A 68 year young bus monitor, in upstate New York, was verbally assaulted by a group of Middle School (MS) students. The abuse was caught on video and broadcast on YouTube and all over Facebook and Twitter. According to the article/CNN report, the students will be facing disciplinary actions, and the police are involved in this action.
I’m sure, by now, you’ve seen or heard about the video. The CNN link above only has a fraction of it, and I would not post the entirety of it here. The students who did this need consequences for their actions, not further hits on the video. I do send out my thoughts to the woman who was attacked. My hope is she can find some strength in the fact that she held her own, did not sink to their level and attack back, and that the majority of those sounding off on this are on her side.
We have our share of bullies in all age groups, in all parts of our society. Yet, the majority of our focus is on the school bullies. When I went looking for bully images to use with this post, there were few images that dealt with adults: one adult yelling at a group of kids; one woman berating another. The rest were signage, the red line through the word BULLY and the like.
Alongside issues of bullying in schools, which is desperately needed, I feel all adults (Parents, the workforce, police, politicians, teachers, principals, etc etc etc) need the same sort of awareness programs, if not more so. Not only do they need to learn how to properly deal with this behavior from students, the adults need to see what THEY do that constitutes bullying.
I saw it in action, recently, in working with an older population group. I have seen it in action in schools and business. It seems to be not only a common practice from management to workers at times, but along the peer level. Bullying tactics are not relegated to just children.
Adult bullies, to other adults &/or children, is a seen behavior that is picked up by the young. If an adult does it with little to no consequence, then why can’t a kid? They may not go through that exact thought process, but it’s there: we teach our children outright what we want them to learn, but we are not careful about the rest of our actions, what they observe and take in.
I think we need to label bullying, if we have to label at all, for what it truly is: a hate crime.
Bullying wasn’t okay in elementary school and it isn’t okay now, especially when it comes in the form of a U.S. Supreme Court decision. John Doolittle
Some people won’t be happy until they’ve pushed you to the ground. What you have to do is have the courage to stand your ground and not give them the time of day. Hold on to your power and never give it away.
― Donna Schoenrock
Here are two student video reactions to the bullying of the bus monitor.
“There is a fountain of youth; it is your mind, your talents,
the creativity you bring to your life and the lives
of the people you love. When you will learn to tap
this source, you will have truly defeated age.”
The creative arts should be, to me, flexible and adaptable. Embracing new concepts, moving along with the social/economic/political spectrum, can allow new discoveries as well as keep things afloat. What good is it if you master your art, stick to that one idea, but the times have left you behind?
Arts administrations need to do the same, as the economic landscape has changed so drastically in the last five+ years. A new, or renewed, interest in Life Long Learners can be key in keeping organizations going well past the base of the school ages that many focus on.
What was inspiring to me was participating, through OPERA America, a section of the Open Opera Conference: Creative Resurgence. Opera companies are looking at involving the older adult population in more ways than just filling seats. A number of opera companies from across the US and Canada attended this day long workshop/program on Creative Aging, with many of them already utilizing interactive, participatory programs.
Storytelling is one of the primary arts disciplines that seems to be in wide use: delving into true life testimonials, musical works have been formed, from revues to full mini-operas. Being part of the creative process, the participatory input ranged from storytelling and writing to either performing the work or having professional singers enact their life stories. The librettos ranged from true life to fictionalized non-fiction.
In Creative Aging and the Arts (Part 1), I spoke about our morning session with Ms. Susan Perlstein, an advocate for the creative aging movement, and is the Founder Emeritus for the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA). In the afternoon two groups shared with the assemblage two recent projects that had just been completed: the pilot project I did with my musical collaborator Zach Redler for OPERA America, and Opera North’s latest operatic collaboration with an elder population.
Presentation: Transitions: Sung Stories
Opera North, Inc. worked with NewCourtland (a service for older adults) to produce Transitions: Sung Stories. Gathering oral history from Philadelphia, PA elders, Jules Tasca (Librettist) and Leslie Savoy Burrs (Composer and Executive Director of Opera North, Inc.) created a moving story that stemmed from the real life interviews.
Relating the details of the process to the group, both Mr. Burrs and Mr. Tasca laid out a professional program that produces positive results. In a video that showcases Mr. Burrs, we got to obverse how he interacted with a group of physically challenged elders. Working with a variety of percussive instruments, the participants helped lead Mr. Burrs, wielding a flute, to compose one of the pieces that became part of their opera.
What was apparent, watching the video, was how involved and engaged everyone was. No one just sat on the side, a spectator. This was a vibrant community coming together for a project that celebrates their lives, and also celebrates the worth they still have in the greater society.
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In Part Three of Creative Aging and the Arts, I’ll be discussing the work that I had the pleasure to experience with our group as well as responses/reactions of the attendees from the full day seminar.
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ATTENTION:
I am available for consulting on Inter-Generational Program Development
as well as Project Management/Facilitation
I am willing to travel or work over Skype with your organization
What is your first thought when someone mentions a Senior/Elder Center or Nursing Home?
Did you envision the elderly sitting around, doing little, just passing time until…? Did you see them as audience members at a performance, or just sitting around large round tables eating? Were they napping, or just gazing off into the distance, seemingly not connected to their surroundings?
Hopefully those days will be behind us as a new awareness is sinking in. Actively engaging the growing elder community is key to the growing number of organizations that work with this population. Inter-generational programming (from the 50′s and up, as the baby boomers join the elder sector) is being spoken of across the United States in all areas of the arts.
I was invited to be a Guest Speaker for OPERA America‘s Creative Resurgence conference, speaking to those opera companies (from Canada and the US) whose education departments reach out now to the centers, nursing homes, group homes and special organizations that cater to the older adult. A number of them make partnerships with libraries as well, helping build connections in their communities.
I was asked to attend this conference due to my recently completed pilot project with a senior center in NYC. We had worked on creating a musical experience crafted from the personal stories of our participants. I will talk more about this in the next part of this series.
Ms. Susan Perlstein, an advocate for the creative aging movement, led the day with the credo “Embrace This Moment!” Ms. Perlstein is the Founder Emeritus for the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA). By the year 2030, it is anticipated that there will be over 70 million people over the age of 65, and that the number of those over 85 will double. There is also the chance that many will have to work, if possible, past what we normally determine as retirement age due to the economic realities we face.
There is evidence based research, as first conducted by The Research Center for Arts and Culture (RCAC) that has shown that interactive, participatory arts programs with the older person promotes a vitality in the aging process, helps to build vibrant communities, and has positive results in both the physical and emotional states of the participants. Dr. Gene D. Cohen, the primary investigator of the research, stated that “Art is like chocolate to the brain.”
Entering into fairly new territory in the arts is exciting in the different challenges it gives to professional teaching artists and arts organizations. The methodology we’ve used for youth programs has to be modified, and in many cases whole new approaches have to be discovered for successful programs for those participating. Understanding the various cognitive and physical changes that go on, and embracing the life history and stories that the elders bring with them are only the tip of what needs to be explored.
In Part 2, I will discuss more of my work in the field, and some observations from the conference attendees.
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ATTENTION:
I am available for consulting on Inter-Generational Program Development
as well as Project Management/Facilitation
I am willing to travel or work over Skype with your organization
There are numerous Blogfests running on any given day. Some are ongoing and others are one shots. With all that run, I do tend to pick around the lot, finding the ones that really interest me…and, hopefully, you.
To find the other blogs participating in this blogfest, click HERE or the Origins logo. There are close to 200 writers participating. Check them out.
I’ve also written a Flash Fiction piece Origins: Entitled on my creative fiction blog, Tale Spinning. I hope you enjoy the story.
I can’t really pinpoint an exact time when writing became one of my dreams. It feels like it’s always been there, at the back of everything I’ve done in my life. I don’t feel I’ve ever been tied down to wanting to “be” just one thing, ever. When I have done that, I find that I tend to get bored: especially the times when I’ve played the money game (read: non-creative pursuits).
As a kid, I read comics, watched TV and went to the movies. Outside of school projects, I would create little things for myself. Mini-comics were a way to pass time when I was bored in class. I’d take paper and fold it down, and then again, creating a sequential booklet for myself to draw in (lots of stick figures) and write short pieces. These would get passed around to friends later. I don’t remember ever getting caught.
There were stories I wrote for sleep-away camp newspapers, mainly mash-ups (yes, plagiarisms) of others work, combining different elements into one piece. While never criticized for that, I was often praised for “imaginative writing” and writing skills. I knew the truth, and just shrugged my shoulders.
High school changed that. I worked on the DeWitt Clinton newspaper for a year, writing articles, learning the craft of setting up the newspaper from scratch. I was really involved, and was going to be promoted to an editor’s slot when my parents told me we were moving to Westchester County. While my dreams of the paper were shot at that point (the new HS paper was not very open to someone new coming in), I did continue to write.
Off and on, I would write poetry, short stories, begin ideas for novels…and more times than not they would languish, first just as a pile of legal pad paper and then committed electronically and saved. All through this, I was always hoping I’d have my name on a book (or comic book) as a writer. It was a passing dream that wove itself throughout most of my life, a goal I always hoped I’d achieve.
2011 saw a new stage of writing for me. I created my second blog, Tale Spinning, for experiments in creative writing. Starting only in February of that year, I wound up writing close to 200 short pieces of fiction. I’ve now had two short stories published in anthologies, have my own eStory published, received a number of blogging/writing awards, been asked to write a number of guest blogs, and have won a few online writing contests.
Still to come: holding that physical book with my name on the cover in my hands.
There is a great deal of concern and hand wringing over saving the arts. Recently, the Westchester County Arts Council sent out a plea for us to write to our congressmen about major cuts to the arts. I did is they asked, knowing that in even the smallest way our voices have to be heard.
I got an answer back not from the congressmen but from his assistant. there was a lot of blame and finger-pointing in this letter, it still talking how great Westchester County is in comparison to other locations. I will copy and post her letter, but before I do: I have something to say. Yes, big surprise.
With all the talk about saving the parts one very important component seems to be forgotten:
WHAT ABOUT THE ARTIST?
I am a performing and teaching ARTIST. I make my primary living from working in the Arts. My discipline is Theater/Drama, Storytelling and Creative Writing. I do not create “lasting” art in Fine Arts, but I DO perform a service in the Performing Arts.
When you cut the funding for the arts, you are not just cutting out a sculpture or a painting, or a dance or theater piece, or a choral work, you are taking money out of reach of PEOPLE who are trying to pay their bills and survive. by making these budget cuts to save organizations, you are also then putting more people on unemployment. This fall, I have been unable to find a job, mainly because in my field there’s much less work. There are also more people out looking for any work, so even jobs that I could fit into are inundated by other people looking for work.
Where would we be without ones like Van Gogh?
Is it just me, or does this just not make any sense? A good friend of mine has put it very simply: at this point in time, if everyone across the board and that means the big boys in the middle management boys played fairly, more people to keep their jobs. It’s part of what I’ve been saying in that we need creative solutions and problem solving in place of the reactionaries.
I do not want to be on unemployment. I want to work. I feel there are ways that more people can work and keep their jobs. Today on the news from NPR I heard that more than 28,000 postal workers will be laid off soon. What jobs will they be able to get to support their families?
It’s very easy to cast blame and point fingers. As a country, we seem to excel at that.
Wouldn’t we be better off if we were creative problem solvers?
As stated above, here is the letter I got today:
Thank you for writing to County Executive Robert P. Astorino regarding funding for the arts.
Please be assured that Mr. Astorino has read your message and he has asked me to respond to you on his behalf.
The county executive understands and appreciates your concern for the arts. While developing the proposed 2012 county budget, Mr. Astorino and his administration have given the arts the same consideration accorded to every program, service, agency and facility supported by county government.
As you know all too well, this is a very challenging economy. There is a critical need to balance a $114 million county budget deficit with a responsibility to provide essential services and property tax relief, protect Westchester’s neediest residents, promote structural financial reform and reduce government spending at all levels. One of the major roadblocks to maintaining the funding level for Arts Westchester and many other worthwhile programs and services, is the failure of the public employee unions to agree to make a reasonable contribution to their healthcare premiums. Westchester County’s union employees are one of the few groups left in the nation that contribute nothing to their healthcare costs. This ever-increasing financial burden necessitates reductions in other portions of the county budget. The county executive, since taking office two years ago, has attempted to get county workers to agree to the same level of healthcare contributions state workers make. While there is a reduction in the allocation to arts programs, the County Executive’s proposed budget includes funding for the arts at $750,000. This action is in no way a reflection on the outstanding quality of exhibits and performances presented by the arts community nor the talents and efforts of all who labor to bring these offerings to fruition. It is instead, a part of many across-the-board measures which must be taken during these difficult times.
Your views and those of all who live and work in Westchester are very important to the county executive. Your input is both welcome and valued.
Again, thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Janet Lokay Assistant to the County Executive 148 Martine Avenue White Plains, New York 10601 (914) 995-2127
Here was my response to Ms. Lokay:
Hi… it’s not just the exhibits and performances.
You forget a very essential part: the artist has to live, pay bills, and be part of the economic structure. By cutting the arts, it’s not just the end product but the people who live through the process. Two very different things.
I am a Teaching Artist and a performing artist. My entire life is creative and my livelihood depends on schools, libraries, community centers and more have funds to hire me and others like me. I live for the educational process that is part of the learning process…and it does not seem politicians realize this.
Schools may not hire a full time Theater Teacher anymore (I have my NYS Certification in Theater), but they SHOULD hire me as a consultant, which is what a TA (teaching artist) really is. I integrate my work into the school core curricula, and it enhances, not wastes, the teachers’ lessons.
I would love to have a conversation about this. Yes, many of us produce art that is seen; there are many more of us who produce art that is part of the educational process, for ALL ages, and we’re hurting, trying to make a living.
My thing: instead of telling me why something isn’t working, why are we not doing problem solving around the negatives out there. I’d rather know what has been attempted, or will be, instead of what is not working. I work a lot with my students, when I get them, on problem solving.
I’m serious about talking with Mr. Astorino.
She gave me her phone number. If I don’t hear from them, and if you know me at all, they will hear from me. I will let you know what happens next. I’m tired of the excuses. Let’s get off of unemployment
I have had (and have many in the waiting) some great – and I mean GREAT – guest blogs for my creativity series. Yesterday was no exception, but a comment by Maureen of Zencherry got to me, as well as many of the comments to yesterday’s post.
I have an example of kindergarten happy turning to first grade bricks.
Youngest child: Teacher pinned a naughty badge on his shirt, (on the first day of school), and made him wear it all through the day and then on the bus home to me because he “sang in the bathroom”. It said it in big red letters on his badge.
Yesterday’s Guest Blogger, Lisa Kramer, of Woman Wielding Words, commented and said exactly how I feel: “That makes my heart hurt. “ Lisa also declared it a Sing In The Bathroom Day for her family.
I’m taking it one step further: I hereby declare a “National Sing Everywhere Movement”!
If you go back among my posts you’ll see that I have endorsed the fact that we can all sing, dance, paint, CREATE!!!
Too many times creativity and exploration is deemed unacceptable and does not fit the norm of what’s expected in school, work, and life. To these fuddy-duddies, I give a great big raspberry (and in some cases a certain raised middle finger); I just don’t have the words to describe in a public forum like this how I feel about that teacher who, to me, exemplifies all that is wrong with our education system and corporate system. Yes, there is lots more “wrong” in both – just what was done to Maureen’s kid really rankles me.
NAUGHTY BADGE
SINGING IN THE BATHROOM
(Don’t let it out, but…I do not know how to make a badge. If anybody knows how to, they can use what I’ve just done above and I would be honored to display it and give it out to all you naughty creative people).
SING OUT LOUD
FINGER PAINT ON THE WALLS
DANCE LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
BE CREATIVE… WEAR THE NAUGHTY BADGE PROUDLY!!!!!!!!
Don’t EVER let someone shame you from doing something that is not causing anyone else harm.
I have PLENTY of stories of adult BULLIES who have shamed me, from childhood on. ADULT BULLIES.
This is a problem that needs to be addressed on the same level we try to do with the kids.
If a story is not about the hearer he [or she] will not listen . . . A great lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting–only the deeply personal and familiar. ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden
Because there is a natural storytelling urge and ability in all human beings, even just a little nurturing of this impulse can bring about astonishing and delightful results. —Nancy Mellon, The Art of Storytelling
The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. ― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings
We are all made up of stories. ~Stuart Nager
Look, let me make this clear; Storytelling is as much for adults as it is for children. Only in the USA do people, overall, think telling stories is just something you READ to kids and it’s only for kids.
Reading a story is very different then TELLING a story.
Telling comes from inside. The teller tells what is important to them, how it resonates with them, and then shares it with the audience. It is not memorized word for word. A tale could be told twenty times, and there will be alterations, adjustments, feeling out the audience energy and engagement…it is knowing the tale, and taking it on.
Storytelling is for adults, too, and in some cases, THE most important audience. It has meanings that latch onto the referencing of the individuals. It straddles every single areas of our lives, not just in schools or libraries.
Corporate storytelling is BIG! The smart managers and directors realize that the personal and corporate tales give the employees something to latch onto…and to believe in. It’s internal marketing/branding, and has a deeper resonance if it’s TRUE and sincere.
The above video is all about storytelling videos from prisoners to loved ones. I’ve seen others from military parents. Think about it…It sends more than a message of love and longing. It connects on a much deeper level.
Storytelling is used in hospitals, elder care centers, and other wellness locations. It gives the potential to open up and share in a way that take conversational talking to another level. Even sitting in ones kitchen, a good telling is like sitting under the stars, listening to the story of the day’s adventure.
In Education: would you rather be engaged or talked at/nose in a book? Talked AT; not with. There is a big difference here; when you can connect and find your own meaning in something, the “lesson” you take out of it will last longer for you.
We are all made up of stories. How do you share yours?
“And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.
This is what I am and what I am about.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden
“You should never risk your integrity or your soul for any amount of money.”
~ Charles Jackson
“To sell your soul is the easiest thing in the world. That’s what everybody does every hour of his life. If I asked you to keep your soul – would you understand why that’s much harder?”
― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~ Harriet Tubman
“Hey Sailor, new in town?” ~Anonymous
Marketing!
Ugly, ugly word for a Performing/Teaching Artist. We are a small bushiness owner, as our small business is ourselves. We are the product, the merchandise, the goods…and it is about time we realize it, and it really is the time that our venue bookers realize the same thing. It’s a business, and it is time for people to stop and realize that.
What does marketing do for us nowadays? It still remains a crap shoot, for the most part. Things have changed in a sense. Overall, the game stays the same.
In the past, I would do a mailing, maybe close to 1,000 pieces. If you got 3% return, you were lucky. Most of the mailings went into the trash filing cabinet. The more well known acts might go slightly higher, but that fluctuated. Repeat bookings was where you made your money; new venues were often hard sells unless (1) someone saw you perform or (2) you came highly recommended. I mean highly. Not just a “oh, I saw so and so, and they were pretty good.”
Email happened, and it opened up a way to save money. The problem: many look at email advertising as spam, and they delete it. So, more trash. Mailings are expensive, but now are looked at a little more closely; still, most of it gets “filed.”
Right now, the landscape is changing, and it’s tough to figure out exactly what will work best for you. It’s been a topic of conversation for a lot of us for awhile now.
What to do? What to do????
What to do:
Persistence: Be persistent. It is key, but not to the point of obnoxiousness.
Follow through: don’t assume.
Know the name and title of the person who does the hiring.
Make an appointment and go meet them. Putting a face to it and having a short sit down goes a lot further than a cold call (most still won’t want to meet up: see #1 and make it happen).
Put money and effort into your Website: no guarantee at all, but bookers in our field like bells and whistles. (ps: they don’t like to read, so keep the copy light and the videos and mp3′s nice and current and clear).
Don’t just trust one site, like Monster (which S**Ks). Use ‘em all.
Pay for advertisement if you can. PROFESSIONAL ADS ONLY. (yes, shouting, but make it look like you have money and don’t need their work. That calls out much louder than mediocre work).
Continue to do snail mailings, but do it on professional printed papers (Idea Art; Paper Direct; etc). Make it look “nice” and unforgettable. See 5.1 above.
Offer some freebies; something that will bribe entice them. You know what you have to offer. Demos are a good idea.
Make what you offer “sexy.” I’m not talking sexual (head out of the gutter, please): make it so someone goes “ooooooo!”
Be a presence on the internet.
Do NOT be afraid of the Social Networks and Social Posting Tools. I use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon, Yahoo! Updates, Google+, Triberrr, and a few others…and I’m always looking for new ways to get my name out…and although I hate the SEO term: we are our own BRAND.
NETWORK: it really is who you know, so many times. Too many times, but…
Care to add to this list? I have more, but I want to know what you, my dear, helpful, friendly, sharing to the point of hurting, beautiful/handsome readers have to add. Really…sharing IS caring!!
If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that… I believe in what I do, and I’ll say it. John Lennon
If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die. Maya Angelou
All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. Albert Einstein
So, I mouthed off yesterday about something rather subversive: I’d like to get paid for my craft, my art. I don’t want to get nickle and dimed, and I would like to be paid in a very timely manner, as in once I finish my performance. Not waiting up to six weeks, not two: paid after I get the job done.
Some of you on biweekly or monthly salaries will now chime in about suck it up, etc etc etc. Well, no, I won’t, and we should not have to. Here’s the thing: our work is a product, when presented, no matter how abstract our base might be. When you order something online, you must pay for that item before they will deign to ship it to you. Until you have that object in hand, it is an abstract idea of that product. When you enter a store, you must pay for it to be able to leave the store. If you hire someone to do cleaning for you, or construction, or whatever, you most likely will have to pay something, if not all, upfront.
So, why do Artists (see yesterday) have to be put on hold, or bickered/bartered/haggled down? As a performing artist, I will give you what you asked: entertainment for your audience. You’re not paying me if they show up or not, if they like the performance or not: the pay is to do the act itself. The rest will weigh in if you’d ever hire me again, or not. Or blackball me among your cronies. These things do happen. I’m using ME here, but it’s more universal among artists.
The term “starving artist” doesn’t have to be literal! Perhaps you could also put together a list of tips for artists about how to avoid such problems cropping up? Just a thought I had
So, yes Virginia, I could put together such a list (and I hope others add in on things I might miss/skip over/never thought of). Not sure if there really is a Santa Claus, but here’s MY list, and I will check it twice before hitting the publish button:
BE PROFESSIONAL IN ALL THINGS YOU DO! (yeah, shouting here).
Create a contract that YOU send out; don’t always just sign the one from the location hiring you. You must state your “must haves” up front, and it’s a document YOU format. They need to know that you have principles and standards.
HAVE PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS! (yeah, shouting again).
Do not just be on time, be early. Very early. Come in calm, cool and collected. Remain that way.
Say “Please” and “Thank You”.
Dress in a professional, clean manner. Save the torn and fou fou arty clothing for elsewhere. Costumes are one thing.
Leave the Diva and overblown EGO at home, if not exorcise that out of you 100%.
Follow up on all emails/phone calls.
Send Thank You notes. Hand written, not emails. Definitely NOT texts.
Be open to dialogue and conversations. Suggestions are just that. Demands are another thing.
If you had a bad encounter at a location, remember it and SHUT UP about it. It WILL bite you in the ass, along the way.
If you have equipment/things to bring to a show, create a checklist and use it. Don’t “forget” something. (go back to #1)
When creating a hand out/biz card: spend some money and make it look professional.
Do your research on the location/exhibit/whatever. Knowing some of the background DOES help.
If you are working with arts standards: KNOW THEM!! (yeah..I know…shouting).
Cold Calls: do them, but do your homework first: find out who does the hiring, what their title is, and how to pronounce their name and how to spell it properly. Cold call for the info first; call back another time. Make it personal.
As To The Aspect of Working For Respect…
I had THE best experience today visiting a location I’ll be performing at on October 22nd: the Bard Graduate Center at 18 West 86th Street (South Side, closer to Central Park West). The Family Day is entitled “Hold Onto Your Hats!” and is about, yes, Hats. I’ll be performing two sets: 1:30-2:00, and then again at 2:30-3:00.The full family day starts at Noon and goes to 4pm.
What made it the best experience: Tracy Grosner, the Gallery Outreach Educator, and other members of the staff there made me feel not only welcome but SO very welcome. This was a true professional experience in the way they offered of themselves, and I really felt there was a true collaborative creative process in my preparing for my performances. I did not have to ask for anything: they were generous in material, in answering questions, offering beverages, in supporting ideas. Not only did they give me a copy of the $50 book that supports the exhibit, not only did I get another book that I MIGHT perform (still have to read it)…they offered to pay my parking garage fee. Two hours of giving of themselves. Informative and all encompassing.
That is generous and really above the “call of duty.” So…I have already written them (the dreaded email, but I wanted something immediate in this case: after the performance is time for the hand written note) and this is my “love letter” to them, from an artist, who was treated with the utmost respect:
Thank You, Tracy and all at Bard Graduate Center. I so am looking forward to working with you.
An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision. James Whistler
art·ist
1. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.
2. a person who practices one of the fine arts, especially a painter or sculptor.
3. a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc.: a commercial artist.
4. a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer: a mime artist; an artist of the dance.
5. a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.
Lately, due to the nature of the economic beast, how much we get paid is a bigger issue then it’s always been…and yes, it has always been a big issue. As the design above states: I have bills to pay, and people to feed. As much as I love my craft (and I do) getting paid for it helps to be able to survive to perform and write another day. Being paid, in a timely matter, is a lovely thing. Thank you.
Why do places (aka Those Who Hire Us) with budget problems seem to lose that concept? It’s one thing to commission an artist in whatever art form he/she lives in. There is grant money-yes, there is still some grant money flitting around-but a great majority of Teaching Artists, Performing Artists, Performers (and yes, there is a difference in the three), well, we get paid by the hour, or class, or performance.
If you haven’t guessed it by now, I network among my fellow artists. We talk shop, fees, audience stories, great and less than so treatment by our clients/patrons. Because we are normally limited in our association (and yes, I do count even a three/four month residency as limited), we often are not given the same “rights” as someone full time. Most times, we don’t want that, seeing how full time people are treated. I’ve heard the stories, good, bad and all the shades in between.
Here’s all we ask for:
Don’t play games with us. Treat us in a professional way when we are professional acting.
Bookers: Before dismissing what we have to offer, look through the lens of YOUR patrons/communities, not your own personal taste.Hand in hand with this: if your audience/class/whatever loves our work, and tells you so, go with it. It’s a good thing.
Tell us how much you have to pay; playing the “what do you charge?” game sucks on so many levels. If we quote too high a price, you won’t hire us. Too low, in trying to get the job, and you’re just taking potential money out of our pockets. Tell me your budget: if you want me, and I can afford to do the show for that price, I will.
Understand that if you’re asking us to travel one hour, 1.5+ hours or more to a location, it really means double that, and gas and tolls are now crazy monsters.
Make sure your expectations of what we offer are realistic. Don’t expect the moon if we promise you something else.
Pay us when the job is done right after we’re finished. We don’t always have the luxury to wait up between two to six weeks to get paid. (I once had a librarian “forget” to put in for my pay, and I had to wait just over six weeks to get paid due to her board of trustee rules, or so she said). How would you like it if your job said “oops…we made a mistake. We’ll pay you next month.” NO ONE would like that. No one.
Understand bartering is a great tool for local artists, not one coming from far away. Usually. Depends on the bartering.
PLEASE understand we are NOT babysitters, and if we ask for certain help from staff and family members, it is because of just that: you hired us for our talent, not as children management. That is not our job.
BTW, I might work for free, but it’d be for a really good reason. Just understand that if you can pay us, please do. Bill collectors don’t understand altruism.
