Professional Development Workshop: Pro Tips for Product Photography

Pro Tips Product Photography

Presented by Courtney Pierce and Breezy Ritter

Have you been putting off applying for Chula League’s 16th annual Cherrywood Art Fair because you don’t think you’re application ready? We have an encore presentation of our Product Photography Professional Development workshop coming up, just for you! Our guest presenters will share tips on highlighting your work for applications to juried shows, like ours.

When: July 27, 2017 | 7:00–8:30pm
Where: Austin Creative Alliance Community Room
Price: $5:00
Tickets: Register soon, as seating is limited!

A Night for Nonprofits

A night for nonprofits

Hosted by Raul Garza and David Rice

We’re honored to be one of the seven local nonprofits chosen as beneficiaries. We think it’s going to be a great night for mingling with nonprofits doing cool things for our city. Come have a drink with us!

When:
June 8th, 2017 | 5:00pm–9:00pm
Where: 
KC Grey Home Furniture | 211 E Alpine Rd #700, Austin, TX 78704
Price:
$10.00 cover

Popped! — A Pop Culture Art Show

Parts&Labour Art Show

Presented by Parts & Labour

Curated by Vincent X. Torres of the artist group Half-Human, POPPED! is a group art show comprised of twenty of the finest illustrators working in the Austin area today! Each will pay tribute to their favorite fictional characters from the world of movies, television and pop culture via limited edition prints and original artwork. The opening reception will be on Saturday, May 27th from 7 to 10pm and the artwork will remain up through June 24th. All artwork will be available for purchase. The good folks at GoodPop will be on hand, supplying their delicious all-natural frozen pops to guests on opening night. Small Town Brewery will also be in attendance, providing complimentary adult beverages from their roster of nostalgic craft flavors. A portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit Chula League’s Little Artist BIG ARTIST arts mentoring program. 

When: May 27 – June 24, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 27th | 7:00–10:00pm
Where: Parts & Labour | 1704 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
Extra parking is available @ 1711 S Congress Ave. and it’s free after 6pm, Mon–Fri, and all weekend long!
Price: FREE and all ages are welcome!
RSVP: www.facebook.com/events/156295451573780

 

An Interview with Gabi Williams a Little Artist Ambassador

Learn about the experiences of Gabi Williams, our first Little Artist Ambassador, who went from being a student in our LaBA program to exhibiting at the 2016 Cherrywood Art Fair.

First, I’d like to know about your overall experience in the Little Artist BIG ARTIST program, and how has it impacted you personally within your artistic goals?
Answer: My close friend Stella and I were paired up with a weaver named Patricia Day. Visiting her home/studio and being exposed to the life of a full time artist was amazing to see as a fifth grader. It was the first time I realized that I could potentially go into an artistic career and make a living off of my art. Overall, it motivated me to take more art classes and become more interested in the art world.

What did you enjoy the most during your Little Artist BIG ARTIST mentoring sessions?
Answer: I very much enjoyed being able to work in an artist’s studio. Seeing someone with that dedicated work space was inspirational. I also enjoyed being able to discuss the process of selling art with someone who knew all about it.

If you were to give advice to a young artist what would that be?
Answer: I would tell a young artist to create as much as they can. The best practice is making art whenever possible. I would also suggest experimenting and learning about different media types because you never know what you are going to end up enjoying.

How did your BIG ARTIST help you and what was important in your relationship?
Answer: Participating in the LaBA program has really been a big part of my artistic career because it is something that sets me apart from others. I thought more people at my Fine Arts high school would have been in LaBA but there are only a few of us. When I applied to the program at McCallum Fine Arts, I brought the pieces I created alongside Patricia as part of my portfolio. I think having that unique, individual artwork was what made it possible to be accepted to the Fine Arts Academy. Having input and creative critique from someone other than family or teachers was one of the best things about working with Patricia

 

Gabi, although only 15 years old now, represents exactly what we are trying to accomplish with the Little Artist BIG ARTIST Program, future creatives developing a sustainable future. She is a graduate of the Little Artist BIG ARTIST Program and was one of our ambassadors at the Cherrywood Art Fair (CAF) last year. Gabi had a booth set up next to her BIG ARTIST at the Cherrywood Art Fair and sold her very own art pieces.

Attend the Little Artist BIG ARTIST Opening Night Reception on April 27, 2017 from 6–8 pm at the Dougherty Arts Center to see the works of our 2017 LaBA Program Class. The Spring Art Exhibition will continue to be displayed through May 21.

If you’d like to get involved in the Little Artist BIG ARTIST Program click here for more information.

Because of You…

Thanks to you, we knocked it out of the park with Amplify Austin this year. We raised over $7000, add in our $500 anonymous match, and the $5000 match from DJ Stout of Pentagram Design, and that brings us to over $12,000! This went beyond our wildest expectations. Our board went bananas with joy!! Thank you for believing in the power of our Little Artist BIG ARTIST program.

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Introducing Our New Executive Director

The Chula League Board of Directors is pleased to announce our new Executive Director, Ann Flemings.
Ann Flemings is an artist, mother, wife, and nonprofit all-star! Ann joins us from UT Austin where she worked with the Butler School of Music and the Jackson School of Geosciences. Always committed to local nonprofits, she currently serves as a board member of Generous Art and she served on the St. David’s Episcopal Church Grants committee. Ann is also a professional artist with a studio in East Austin.

Ann brings the perfect background to lead our charge in helping to fuel and sustain the arts in East Austin. Let’s learn a little more about her and her plans for Chula League…

You’ve been on the job just over two months. What has been your impression of Chula League so far?

I am amazed at how well run this small, volunteer-based, nonprofit is! It has created a sustainable income stream through the Cherrywood Art Fair (CAF) and we are so effective at managing money that neighborhood organizations have engaged us to serve as fiduciary on their behalf. That says a lot about the professionalism of the Chula League board.

We are doing so much, on such a small budget, to help the arts thrive in East Austin. We provide a productive marketplace for artisans to sell their work. We cultivate the next generation of artists as they turn their concepts into art, and their art into a business. Chula is doing its part to provide the tools needed to make the arts sustainable in East Austin.

The most heartwarming thing about Chula is the people. Everyone has been so welcoming! Our board members are committed to making this organization shine and some of our program volunteers have been with us for many years. It says to me that there is a lot of passion here, and I think it must be great fun to be a Chula volunteer.

What excites you about this position and how does it build on your prior professional experiences?

With my background in fundraising, I hope to expand our grant funding for Little Artist, BIG ARTIST (LaBA) and I am keen to build a donor base of individuals that support our mission. Right now, I am working on expanding sponsorships for the Cherrywood Art Fair.

The past 15 years have seen the fair grow to become one of the most anticipated holiday shopping events on the “shop local” scene. The Cherrywood Art Fair proceeds benefit Little Artist, BIG ARTIST, thus it becomes a real win-win for our sponsors. As a free, afterschool arts mentorship program, LaBA brings the best of Austin artists together with East Austin elementary school children and creates a 10 week experience which empowers all involved.

If we can increase fair sponsorships by 20%, that will help Little Artist BIG ARTIST go just a bit further. Opportunities are still available to co-brand your business with one of the few juried art fairs in Austin, so give me a call!

What do you think are the most significant opportunities for the organization? Challenges?

We are expanding the Little Artist, BIG ARTIST program and adding artist professional development workshops. The more people understand what we are working to accomplish, the bigger impact Chula League will be able to make. Board leadership is creating a strategic marketing plan to share our message with the goal to engage more people across all channels.

My job is to put the right resources in place — dedicated volunteers, adequate funds and beneficial partnerships — to move our programs forward. Working with the board, listening to our constituents and heeding the advice of our volunteers is important to my role. In fact, a fundamental responsibility of Chula League is to assure our programs thrive and that our volunteers are provided for and valued.

If you could say one more thing to supporters of Chula League, what would it be?

It is an exciting time to be part of Chula League. Become a volunteer with our programs, serve as a BIG ARTIST mentor or apply to the Cherrywood Art Fair. Donate to us and help raise Chula’s star across the 6,000 nonprofits that call Austin home. I encourage everyone to put the Chula League at the top of your “gift list” this year. We want to make giving to Chula a year-round habit.

Thank you for letting me share some thoughts about the future of Chula League. Please contact me at ann@chulaleague.com to get involved with us.

Amplify Austin & Little Artist BIG ARTIST

Quick – what was your favorite thing to draw, paint, sculpt, doodle, sew or craft when you were a kid? Do you still do that today?

Our Little Artist BIG ARTIST program is an arts based mentoring program that nurtures creativity and shows kids that being a professional artist can be deeply satisfying on a personal AND commercial level. Kids, educators, and parents love this program and we think you will too!

Help us bring this program to more kids by donating a few dollars during Amplify Austin on March 8th and 9th. It doesn’t take much and it really does make a difference!

Show Austin you value our children and art education

We love the name “Amplify Austin” because that’s what we do. Our professional artist-mentors help children amplify their creativity, expand their skills and grow their confidence. Big Artists guide Little Artists through all stages of the business of art: from developing ideas, to turning ideas into an art piece, to learning how to merchandise, market and sell their work.

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