The Internet beckons but is it for artwork? The [otemel is only meant for the Big Boys! Both these issues have recently been addressed by artists, artisans, and profes- sional crafters, and while the jury 1s still aut here's some food for thought. Ask yourself this question. Will your next sale come from a show, a fair, a gallery, oF a previous client? While maintaining a steady flow of customers requires you to perform that necessary evil ‘marketing,’ most (ruc arlisis would miher cat ground glass. Unless you have a wealthy patron in your pocket, you regularly have to con- sider how best to aliract that next buyer. Event marketing gains lotsal exposure but lakes time: time bo prepare, to transfer your wares, to set up, stall, and dismantle your display. Time you'd probably rather spend perfecting new projects. And it's not cheap. Besides, event marketing can be good, real, or a mapor disaster at the whim of the crowd. A recent option ts internet marketing. It offers full artwork display with much less time and effort and you can reasonably expect to altract a humungeus audience. Afterall, there are more potential custom- To Net or Not To Net..... ers regularly cruising the met than all the people who attended the events you par- nerpated in over the last year! How can an artisan proceed? Weill, you could set up your own homepage, How- ever, unless you have a computer geek in the family who knows the ropes that could geLexpensive and time consuming, Plus vou" |] have to promote it regularity (uh-oh, marketing again!) or nobody will come knocking at your webpage door. [t's kind af like having a brochure: distribute it and Il gets results, but leave it at home and it's as worthless as scrap paper. Another chote is to list your work on ane of the free arts and crafts sites. Even when something 15 Tree, somebody has to pay. In this case it’s the advertisers’ messages. Will they overshadow or distract from your Work ? Artists do list on these sites so some Must enjoy success, but only a tral run can tell if they'd work for you, The more exclusive gallery sites are highly selective and will only list your work if they deem you to be marketable, [f you can getapproved your reward will bean excel- lent means for sales. Unfortunately the price you pay is high listing fees and selling commussions. Personally | favour the regional site that draws artisans from an area and ten pro- mates them. They can be semi-coopera- uve with lower listing and selling lees than commission gallenes. Some sites also of - fer low cost homepages created with ro- bots you control by ‘click and puck.’ While not offering the creative Mair you might prefer, these homepages certainly provide marketing. You can have a presence while the hes openstor looxs after promotion. Think you don't need the intermet? Maybe you don't, but consider this. In 1999 the intemet achieved over 350 billion dotlars in sales, and this year will be higher. This is nota passing fad! [ checked one leading search engine recently and found 7.653 915 pages relating to ‘artists’ and 19,525,680 for ‘art’. The internet is here to stay, the good, bad and ugly. If you want lo ensure your own future growth you'd better con- sider using “the good” asa useful means to reach Worldwide audiences, Slaine Benson Publisher The Ans and Crafts Catalog Portal Voace: 250.472.2215 Toll Free: 888.302.6539] Vietona, BC, CA hitp:imyhandmade.com! www.bcpotters.com BURNABY YEAR 2000 COMMUNITY MURAL PROJECT Some of the sections for the three 13-[oot high sculpture poles are basqued, When enough are collected back at the Shadbolt Centre for the Ans, we will pet the first batch out to Sumas for the final firing in the brick kilns. This will mean we should be ensured some finished sectoons for dis- play at Discovery Day, July 22. Ouher sections are drying and the last few are being started. This week Celia and | picked up completed sections from the George Derby Seniors Centre and met someol the men who had worked on them. 4 an update One was 101 years young. Another, amere 96, talked about his piece which showed his first house on Burne Road along with all the potatoes he'd planted. He remem- bered Gilley when it was acordwood skid road forthe logging operation of the Gilley brethers. All sorts of storics like this are emerging. At the other end of the scale was a visit to the Youth Prison where some interesting work is being done by students with a very poignant perspective of Bumaby’s future. On Wednesday some of the Grade stu- Potters Guild of British Columbia dents who did the dividing strips on the theme of earth, air, fire and water will come to our studio for a field tip where they will glaze their pots made from origi- nal design sinps, The current idea for location of the fin- ished poles is as a feature in the new Millennium Gardens to be created arcane Burnaby’s City Hall. They might even sport pyramid tops... Keith Rice-Jones Juli Aug 2000