Eastside Culture Crawl artists on the endangered list

Pulled this off of the Georgia Straight website. A definite sign of the times.

News Features By Pieta Woolley

Publish Date: November 15, 2007

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Development threatens artists like Kathy Atkins (left), Dennis Brown, and Eri Ishii, who work from studios at 190 Prior Street.

Right after artist Eri Ishii hosts Eastside Culture Crawl visitors at her rental studio for the Eastside Culture Crawl this weekend, she'll go to City Hall, hoping to save her creative space and the studios of 31 other artists who work there. Christopher Bozyk Architects, on behalf of Amacon developers, has applied to the city's development permit board to turn the red-brick building at 190 Prior Street (formerly 901 Main Street) into 10 high-end apartments. The meeting takes place on Monday (November 19) at 3 p.m.

"If we lose this and any more buildings like this, we're going to be like just another North American suburb," Ishii told the Georgia Straight during an interview at her studio overlooking the Georgia Street Viaduct. "If this happens, the whole city will be dead."

Ishii and a small group from 190 Prior plan to ask Culture Crawl visitors to sign a petition against the development this weekend. Amacon did not return the Straight 's calls by deadline.

The timing is almost theatrical, but the issue is serious. According to Valerie Arntzen, executive director of the 11th annual Eastside Culture Crawl, the future of the grassroots visual-arts festival is threatened by the swift gentrification of Strathcona and Commercial Drive. Although the number of guests is growing, the crawl, which runs from Friday to Sunday (November 16 to 18), is losing artists.

Read the full story here: http://www.straight.com/article-118409/eastside-culture-crawl-artists-on-the-endangered-list

Craft Fairs - A Good Display Is Important

Found this good article by Susan Ward at About: Small Business: Canada
You can read more at http://sbinfocanada.about.com/b/2007/11/07/story-equals-craft-show-success.htm

I visited my first Christmas Craft Show this past weekend - the holiday craft show season is in full swing already! It can be a very lucrative season for some who have mastered what I call the formula for craft show success. The first thing you need to sell successfully at a craft show is an attractive display that will draw potential customers to your table or booth. Learn how to create the kind of display that will turn your booth into a magnet with these Trade Show Tips.

The second thing you need to sell successfully is a good story. As About Arts/Crafts Business Guide William T. Lasley says,

"Every crafter has a tale about how they got started making and/or selling their particular product. These stories are not only interesting, but can also prove to be a powerful marketing tool for craftspeople."

In my experience, it's often the story that's the closer to a sale. Read William's article The Story Behind the Crafts to learn how to craft and present your own story.

More articles on trade / craft show success.

Important Craft Survey

ATTENTION ALL EAST VANCOUVER ARTISANS AND CRAFTS PEOPLE

Hi Folks,
I'm looking into the possibility of putting on a craft fair and variety show at the Roundhouse in December 2008 - “The Spirit of East Vancouver” Artisan and Family Fun Event. This unique event is meant to showcase East Vancouver artisans and performers by exposing you to a potentially more lucrative Yaletown/Downtown marketplace. We are currently negotiating a partnership which could significantly reduce the cost of venue and table rentals which we, in turn, would pass on to you, greatly reducing your risk for participating in this event.*
*The craft fair will be juried to maintain quality.
Other planned attractions include:

• A corralled children’s area with a variety of top-notch children’s performances
  
• Strolling entertainment to support low traffic areas
• A Saturday evening meet-and-greet (an opportunity for crafters to network and meet our sponsors )
• A family-oriented Christmas Cabaret on Sunday night

To promote our event properly, I am proud to be partnering with Richard Forzley, Director of Marketing for Vancouver Civic Theatres (www.vancouver.ca/theatres), a seasoned performing arts specialist with more than 20 years experience in developing and implementing innovative, cost-effective marketing and communications strategies.
Marketing plans include:

• 500 posters and 10,000 handbills distributed in the Yaletown/Downtown area
• Extensive web coverage
• Regular public service announcements on Co-op Radio 102.7fm
• Paid advertising in the Vancouver Courier and West Ender
• Comprehensive, regular press releases to the local media

We will use our own website as an online directory and a resource for media looking for stories, and will profile as many participating vendors as possible. I hope that you will take a couple of minutes to answer the the online survey to help us with our planning and marketing for the event.
You can find this survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mpwE_2b4v1OsRB_2b91Z7t8eNw_3d_3d

If you have any questions or would like to participate in this great event, please contact Steven R. Duncan & Associates at 604-788-8340 or email srduncan@shaw.ca.

Feel free to pass this on to anyone you feel might be interested in this.