pARTners: a collaboration

The Ontario Society of Artists and the Woodstock Art Gallery pARTners Project


PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

In the Fall of 2008, the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) and the Woodstock Art Gallery formed a partnership  with a focus on education and mentorship for both emerging and established artists.  We formulated a pilot project, which we hope will be the model for an ongoing future initiative in many areas of Ontario. We believe that this project will assist in filling a gap between the education of young artists, and their ability to enter the arts network. The intention of the partnership program is to broaden the scope of artistic growth of both emerging and established artists and to offer work-related experience, public exposure and networking opportunities through exhibitions in public and private galleries to all participating artists. In addition, the participating artists will offer art education components at each exhibition venue. The educational expertise in the organizing committee of pARTners is of a very high professional level, supported by years of leadership training and experience in analysing educational systems, practising goal-setting, and working towards desired outcomes. This project will enable OSA and the Woodstock Art Gallery to deliver their education mandates.  Woodstock Art Gallery has, in past years targetted systematically the academic levels of education - elementary education, secondary education, and  now, post-secondary education and artists pursuing a professional career in art.


OVERALL GOAL
The OSA is an arts organization engaged with the community. Through the pARTners project, we are offering emerging artists a great opportunity to enter the arts network and to learn about many aspects of how to be a professional artist. Emerging artists will be partnered with experienced professional artists in the Ontario Society of artists to produce collaborative pieces of artwork. These pieces, along with individual artwork by all of the participants, will be toured at exhibition venues in Ontario. The goal is to assist emerging artists to develop a professional network immediately after formal art training and to expose their work to the public. In addition the goal is to provide experienced professional artists the opportunity for artistic growth.
   
ARTISTIC AND EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
to offer educational opportunities to both emerging and established artists through professional workshops
to broaden the scope of artistic growth of both the established and emerging artist  through collaboration in the creation of a piece of artwork
 to offer work related experience to both emerging and experienced artists (the logistics, components and expenses involved in hanging professional exhibitions, preparing artwork  for professional exhibitions, cost of mounting a touring exhibition and shipping expenses, professionalism in art, effective advertising and promotion, networking in the art world)
to provide to all artists involved,  public exposure and networking opportunities through exhibitions in galleries 
to provide educational opportunities to the public through la lecture series offered at each exhibition opening 
by pairs of participating artists

ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES
the touring exhibition  will expose the work of the participating artists and raise awareness of the Partners Project
emerging artists from University and College Visual Arts Programs will receive tremendous support in entering a career which is largely solitary
emerging artists will learn about the arts network from experienced, successful artists and launch their careers through a series of high profile exhibitions in prominent galleries which can provide them with networking opportunities
emerging artists will learn how to mount professional exhibitions and learn about the business of art
emerging artists will develop their careers with informed knowledge, rather than through trial and error
the established professional artists will learn from youth and become more socially engaged in the arts community
both emerging artists and established artists will improve their presentation skills as professional artists
the Ontario Society of Artists and the Woodstock Art Gallery will fulfil their mandates to provide a leadership role in the arts community through arts advocacy, to promote arts education and to provide a forum for the interchange of ideas and information among artists
pARTners will serve as an innovative model for community involvement and for the sharing of ideas and talent


WHO IS BEING TARGETED

The OSA and the Woodstock Gallery feel that there is a huge need for artists graduating from post-secondary Visual Arts Programs to have a support system which will enable them to enter the professional arts network. Currently, young artists leave the art world in search of making a living. Unlike other fields, where graduates can find low entry "jobs", the world of art offers very little by way of creative opportunities to new artists. The most they can hope for are jobs assisting gallery directors in hanging exhibits. In time, the art world loses some of its best talent.
pARTners aspires to assist talented young artists who may face financial, socio-economic, cultural or geographical challenges in entering the professional artists' network.  Although the prime consideration  for selection is exceptional creative talent, the juror will ensure that the selection of artists is inclusive and equitable, both racially and culturally, and targets a range of representation.  By partnering artists through the creation of collaborative work, we feel they can learn from one another in a positive and mutually beneficial environment. The work of both emerging and established artists will be toured in Ontario. Public galleries, university/college galleries and commercial galleries will provide venues for the tour. There will also be substantial opportunity to raise public awareness about the artists and to enable the artists to form partnerships with the various communities involved.  We feel that this is an exceptional opportunity for all participating artists.

STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT, CONTENT, AND PROCESS

    Selected emerging artists and OSA artists will be invited to participate in the pARTners Project and will randomly form cooperative pairs.
    The pARTners Committee will coordinate a workshop for the successful artists, explaining the project objectives, pairing the artists , introducing the jurors and  the exhibition venues. Since the Japanese Paper Place is a major partner in the project, handmade Japanese Paper will be used as one of the main media in each collaborative piece.
Each pair of artists will work together on a collaborative piece during the summer of 2011.  These shared art works, accompanied by one previously completed artwork from each individual artist, will  be displayed in a travelling exhibition at several public and private galleries located in Ontario. 
The launch of these exhibitions, complete with complementary educational programming, will begin at the Woodstock Gallery in November, 2011 and go on tour to other public and commercial galleries in Ontario. Participating artists may present educational lectures at the openings of the exhibition venues. There will also be a final workshop for participating artists at the end of the tour, to allow artists to analyse what they have discovered.

The pARTners Committee will:
apply for grants and explore fundraising venues
provide artists with a hands-on workshop at the Japanese Paper Place in Toronto and a  forum for mentoring
help artists understand how to work collaboratively
access funds to provide for the expenses of creating the collaborative works
organize a travelling exhibition to several venues in Ontario
secure sponsors for the project from the private sector
 produce a catalog which will be distributed at all  venues and create an educational package for the artists



EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT

Documentation of performance indicators by artists, galleries, and the public through videos, photos and website
Surveys/questionnaires to artists, to  the participating Universities/colleges, to the exhibition venues, articles, minutes of meetings, interviews, media coverage
Data collection re: attendance, community response to the collaborative project
feedback on the impact on the artists' careers after the tour
self-evaluation and analysis of the process by the pARTners Committee
formal report and suggestions for improvement

See the on-line pARTners catalogue designed by Ernestine Tahedl and Lillian Blakey...  It is gorgeous! 
  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2513089?utm_source=TellAFriend&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2513089