Central Penn Business Journal 5/7/2009

Clever contact
Artists buckle down and get creative during recession
By Jessica Bair
5/7/2009 3:51 PM

1,089 views
York artist Adrienne Stein will host an art show featuring
her paintings on Mother’s Day at a historic York mansion
owned by Kuhner Associates Funeral Directors Inc.

While Adrienne Stein has been supporting herself as a
full-time artist for more than 10 years, she said she has
become proactive about contacting potential clients and
publicizing her work. Stein rents a studio in downtown
York.

One tactic that helped Stein before the recession is to
hold exhibitions at historic mansions, banks and other business
venues. In that vein, she is planning an art show for May 10,
Mother's Day, in a 19th century house that is used to host funeral
services for Kuhner Associates Funeral Directors Inc.

One of the benefits of not holding the show at a gallery is that
those operations usually require a roughly 50 percent commission on
work that sells during the event, Stein said. She said she uses the
money she saves to get creative with advertising.

"In the spirit of planning and coordinating an exhibit, I have
learned much about alternative and creative ways to market art in a
seemingly grim economy," she said in an e-mail. "I urge artists
to take heart, and take risks during this time. It is important to not
undervalue our work by lowering prices, but our economic situation does
require us to be especially proactive and resourceful in our business tactics."

Getting creative with marketing techniques is nothing new to the midstate
arts scene, but the down economy is forcing some local artists to dig
deeper to make ends meet.

Stein has decided to donate 10 percent of all sales at the upcoming show
to Bridge of Hope of York County, a nonprofit group that helps homeless
single mothers and their children. In return, the group is providing food
for the event and advertising the show to those on their mailing list.

"Connecting the arts and philanthropy is ideal -- it draws many
people (and) exposes them to local art while supporting a charity,"
she said. "It is important for an artist to network with the community,
pool their resources and creatively plan ways to get exposure for their
work and their name."

Bryan Molloy's career as an artist has been an adventure of thinking
outside of the box. He has displayed his artwork at tanning salons and
local McDonald's restaurants. At one point, he said, he painted a mural
on the wall of a pizza shop for free, just to get his name out in public.
He supplements his income by working part time as a gallery assistant
for the Art Association of Harrisburg.

Molloy is concentrating on firming the foundation of his art business
while continuing to get more public exposure. He is designing his Web
site, donating artwork to local charities and reaching out to galleries
in international locations about displaying his artwork, he said.

"I'm taking advantage of the down economy to do some less immediately
productive things ... so that if or when the economy picks up again I'll
have a nice foundation to grow a little bit larger," Molloy said.

After operating their gift store for roughly four years, Tom Babec and
his wife, Sue, moved Eggs-actly Right Gifts to Building Character ---
an architectural warehouse in Lancaster that also leases space for artists
to sell their work.

Eggs-actly Right Gifts transforms egg shells into jewelry boxes, ornaments
and other decorative items. While the first couple of years went well,
business sank last year with the economy, Tom Babec said.

The decision to move was a financial one, Babec said. The overhead is
more manageable, but the situation has been more beneficial than expected,
he said.

"The foot traffic is actually better than my shop's ever was,"
he said. "Everybody that's coming in isn't looking for me, but they
might happen to see my business and become interested. It's added an element
that I really didn't plan on."

Brenda Wintermyer uses several tactics to continue to thrive as an artist.
She owns Just Brenda Art Studio Gallery on Beaver Street in York, where
she displays her artwork and offers painting workshops. She also teaches
classes at York College to supplement her income.

This year, Wintermyer said, she became more flexible with the workshops,
allowing prospective customers to choose what and when they would like
to learn.About half a dozen students have taken her up on this customized
offering, she said. It's important for her to accommodate their needs
and offer good customer service, she said.

"It's also a networking tool. They're like my marketing soldiers,"
she said. "They leave here all happy and excited and tell their friends
and neighbors. It does definitely help to build my reputation."

During a recession, artists need to get more creative and aggressive
with how they market themselves and the services they offer, she said.
At times, she said, she has had to take her portfolio door to door.
"You have to be more than an artist to survive in the art business,"
Wintermyer said. "You have to be everything. Painting is just one
small part of the equation."

Luke Yocum has been working as an artist in the Harrisburg area for the
past three and a half years. Rather than using an art gallery to sell
his work, he elected to use social networking.

Yocum has hit the jackpot on Facebook. Within two weeks of setting up
an auction on the Web site, Yocum said, he sold 60 pieces for between
$15 and $300 each. The tool allows him to begin the bidding low and then
let clients bid up the price.

"It took four hours to set up my Facebook auction, another two hours
to advertise it. Then I was in the money," he said. "Now I paint
three -- sometimes four -- paintings a night and post them. By the time
I wake up in the afternoon I have bids on all of them."