Honey Gold Brings Immersive Audio/Visual Experience to Baton Rouge and San Francisco in Late June

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Performances take place June 25 at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol and June 28 at Audium in San Francisco.

Events release

BATON ROUGE, LA — Honey Gold, the immersive audio/visual collaboration created by Louisiana artists Sariah Sizemore and Taylor Matherne, will present performances in Baton Rouge on June 25, 2026, and San Francisco on June 28, 2026, continuing the project’s growing evolution as a live immersive audiovisual experience blending original music, voice, sound design, projection-mapped visuals, and meditative storytelling.

The June 25 Baton Rouge performance will take place inside the historic House Chamber Room at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol at 7 p.m. The performance marks one of the first immersive audio/visual events of its kind presented within the space. Tickets are available at: Honey Gold Tickets.

On June 28, Honey Gold travels to San Francisco for two performances at Audium at 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Audium is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in immersive and spatial sound, making it a particularly meaningful venue for the project’s Bay Area presentation. The evening will include a site-specific installation experience inside Audium’s lobby and theater spaces, blending projection, sound design, candlelight, and live performance into an immersive sensory environment. Tickets are available at: Honey Gold @ Audium Tickets.

Honey Gold was co-created by Sizemore and Matherne as a shared artistic vision, shaped by their experiences as artists born and raised in Louisiana who used music and art to process the complexities, intensity, and emotional realities of growing up in the South. The project is also informed by Sizemore’s decades in the Bay Area’s experimental audio/visual and healing arts communities, blending immersive performance, original music, projection-mapped visuals, and emotionally restorative experiences designed to help audiences reconnect with themselves and each other.

Matherne, a multi-instrumentalist, bassist, composer, and touring musician, brings years of live performance experience spanning blues, experimental music, and immersive sound-driven composition. Sizemore’s background spans music, immersive healing arts, and more than two decades working in the technology industry, including leadership roles supporting audio software and hardware development at companies such as Avid and Native Instruments. Together, those experiences continue to shape Honey Gold’s intersection of art, meditation, music, technology, and visual storytelling.

Together, they developed Honey Gold as an experience designed to move audiences through tension, release, reflection, awe, and emotional connection, using layered music, immersive visuals, sound-healing elements, and a carefully shaped spatial atmosphere.

“Both Baton Rouge and the Bay Area have expanded my world creatively throughout my lifetime,” said Sizemore. “Coming back home to Baton Rouge and meeting Taylor through the local live music scene brought those worlds together in a way I never expected. His artistry as a musician and the intimacy of creating together as partners helped shape Honey Gold into something deeply personal for both of us. This project really grew out of our shared love of music, immersive art, healing, and creating spaces where people can breathe, feel, and reconnect during a really intense moment in the world.”

The visual dimension of Honey Gold is collaboratively created by the Honey Gold creative team, led by Creative Director Taylor Stoma and Visual Art Lead Ryan Golden, with overarching visual curation and creative direction guided by Sizemore and Matherne. The project’s immersive visual environments combine layered visual storytelling, projection mapping, archival and contemporary imagery, and reactive visual systems designed specifically for each venue and performance environment.

Honey Gold debuted in July 2025 at the Virginia and John Noland Black Box Studio inside the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center in Baton Rouge. A second Baton Rouge performance followed at the City Club of Baton Rouge in January 2026.

The project is fiscally sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, which serves as Honey Gold’s nonprofit umbrella as the team continues developing larger immersive productions, future full-dome film work, and expanded performances in new markets.

On October 3, 2026, Honey Gold will present a special adapted live performance inside the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge. The team is also actively fundraising for a future full-dome film version of Honey Gold, currently planned for completion in 2027.

Tax-deductible donations supporting the Honey Gold project can be made through the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge at:
Arts Council Donation Portal
(Please include “For Honey Gold” in the donation note.)
Recent media coverage and interviews:

  • 225 Magazine Feature on Honey Gold & Sound Baths in Baton Rouge
  • Arts Council Podcast Interview with Honey Gold

For more information:
Honey Gold Official Website
Media Contact:
Susan von Seggern
susan@susanvonseggern.com
213-840-0077

Call for Participation/Save the Date:

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The HER Group Presents SewDown’s Return for LA Fashion Week Fall 2024, Atousa G’s Community Powered Show & Sale Set for October 19

Los Angeles – September 12, 2024 – Designer Atousa G’s Fashion Forward event, SewDown, returns for Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall 2024, presented by The HER Group. The popular and populist show and sale will occur on October 19 at a location to be announced soon. SewDown will feature cutting-edge lines on the runway, music from top artists and DJs, striking visuals, and the sexy crowd that made SewDown the favorite streetwear show during LA’s Fashion Week from 2003 – 2014.

SewDown 2024 is booking for runway lines, visual artists, and vendors. Potential participants who want to show their lines or art or have their visuals or music considered for inclusion should contact Atousa at atousag@gmail.com. Hair, makeup, and gift bag inclusion are handled for runway lines.

With ten up-and-coming cutting-edge designers, including Atousa’s eponymous nightlife forward Atousa G line and her even sexier range, A Line Called K, expected for the Spring 2025 runway show, SewDown will retake its reign as THE Fashion Week closing event.

Confirmed DJs include headliner Marques Wyatt, who will bring his legendary enlightening house music vibes; LA’s popular DISCOS XXX founder Tavish, known for progressive, fun, disco house; Chase Aldrige of Better Late, who will bring his disco pumpers; G Dubbs of Sacred Grounds LA, known for his soulful underground sound; and Scott K. of We Own the Night, who will play a fantastic house music set.

SewDown allows their designers to show their designs to buyers, the press, and the public. Event attendees can also purchase clothing, jewelry, music, footwear, art, and more at wholesale and sample sale prices. In addition to fashion, SewDown will feature art installations, live painting, visuals from top VJs, and their signature – world-renowned music artists and DJs.

“We are so excited to allow a new group of designers to show their styles in our unique environment,” said show creator, producer, and designer Atousa G., adding, “This event is a blend of cutting-edge fashion, mind-blowing art, and great music, fused with Los Angeles’ sexiest crowd.”

Since its debut in Hollywood in 2003, SewDown has allowed more than 100 designers to showcase their fashions and sell their products to an eclectic and trend-setting audience. In addition to producing SewDown, Atousa G is a designer and stylist who works with top talent worldwide.

Current sponsors include Paul Mitchell, Chic Studios, and DNA Energy Drink. More sponsors are welcome! The charity recipient for all proceeds is the C.O.A.L.I.T.I.O.N for the Homeless and Families in Need. Attendees will include VIPs, stylists, photographers, influencers, and more. The Red Carpet Pre-Event and VIP Business Lounge will include food, drinks, and gifting.

The Los Angeles Times called Sew Down, “Where up-and-coming designers up and come.” SewDown 2024 promises to bring LA Fashion Week 2024 a creative edge and a fantastic party. Be down, SewDown.

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About The HER Group:
The Her Group is a fully integrated boutique style Fashion Showroom & PR House specializing in Celebrity, Influencer, and Media Placements for various successful and illustrious clients nationwide. We are seasoned in pushing creative boundaries & executing successful campaigns that are tailored to each client. Our skillfully trained & experienced Brand Managers can provide the one-on-one attention that our brands deserve, which is needed for proper growth and ROI. https://www.instagram.com/thehergroup/.

Atousa G: https://www.instagram.com/atousag/

To submit lines or artists for participation, please email atousag@gmail.com. For sponsorship or vending, or media seeking information, images, video, or to interview Atousa G, please contact Susan von Seggern at susan@susanvonseggern.com or 213-840-0077.

Tales of the last days as written by shadows: Liminal Shade Releases Debut Single, “On Fire” Today

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Los Angeles, CA – May 12, 2023 – Liminal Shade is darkwave electronic dance pop.

Honduran singer Mar Boreal and bassist & sonic alchemist John von Seggern.

Mar’s hauntingly beautiful voice enchants the listener, while John von’s bass playing provides a pulsating rhythm underpinning the ethereal soundscapes.

History is a hologram projected over a laughing void

Together they create a sound that is captivating and mysterious, with an emphasis on emotion and storytelling.

Music that is both haunting and danceable, inviting listeners to step into liminality and seek transformation.

Seeking an identity to survive the future.

They weave a sonic tapestry that ensnares the senses, evoking emotions and narratives from the depths of the subconscious.

Enter the liminal shade and embark on a journey of infinite possibility.

Small Factory Films Premieres Filmmaker Joe Bartone’s Everything Will Be Fine in the End at Silicon Beach Film Festival on September 14 at the TCL Chinese Theater

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Everything Will Be Fine Key ArtHollywood, CA – Indie film company Small Factory Films is excited to premiere their feature film, Everything Will Be Fine in The End from award-winning, screenwriter, filmmaker, and composer, Joe Bartone as part of the Silicon Beach Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theater 6 in the heart of Hollywood on September 14 at 7:30 pm.

The neurotic film follows the maniacal Buzz, who has taken his girlfriend George’s dog, a labradoodle named Leo. George goes on a revenge spree of poor decisions with her friends Kai and Renka to get Leo back, ignoring that she, in fact, had previously stolen Leo from Tom, a kindly man also searching for his beloved pet. Narrated by Isaiah, an urban shaman, George, Kai, and Renka botch a break-in robbery ending in homeowner Julia’s death – who then follows George around in her ghost form to witness the consequences of their actions.

The film features Kent Harper as Buzz and introduces Elsa Kennedy in her first lead role as George, the film also stars musician actors Cheska Zaide and Steven Michael Martin.

The film features an original score and songs written and performed by the director joined by Kennedy on vocals and Martin on drums, making this film unique for today’s productions and is reminiscent of the punk/DIY spirit of legendary indie films of the 80s, 90s, and 00s such as Paranoid Park, and Repo Man. Trailers for Everything Will Be Fine in The End can be seen here and here.

Filmmaker Bartone notes, “I never dreamed writing songs for my friends would one day bring me to standing in front of an audience at the world-famous TCL Chinese Theater to share my vision, words, and music. I hope that my hard work and that of my cast and crew can show others that all things are possible if we choose life.”

The event will kick off at 6:30 pm at TCL Chinese Theater 6 at 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 with a red carpet featuring stars of the film and notable supporters. The screening will take place at 7:30 pm. Following the screening there will be a premiere party at the nearby Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd, starting at 9:30 with a red carpet. In the Hollywood Roosevelt Pool bar, music and a cash bar will continue until 11:15 pm.

Joe Bartone is a WGA caucus member. His films have won 18 awards in filmmaking, screenwriting, and composing. He has also notched 19 finalist placements and 8 semi-finalist placements in film festivals. He was a member of the Warner Bros. team that took the 2013 Technical Emmy for innovative digital delivery systems. His screenplay, Worst Night Ever was chosen as the 3rd best horror screenplay at Slamdance in 2021. In music, he was named among the 2015 best new jazz artists from JazzFM – the top syndicated jazz radio programming for NPR for the album Master Plan B with his group Thelonious Dub.

In addition to his own films, Bartone has been on the sound team of over 120 film and television productions.

The public can purchase tickets at the film festival in advance or at the door. Advanced tickets may be purchased online at https://www.siliconbeachfilmfestival.com/tickets, please scroll down to Block OO Wednesday, 7:30 pm 9/14. Tickets must be added and then scroll down to the check-out at the bottom.

Presenting AfroClassical Composers Brings Classical Music of the African Diaspora to Life October 16 at Los Angeles’ First Unitarian Church

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Los Angeles – Presenting AfroClassical Composers, a new non-profit organization founded to celebrate the contributions of African-American, and other African Diaspora classical music composers is excited to present its first post-pandemic live event Sunday October 16 at 4pm at Los Angeles’ First Unitarian Church, 2936 West 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90005.

The event will feature the music of AfroClassical Composers Dorothy Rudd-Moore, George Walker, R. Nathaniel Dett, and Maria Thompson Corley. The compositions will be performed on piano by Maria Thompson Corley and Presenting AfroClassical Composers’ Executive Director Michael Ligon. The event will also feature a panel of experts discussing the impact of AfroClassical Composers and related disciplines. The event is FREE with RSVP at https://afroclassicalcomposers.org/.

Presenting AfroClassical Composers mission is to increase knowledge and appreciation of legacy and living composers of the African Diaspora through live performances of their compositions, interpreted by culturally diverse musicians and framed by interdisciplinary community conversations.

Michael Ligon, the Artistic Director, is bringing together culturally diverse musicians and conductors who reflect LA County’s demographics and best talent to offer a series of live performances of curated orchestral, solo and ensemble works, at venues around LA County. Performances present classical music by both female and male composers (legacy and living) of the African Diaspora, including those from Canada, Guadeloupe, Brazil, France, Guinea, the U.S., Nigeria and England.

Each performance will be framed by performers and expert panelists from Music, Ethnomusicology, Architecture, Visual Arts, Dance, Literature, Sociology, History or other complementary disciplines, enabling audiences to discuss the social context, and broad historical and cultural influences on featured compositions and composers.

The project was launched in 2018 by Ligon, as a series of monthly Sunday Salons, in tribute to and following the death of Dr. George Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and mentor to Mr. Ligon. The monthly gatherings set the stage for expansion on larger scale community conversations and live performances of works by composers of the African Diaspora.

Presenting AfroClassical Composers helps counter the erroneous perception that classical music involves only European composers – A study by the League of American Orchestras indicated that Black composers’ works are included in less than 1% of the top 10 compositions performed in subscription programming!

Another issue is the absence or lack of culturally inclusive studies at schools and universities. A pre-COVID/Pre-George Floyd online review of university and schools of music curricula in LA County shows that they often exclude composers of the African Diaspora. Consequently, many music and liberal arts students at universities, schools of music and conservatories are hard pressed to name only one or two (if any) classical composers of the African Diaspora, but can easily name, from memory, some five Russian composers.

Excluding such diversity creates limitations in jobs, careers and livelihoods of Black classical musicians and composers. Less than 2% of musicians employed by major symphony orchestras are Black, according to a League of American Orchestras study. Visual observation reveals similar employment stats reflected in the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras. The pit orchestra of Long Beach Opera during performances of the 2020 Pulitzer-winning opera Central Park Five, reflects similar lack of cultural/racial diversity among its musicians.

Presenting AfroClassical Composers is unique in that its events feature performances of excerpts and sections of curated compositions, rather than performances of them in their entirety. This offers listeners a much wider range of repertoire and composers, while providing more cultural context than do conventional performances of entire compositions. Printed programs provide listeners with information for expanded discovery and learning after, and inspired by the presentation.

All performances are framed by interdisciplinary discussions with expert panelists, concluding with interactive, community/audience discussion (talkbacks). The organization focuses on works by accomplished composers of the African Diaspora that prior to George Floyd’s death, were rarely included in subscription concerts by similar organizations who receive public funding from LA County (like the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra).

Future musicians who neither see themselves in orchestras nor hear works by diverse composers – including those of the African Diaspora – experience a form of perceived exclusion, perpetuating a general and often unspoken conclusion that they don’t belong in those organizations. Inversely, Afro-Latina conductor Kalena Bovell reflects in a YouTube interview for Sewanee Summer Music Festival, her surprise in learning that at a school she visited repeatedly, a young boy stood behind her regularly mimicking her conducting motions. He saw himself in her actions and her presence.

Mr. Ligon notes, “The current absence of cultural representation and diversity in performances offered to young musicians and composers often implies an erroneous conclusion that Black musicians and composers perceived value in those roles is diminished.” Adding, “Presenting AfroClassical Composers offers exciting programs with accomplished musicians performing the works of African Diaspora classical composers, with experts discussing their impact to bring these important composers and their brilliant work to life for current and future generations of classical music lovers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy.”

Star of New Documentary, Forte, Brings “The Power of Sound” Performance to Venues Everywhere

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Acclaimed Violinist Explores Noise Pollution and the Power of Sound with Transformative New Program
Los Angeles, CA. May 19, 2022 – Today, violinist Tatiana Berman announced The Power of Sound – an innovative new performance that explores music’s ability to heal, and also raises awareness for the transformative impact sounds have on our everyday health and emotional well-being.

Featuring customizable classical and contemporary repertoire, this performance includes informative spoken vignettes that provide context for the corresponding pieces. There are multiple variations of the program, ranging from solo to chamber music to orchestral.

“We are exposed to thousands of sounds on a daily basis, but how does this actually impact our health and well-being?” says Berman. “Our bodies are composed mostly of water, which happens to be an excellent conductor for vibrations, so essentially, we are walking conduits of sounds. As we are extremely sensitive to sound, noise, and music, they affect our emotions, behavior, and shape our reality.”

Recently, Berman piloted her music and spoken-word program to private audiences across the U.S. to an incredibly encouraging response. “It has been a cathartic event for so many audience members, and the feedback is that we need these transformative experiences more than ever.”

“I have always loved to explore non-classical music topics, including how modern science intersects with ancient philosophy and sound healing practices,” said Berman. “As a result, I created a project that raises awareness of how noise and sound affect us in everyday life.”

Berman is touring The Power of Sound throughout the U.S. and Europe with a series of private engagements and limited performances open to the public. She is partnering with various organizations including orchestras, performing art centers, retreats, and wellness centers.

Berman stars in the upcoming documentary Forte, available on Apple TV and other platforms on May 27 in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Ireland.

For more information, and inquiries regarding bookings and partnerships, visit www.TatianaBerman.com.

Chicago Photographer Noritaka Minami’s SGN Series Opens Tomorrow at Motor Row District’s Artists of Color Focused FLXST Contemporary

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Chicago, Illinois – January 8, 2020 – Born in Japan, Noritaka Minami is a Chicago-based photographer currently exhibiting his unique and thoughtful SGN photo series, an investigation of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the current state of the steel lattice towers first erected there by the French as utility poles during the early twentieth century to facilitate the development of the Indochinese Union. Despite the passage of time and the tumultuous history experienced in this region since their construction, these lattice towers have endured and remained a consistent presence in the built environment of the city. SGN will open on January 9 with a reception from 5:30 – 8 pm, and runs through February 14 at FLXST Contemporary, 2251 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 220, Chicago, IL 60616. Due to COVID 19 precautions, reception attendance and viewing is by appointment only and can be booked here or on the TOCK app.

The major social, political, and economic developments within Vietnamese society in recent decades have also led to these structures becoming a truly extraordinary visual sight. The number of cables now supported by the lattice towers far exceeds the original capacity of their design and has transformed each one into a unique, sculpture-like object.

The overwhelming quantity of cables that have accumulated on the lattice towers is the product of the rapid socio-economic transformations that Vietnam has experienced since reforms were initiated in 1986 with Đổi Mới (Renovation). The photographs in SGN examine these overlooked remnants of French colonialism in the contemporary landscape of Ho Chi Minh City as structures that represent the historical trajectory of the region as it evolved from one of the centers of the French colonial empire in Southeast Asia to the economic engine of an independent and developing nation attempting to merge socialism with global capitalism.

At this moment, these lattice towers and the innumerable cables they support are also starting to be removed from sight as part of the modernization of the city’s landscape in the twenty-first century. This recent tide of urban redevelopment and the decision to remove what is viewed as “blight” has only increased Minami’s sense of urgency to document these structures before they permanently disappear. With Vietnamese society in the midst of major changes, this photography series meditates on the past and considers the imminent future of this landscape through the presence and disappearance of these lattice towers.

Noritaka Minami is a photographer based in Chicago. He received a B.A. in Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and an M.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of California, Irvine in 2011. In 2015, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Photography at Loyola University Chicago. He has also taught photography at Harvard University, Wellesley College, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine.

He is a recipient of grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Santo Foundation, and Center for Cultural Innovation. In 2015, he published a monograph titled 1972 – Nakagin Capsule Tower (Kehrer Verlag), which received the 2015 Architectural Book Award from the Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt, Germany. Solo exhibitions of his works have been held at Kana Kawanishi Gallery (Tokyo), SFO Museum (San Francisco), USC Roski School of Art and Design, UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, and UC Merced Art Gallery. He has also shown in group exhibitions at Aperture (New York), Somerset House (London), Photo Basel (Basel), Las Cienegas Projects (Los Angeles), New Wight Gallery (Los Angeles), and Kearney Street Workshop (San Francisco). Minami’s works are held in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, and Museum of Contemporary Photography Chicago.

Chicago’s FLXST Contemporary Opens Artists of Color Group Show Against Impossibility on February 13

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Chicago, Illinois – January 19, 2021 – FLXST Contemporary a young but noted fine arts and photography gallery and an arts incubator in Chicago’s historic and transitioning Motor Row District will open their first 2021 group show Against Impossibility on February 13 with a reception at 5:30 pm. The show runs through March 28 and exclusively features five artists of color, three of whom are international artists representing China – Weiyang Gao, Kuwait – Latifa Alajlan, France and Mexico – Alexis de Chaunac; two of whom are African Americans from the South, a black man – Ajmal “Mas Man” Millar and a cis-gendered black woman Siena Smith. FLXST Contemporary is located at 2251 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 220, Chicago, IL 60616. Due to COVID 19 precautions, reception attendance and viewing is by appointment only and can be booked here or on the TOCK app.

Against Impossibility brings together these five emerging contemporary artists who work across the mediums of sculpture, fibers and textiles, mixed-media, and painting who, despite their precarious positions as MFA students in their final year of studies, continue to produce work influenced by the tumult happening around them. FLXST Contemporary intentionally curated MFA students at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to showcase how the current moment has affected this new wave of contemporary artists in Chicago working under extreme constraints because of the pandemic, new modes of learning art, new spaces to produce art outside of the academic setting, and working against impossible conditions.

As young, emerging contemporary creators, these artists had to adjust to the conditions around them and have had to ask difficult and often existential questions about their art practice and their identities as artists. Against Impossibility is about the perseverance of these artists and their work offers possible answers to the question of why art matters during these moments of crisis.
FLXST Contemporary’s gallery director and founder Jan Christian Bernabe is a Filipinx American queer person of color based in Chicago. Jan has given an extensive curatorial statement about the show:

“We ended 2020 with signs of change in the United States, a new elected President, and two promising vaccines to battle the COVID pandemic. Change seemed to be on the horizon, a transformation in American culture that many believed could move us away from the hateful rhetoric against people of color, the LGBTQ community, and immigrants unabashedly condoned by President Trump, his congressional allies, and his supporters. The breakneck speed of the development and approval of two COVID-19 vaccines in December captured the global cooperation of doctors and scientists to finally combat a virus that by the end of the year had killed over 300,000 people in the US alone. The last two months of 2020 looked as though the new year would bring back a semblance of normalcy in the US and around the world.

With the odds stacked against FLXST Contemporary’s survival in 2020, we rolled into the new year working harder than ever developing an art program for 2021 that aligned with our mission to support and exhibit the very best of contemporary art by artists of color, LGBTQ artists, and immigrant artists. Last year showed us that art matters tremendously during times of crisis. Our art programming last year offered Chicagoans a means to cope with all that was happening in the world and ways to think about and to make meaning of moments of racial and social unrest that was happening all around us through the artwork exhibited in the gallery. The insurrection that occurred during the first week of January that we witnessed at the U.S. Capitol fomented by the conservative media, Republican legislators, and the President of the United States proves to us that we continue to live in a state of precarity—a moment of impossibility that as a gallery and as artists, we continue to work against.”

The Clark Hulings Fund Has Discovered the Secret Sauce for Visual Artists’ Entrepreneurial Success

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Report on the Working Artist Proves Business Education for Artists Leads to Their Success and Thriving Communities

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Today, the Clark Hulings Fund (CHF), the only national nonprofit dedicated to helping visual artists succeed as independent entrepreneurs, has released its first research report, the Report on the Working Artist. The report is a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances, contributions, and needs of professional visual artists in the US, as well as a thorough examination of the ingredients necessary for their success.
The report arrives at a pivotal moment in the country’s recognition of the vital role that working artists play within our communities, culture, and economy. CHF is so committed to broadening the entrepreneurial ecosystem to acknowledge, welcome, and equip artists, that they’ve released a first of its kind research report demonstrating how exactly that works.
CHF’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Elizabeth Hulings notes, “We are just a scrappy, upstart not-for-profit, yet we’re the ones telling the true tale of this country’s independent creative sector and its powerful potential that’s hiding in plain sight. It’s when we support and respect the artists and inventors among us that we foster the kind of creativity that enables us to take big strides—to go to the moon and cure polio and develop the Internet and the iPhone—because that support and respect permeate our culture and society. Creativity begets creativity. People heal better, feel better and think better when they have art in their lives, and we absolutely need it to tackle the huge issues we face today.”
The report was spearheaded by CHF’s chief data scientist Daniel DiGriz who adds, “Artists are the untapped entrepreneurial source of innovation and energy. While manufacturing is in decline, energy volatile and goods are increasingly caught in the uncertain world of trade deals and tariffs, artists are an economic powerhouse that can fuel an uncertain economy, given the appropriate training and tools. Truly, where artists thrive, the economy thrives! We may have sensed this, but now CHF has proven it.”

Groundbreaking in both scope and depth, Report on the Working Artist is the product of 30 months of dedicated research and analysis by CHF’s data science team. It represents the first time that anyone has collated and analyzed extant research across arts organizations to examine the conditions facing working artists, and the many impacts these artists have on their communities. With this report, CHF is also the first to publish data on the impact of business education on artists’ careers as demonstrated across various art-business learning programs and multiple cohorts within those programs.

Some of the most exciting findings in the report include:

  • Artists create jobs: 25% of working artists have hired someone to help them with their artist business
  • Artists are savvy investors: 27% of working artists have reinvested over 50% of revenue from their art business back into their enterprise
  • Working artists become intensely committed entrepreneurs: Those with training, are willing to commit between 25-50% more of their time to develop their art businesses.
  • Behavioral changes: 67% of those working artists who receive concentrated business education take part in more events, obtain more media coverage, increase conversions from their marketing, and sell more art or gain more commissions.
  • Bottom line outcomes: A whopping 75% increase their involvement in sales and marketing channels, track their sales more effectively, and (bottom line) increase their total income from making and selling art.

CHF’s report found that the economic success of professional visual artists does not have to be the stuff of fantasy, business education for artists really does move the needle. It is an attainable outcome, as long as certain basic steps are taken to overcome the systemic challenges artists face. Artists are entrepreneurs, and—just like entrepreneurs in other fields—they need business education and peer networks to thrive.

As the research shows, business-education programs that meet these professional needs produce prosperity for working artists and their communities. Artists who participate in entrepreneurial learning programs follow a measurable trajectory of change, from internal to external. First, they exhibit changes in attitude, as they build confidence in their ability to manage their art businesses and finances, and increase their clarity around career goals. Next, they change their behavior, increasing the time they spend on their businesses, and networking with peers and other industry leaders. Over time, these shifts lead to demonstrable changes in business results—increased contacts, sales, and commissions—and increased profit/revenue.

One of CHF’s recent Art-Business Accelerator Fellowship alum, Donna Lee Nyzio – an oil painter from North Carolina bears this out noting, “CHF’s Accelerator is like getting an MBA, with your art business being the thesis.” Adding “Yesterday was one of those days that makes your day as an artist and entrepreneur. First online sale over $1000, for a painting, but it was in a gallery, so I had to do some coordination and included the gallery in the client contact 100%. My new collectors emailed me a letter about my work so beautiful I was in tears. I am so Thankful for this year and for all I learned.”

Furthermore, the report shows that the impacts of concentrated business-education programs are not only measurable but also reproducible. When art-business education is offered in multiple formats, it can be scaled up to reach ever-greater numbers of artists, replicating their success across the country. In short, the stereotype of the starving artist is not destiny; there is a far better alternative, and it is completely within reach.

Finally, CHF’s Report on the Working Artist demonstrates the catalyzing role that artists play. When the prosperity of individual visual artists and groups of artists is boosted, the economic and cultural impacts of their success are felt near and far.

About The Clark Hulings Fund
The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the legacy of American painter Clark Hulings (1922-2011) by equipping working visual artists to be self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Founded in 2013, CHF showcases Hulings’ life and work as an example to today’s artists, and offers them a comprehensive art-business education so that they can thrive as he did. Because they are self-employed, visual artists are necessarily entrepreneurs, but like all business owners, they need training and real-world experience to achieve financial prosperity. CHF equips working artists with critical entrepreneurial skills, business tools, technology, and networks of peers and experts. We make it possible for artists to thrive and ensure collaboration among artists, collectors, other members of the industry, and the wider world of which they are part. A healthy social ecosystem is one where all of its members can connect, and artists are the key to building these vibrant communities. Without artists, we’re all left culturally stranded. When artists flourish, we all flourish.

The Clark Hulings Fund Adds Two New Advisory Board Members – Artist Camilla Webster and Curator Valeray Francisco

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October 1, 2019 Miami, Florida – The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF), America’s only nonprofit solely dedicated to equipping working visual artists to be self-sustaining entrepreneurs, is excited to announce that two wonderful new artworld luminaries are joining the Fund’s advisory board – noted artist Camilla Webster and curator Valeray Francisco.

Both new board members are based in South Florida, a visual art hub where CHF has been quite active over the last year: presenting at the Figurative Art Convention & Expo, hosting one of their Art-Business Conferences, and facilitating Thriving Art Exchanges both in-person and virtually in the region.

CHF Executive Director Elizabeth Hulings notes, “we are so grateful to existing CHF Board members, business development superstar Samantha MacRae Foerster and noted South Florida financial advisor Paula Oddone for bringing on these new fantastic advisors. Camilla and Valeray have huge South Florida and national reach and we are looking forward to them bringing their energy and experience to serving our mission of helping artists on their entrepreneurship journey.”

Camilla Webster is a museum collected and exhibited fine artist, best-selling author, and speaker. Painting in South Florida since 2017, the New York artist has focused on the essence of Ocean Reef, and the water around the Florida Keys in acrylic on canvas. Capturing the attention of the Miami art scene upon her arrival, Webster was given a solo show during Art Basel Miami Week at The Edition Hotel sponsored by Sotheby’s ONE. Her work was then chosen by interior designer Elizabeth Ghia for “The Grand Salon” in the Miami Designer Show House at The Deering Estate. In the summer of 2018, her portraits and abstracts were part of “The Power of Her” exhibit curated by art patron and expert Tanya Brillembourg at IdeoBox in Wynwood, Miami. Mercedes Benz celebrated Webster’s work during Miami Art Week in 2018 with a special installation exhibit curated by Jill Deupi, director of The Lowe Art Museum. The Ocean Reef Art League curated a joint exhibit of Camilla Webster and Pasta Pantaleo in January, and a solo exhibit of her work is planned at the Roberto Russell Gallery in Islamorada from October 5 – December 30, 2019. Camilla Webster’s solo museum show at The Coral Springs Museum of Art (CSMOA) opens to the public on June 13 and runs through August 23rd, 2020. Webster’s painting “Cocktail Hour” was acquired in the fall of 2019 for the museum’s permanent collection. Her work is in private and corporate collections in New York, Palm Beach, London, and Hilton Head.

Clark Hulings was noted for supporting other artists on their path to success, and Webster also tries to help fellow creators to be as successful as she has been. Camilla notes, “as you know an art career can be the loneliest, tense and most baffling of journeys. Marrying the practice, exhibiting and then developing and maintaining real cash flow and sustainability is a remarkable achievement for any artist. The trifecta. I am so grateful to Clark Hulings and now CHF for shedding light on the path and look forward to helping my fellow artists become more successful.”

Valeray Francisco is the Co-Founder of The Directed Art Modern (DAM) and engaged nationwide notably in popular art markets Miami, Aspen, Santa Fe, and Jackson Hole. The mission of The DAM is to be a service to and for artists in all levels of their careers, including in exhibitions management, and opening doors to not only collectors but also to the public, in general. To facilitate this, The DAM is a melding of individuals from the art world – an artist and a curator bringing 27 years of art market experience and by combining these aspects The DAM is able to cover a myriad of topics relating to the career of the artist. With this combination, The DAM is able to not only encourage the artist but is also able to negotiate terms for the artist and navigate the labyrinth of today’s modern art market seeking the best opportunities for the artist to move forward in his/her career. With the ever-increasing prices of exhibiting in the modern art market, The DAM believes that the art market should be taken back from the vanity trend and returned to the realm of reward for one’s creativity – to do this The DAM will explore not only traditional modes of exhibition but also innovative locations.

The addition of these two Advisory Board members comes at a time of increased momentum at CHF. They have just completed their 3rd Annual Art-Business Conference in Santa Fe, including an emotional and gratifying Thriving Artist Exchange event, and have their Virginia Art-Business Conference and Thriving Artist Exchange event coming up November 7-9. Additionally, they are releasing their first major research effort “The Report on the Working Artist” October 16. Finally, they are hosting a panel “Artist as Entrepreneur: Becoming the CEO of your life” at the StartUp Art Fair in Houston on October 12.

About The Clark Hulings Fund
The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the legacy of American painter Clark Hulings (1922-2011) by equipping working visual artists to be self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Founded in 2013, CHF showcases Hulings’ life and work as an example to today’s artists, and offers them a comprehensive art-business education so that they can thrive as he did. Because they are self-employed, visual artists are necessarily entrepreneurs, but like all business owners, they need training and real-world experience to achieve financial prosperity. CHF equips working artists with critical entrepreneurial skills, business tools, technology, and networks of peers and experts. We make it possible for artists to thrive and ensure collaboration among artists, collectors, other members of the industry, and the wider world of which they are part. A healthy social ecosystem is one where all of its members can connect, and artists are the key to building these vibrant communities. Without artists, we’re all left culturally stranded. When artists flourish, we all flourish.

Filed Under: Art