibitions at public, artist-run and commercial galleries throughout Alberta. As an administrator, Carson worked for commercial and public art galleries, a professional arts organization and two provincial arts service organizations. Since August 2010, Chris W. Carson is the Executive Director of CARFAC Alberta.

Registration is required. Click here to register.

Saturday May 6 @ 1:30pm
Setup for Success: Plein Air Landscape Painting
with Pam Wilman

Online • Register online

Join Pam Wilman on a discussion about her outdoor landscape painting adventures, from Yukon, to Newfoundland, and Alberta. Pam will discuss how to set up to paint successfully in various locales and situations including artist residencies.

Biography

Pam Wilman graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta. Wilman’s work can be found in public, corporate and private collections including the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA), Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Ford Credit Company, Royal Alexander Hospital, and the University of Alberta. She has exhibited her paintings in public and commercial galleries in Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.

ARFAC Saskatchewan  / CARFAC Alberta webinar:
Time Management for Artists with Laureen Marchand
Wednesday May 10 7:00pm – 8:30pm CST/MDT

Online • Register on Eventbrite  

Join Laureen Marchand for a free two-hour workshop on time management for artists. Learn to ask different questions to help you be your best artist self without so much struggle.

• Manage energy
• Manage expectations
• Manage distractions
• Get it done and feel good about it

Sometimes you feel overwhelmed. There’s so much to do. You ask yourself if you’re really creating as much as you could. If your art career might get more traction if you had more time to work on it. If there’s a way to feel less at the end of the day like you didn’t do what you wanted. And more like the productive and fulfilled artist you set out to be.

Learn more about Laureen: https://laureenmarchand.com/home-2/bio/

This workshop is hosted and moderated by Chris W. Carson: Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta + Wendy Nelson: Executive Director at CARFAC Saskatchewan. Register for this free workshop on Eventbrite

Saturday May 13, 2:30-4pm
Calgary Member Meetup
with Tara Vahab

In-Person • email Tara to register

Calgary CARFAC Alberta members,
Join us for our next informal afternoon tea, meet other Calgary members, learn about CARFAC Alberta membership, talk about your art and projects and maybe discuss local art exhibitions.

Are you a new visual artist in Calgary? You are welcome to join us as well!

Location: cSpace King Edward, 1721 29 Ave SW suite 125
(we will be in the coffeeshop)

This event is coordinated by Tara Vahab, CARFAC Alberta Engagement Coordinator. Please contact Tara (tara@carfacalberta.com) to register or any questions.

Saturday May 20, 1:30-3pm
Artists Working as a Collective
with Patricia Lortie and Sabine Lecorre-Moore

Online webinar • Register on Eventbrite

Patricia Lortie and Sabine Lecorre-Moore are participating in a national art project called Dialogues Riopelle, representing Alberta. In this Zoom presentation, they will share their experiences working as a collective.

Biographies

Sabine Lecorre-Moore originally from France, moved to Calgary after studying decorative arts in Brussels, Belgium. Over the years, she has participated in numerous painting exhibitions. In 2019 with artist Jean-René Leblanc, she created the exhibition En Transit, which combines video and augmented reality. As a founding member of the Franco-Albertan artist collective Devenir, she contributed to a dozen exhibitions, including Devenir, an installation of mobiles and paintings at the Salmon Arm Arts Centre in British Columbia. In 2021, she participated in the Baie-Saint-Paul International Symposium of Contemporary Art. That same year, she curated the exhibition Présence des femmes, which brought together seven Francophone artists from Western Canada. From February 2022 to April 2023, Lecorre-Moore was the artist in residence of the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre to complete her project Painting Alberta.

Patricia Lortie from Quebec studied industrial design and business administration in Montreal.  In 1995, she moved to Calgary where she studied at the University of Alberta Arts. Her practice includes painting, sculpture, installation, public art and education. In 2010, she represented Alberta in the Cultural Olympiad at the Vancouver Olympics. In 2021, she collaborated on Présence des Femmes, a major exhibition of francophone women artists from Western Canada. In 2022, she will participate in the Baie-Saint-Paul International Symposium of Contemporary Art.

To create a healthy arts ecosystem where visual artists thrive, contracts are essential. Contracts protect both the visual artist and those that interact with artists. Chris W. Carson will outline some of the ground rules (best practices) that help artists make money from their practice. Terrance Houle will share stories on how contracts have been important to his career in terms of getting paid and the protection of his artistic rights. If you want to build a visual arts career, contracts matter.

This program is part of a partnership between CARFAC Alberta and the Art Gallery of Alberta, which supports the professional development of creatives in Alberta.

Register for this free Zoom webinar here.

Chris W. Carson is both a professional visual artist and arts administrator. As an administrator, Carson worked for commercial and public art galleries, a professional arts organization and two provincial arts service organizations. Since August 2010, Chris W. Carson is the Executive Director for CARFAC Alberta (Alberta’s CARFAC affiliate since 2012).

Terrance Houle is an interdisciplinary media artist and a member of the Kainai Nation. He lives and works in Calgary, and travels to reservations and Indigenous communities throughout North America to participate in pow-wow dancing and ceremonies. Houle is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design and has exhibited in Canada, the United States, Australia, the UK and Europe.