NAIA NATIONAL • ASSOCIATION • OF • INDEPENDENT • ARTISTS

NAIA DIRECTOR CONFERENCESPECIAL EDITION

“Smaller Than A Shoebox” AuctionList of Conference AttendeesSummary of the DC AgendaNAIA 2004 Financial Report

Immediately following the 73rd Kansas City Plaza Art Fair—a shining example of what definesa top show—directors and staff from 25 art festivals around the country were brought togetherby NAIA to network and exchange ideas for the association’s 6th Director Conference.TheNAIA Board of Directors hosted the conference on Monday, September 27th and Tuesday,September 28th.

inside

photo: Don A

ment

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“Smaller Than a Shoebox” Silent Auction

2004 Director Conference Attendees:Helen Davis Johnson, 4 Bridges Arts Festival, Chattanooga, TN • Shary Brown, Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI •Gordon Williams, Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI • Sharon McAllister and Jeanne Seehauer, ArtFest FortMeyers, Fort Meyers, FL • Robi Jurney, ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival, Palm Beach Gardens, FL • Mary Ellington, Artisphere,Greenville, SC • Lynette Wallace, Bayou City Art Festivals, Houston TX • Mark Belig, Breckenridge Art Fairs, Breckenridge,CO • Jan Beurge and Donna Potts, Brookside Art Annual, Prairie Village, KS • Rick Bryant and Pam Lautsch, CentralPennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College, PA • Terry Adams and Tara Brickell, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver,CO • Lisa Konikow and Connie Mettler, Chrysler Arts Beats & Eats, Pontiac, MI • Katie Lucas, Columbus Arts Festival,Columbus, OH • Heidi Rehak Lovy, Common Grounds Sancutary Art in the Park, Bloomfield Hills, MI • Judy Bowles andAngela Kessler, Crosby Festival of the Arts, Toledo, OH • Mo Dana, Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA • YvonneReinsch and Nancy Twigg, Frederick Festival of the Arst, Frederick, MD • Erin Melloy, Geneva Arts Fair, Geneva, IL •George Barfield and Sara Shambarger, Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff, Saint Joseph, MI • Beth Hoffman, Lakefront Festival ofthe Arts, Milwaukee, WI • Cindy Fitzpatrick, Metris Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis, MN • Edie McRee Bowles, NorthernVirginia Fine Arts Festival, Reston, VA Mark Loeb, Orchard Lake Fine Art Show, Ypsilanti, MI • Cassie Lane, Plaza ArtFair, Kansas City, MO • Carrie Carpenter, Brigid Hall, and Karla Prickett, Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS • HeidiWalz, Summer Arts Festival, Omaha, NE • Kevin Reynolds, Summerfair, Cincinatti, OH • Emily Bradley, Tempe Festival ofthe Arts, Tempe AZ • Shary Brown, The Original Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI • Jennifer Zimmerman, ThreeRivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, PA • Lynette Santoro-Au, Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival, Upper Arlington, OH •Stephen King, Virginia Festival of the Arts, Fairfax, VA

Thanks to Martha Giberson’s skill in putting it together, the Director Conference auction raised $1500 for the NAIA Foundation.Thanks to Bert Beirne, Bonnie Blandford, Robert Coleman, Eddie Corkery, Cynthia Davis, Paul Germain, Martha Giberson, James andTim Harkenrider, Patricia Hecker, Beth Hoffman, Ray Jones, Michael Kopald, Jay Mann, Toni Mann, Bruce Meyer, Sarah Rishel, JackRoute, Mary Margaret Sweeney, and Marilu for the artwork they so generously contributed.

Look for information on the next auction opportunity during the upcoming Artist Conference at the Maumee Resort in Ohio next July.

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The Agenda

Dealing with the Suits –Show Directors andNonprofit BoardsMo Dana, Director of the Des Moines ArtFestival, led off the conference’s firstpresentation by describing her experiencein working with a board at Des Moines.She detailed some of the difficulties ofworking with typical art event boardmembers, who generally are successfulCEOs connected in the arts but are notevent producers. “This can mean that theycome up with programming ideas that aredifficult or impossible to implement; theyare used to being decision makers andexperts who come up with great ideas, butthey are not experts in the art festivalfield.”

Mo says she has enriched her understand-ing of the process by serving as a memberon other boards—thus seeing things froma perspective other than that of staff—andraising her own credibility by workingwith her board in a different context. Shestresses that it is helpful to have specialistson a board, such as accountants andattorneys who can answer technicalquestions of other BOD members. “An HRprofessional can advise staff on trickyissues such as interviewing, hiring, andfiring employees,” she said. “Having localelected officials on a board can helpnegotiations with logistics and city staff.”

An informative Q&A session followedMo’s prepared remarks, wherein severalshow directors discussed the particularstructures under which they conductedtheir events.

There’s No Business LikeShow BusinessKatie Lucas introduced this slide presenta-tion, with 12 of the participating festivalssharing images and details of their shows.

Shary Brown, Ann Arbor Street Art Fair(the original), focused on 2003, the show’sfirst year in its beautiful new campussetting. Beth Hoffman of Milwaukee’sLakefront Festival of the Arts also showedslides highlighting her show’s move threeyears ago. The show is held adjacent to thespectacular Calatrava addition of theMilwaukee Art Museum, under hugeclearspan tents.

Art Fest Fort Meyers takes place down-town on the riverfront. Sharon McAllistershowed the special five dollar tent wherekids could shop for art by themselves.Katie Lucas, Columbus Arts Festival, alsohad to undergo a major move last year.Attendees saw shots of the children’s artactivity area and a view of the gourmetfood court.

According to Helen Davis Johnson, the 4Bridges Art Festival in ChattanoogaTennessee is revitalizing the south side ofChattanooga. Helen described hersuccessful patron program, which raised100 thousand dollars last year.

Crosby Festival of Arts in Toledo, Ohiowill celebrate its 40th anniversary next year.The show takes place in a botanicalgarden. Judy Bowles discussed how plantsand trees must not be damaged, necessitat-ing advice from botanists during theplanning process. Rick Bryant of theCentral Pennsylvania Festival of Arts inCollege Station, PA, described how half ofthe show takes place on the Penn Statecampus, and is marketed to alumni.

Two Michigan shows were next: CommonGround Sanctuary Art in the Park is in its30th year. According to Heidi Rehak Lovy,the event takes place in and around thepark—on the street, the grass and thepavement. Krasl Art Fair’s SarahShambarger hired a pro photographer toshoot her event, which is located on abeautiful bluff in St. Joseph overlookingLake Michigan; the photographer put thephotos on cds. 2005 will be Krasl’s 44th

year.

Karla Prickett of the Smoky Hill RiverFestival in Salina, Kansas discussed how asignature artist piece is used for theidentity of the event and a graphicdesigner is responsible for the look of thefestival. Kevin Reynolds of Summerfair inCincinnati discussed the show’s postercontest and how it provides the event witha new marketing piece every year.

The final show representative was TerryAdams of Denver, Colorado’s CherryCreek Arts Festival, who promised a moredetailed look at the show the followingday. Terry presented several images fromhis well-respected event.

Mo Dana

Lisa Kincheloe

Law and Order- LegalIssues for Artists andEventsNAIA was pleased to once again welcomeLisa Kincheloe, Executive Director ofGeorgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA), a freelegal service for low income artists andnonprofits arts organizations. “We have600 lawyers that take cases. We willprobably serve about 500 artists and giveaway millions in free services,” Lisa said indescribing the GLA.

Ms. Kincheloe left a major law firm inAtlanta to devote herself to working in thearts. She teaches law at the University ofGeorgia in Atlanta; she specializes incopyright law and teaches its nuances tostudents at art schools, other lawyers, andnonprofit organizations.

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At Lisa’s request, her presentation to theshow directors was an interactive one. Sheasked for everyone’s “burning questions”about copyrights, contracts, and issues indealing with the artists. She provided awealth of valuable information. Unfortu-nately only a small portion can besummarized here due to space limitations.

The first questioner wanted to knowdetails about what is necessary contractu-ally before using an image of an artist’swork for show promotion. This led to along and valuable treatise from Lisa’s storeof insight about general copyrightinformation. First she alluded to the manymyths and misinformation circulatingabout the subject, then discussed theactual law that was enacted in 1976. Thatlaw protects original works of authorshipfor a specific period of time: the life ofauthor plus seventy years. Then she talkedabout the particulars of knowing who theactual copyright holder is.

Protection is automatic under the new law,but Lisa stressed the importance ofactually registering the copyright, separateand apart from what comes into existencewhen the thing itself is created. Accordingto Lisa, any user must get permission first,even if they will not be selling whatever itis they are using the image for. And a usercan’t take a part of a piece and figure itwon’t be recognized. They have to have alicense.

Next Lisa discussed how the terms of sucha license can be drafted very narrowly orvery broadly. The main thing is that theterms must be understood by all. If thescope of the license is exceeded, the usercan get in trouble. There always needs tobe a written license agreement in place.

Lisa said firmly that artists should alwayshave the copyright showing in reproduc-tions of their work wherever they areused—the program, the show website,anywhere. If there is not a copyright onthe work and problems arise, the artist willget much less out of any potential lawsuit.It can be a difference of thousands ofdollars. It is critical for artists to havecopyright symbol with depictions of thework.

“A proper copyright notice includes the “c”inside a circle, the date, and the artist’s

name,” Lisa explained. “In a gallery, thisinformation can be on the back of thework or on a card. In a printed program, itbe somewhere on the same page—not onthe back page. If there are multiple images,such as on the cover of a show program,copyright information can appear on nextpage, but should not be placed severalpages later. Technically, if it’s a publishedwork it has to appear with a copyright.”

As far as agreements between a show andan artist for use of an image, an audiencemember pointed out that there is a bigdifference between regular PR use (e.g.,marketing materials such as newspaperadvertising, flyers, and websites) andpromotional items that are sold to thepublic (coffee mugs, t-shirts, baseballcaps).

Lisa said that laws depend on thejurisdiction the show is under, but in adispute courts could look unfavorably onitems that are a profit center for the show.“You don’t have to hire an expensivelawyer, the contract just has to be inwriting and understood by both parties,”Lisa said.

It’s in the artists’ interest to get specificabout permission—the period of timeinvolved, the territory, the medium (web,T.V., show program)—whereas showsbenefit when the permission is moregeneral. “It’s a little bit of a trade off,” Lisapointed out. “The show could draft abroad license agreement for any and alluses. The problem is, will that be attractiveto your artists?”

An audience member said, “If this comesin an application, if I want to do the show,I have to sign the application, therebygranting all these rights. Some artists don’twant their images being used.”

“I agree,” Lisa said. “Using one image inthe program or on the web is fair, but allthis other stuff is not artist-friendly. Youneed to read the agreement carefully as anartist. It’s hard to justify the right to putsomebody’s work on a coffee mug and sellit forever for a show that lasts three days.”

Another question led to a long discussionabout what comes with ownership ofcopyright. “The copyright holder ownsrights to display, perform, reproduce,

distribute, and control production ofderivative works,” Lisa explained. “If I buya painting, I can sell the painting itself,because I have physical possession of theimage. But I don’t own the copyright, so Icannot reproduce it. The only time youcan reproduce stuff is if it’s in the publicdomain, if it’s old enough. 1923 is sort ofthe cut-off; past that date you probablyneed an experienced lawyer to help you. If[the piece] did not have a notice prior to1923, the artist was out of luck.”

“What about art specifically commis-sioned for festivals? Applications andposters, with the artist creating image forus? Who owns the image then?” asked anattendee.

“That’s work for hire—somebody creates awork of art and somebody else owns thecopyright. Say Heidi creates a painting. Iwant it but I want the copyright, so I wantto buy that from her, too. In writing, Heidimust give me a written waiver of copy-right,” Lisa said, before launching into adetailed explanation of copyright law as itrelates to work for hire vs. a traditionalemployee/employer relationship.

Other interesting topics raised includedwhether artists have legal recourse to makeshows enforce their rules; legal parametersof communication between shows aboutartists who misrepresent their work orbreach their contracts; the need for showsto have a corporate entity in place toafford staff an appropriate shield for theirpersonal assets; the use of trade andservice marks for names and logos;liability insurance; and the need to acquiremodel releases for each and everyrecognizable person used in photos toadvertise the festival.

Lisa is indeed a terrific resource for ourindustry. If you have the opportunity toattend a NAIA Director or Artist Confer-ence when she is presenting, it will be wellworth your effort to be there.

The Ideal Show: TheArtists’ PerspectiveArdath Prendergast moderated a panel ofartists that included Bonnie Blandford, aNAIA board member and jeweler fromMichigan, Ronnie Phillips, a photogra-pher, mixed media artist and painter from

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Georgia, and printmaker and painter DaleRayburn, also from Georgia, who gavetheir perspectives on an ideal show.

Bonnie Blandford led off:I have a unique perspective because I ranour local show. The first thing I want tosay: talk to us. Is there a problem? Ask ushow other shows deal with it.

Ask us more than our sales and how muchwe spent in the area. Sarah Shambarger [ofKrasl Art Fair on the Bluff, St. Joseph,Michigan] has a great survey, and theyread it and publish the results with theircomments added. Do a daily bulletinduring the show about weather, security,anything fun.

Enforce rules and policies, explain things.Safety and security are a problem for all ofus. If there’s no electricity, the showshould end an hour and a half before dark.Jewellers are always the last out of a show.Walking to vehicles after dark is danger-ous. The committee should not leave theshow until after all artists are gone. Give usa way to find you in an emergency. Pleasehave a weather safety plan, for evacuatingpatrons, us, and our work. Let us knowwhat county we are in so we can useweather radios. We can’t leave the booth toget a boothsitter. Food and bathroom linesare tough. We appreciate extra potties forartists. We need storage in the booth ornearby parking. More and more artists arehandicapped.

Ronnie Phillips:I want to talk about the media aspect.Some shows are off-target in marketing.Dogwood in Atlanta has lots of ads, butthey’re targeting music instead of artists.

Sixty percent of people came for themusic, forty for art. The patrons could notget to me.

Before the show starts, interview theartists—they have great work. [Marketthrough] home decorating shows.

Market to different communities. Blackpeople buy art work but they’re nottargeted by ads. A show will have 300artists, and sometimes one or two or noblack artists. There’s enough black artcollectors. Get fair representation.

I won best of show and got to come backon the jury in Columbus. Every blackartist in the country called me. Ten blackartists got in the show out of 300. Artistswere happy, booths were packed. Peopletell me they want more African Americans.I was rejected the next year after winningbest of show.

Jury fees are going up so high, like $50 atReston. There are more artists even, andstill fees go up. There should be morerotation. The same artists get in year afteryear after year, although you can’t rotateevery year, because people come back tosee the same artists.

Dale Rayburn:Aesthetics of festivals are set by the jurors.You can spend a whole year working onthe perfect show, but it can be compro-mised by unqualified jurors. A show isonly as good as the artists in it. The jurypanel is taken for granted. Even thoughwell known, a person may not be qualified.Museum curators have formal training,exposure to lots of elements. They dealwith contemporary art, so they’re on top

of current trends. They’re a pretty safe betfor a judge. College art teachers have asimilar background to curators. Their jobis to encourage students to create new andexciting work. Gallery owners can beeffective, but what do you have to do toown a gallery? You just need the money toopen the door, no qualifications, norknowledgable about all media. Artistsknow things academics don’t know.They’re familiar with shows and haveinsight. But their backgrounds needinvestigation. They may only be good atwhat they do but they don’t know all ofthe media, only what they do. Showdirectors are like artists in the trenches andknow what is going on. If they have thebackground and education, they would begood choice as well.

As far as new technology—artists workout of the box, they’re creative with tools.They challenge you to embrace andencourage new technology and newapproaches. That’s the future. If you feeluncomfortable, talk to the artist, havethem explain what they are doing in theartists statement. You can’t just stand stilland have same old same old year after year.Have artist advisors, especially in digitalcategories. Also, select at least one judgewith knowledge of digital tools.

The panelists’ remarks were followed bydiscussions about using a diversity panelto reflect the need of the surroundingcommunity, the ethical boundaries of suchdecisions, and maintaining the integrity ofthe show; traditional immigrant crafts andthe use of the whole family to producework; understanding the new technologyinvolved in producing photography andthe use of jurors with in-depth digitalexperience; the increase in jury fees;scheduling a festival and how artists decidewhere to exhibit; and the artists’ idealcancellation policy.

Baubles, Bangles, andBeads, Beads, BeadsAs part of a continuing series of educa-tional segments about various media,Martha Giberson presented a fascinatingpresentation on beadmaking. Through theuse of short, pre-recorded video segmentsshot in her studio, she took the audiencethrough the step-by-step creation of a

Ideal Show artist panel: (l to r:) Bonnie Blandford, Ronnie Phillips, moderator ArdathPrendergast, Dale Rayburn.

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glass bead. This was followed by a slew ofbreathtaking slides of the work of topbeadmakers from around the country.Martha explained the various materialsand techniques used in producing eachwork.

The Ideal Show – TheDirectors’ PerspectiveArdath began this portion of the programby asking participants to generate a topiclist. The audience wanted to hear aboutshow patron programs; artist categories,especially digital; merchandising programsinvolving t-shirts and posters; how late togo in the evening and when to schedulemusic events; artists awards programs;prospecting for new sponsors andretaining the old; flawless check-insystems; artists and parking; security; setup and tear down strategies; best of showjudging; and proper hospitality for artists.

Karla Prickett from Smoky Hill RiverFestival spoke of her show’s pledgeprogram, where patrons pledge aminimum of a $250 purchase of artwork.Erin Molloy of Geneva Arts Fair hires outher purchase award program. BethHoffman of Milwaukee’s LakefrontFestival of the Arts offers a sneak previewbefore the show opens. Anyone donating$300 or more to the museum is invited.Helen Davis Johnson of 4 Bridges ArtsFestival has a $500-1,000 certificateprogram, with patrons providing moneyup front before the show. “We sell thembefore Christmas so businesses can givethem as presents.” She says that last yearthe show processed $105,000 in certificateswith over a hundred patrons.

The discussion on Artist Categoriescovered the incorporation of newtechnologies when dealing with digital art.Show directors discussed their attitudestoward categorizing digital work. Manymentioned the use of knowledgable jurors,particular information from the artists,and a statement to read to the jury as keysto understanding how to assess the work.

As the talk turned to merchandising, aninformal poll revealed that most of thefestivals present conducted some sort ofmerchandising, and several had productsfor sale other than t-shirts. They discussedprofitability, price points, sales of vintage

posters, how artwork for the items isacquired (contests, artist submissions,professional designers), and variousmarketing techniques.

The next issues to be tackled were how farinto the evening a show should run, howto run a successful artists award ceremony,and the various amenities that showsprovided to the artists. There were manycontributions to the topic, with severalshow administrators providing examplesof how these features were conducted attheir particular event and how sponsor-ship could be utilized to fund theseprograms.

It’s Here, It’s Now, It’sthe Future-ZAPPlicationPhotographer and past President of NAIALarry Oliverson introduced the nextportion of the conference with a briefhistory of the genesis of the ZAPPlication.Then Anthony Radich, Executive Directorof the Western States Arts Federation(WESTAF), the nonprofit regional artsservice organization that manages ZAPPin collaboration with ten major art shows,took the podium. He explained thatWESTAF was partially funded by NEA andhas been around for 32 years. Theorganization serves state art agencies inthe 12 Western States, but also does workwith other states and has done majorprojects in the east and the midwest.WESTAF has a two million dollaroperating budget.

According to Anthony, WESTAF has beeninterested in technology and how it canserve artists for a long time. WESTAF hasexpertise in a number of areas. It has anon line grant system in Ohio, OLGA, forartists to apply to Ohio Arts council.Another service, ArtJobOnLine(www.artjob.org), has been around forthirty years on paper. It moved on line afew years ago.

WESTAF got involved with the art fairindustry partially because of Anthony’spersonal experience as director of theVirginia Beach Art Show some years ago.He could see how that show introducedpeople to the arts and influenced theaesthetic of the region through long termrelationship building.

Anthony also points out that artists needto be more than just customers and clientsfor those who design technology forthem—artists need to empower them-selves. Since WESTAF has a commitmentto helping artists take control of theirtechnological futures, ZAPP seemed like anatural fit.

Mary Hedrick then provided a PowerPoint overview of the ZAPP system,including a detailed rationale for itsimplementation.

Matthew Saunders demonstrated theapplication process from the artist’s side,walking through the three step system forregistering and creating a profile,managing images, and applying to a show.

Matthew Saunders

Mary made another presentation on thespecific benefits of ZAPP for the art shows,after which Matthew Saunders demon-strated the myriad features available forcustomized show administration ofZAPP’s back end. Many of the hardwarerequirements were discussed, includingROKUs, projectors, and computer needs.

As a final feature of this segment,attendees were able to compare an imageprojected with a conventional slideprojector side-by-side with a ZAPPprojection.

We’re Here to Help – TheUse of Artist AdvisorsThis panel discussion, featuring BethHoffman of Lakefront Festival of the Arts,Ardath Prendergast, formerly of Artscapein Atlanta, Larry Oliverson (a formeradvisor at Lakefront) and Sarah Rishel (aformer advisor at Artscape), focused onhow artist advisers could enhance the artfestival experience for everyone involved.

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When asked by Ardath how many showscurrently used artist advisors only a fewhands went up.

Ardath described her use of artist advisersfor Artscape. “I had a committee of elevenadvisors,” she said. “I tried to creatediversity in ethnicity, gender, and artcategories. Some artists were in largershows, some were in local shows only.Artists were included in all meetings, everyaspect of festival. They were a conduitback into the artist community to reallyopen up lines of communication.”

Sarah Rishel added the artist perspective:“We met about six times a year, to discusslogistics, site plan, date coordination withother festivals or local events, parking,police presence, the security plan, comfortstations. We were included in themarketing process. Ardath got our inputon her plan. We saw the prospectus. We satbehind jurors for the jury process. Weanswered questions for media.”

Sarah admits the process was an eye-opener. “It was a whole other thing to seethe logistics of running a show. You realizelimits on directors in problem solving,answering to the city, to the board ofdirectors. Then I could let other artistsknow about that fact and help themunderstand how a director works.”

Beth Hoffman said, “When I was asked tosay a few words, I was surprised. We’veworked with artist advisers for so long, Iwouldn’t know how to do without them.They have become critical. You allprobably have one, it just may not becalled that.”

Beth said the number of advisers variedfrom year to year. She had anywhere fromfour to nine with an average of six to eight.The advisor program in Milwaukee goesback to 1976.

Her artist advisers “are treated as fullfledged committee members. They’reinvited to all social functions, the thankyou party. They get t-shirts. We treat themas co-partners and refer to them ontechnical questions, for example the mixedmedia or digital categories; they help onspecial issues like our recent move. Theyadvise on security—safety of leaving workup. We allow advisers to set up early sothey can help with traffic control andcheck in. The most important thing theydo for me is vouch for our jury process. Atleast one advisor is in the room to talkabout every step of the process in creationof that media.”

Larry then outlined his experience as anArtist Advisor at Lakefront, describinghow the show is broken down intosections with an advisor assigned to each.

Subsequent interaction with the attendeesled to discussions about whether artistadvisors should be juried into the show orautomatically allowed in as a perk, andwhat the feedback from others artists hasbeen.

Focus On: The Life andTimes of Cherry CreekTerry Adams and Tara Brickell came toshare the evolution of Cherry Creek. Withthe help of a slide show, they took theaudience on a journey through the show’sfirst fifteen years. Terry started with a

history of the event and praise for itsfounder, Bill Charney.

“Bill Charney was a great advocate for thisindustry. Bill spent two years researching.That has a lot to do with success of theshow in a short amount of time,” Terrysaid. “The one and only focus from dayone was on quality artists. He invitedpeople to come and take a chance—1991was the first show. Bill got local seedfunding from the Cherry Creek Chamberof Commerce. It’s kind of like the Plazaarea, looking for ways to get people thereto shop on Fourth of July weekend.”

Terry said one of the keys to success wasunderstanding that community relation-ships are important. Quality was another.

“High standards of quality. It’s a love hatething,” he explains. “Whatever we didwould be of the highest quality. Thepostcard had to be beautiful, welldesigned. The presentation to the localrotary has to have handouts and beautifulimages. The expectation is there thatCherry Creek is synonymous with quality.Even the trash cans have to be nice. It setsus apart in the local Denver area.”

The road was full of peaks and valleys,according to Terry. He mentioned thechallenges about five years ago when theshow was celebrating its tenth anniversary.“We had decided the tenth anniversaryshow would be the biggest and best ever,”he recalls. “We added fifty artists, extra kidstuff, extra performers. The revenue wasnot in place to support dreams.” Terryreported that the show gradually recoveredover the next four years, and the trend is“back to favorable one.” Since that time,the festival has found a way to build areserve, saving for a rainy day. It is meantto cover one full year’s festival expenses—enough to stay alive to make followingyear happen.

When he took over, Terry’s challenge wasto reevaluate and become more efficient.He started by asking, “Who are we? Whoare we responsible to?”

He realized “no other show looks likethis—none are exactly alike. Every showhas its own unique elements. Some artistsget it. We as directors are challenged, too.

Panel on Artist Advisors (l to r:) Beth Hoffman, Larry Oliverson, Sarah Rishel, ArdathPrendergast.

... agenda report continues on page 10

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NAIA 2003-04 and 2004 Year End Financial Report

In September 2004, the NAIA Board voted to change the organization’s fiscal year from September 1 – August 31, to thecalendar year (January 1 – December 31). This change was adopted for reasons of ease, including 1) Board orientationand planning during the relatively slower January show calendar; 2) budgeting that coincides with the IRS calendar nowthat NAIA has an employee; 3) comparison and reconciliation with year-end summary statements from our financialinstitutions; and 4) well, it just seemed more logical to us!

In the meantime, as we made this transition to the new fiscal year period, we operated under a shortened fiscal year ofSeptember 1 – December 31, 2004. During FY 2003-2004, the NAIA also computerized its accounting system ontoQuickBooks, and revised accounts to more standard non-profit accounting categories. This allows us to keep moredetailed sub-accounts in order to easily and quickly monitor expenses in relation to the current budget, and preparefuture budget forecasts.

While the totals, of course, are consistent, the drawback is that this makes line item comparisons with reports of prioryears a little more difficult. However, the future benefits more than compensate for it.

Our many thanks go to NAIA member Barbara Pihos who has quietly and meticulously maintained NAIA’s books fromthe beginning days. Her accurate records and detailed records made this transition an easy process, and we are apprecia-tive of her many years of volunteer service.

Ardath Prendergast, Executive Director • Bonnie Blandford, Treasurer

Save the Date!NAIA Directors Conference 2006February 27 and 28 • Fort Myers, Florida

The next NAIA Directors Conference will be heldFebruary 27 and 28, 2006 in Fort Myers, Florida,following ArtFest Fort Myers. Plans are to make this anactive and lively conference that will delight ournewcomers, as well as those of you who have beenannual attendees over the last 7 years.

Further information will be forthcoming soon, but inthe meantime, block out those dates now and plan tocome!

Thank you to Sharon McAllister for her assistance inbringing the next Directors Conference to sunny andwintry-warm south Florida.

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FY 2003-04 and 2004 Year EndFinancial Report

2003-04 Income and Expenses 2004 Incomeand Expenses(12 months) (4 months: Sept - Dec)

INCOME

CheckingOpening Bal Equity $ 26,783.02 $ 31,809.66

Total Opening Bal EquityRevenue - Admissions 1 $ 39,789.00 $ 15,085.00Revenue - Other $ 481.79 $ 188.34Support, Private 2 $ 1,142.00 $ 1,585.00

TOTAL INCOME $ 41,412.79 $ 16,858.34

EXPENSES

Artists Conference $ 10,353.41Directors Conference $ 492.14 $ 5,937.63ZAPPlication 3 $ 367.50 $ 2,394.24Marketing, Promotions, Printing $ 4,961.68 $ 199.81Miscellaneous/Other $ 430.00 $ 217.00Operating - Other $ 1,939.25 $ 283.73Operating Equipment4 $ 4,258.35Operating Supplies $ 1,061.20 $ 258.21Operating Utilities $ 655.22 $ 358.58Outside Fees and Services $ 8,490.00 $ 3,390.00Personnel $ 3,554.00 $ 4,335.00Rent $ 1,028.88 $ -Travel $ 3,052.87 $ 2,287.47

TOTAL EXPENSES $ 36,386.15 $ 24,920.02

NET INCOME (unaudited) $ 5,026.64 $ (8,061.68)YEAR END BALANCE $ 31,809.66 $ 23,747.98

Notes:1 Includes member and contributor dues; Artist and Director Conference registrations2 Includes auction proceeds3 2003-04: Misc costs associated with meetings on ZAPPlication, etc.; 2004: ZAPP Workshops4 Includes purchase of 2 ROKUs and 2 LCD projectors and peripherals

NAIA • 10 • Winter 2005

We go to other shows and say, ‘We want tolook like this!’ But our DNA won’t allow it.

“Who are we, what are we, who are weresponsible to? Once we understood that,we could move forward. First andforemost we are a visual arts experience,therefore everything we do should bedriven by this. We can be a music orcooking experience, too. First is visual. Sowe didn’t get top national names, we got

Terry Adams

locals that fit with us. The stages weremoved away from artists area. The food,too. We want it to enhance, not distract.Once we realized this, we could breathe.

“We do spend a lot of time and energy onthe visual arts experience now. It startswith the artists. It is the foundation of whoand what we are. We pride ourselves onour visual arts experience.”

Terry described Cherry Creek’s profes-sional jurying and the importance ofhaving a process “loaded with integrity”and taking a lot of time to treat each artistand presentation carefully. He also placesan emphasis on communication, onproviding artists with the informationthey need, not too much, not too little.Providing a morning newsletter isrecommended.

Cherry Creek also provides a host of artistamenities including an artists’ hospitalitycenter (with a real toilet), complimentarymassage therapy, and support wagonsgoing from booth to booth with granola

bars, bananas, and water. The show alsosponsors a gala experience with a privateart buying opportunity. This is marketedto people who might not come to thestreet, but would come to a luxury hotel.

Terry said, “The most important piece ofwhat you crazy people [art show artists]do—its about the sales. We understandthat. We spent seven hundred sixty fivedollars thousand worth of advertising topromote the opportunity. Comcast cablespots, Rocky Mountain News, a Coloradobusiness magazine, radio spots. We workvery hard to promote the artists.”

Many, many thanks to Larry Oliverson andToni Mann for their countless hours inorganizing this conference, and to SaraCorkery for her extensive notes andphotography.

... agenda report continues from page 7

NAIA 2005 Artist ConferenceMaumee Bay Resort, Ohio • July 25 - 26

Networking with colleagues, talking with showdirectors, updates on NAIA activities, marketing tipsand techniques, sharing input on the future ofNAIA, and exchanging valuable information ontopics that directly impact your profession....

You definitely want to attend the 2005 ArtistConference.

For further information and conference registration:http://naia-artists.org/work/ac/2005/

Questions? email or phone Rick Bruno:lyonsbruno@mindspring.com • 540.464.9559

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