Ask Harriete

Pinterest - Quick Tips to Become a "Pinner"

Yesterday was a day invested in learning about Pinterest. It started with reading a free ebook from HubSpot on How to Use Pinterest for Business.

After some hours of experimentation, I can share several tips to help you become a "Pinner" and take advantage of some of the unique features of Pinterest that are different from other social networking sites (SNS) like Facebook and Twitter.

The great realization is that Pinterest is a natural website for artists and makers since it is image based.  A real delight.  Makers can post images of anything and every- thing we love.  It could be like a sketchbook of inspiration.

First and foremost, follow the top three
Pin Etiquette from Pinterest

1. Be Nice
Pinterest is a community of people. We know that tastes are personal, but be respectful in your comments and conversations.
 
2 Credit Your Sources
Pins are most useful when they have links back to the original source. If a pin is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so that the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Google Image Search or a blog entry.
 
3. Avoid Self Promotion
Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion.

You can combine your Pinterest with Facebook. If you post on Pinterest, then Facebook automatically posts your Pinterest images on your timeline.

This is a "setting".
     HOVER on your NAME.
    A drop down menu appears.
     CLICK on settings.
     SCROLL DOWN
     CLICK ON THE BUTTON next to "Add Pinterest to Facebook Timeline" as shown in the upper left screen capture.

 

THE PRICE BANNER PROBLEM. 

Avoid using a Dollar sign in your Pinterest text.
IF you use the dollar sign it automatically puts a banner across the top left corner (shown above). I think it looks tacky. The banner goes across your image and puts the price as a prominent feature. Does everything have to be about price?

Instead you can put the price in the descriptive text, but use words such as "Retail Price:". This is shown below.

Descriptions are limited to 500 words. So keep that in mind.

You don't need to follow a person, but you can FOLLOW one of their Boards. Just CLICK on the FOLLOW BUTTON (as shown below). You can UNFOLLOW any time.

Find me on Pinterest. I look forward to seeing your pins.

Harriete

Sticker Shock or A Real Bargain - It's All Relative To Framing

An editorial by Ryan Jones in The Crafts Report (November 2011) brought a fascinating TED Talk to my attention. Dan Ariely explains how "framing" different options can influence purchasing decisions.

Quoting Ryan Jones, editor of The Crafts Report, "Some people wonder why they should bring along some higher-priced items to a craft fair, especially if it's unlikely they will sell them. But, framing means that your highest-priced items can be a better sales tool than the greatest booth or display. Listen to the TED Talk by Dan Ariely to learn more about this concept.

I recommend listening to the TED Talk all the way to the end because it explains the logic behind why we artists should always have a big show stopper piece of artwork in our booths or in an exhibition to sell the smaller items. After the video, take a look at an example about how I am trying to apply this reasoning for my Judaica.

Here is my practical example.
Right now I have a Seder plate for Tu Bishvat in the exhibition DO NOT DESTROY at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. The price places this work outside the average consumer. My aspiration (or wish come true) is that a museum will buy this work for their permanent collection. 

Two weeks before the museum exhibition opened,  I contacted the museum gift shop about selling some of my Mezuzot. Each mezuzah is priced at $175. That may put some people into sticker shock compared to the usual gift shop item, but it is a real bargain for the labor, preparation, skills, and design in each mezuzah. 

At the same time,  the mezuzot are affordable examples of my work with an environmental message that can be used every day. 

Everything is relative, and there are many factors that may influence the purchaser's decision including the perceived value of the artwork in the exhibition, and the validation provided by being included in the museum exhibition Do Not Destroy.

Keep this strategy in mind for your booth or next show. While the masterpiece of the show may or may not sell, it may be a prime factor in selling the other work.

I sold four mezuzot so far and the show has been open one week. My fingers are crossed. Check back, I will update this post.

Harriete

Are you interested in going to the exhibition, Do Not Destroy, at the Contemporary Jewish Museum? They are offering a two-for-one admission through May 28, 2012. Just mention “Friends and Family Offer” when purchasing general admission tickets in the Contemporary Jewish Museum's Lobby. The show is really interesting with a wide range of  work from photography, drawings, sculpture and more.

 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Assiyah, Yetzirah, Beriyah ©  2011 by Harriete Estel Berman

Close up center, if you shine a light on the center of the seder plate (above) it reflects a Star of David on the ceiling.



Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Assiyah, Yetzirah, Beriyah
                                                          ©     2011

Artist:Harriete Estel Berman
DIMENSIONS: 6” ht x 24” w x 20" d

If you are interested in viewing the design, and fabrication of this Judaica TuBishvat seder plate, CLICK HERE to view an entire album on Flickr with step by step photos for this work in progress.

Sharing Costs or Getting Taken? Possible Benefits versus Risks Sharing Fees for Space and Financial Cooperation Among Artists

This post contains a real email - not fake or pretend.  The exact email is copied from my inbox.  I only deleted the name of the gallery.

The email is asking an artist to cover costs to participate in a show.
What do you think? Would you participate?
Read the whole thing. My comments follow below.

Subject: SOFA NY
Email: ***gallery.com
Your comments: Dear Harriete:

I am the owner of an Art Gallery located in [*****(a country in South America)].
Since year 2000, my gallery participates as an exhibitor at SOFA (The International Exhibition of Sculptur, Objects and Functional Art - www.sofaexpo.com ) in New York, Chicago and since year 2009 in the new SOFA West at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This year SOFA decided to change the focus of the show, toward the furniture and design.
I am submitting a proposal of showing 10 chairs and 10 mirrors by artists and believe your pieces have affinity with the rest of my inventory, and absolutely fit for SOFA.
 
Would you be interested in exhibit at SOFA represented by my gallery in case the project will be approved?
 
This call to represent you at SOFA , implies in my gallery the idea of sharing costs, since expenses are so high that I am not able to solve them completely by myself, and involves important financial cooperation from the artists, which are considered as partners since they pay some fees for space and I take lower commissions than other galleries in case of selling. 
 
If you are interested in this kind of proposal, let me know and I´ll send Terms and Conditions to participate .

Sincerely, ****
(****name of gallery owner)
(****name of gallery.com)

STOP AND THINK HERE.  How would you respond?

If you want to exhibit at SOFA, it presents a way to reduce expenses and possibly make some extra sales.  And it sounds so sincere. 

 Would you agree to this offer (assuming that your work is a perfect fit with the theme of the gallery exhibition)?

WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?

 Consuming Identity © 2001
  Post Consumer Recycled tin cans,
  fabric, ribbon, aluminum, steel screws,
  Chair sculpture is not functional.
  Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
  Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

Material Identity © 2001
Post Consumer Recycled tin cans,
aluminum, steel screws,
Chair sculpture is not functional.
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

Here are my concerns.

The offer may indeed be sincere, . . . maybe, . . . but the chance of benefit is far outweighed by the numerous risks and red flags. 

The gallery is out of the country, so, for all practical purposes, there is no legal recourse if something goes wrong.

Giving money to any unknown person or entity with no prior working relationship or familiarity is a definite "red flag."

I would have no control over display, marketing, or selection of other artists  even though I contributed money.

This is an investment of my time and money into a relationship that would be very difficult to continue, thus a one time opportunity, and not likely worth the hassle.

Overall, too many risks.  Or, this could be a scam.  Or if real, too many loose ends. 

Instead, if you want to pursue such offers, I would suggest that you meet the gallery at SOFA in advance by a year and get to know the gallery owner and related people. Look at the selection of artists, style of work and presentation. If you are still favorably inclined, you can then arrange for sharing in future years.  At least you would know who you're working with.

What do you think?

Did I miss something?  Should I reconsider? 

Harriete

 Material Identity starts with a chair inspired by the styling principle of Charles Lock Eastlake. His book Hints on Household Taste was a best selling book in England and American in the years after its first publishing in 1868.

Ironically, Eastlake's treatise expounds on commentary equally relevant today. He said that publick taste is corrupt - fashion rules, and few are shocked by sham and pretension. Cheap and easy method of workmanship in an endeavor to produce a show of finish with the least possible labor, as well as an unhealthy spirit of competition in regard to price, has continue to cause the value of our ordinary mechanic's work to deteriorate.
The parallels today 100 years later are resounding.


Bermaid is a play on words. First, my name - Berman - is not a very good name for an avowed feminist. Using "maid" instead of "man"indicates the artist is a woman and suggests a pun on "made" as in made by hand.
Dimensions of Chair: 38.25" height x 17.25" width x 14" depth

Photo Credit for all images: Philip Cohen

Prepare for Success - Workshop for Your Quest

Looking for your path to success?

What direction do you want your work to go? What insights would you like to gain from someone with 30+ years of experience? Is your work consistent with your marketing?

 

In April, I will be teaching a professional development workshop at Revere Academy as part of their Masters
Symposium in San Francisco, CA.

Prepare for Success

April 28 - 29, 2012

 

Internet Option
If you can't travel to San Francisco, Revere Academy is offering on line participation at a reduced cost! It would be nice to see you in person, but if you need to stay at home while juggling the rest of your life, this is a way to listen in on your computer.

Webinar participants will be able to view the instructor and Powerpoint presentations in real time via their computer, as will as submit their own questions and images for review by the instructor, much like the students who attend the class in San Francisco. Because this is the first time Revere has offered a webinar class,there is a special, one-time introductory price for the class of just $79!Download Prep for SuccessPR

Webinar participants are required to have a computer with a high-speed internet connection. To register for the webinar, call 415-391-4179.

Appropriate for all media, this two day intensive workshop with Harriete Estel Berman will provide tons of information to super charge your professional development and gain from my 30 years of experience.

Learn how to use the power of social networking, blogs, and web sites to develop visibility and get your work noticed. Other topics will include maintaining proper records for the IRS, managing inventory, how to update your resume, and evaluate and upgrade your photos.

We can cover anything you want.  Your questions can guide the topics to be covered. 


Here are some suggestions for topics:

Professional Development resources

Your 20 second commercial

Guidelines for a critique group

Identify your business model.

Establish Your Professional Goals
   Define Objective
   Define Success
   Are your objectives and definition of success            consistent?
   How do you expect to achieve your objectives?
   Define your market.

Pricing and fabrication methods.
   Pricing Structure
   Falcher Fusager’s Pricing Formula
   Guestimation
   Comparative Pricing
   Include your Overhead
   Cost of goods sold
   Pricing Concepts.

Inventory Record Form
   Inventory Records:  Documentation and Provenance
   Hallmark or sign your work

Digital Image Package
   Label examples
   Image description sheet
   All prints and digital files information.
   CONTACT SHEET SAMPLE

Resume vs. CV
   Resume categories
   CV
   BIO

Artist Statement Recommendations
   Artist Statement Tips
   Artist Statement with description
   Envelope for your package

PUBLICITY EXAMPLE
   PUBLICITY  IMAGE
   SELF PORTRAIT
   WORKING IN THE STUDIO
   PHOTOGRAPH EVENTS

Emails and social networking

Strategies for juried opportunities

Publicity and Marketing 100+ ideas
   Book recommendation
   Pitch letter
   Mailing List strategy
   Thank you
   STATIONARY

Wholesale/Retail
   Minimum order for wholesale
   Return Policy

Delivery of work in person
   Shipping – One of a kind work
   Unpacking & Display instructions
     To Display
     Packing and Shipping
     Maintenance Instructions
     Shipping
     CONDITION REPORT
     SIMPLE PACKING LIST 

Profit or Loss?
     What are your options?
     Do you act like a business?
     Expense record examples.
     3 rules to test deductibility
     Expertise?
     Time & Effort?
     Track record
     Record of sales
     Do you act like a business?  I.R.S.

COPYRIGHT & Fair use

www.you
        Website resources
        Web what you need to do and why
        Blogs - blogosphere
        Basic SEO to implement

Any Questions: Contact me directly
bermaid [at] harriete-estel-berman.info
(area code 650) - then 571-7726
http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info

Lunch Discussion with Garth Clark - Keynote Speaker at SNAG Conference 2012

The annual SNAG Conference offers many astounding opportunities unavailable for most of us anywhere else. Register for the 2012 Conference before February 29, 2012 and you will automatically be entered in a drawing to win a FREE ¼ page color advertisement in Metalsmith magazine!

As part of the SNAG Conference, look on the schedule for "A Smaller Conference Experience", an informal lunch discussion with keynote speaker Garth Clark. This is open to everyone on Friday, May 25th.


This year's theme, THE HEAT IS RISING, plays right into many hot topics and thought provoking debates! And Garth Clark is known for provocative positions.

"Grab and Go" lunches will be available for pre-order purchase during registration or on site with 24 hours notice.

This lunch discussion is part of "A Smaller Conference Experience", a two part program to facilitate more intimate and meaningful discussion at the SNAG Conferences. This is an opportunity to get to know the Keynote Speaker, Garth Clark, and engage in an in depth conversation. 

Put this on your schedule and arrive promptly. Space is limited to a smaller room to facilitate a dialog. Once filled the doors will be closed. 

If you have questions for Garth Clark, please let me know either now or the day of the event. 

We can use your questions to start the conversation.

Harriete 

A Smaller Conference Experience lunch discussion is sponsored by the Art Jewelry Forum.

 

3 Books, 3 Opportunities to Submit Your Work

Three upcoming books provide superb opportunities for recognition.  Submit your work right away.  Details and entry forms below.

• 500 Teapots
• 500 Lights
• 500 Traditional Quilts
  

Having images of your work published in a book generates free publicity, broad visibility and long term credibility.  These benefits are certainly worth investing some time and strategic thinking. Do not wait....you may forget, and early entries often have an advantage.

To improve your submission consider reading these resources:

Top Ten Tips for Getting Into a Juried Exhibition, Show, Book or Magazine

Juried Submissions: What information do jurors really take into consideration?

Photo Comparisons and Descriptions - Now Optimize Your Submission

Strategic Thinking When Applying to a Juried Opportunity

Photography in Flux- Guidelines for Photos of Your Craft

 

Details and entry forms for each of the 3 book opportunities follow:

California Dream
Recycled tin cans
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
22" height x 20" width x 7.5" depth
Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

500 Teapots
Lark seeks images to publish in a juried collection of ceramic teapots.  Publishing to be in August 2013. The juror for 500 Teapots will be Jim Lawton of Oyster Street Pottery.

Pieces may be functional or purely decorative.
You may submit up to four entries.
There is no entry fee.
Artists retain copyright of their work.

 

Download 500-Teapots-call-for-entries
Entries must be postmarked by April 20, 2012.

Mail materials to:
Dawn Dillingham/Lark
67 Broadway
Asheville, NC  28801

 

Floating World © 2001
Recycled tin cans, paper lanterns
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

500 Lights
Lark seeks images to publish in a juried collection of handcrafted lights. The juror will be Christopher Poehlmann, owner of CP Lighting.

 

Entries must be postmarked by March 1, 2012.  Download 500-Lights-Call-for-Entries

You may submit up to four entries.
There is no entry fee.

Submissions may include chandeliers, lamps, sconces, pendants, and installations. Lights must be designed and built by individual designers and/or small shops as unique objects, limited editions, or customized originals. Work may be created from any material or fabrication method, but absolutely no candles by themselves.

Mail materials to:
Dawn Dillingham/Lark
500 Lights
67 Broadway
Asheville, NC  28801

Even a Tarnished Mirror Betrays Our
Self Esteem When the Ideal of Beauty Is
An Age Defying Conplex
Recycled Tin Cans
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

500 Traditional Quilts
Lark Crafts seeks images of masterful traditional quilts to publish in a collection juried by Karey Bresenhan, President of Quilts, Inc. and juror of 500 Art Quilts (Lark 2010). 500 Traditional Quilts will feature a wide variety of quilt techniques, traditions, and styles.

For this book, they are accepting digital imagery, slides, and transparencies with up to five submissions per artist.

There is no entry fee.
Entries must be postmarked by May 15, 2012. 
Download 500-Traditional-Quilts-Entry-Form

Mail materials to:
Dawn Dillingham/Lark
500 Traditional Quilts
67 Broadway
Asheville, NC  28801

 

The value of being in a juried exhibition or book is the free publicity, broad visibility and long term credibility.  These benefits are certainly worth investing some time and perhaps a little money.

Plant a Seed, Nurture Ideas, Time to Prepare for Blooms and Fruit

The opening for the Dorothy Saxe Invitational exhibition at the Contemporary Jewish Museum is coming up. The theme is Tu BishVat (a lesser known Jewish holiday) celebrating the birthday of trees. Before making a piece for an exhibition, I usually read, study, and research the background of a topic or theme.  This prepares me for the intensive hours, days, and weeks of making a piece -- in this case, a special Seder plate about planting, growth, nurturing, and realizing the fruits of our labor.

It got me to thinking about fruit trees as a metaphor for artists and makers.

There is a Biblical recommendation that newly planted fruit trees should not be harvested before the 5th year.  Thus Tu Bishvat is sometimes called the birthday for trees since this holiday is used as a demarcation for the passing of each year, a very practical recommendation for the future health and productivity of the tree.

If the tree is nurtured for five years before harvesting the  fruit, all of the energy and dedication of the caretaker will be realized in the long term health of the tree.  When the mature tree produces fruit for harvest, it will be more "fruitful" for many years. 

This is a perfect metaphor for a budding artist and how they should nurture their creative output.

Artists and makers should take this to heart.... I am really serious about this point.

I am concerned especially for emerging artists (of all ages) who expect their early creative pursuits to bear immediate fruit in both money and critical acclaim. A premature expectation for visibility and sales too often influences what is made and how it is made.  I hope they learn to overcome these common mistakes:

1.) Shallow roots. Demands from the marketplace can distract artists and makers from developing substantive skills and meaningful ideas. Sustained personal development produces the best fruit. 

2.) Grafting onto others. It is easy to take other people's ideas, styles and techniques.  But copying what's been done before never develops the individual voice within each of us.

3.) Premature Harvest - Spending too much time promoting initial work instead of developing and producing more thoughtful, more meaningful work.  I am all for selling, but spending time trying to promote and sell premature work damages the long term reputation of emerging artists and drains potential energy from more meaningful development and creativity.

I know my words are pointed.  I don't usually say "should", but in this case it is warranted.

Trying to harvest fruit too early damages the core of creativity and dilutes the energy of individuals who could benefit from experiencing growth over a period of time.  Learning from experience and consciously seeking to improve quality should take precedence over immediate gratification.  Higher quality work may take a few years, but once established, it can be productively sustained for a longer period to time.

Harriete

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

In this ongoing series about Preservation, Conservation, Experimentation, I'd like to make a recommendation for all artists and makers  -  design for repair.

I am sure everyone would like to think that damage doesn't happen with good care, but 30 years of experience has taught me that accidents do happen, even to the most valuable of items.

  Damaged corner of one window. I had to
  completely disassemble the window,
  remake a few parts, repair the pieces
  I couldn't remake,a then, put it back
  together.
  

Through the "school of hard knocks," I've also found it far better to anticipate the possibility of damage and not just ignore the possibility.

From the beginning and during your construction, consider how your art work or craft can be repaired.  I design my work to be disassembled, and keep the instructions and assembly methods in my sketch books. Not that I want to repair my work, but when damages do happen, it won't be a total loss. I would rather repair my work myself, instead of letting someone else to try to figure it out. I am the expert on my own work. No one can repair it as well as I can.

Keep your records for the materials used or possibly spare parts. Your Inventory Records might include the brand of paint, or significant colors, patina or glazes. Anything that you might need to know about a particular piece or group of work.

I charge for repair. Since I do silver repair and restoration, I charge my going rate of $85 an hour.  Insurance companies are glad that someone will repair the work, as compared to compensating the owner for the entire artwork.

The document Claims for Damaged Work in the Professional Guidelines will help you with a successful claim if your work is ever damaged.

To help assure the long term future of your work, design your art or craft for repair and restoration.

Harriete

Preservation, Conservation - Essential Documentation When Working With Alternative or Unproven Materials

Photographic documentation (including video and film) can be especially important when working with alternative or unproven materials. While the temporal nature of the materials may be a critical characteristic that makes the work interesting, the documentation may be the only aspect that survives for posterity.  A photo clearly establishes exactly how the artist visualized the work, fresh - before it ages, degrades, or disappears.

For example, Andy Goldsworthy frequently works with seasonal materials like leaves, ice, or twigs.  While the work of Andy Goldsworthy may be an extreme example for temporal materials, it demonstrates the importance of documenting your work. If you haven't seen the movie "Rivers and Tides" (affiliate link) I highly recommend it! It is my favorite artist video of all time.

Andy Goldsworthy's work is a superb realization for making art from alternative materials and still creating a market for the work. Goldsworthy actually makes a living selling the photographic images in books, calendars, etc. The marketing of the photographs in print media even produces a lower priced, democratic way for a larger audience to support and appreciate his work.

The use of alternative or ephemeral materials didn't stop Goldworthy from making a living from his art. As an artist using alternative materials, you just might have to reconsider options other than storage in a box, hanging on the wall, or placing objects on a pedestal.

Necklace uses post consumer recycled
plastic trash combined with repurposed
acrylic  by Harriete Estel Berman.
Photo Credit: Aryn Shelander
Model: Jen Ohara

Realization of an idea is the ultimate expression of art.  Documenting the work, one way or another, helps the artist earn a living through promotion to exhibitions, collectors, publishers, or other consumers.  Often, the documentation of the experiment is just as important as the object lasting a lifetime or 20 lifetimes.

Harriete

 
Recycle Black Plastic is from the Recycled Collection.  The series uses post consumer plastic trash as a commentary about the impact of plastic in our environment.

Preservation, Conversation, Restoration - To Polish or Not To Polish, That is a Question!

As I was writing the previous post in the series Preservation, Conservation, Restoration, it occurred to me that San Francisco jewelry maker, merry renk, could offer some experienced perspective and opinions about the issues of preservation, conservation and restoration. At the age of 90, merry renk is enjoying a renaissance of renewed interest in her metalwork from the mid 20th century.  Just within the past year, numerous exhibitions at major museums have included renk's jewelry and wedding crowns.

How would merry renk want her decades of work to look in an exhibition? Restored with a pristine finish or with the more subdued appearance from 50 years of hand polishing? Since I've known merry renk for years as a San Francisco Bay area kindred spirit, I went right to the source and asked merry.

Below is her response:

"Your question is one that I am dealing with this week.  I am selling a vintage pair of earrings --- and I am having pierced ear wires attached to replace the screw backs that these earrings were made with [originally].  I considered asking my customer if she would like it to have its vintage color, but I have decided that when my earrings go to the customer, I want them to have the best finish that my jewelry can have. I make the choice."

"That is a  question that  can only be answered by each artist---and collector.  My good friend, a collector, Steven Cabella, wants the silver jewelry to have unpolished surfaces and with the patina of age---but I do not like that idea. Since most of my silver pieces have areas that are polished, contrasted with areas that are oxidized black---so if my pieces are exhibited without polishing the true colors that I have strived for, the high shine of silver against flat black will not exist, therefore my jewelry in his collection cannot be exhibited in the original combination, missing my intentions."

"For instance, FOLDED, from 1954, the hairband that LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) bought and exhibited---I polished it, the outside is polished and the interior oxidized black, before I sent it off and they polished it to an even higher shine.....and I was so pleased because it looked as if I had just finished it last week...I am proud of the piece, not the age."

"I am aware of Steve Cabella's opinion [about his collection of silver objects and jewelry], but now he knows how we jewelers feel about how we present our work. Silver tarnishes in one month!!!"

"I know that bronze sculpture, if polished and vintage color is removed, lowers the price---but jewelry is another situation."

"I am delighted to receive  a question from Harriete!!!!"
merry renk

Thank you merry.

I hope that anyone who reads merry's comments will think about how they want their work shown in 20 years, 40 years or 200 years from now. As we explore this topic of preservation, conservation, and restoration, I'd love to hear your opinion as a collector, curator or artist and maker.

Preservation, Conservation, What is Appropriate Restoration?

At the 2003 SNAG Conference in San Francisco, I listened to one of the most surprising lectures I've ever heard. Between the hours of 8:00 - 9:00 in the morning a collector, Steven Cabella, gave a lecture titled, "Twenty-five years of Collecting Studio Craft Jewelry: Insights, Observations and Historical Patina". His collections are mid 20th century objects including furniture, though this lecture focused on his collection of mid 20th century jewelry.

For over an hour Cabella offered strong opinions from his unique perspective as collector that I have never heard before. It seems that he often loans objects from his collection to exhibitions -- his support of the arts community is commendable. What shocked me though was his STRONG opinions about preservation and conservation of mid 20th century objects. In his lecture he railed against restoration of jewelry in his collection such as polishing the work to its original finish.

Let me make this perfectly clear:

• The silver jewelry was originally exhibited and sold with a highly polished finish in the mid 20th century.
• In one example, the silver jewelry was restored in the original maker's studio (by the maker's son).
• Cabella did not want the silver jewelry restored to it's original appearance but wanted the patina of 50 years to be evident.

Cabella very consciously wanted the patina of wear and fine scratches from a 50 year life span to remain and not be removed.

As a maker, I was conflicted by his opinion.  I had never questioned my own expectation that my work should be cleaned & polished for every exhibition. 

I wonder if the original maker would want the jewelry polished for an exhibition or not? What is appropriate restoration? Should 50 year old jewelry look like "new" even 50 year's later?

Would the maker think the jewelry looked better with the "patina" of 50 years? Or should artwork look "aged" just because it is old?  Should older work look its age?

I don't know. I only know that this particular collector wanted the jewelry in his collection to not look "like new".

As an artist, I have to make choices in materials all the time.  And the decisions that I make today will affect collectors and curators somewhere out in the future (. . . hopefully).  

Everready Working Woman by Harriete Estel Berman from 1984.

The sculpture shown above is from 1984. Titled, Everready Working Woman, this piece is an autobiographical sculpture. It will be shown in an exhibition, Humor in Craft, in Phoenix during the 2012 SNAG Conference.

When work that is 28 years old goes out to an exhibition, should I touch up the chips in the painted finish, fix the lipstick, and polish the metal?  I certainly planned to have the work look great for many years after its creation.  So how long is long enough to not look old?  When is it OK to start looking its age?

Have you ever thought about this issue? Any comments or solutions? Stay tuned to the next post where Merry Renk offers her opinion (uniquely seasoned and reasoned by 92 years of experience showing her silver jewelry).

Harriete

Everready Working Woman is not a found object. It is carefully constructed by artist, Harriete Estel Berman, using traditional metalsmithing skills to create an appliance that appears to look like a manufactured object.

Details include a real drill chuck in the front, optional mixing beaters.
A Wonder Woman electric cord lariat with suction cup plug at the end.
View the spark gun through the yellow plastic window.
A lipstick cartridge fits up inside the handle.
The six-color eye shadow compartment housed in raygun body contains real make-up.

Copper and brass construction with painted or nickel-plated finish.

Preservation, Conservation, Experimentation - Practical Recommendations

Preservation, and Conservation of art or craft media starts with the artist. Yes, before work leaves the studio for a show, gallery, or exhibition I think artists and makers should take concrete actions by including care, display and maintenance instructions with their work.

For less expensive items, care instructions may be on a hang tag or a sheet of paper included with the bill of sale. Issues may be whether the work is dishwasher safe, oven proof, washable, fade resistant, proper cleaning methods, recommended waxes, or best framing methods for the media, etc. This can protect the artist or maker from dissatisfied  customers that did not know how to care for the work properly.

For one of a kind work, I write complete instructions and glue them to my interior shipping box and include an additional copy in the box. Informing the future owner or exhibition sponsor how to properly care for your work may help protect your work.

Instructions for Care and Maintenance should be very specific including recommendations for specific cleaning products and maintenance techniques.

Include disposable gloves in every box.  While museum professionals would normally wear gloves when handling artwork or craft, not every exhibition situation is in a museum. Protect your work from fingerprints. Acid and oils from hands can damage wood, metal, fiber and paper. Fingerprints look unattractive on glass, ceramics or metal.

Windows of Memory © 2003
Recycled tin cans
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

Consider the life expectancy of the materials, archival options and maintenance issues.

For example, tin cans (my primary materials for the past 23 years) rust and fade. While I can not prevent this I provide instructions including:

• Avoid display away from windows, or strong sunlight.
• Wax artwork for protection from moisture and fingerprints.  

While there is no assurance that the collector will be able to protect your work, it does protect the artist from accusations. If your work fades and the owner complains, at least you can demonstrate that the owner was informed.

The use of unproven or experimental materials presents some unpredictable outcomes, both good and bad. As an artist, try to think ahead for twenty to 200 years. Think about the future of your work and your reputation.

Do you have any ideas for archival options and maintenance issues for protecting your work that you can share? Please leave a comment.

Harriete

Below is an image of recently finished seder plate Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Assiyah, Yetzirah, Beriyah followed by an example - a complete set of instructions for Unpacking, Display, Functional Use, Maintenance and Packing.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Assiyah, Yetzirah, Beriyah
A Seder Plate for TuBishvat by Harriete Estel Berman
Constructed from recycled tin cans, 10k gold and s/silver rivets.

Preservation, Conservation, Experimentation with Alternative or Unproven Materials

The previous post on ASK Harriete opened issues regarding the use of impermanent materials, long term preservation and conservation of artwork (or lack thereof due to unproven materials).  The post provoked some very interesting comments. 

Now to examine specific issues more closely related to alternative or temporal materials.

Yes, artists should explore unproven materials, testing and rejecting preliminary trials before deciding what merits going into their final work. Alternative or unproven materials convenient for a conceptual test, may or may not be appropriate for the final work of art.

The original patina of Dirk Van Erp Lamps
is essential  for the signature appearance
from Dirk Van Erp. 

It seems to me the primary question is the intent of the artist. "Do you want the piece to last . . . or be an ephemeral phenomenon?" Does a time varying patina add to the piece . . . or is sustained color a critical characteristic? Will aging enhance the work . . . or will disintegration contribute to the conceptual theme?

The expected life and varying condition of artwork is something the artist should knowingly choose and not blithely ignore.  What will the work look like 10 minutes later, 10 months, 10 years later, or 10 decades later?

So the issue is not permanence or impermanence in itself, but whether the temporal elements are consistent with the intended conceptual theme of the work. Ten years may be stretching the life expectancy of paper jewelry,  but well within the expectation for public art.

Going back to the example in the previous post, I think it is well within normal expectations that a turned wooden bowl have a stable finish (assuming ideal storage and display conditions) for 25 - 50 years, at least.  I can not believe that the maker intended for the finish to develop "problems." Thus, going back to the artist for a remedy for an unstable finish may be appropriate. 

I also wonder if the applied finish was within the manufacturer's expectation for the medium? Isn't it better to know what will happen than to be ignorant? Was the wooden bowl labeled, "experimental finish?"

Another question comes to mind.
What about storage and maintenance throughout the years? Work owned by a collector in a domestic environment (which is usually exposed to sunlight, and lacking temperature and humidity controls) is a completely different situation then if it was stored in a museum storage in a controlled environment. Were there recommendations from the artist that were followed for storage and display?

This leads to the artist's obligation to communicate what is known about materials to a prospective buyer.  Clarity about the temporal nature of alternative materials is critical if collectors or museums are buying your work. If you, as the artist, have any concerns, then it would be best to clearly state the situation every time your work is on display or available for sale. A declaration about this fact will protect your work and your reputation.

Harriete

Next posts in this series about Preservations, Conservation, & Experimentation with Alternate and Unproven Materias. 

• Practical Recommendations for Care, Maintenance, Storage and Exhibition.
• Design for Repair
• Photo documentation of temporal or alternative materials.

 Are there other issues that readers of ASK Harriete are wondering about? Email or comment. What am I missing?

Preservation, Conservation, Experimentation -- Using Alternative Materials

A reader raises a profound question about the use of impermanent materials in an artists' or makers' work.

Harriete,
I have a question about how far a maker's responsibility goes for the 'lastingness' of a product. This was brought to mind recently because someone had a museum-quality bowl by a famous artist that was developing serious finish issues due to the use of polyethylene glycol as a soak to preserve the color in the material. We also sometimes see pieces put together with questionable adhesives, etc. I understand the importance of experimentation, but it troubles me as my responsibilities include preservation and conservation of artworks.
Is this a question that has gotten much or any attention? 

I was really hoping that this was a question that artists were asking themselves (and each other) on some level.

Signed, A Concerned Curator

Dear Concerned Curator,

Issues of impermanence of materials, experimentation with materials, and long term preservation and conservation of artworks are really complex.

The use of experimental or untested materials is a reflection of our society in a way. We applaud artists that use new materials, or untested methods. The tried and true may be perceived as boring, been there, done that. Even the idea of "permanent" anything isn’t given very high regard. Buy cheap, express the "now," and throw it away seems like a pervasive trend of our culture.

Let's expand on the issues swirling around the use of alternative, untested, or experimental materials. Conservation becomes a concern of the owner, collector or museum. I am betting that museum curators and professionals need more solutions.  To buy, or not to buy...to exhibit or not to exhibit when just the act of putting work on display (even in a  controlled environment) may cause further damage. 

Let's itemize some of the profound issues:

• impermanence of materials,
• experimentation with alternative or unproven materials, and
• long term preservation and conservation of artwork.

Conflicting perspectives abound on these issues which would provide topic material for endless debates.  So here are my dueling opinions. 

The artist has a responsibility to consciously choose how the work is made and what is intended for long term display (if any). Basicly, I think this leads to four possible scenarios from the artist's perspective:

1) Consciously choose to make impermanent work and know it will not last. The work of Andy Goldsworthy or of Eva Hesse are just such examples.

2) Consciously choose to make permanent work and use the best materials available.  e.g. Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.

3) Consciously choose the risk of using unknown materials and accept whatever the outcome.

4) Ignore the impermanence or untested aspect of your materials and pretend indifference.

The first three are valid approaches and should be honestly communicated to any audience or potential purchaser.  The fourth scenario is questionable.

The materials used in a work will certainly affect its long term conservation and preservation -and possibly its value.

Raise awareness
This question should certainly be on the minds of all artists who want to have their work purchased.  Artists have every right to choose how to make their work.  

What is the responsibility of the artist during fabrication?

What is the responsibility of the artist/owner? For storage? For display?

What is the responsibility of the exhibitor? Lighting? Hanging? For some work, just the fact that it is on display is destructive? 

What about care and maintenance?
Is polishing to restore the original finish a destructive act?
Is refinishing, removing grunge, old varnish, crackled surface a restoration or destruction?

If you ever watch Antiques Roadshow you hear the voice of the experts. Each material seems to have it's own definition for proper care and maintenance.

As an artist, do you think about how to care for you work? 

Should the collector/curator have the same responsibility? It might surprise the artist to consider that a collector/curator may not have the same expectation for care and maintenance, or original finish as the original maker.

Please tell us what you think?

Have you ever thought about this before? 

Harriete

Next posts will break up this enormous issue into a series of thoughts. I've heard opinions from collectors. I have practical recommendations for my work.  What about you?

The best web site or blog evaluation!

After looking for ways to evaluate my website, I've  discovered a wonderful tool - SiteBeam. They have a free test. I recommend you give it a try.

All you have to do is sign up, submit your URL, and wait a few minutes. The free test allows up to five URL submissions.

I tried the test for my web site and blog, ASK Harriete, . . .  and then learned the harsh reality - my web site needs work.



What distinguished this web site testing service is that it does not present a simplistic single numberical value indicating the overall effectiveness of your site.  Instead, SiteBeam measures many factors with a score.

The free test offers information on multiple categories:

• broken links
• content keywords
• headings
• printability
• twitter
• W3C compliance
• social interest
• stylesheets
• broken files
• incoming links
• spelling
• poplularity
• url format
• link states
• freshness
• search engine results
• facebook
• readability
• analytics
• alternative text
• speed
• visual interest
• image usage
• links
• search ranking

The free test examined my main directory pages, not the complete web site (I have a lot of pages), but it offered enough information that I have weeks of work to do to improve my web site. I also ran my blog ASK Harriete through the free test. 

While I am a rank amateur in web design and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), this test raised my awareness for many SEO evaluation standards. I didn't know that links from social networks, spelling, titles, headers, or image ALT text (descriptions of your images) had such important impact in evaluating my site. (Since this was a free test, many results were withheld.)  Still, I have lots of information to work with in the next weeks.

TEST YOUR WEB SITE or Blog.

Learn how to improve your web site going forward into the new year.

Harriete