Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with arts

Alternative queer venues in NYC?

dontjumplarry — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:27:14 -0800

Off to NYC at the end of the month...looking for recommendations for alternative or quirky queer venues and performances to check out. Think: non-mainstream drag, burlesque shows, bars, one-off club nights, shows, concerts, all-leather-queen-productions-of-Sound-of-Music and other uncategorisable performance art strangeness.

Please help me remember the name of this movie.

aberrant — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:30:17 -0800

What was the name of this movie? Martial arts-themed/action (think JCVD-style). Cheesy scene description - the only one I can remember - inside. I last saw the movie in the 90's (likely early/mid 90's). The only scene I remember is a flashback to when the (non-Asian) protagonist was a boy, and he was in an Asian country (Singapore? Vietnam? Thailand? Could this be a Chuck Norris movie?). Several kids surround him in the road and beat him up, which is when he embarks on his study of martial arts. I really think it was Jean-Claude Van Damme, but having reviewed his filmography nothing rings a bell.

Any ideas on the name of this movie? Thanks!

Festival Management 101

divabat — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:08:41 -0800

I'd like to start a festival. This time I actually have a plan and possibly some people. Where do I start? After being mildly frustrated at the local alt-arts scene, I made a plan for a fringe/indie/alt arts festival that showcases minority and culturally diverse performers. I've been inspired by the upcoming Shades of Burlesque festival and the Kaleidoscope Cabaret festival (both for burlesque performers of colour; Kaleidoscope has a more queer focus) and basically want to do something similar in Australia. It would be the first of its sort in my area, if not the country. (Kaleidoscope has a pretty good outline of how I want my festival to run)

I made up a quick plan outlining how the festival will run, a wishlist of people and resources, and further questions. I've got a few people interested, and just had a chat this afternoon with someone whose job is to help young people with their creative projects. I've also been collecting advice here and there.

Where do I start? My contact this arvo suggested I write a 1-2 page brief to the organisations whose involvement I'm after outlining the festival idea and what I need. Who should I go after first - venues, presenters, sponsors, all at once? It seems a bit chicken and egg.

I figure the earliest this festival will take place will be mid-late 2010. Right now people are finishing up year-end projects before going on holidays, so any major meetings will only really take place in January. What can I do between now and then that won't take up people's time? I anticipate that some of my presenters and brains will likely be from outside Australia - how do I plan for travel expenses and that sort of thing?

What resources have you found useful in festival planning? Any software, reading material, guides, people that are handy? Any grants or funding bodies that make good contacts? (I'm not a permanent resident yet so 99% of Aussie grants are off-limits to me; however, if I'm auspiced, the auspicing org could apply on my behalf) Any creative methods that have worked well for others?

(The plan is in a public Google document; MefiMail me if you'd like to take a look.)

Do you have arts programming at your workplace?

hworth — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:25:19 -0800

Arts programming in the workplace? Tell me what you know. I am looking for arts programming that takes place in workplaces and is open to all workers at that location. So, for example, a poetry workshop offered at lunchtime, or a intro to drawing available tuesday afternoons, or an arts appreciation class during shift change at 11pm. Do you work for a company that makes this kind of arts programming available to their employees? Do you work for an arts organization that does this kind of programming in workplaces? Please share your experiences. Links would be great as my google-fu has failed me on this one.

Is Johnson & Wales worth it?

firei — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:54:06 -0800

I'm thinking of going to culinary school for baking and pastry. Right now Johnson & Wales in RI is the front runner. My question: is JWU worth it, or should I be looking elsewhere? I live in "upstate" NY - I'm a little more than an hour north of NYC, and about an hour south of the CIA.

I really like what I've read on the J&W website, and plan to go visit the school sometime in the next few months. However, I'm having some trouble finding outside sources talking about the school or the program!

And the few that I've found (mostly on ask.meta) seem to be in regards to the culinary program, not the baking and pastry program.

So, did you go to J&W for baking and pastry? Do you know someone who did? (In a pinch, I'll take info on the culinary program, too.)

Or would you recommend a different school? Let's assume that location, as long as it is within the states, is not an issue.

I would prefer a program that will lead to a bachelors, a program that is not primarily filled with just out of high school kids, and the best bang for my buck. I'm willing to shell out the dough, but only if it will be worth it!

(Please note: I'm not asking if culinary school is a good idea/bad idea/waste of money/whatever. I'm just asking about the schools!)

Thanks!

Name that poem!

mattholomew — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:28:05 -0800

Name that poem! Several years ago I came across a poem on a website that collected a lot of 'classic' English language poems, the sort of stuff you'd find in a Norton anthology. This one was written by a woman, and it was about thinking of someone who was separated by distance. I think there was some mention of 'cold wine' and 'crisp toast'. It was very modern and conversational, so it's definitely not from Browning, Millay, etc.

How to go from a little girl with a guitar to a professional?

lhude sing cuccu — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:17:31 -0800

No one tells you how to be a musician in high school. What should I be doing? I feel like playing open mics and blindly sending out demos isn't the right way to do it. I can't even play at bars because I'm under 21. Any advice? So, I am only 18 but you don't stay 18 forever. David Bowie was releasing records with Decca when he was 17, and this haunts me every day. (David Bowie is kind of my template...the only part that's working so far is starting out solo and acoustic.)
I moved to Chicago when I was 17 because I wanted to get out of my town (Roanoke, VA) and network and become a musician. I ended up just making a long list of venues I could theoretically play at...when I'm 21 and with a backing band! I ended up doing nothing in Chicago, really. I met someone who started his own record label but nothing materialised, and I started kind of bands with a few people...but that never works out.

I grew up teaching myself about the music industry with outdated books from the library, and when I realised you can't just send a cassette and a picture to major labels to solve all your problems, my world just crashed. I can't keep up wih technology fast enough to know which path is the professional one, and which leads to being some hack in my room posting my songs online to an audience of 5.

So, it's just me, a little girl with a guitar, who aspires to be someone important. I've decided to put aside all my anxieties ("I get sick too often to tour!" "I need stable relationships too much!") and just try it, or hate myself forever. I've moved back from Chicago, and I plan to start getting credits in theatre, education, and/or French, but I don't know what I'd do with that degree. Then I want to move to Portland, OR (I've already started that venue list) and play open mics, any all-ages venues...alone, with my electric guitar and maybe a tape player...and ask around for a manager/agent.
This seems wrong. I've got a lo-tech website, and I could record a real demo if I wanted. But it all seems pointless and not right.

Any advice from musicians or other creative-types on what I should be doing? I know I'd need a "real" job, but the only other thing I want to do long-term would be working in theatre, but everyone knows that's just as bad a business. I have these ridiculous ideas on how to incorporate theatre into my music shows that don't exist yet, but I can't really do much, just me and my guitar, to really set me apart. I also like, and want to write, the kind of music no one else is really into but old men (who I don't really feel so good about working with, frankly). So I'm sort of just assuming the only way I will find anyone wanting to play with me is by just playing places and hanging out afterwards. I'm not really naturally extroverted either, so I'm not a big networker. But I have no idea how to start on that, either. ("Hey, stranger, do you know anyone who can help me with publicity?") I could put up my own 11x17 posters to my own little low-key solo performances and hope for the best, but that just seems sad.

I work best with concrete lists, and the world of music is anything but concrete, so anything resembling a list would be marvellous!

Sandwiches at the Strathmore Center?

imjustsaying — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:20:29 -0800

Will we be allowed to bring a soft cooler with some sandwiches into the outdoor venue tomorrow night when we go to see Last Train Home at Montgomery County, MD's Strathmore Center? This is a "Friday Nights Out Back" event. I did a thorough search of the Strathmore web site and found no policy in place on this.

Need info on Arvo Pärt and Für Alina

mermaidcafe — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:17:59 -0800

Who can tell me lots about Arvo Pärt and/or Für Alina?
I'm a big fan of Part and Fur Alina in particular. I've read what I can find online but need more. I'm writing a short story where Fur Alina plays a major part, and I need to know as much as I can about it, specifically, or Part, more broadly. You can talk about it from a more technical standpoint or biographical or whatever--anything will help. Thanks!

Where do these people hang out? Suggestions for online communities, please!

the latin mouse — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:13:09 -0800

I need to find talented people who are into both theatre writing and web technologies. They should live in Britain or Ireland. I have two weeks. Where should I look?

Finding the national artistic news spotlight?

lifeofthunder — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:12:15 -0800

Our non-profit arts organization has just earned the support (in the form of a very big grant) from an internationally renowned foundation. We've got a good system of press releases that we send out to local and regional contacts, but we're idealistically looking to see some national artistic attention as the result of getting this grant. Where/who should we attempt contact to really get noticed? For the record, we're not in one of the top fifteen major US cities that you would expect to see produce the kind of arts organization that we have, so perhaps the story is that we're coming from a location that isn't exactly known for eccentric arts practices?

UK Fringe Resources Wanted

divabat — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:33:21 -0800

What are some great resources, preferably online, of fringe arts (burlesque, cabaret, circus, improv, street theatre, etc) in the United Kingdom? I only know of Ministry of Burlesque and that's it. I'm looking for listings of events, schools, workshops, venues, performers, anything to do with the more oddball non-conventional performing arts. I'll likely be concentrating on England, but Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland-related links are good too.

Can I Polish Up My Martial Arts When I Can't Afford a Dojo?

snap_dragon — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:54:16 -0800

Is it possible to practice and brush up on martial arts? I can't afford a dojo and only have my wife to practice on (!!). I know...rather sad. But she is willing to learn so I teach her. Can I polish up my previous learning? I have 3 years in karate 2 years in small-circle jujitsu (wrist lock flowing techniques, and not the Brazilian stuff...which would be great, though)...and a smattering of Aikido. I am not looking to be Bruce Lee or the best cage fighter. I am wanting to perfect what I do know. Is it silly to watch youtube videos and books that I have (excellent reference by Marc Tedeschi etc) to refresh myself as well as practice teaching my wife? What are your thoughts on training in a vacuum if you will? If you have any training ideas or opinions I am open for your knowledge or criticism. I don't want to waste my time.

Trying to wrangle a creative business into a business plan is tons more difficult than I expected

divabat — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:09:10 -0800

How am I supposed to make financial projections for a business plan when I don't even know how much money I'd earn in a month? I'm in the process of starting up a small creative business aimed at providing services for creative productions & producers - anything from selling merchandise to stage managing to backup singing. From my experience, such people (basically anyone willing to do random grunt work that's necessary for a production to run) are quite in demand and it's something I enjoy doing anyway, so it's a viable idea. It's also going to be the brand/structure for my own performance/creative work.

I've already done a couple of gigs and am getting my name out there in the communities I want to work with. There are some grants and funding I'd like to explore, and they all require a business plan. However, I'm stuck at the financials section of the plan, because I don't know how to project my yearly cashflow or turnover.

The nature of my business means that my income is likely irregular, especially during the first year while I build my reputation. My potential income all depends on the people I work for, my level of experience, their budget, how friendly they are to me, whether they'd give me money or something in-kind, or so on. People tend to be really secretive about this as well.

I have an idea of a base hourly rate, based on previous work, but there's no telling how many of those hours I can fulfill. There's also the option of paid by commission, flat rates, retainers...so many variables!

I asked a well-known accountant in the arts industry this question and he gave me this reply:

I tend to not worry too much about income projections, well not upfront anyway, because, as you say, you have bugger-all idea of how much you’ll make. Instead, I concentrate on getting the costs identified and quantified as well as you can, and even that’s a bit more guessing than anything else. Once I’ve established how much the business is likely to cost on a day-to-day basis, then that tells you how much income you need to cover costs. Add to that your cost of day-to-day living. That tells you how much money you need to be getting to live on and run the business, in total. Subtract from that how much you get, say, from part time wages, and the balance becomes the business income you need to get by one. That’s the starting point and if you think you can make more than that, then that’s the figure you use. Don’t get too hung up on income from a budgeting perspective though; generally you’ll hustle enough to get by on!

I do have an estimated budget of my costs, as well as calculations of how much I'd need from my jobs (not just this one, but regular jobs as well) to get by. However, it still doesn't help my business plan - I'm not sure I can replace the Financial Projections section with "My accountant told me not to bother"!

How do you plan for irregularity in business, particularly a creative one? What do you do when you can't predict exactly how much you'll earn, but you have a pretty good idea why that's the case and how you'll price yourself?

Also, are there any examples of creative and unusual business plans? I know of the Right Brain Business Plan but that's about it really.

a great school for the recording arts

konono — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:21:28 -0800

I am currently looking to further my education in the recording arts. Does anyone know of an affordable, yet accredited program?

Help me name our Arts Event..

pearlybob — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:20:14 -0800

Need help with a name idea for an Arts function... My organization is combining our annual Arts Auction with the Spring carnival/picnic. We need a catchy name. I would like for it to focus on the arts part but still convey that this is a family fun event. The name right now is Arts Auction/Spring Picnic. Any ideas? I have to do advertising this weekend and need inspiration! Thanks all!!

Let me take care of the boring stuff, while you get on with your doodling.

divabat — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:33:24 -0800

Emerging and small/medium scale artists and creatives: what would you like your manager to do? What would compel you to hire the services of a manager/admin person/PA and how much would you be willing to pay? I've been doing similar semi-managerial work for my best friend who's in broadcast media. Officially I manage her website and web presence, but I also manage fanmail, keep out the creepies, pass on job offers, liaise and organise job contacts & interviews, research opportunities, and help her hash out ideas. She finds me useful because she herself isn't very tech-savvy and doesn't know how to harness current technology as effectively as possible.

Based on my "charmed bridge" question, as well as past work & volunteer experience, I feel that I could do more this kind of work, as a freelancer or a business owner. Essentially I'd like to help artists concentrate more on their work by dealing with the extra not-creative side. I'm particularly interested in those who feel overwhelmed by the Internet (I've met TONS!) and who only have a basic poorly-designed site but not much else to help them get out there.

The things I thought of doing (that I'm actually pretty good at) are:
* Social media - knowing what their audience uses, maintain their web presence, etc
* Managing and screening fanmail
* Liaising and organising media/work/volunteer/speaking requests
* Research opportunities relevant to them (workshops, gigs, etc)
* Introduce them to other people they could collaborate with
* Taking care of "boring" paperwork (forms, visas, grants, etc)
* Ordering equipment/tools/items and finding good deals

Some other skills that may be handy include booking events, accounting, and PR/publicity, though I'm not as great in those as I am in the above.

If you were an independent creative person (of whatever form), what would compel you to hire a manager or assistant? What is the difference roles-wise between managers and PAs and assistants anyway? How much would you pay and how were you willing to pay for it?

Also, there are some tasks where I work better in collaboration with someone else - for instance, in managing people's websites, I usually deal with the concept and putting things together, while I get my boyfriend (who studies web services at uni) to code the website. How would I bring in a collaborator ethically and with fair compensation? Do I just recommend someone, get a commission, do it all myself?

Best ways to harness the web for museum/gallery collection access?

Weng — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:12:09 -0800

What are the best, most innovative websites that provide access to museum or art gallery collections, or related art historical information? For each example, what are the factors that make it so good? This can be in terms of style, aesthetics, useability, novelty value, whatever. Primarily I am looking for examples of how the capabilities of the web have been made use of in order to create better access to art collections and their supporting material.

Any suggestions? If so, what is the actual technology / tool / software being used? [Sorry, you can probably tell by my terminology that I'm a newbie in this area...]

My purpose in asking is to help with the brainstorming of new project ideas, for a website that I may be involved in developing in future. Obviously I am kind of a luddite in this area, but need to start researching the possibilities that are out there... So, any pointers towards blogs, books or articles that discuss this issue would also be appreciated!

Thanks all!

Sight-reading singer trying to relearn the piano: any suggestions?

Twevy — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:55:04 -0800

I am a sight-reading singer trying to relearn the piano. I used to take lessons and still remember how to play the piano, but have not practiced in quite some time. I am not looking to become concert-quality, but just so that I can maybe play along with myself when trying to learn a song or play something relatively simple for my own enjoyment. Is there a book or something I can get or something I can do to help me relearn the piano? Thanks!

Examples of successful creative grant/fellowship/scholarship applications?

gottabefunky — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:23:36 -0800

Where can I find examples of successful applications for grants, fellowships and scholarships related to writing and/or international research, along the lines of Fulbright, NEA, etc? I'm especially interested in programs applicable to longer (book-length) nonfiction projects, and grant amounts in the $thousands more than $hundreds.

How to make a paint-by-number in Photoshop?

macrowave — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:20:07 -0800

What's the simplest way to create a series of paint-by-number patterns from digital photos? I have access to Photoshop and Illustrator. My Photoshop skills are a bit rusty (it's been a few years) and my Illustrator/vector understanding is pretty lame. My DIY xmas idea for the family this year is to create paint-by-number kits of all of the siblings/parents/grandparents and package them with paints/brushes,etc. Nothing too fancy... I just want to print numbered line drawings onto thick cardstock.

I'm assuming that Illustrator is the way to go. Is there anyone out there that knows it well enough to break it down to a few easy steps? I'm assuming that all I really need to do is break my family's headshots down to four or five colors and then outline and number the color fields.

Instructions anyone? Or links to a tutorial? The hints that come up in my google search involve just tracing with the Photoshop pen tool and/or tracing manually with carbon paper. There has to be any easier way, no? I vaguely remember the livetrace Illustrator command from school, but, again, really don't know how to mess with vector graphics.

Also- I'm on a mac and don't want to buy any extra software.

Thanks!

Give me knowledge with a side of head nodding

reenum — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:48:06 -0800

I need intelligent hiphop/rap with good beats. Any recommendations? I was a huge hip hop head back in the day. I love a lot of '90s west coast rap with phat beats. The misogyny and gunplay is a bit much for someone my age though. Some of my favorites in terms of good beat/bad content artists are Snoop, Dre, Nelly, DJ Quik, E-40, Ice Cube, Mack 10, WC.

The problem I have with a lot of underground or intelligent hiphop is the lack of good beats. Some lyricists I love who often have horrible beats are Ras Kass, Saafir, and Aceyalone.

Yesterday, I picked up Talib Kweli's "Eardrum" and it was exactly the sort of thing I love. Intelligent lyrics with slammin' beats. I also liked Hieroglyphics back in the day. Blackalicious and the rest of Quannum are awesome too. I'm not a big Jurassic 5 fan, and I've seen them mentioned a lot in previous threads.

I've checked the other hip hop related threads and none of them seemed to directly ask this question. I'm open to all styles of hip hop as long as it meets the preceding criteria.

Thanks!

Arts Management Internship help?

BlackStrapMolasses — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:43:32 -0800

Graduate student: Looking for a summer internship anywhere in the US or Canada to enrich MS in Arts Management degree. Do you have any suggestions of favorite museums (large or small), galleries, or even independent grass-roots arts organizations? I'm currently a graduate student pursuing an MS in Arts Management. Part of my curriculum requires a summer internship. I'm going to apply to all of the larger museums, but I'm sure that there are smaller galleries and groups out there that may not be showing up in the first few pages of a google search.

My background (undergrad) is in fine arts. I currently work for a small gallery, and have experience in a large corporation's private collection. I'm interested mostly in modern art, but also have an inclination to portraiture, American art, Canadian art, and certain fiber/folk arts. Basically anything 2D fine arts related.

I've also studied abroad in Moscow. Although I haven't had a chance to work on my language skills, the interest is still there.

I wouldn't pass up a great opportunity at a larger museum, but I'm more interested in smaller, independent, niche, or downright strange galleries.

I'm currently in western PA, and am willing to pretty much travel anywhere. I'd really like to stay out of the South and maybe even midwest, as I'm hoping to also use this experience to network and hopefully find a permanent job after graduation, and I haven't really had any great experiences in either area (I know! everyone loves Chicago!). But I'd also not nix a great idea because of location.

I'd also prefer a mid-sized metropolitan area.

My curriculum is largely quantitative, so I'm pretty certain now that I'd much rather be on a programming or administrative side of the business, as opposed to development or finance.

phew, I tried to provide as much info as possible. But basically, if you know of any great galleries or arts organization that you are partial to, please let me know. I put more faith into "work of mouth" than popular consensus.

How do you survive an arts career?

themaskedwonder — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:59:46 -0800

Artistic MeFites: I'm looking for some advice. For any of you pursuing (or already established within) some time of artistic career, whether it be music, film, writing, theatre, dance, sculpture or whatever, how do you keep yourself happy and productive in your field? And most of all, how do you get there in the first place? I've decided that I can't run from it anymore. I've wanted to write and sing for as long as I can remember, and despite my fear, I think I'm just going to go for it and see what ends up happening or else I'll go batty wondering what might have been. The questions are: do you keep your day job and/or pursue a second, perhaps more stable, career simultaneously, or just attack your dream full force? And how do you keep yourself motivated against all the odds? (Answer however you feel; I know I threw in about nine million questions.)

Australian Migration Agent Needed - good with Creative Industries

divabat — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:28:22 -0800

Where can I find an Australian migration agent who's good with the creative industries, or otherwise unusual career paths? I'm finishing my Creative Industries degree (one month then it's over yay!) and am considering getting permanent residency. My main obstacle right now is declaring a Skilled Occupation for the General Skilled Migration visa.

My degree is an Interdisciplinary one, which essentially means it's a hodgepodge of stuff that doesn't necessarily fit neatly into one job title. My submajors are CI (Arts) Management and Creative Writing. My current work placements and past work experience were usually with non-profits and/or young people, so I'd love to claim Youth Worker as my "skilled occupation" - however, the accessing body only looks at your degree, nothing else, and I don't have a Social Work degree.

Most of the skilled occupations on that list don't even apply to my degree; the ones that do don't carry any points. Considering I need 120 points, and the job carries at least 40, this will be an issue. Even if I do opt for the temporary bridging visa (to make up for lack of points), I still need to declare an occupation to work in exclusively for a year.

What I need now is a good migration agent or lawyer that is experienced with dealing with unusual occupational/degree cases like mine. They would be able to look through my course transcript and figure out which high-value skilled occupation I best fit, or find some other way for me to fit in. My dad has a friend who's a migration agent but he proved to be useless. I'm not sure if my uni's Career Service would know much about visas and migration, but it's worth a try. I don't know of too many others that could help. The one person I can think of in a similar situation to mine (originally a German student, now the Marketing officer for the youth arts org I'm interning at) has a sponsored work visa - that's also an option, but that depends on a company willing to sponsor me for a while.

Where can I find such an agent? I'm Brisbane-based but anywhere in Australia is fine. Do you know of any good agents, or resources for agents? Would any artsworker websites be good with this aspect too?