Exhibits Team on Display
This team is different from the others. Its members do not focus on a particular skill set or share valuable knowledge and tips about art, like teachers do. Instead, the four team members have the job of keeping track of art inventory, exhibiting, promoting and eventually selling pieces of art produced by Imagine Art artists.
David Carrales leads Exhibits, as the team is known. During the first nine months of the 11 month service period, the team met regularly. They took their time and came up with a consensus method for selecting inventory. They also found creative ways to exhibit and sell all types of art. AmeriCorps members from the other teams stepped-in to help whenever Exhibits needed muscle or camaraderie.
The exhibit team has developed a significant social media presence and commercial website. Daisy Andre Fuentes uses her technical skills to handle commerce, design graphics (see below) and manage the online store. Alyssa Boyd synchronizes social media, often collaborating with Daisy for amazing results. Vic Martinez writes blogs promoting the teachers and events; writing and updating artist bios. David is also a professional photographer who snapped many of the artists’ pieces seen below.
Imagine Art has taken on several projects over the past service year. A big one was the June collaboration with St. Luke United Methodist Church during the Touchstones & New Beginnings event. The big draw was the ceramic exhibition and the unveiling of the Peace Pole Project, built with some 60 odd ceramic totems.
AmeriCorps members with the help of Exhibits, organized a successful St. Luke Ceramic and Paper Exhibition. They found new homes for many of the art pieces. Since then, Imagine Art started conducting a variety of art workshops out of St. Luke that benefit the downtown communities of Clarksville and Old West Austin .
The Exhibits Team also arranged shows at Halcyon Coffee Bar Mueller and Cherrywood Coffeehouse where some artists sold their very first pieces. At Halcyon, the showing of large canvases as well as smaller pieces is ongoing. A month-long Exhibition in June at Cherrywood promoted 30 artists.
IA artists also participated in the Maker Breaker Reset Virtual Art Auction and the Flatbed Press Paper Show. All the while, the goal is to take artwork out of storage and find a way to sell it so it can be displayed as the artist intended, in peoples’ homes and businesses.
To make sure everybody gets involved, interested business owners can sign-up to showcase Imagine Art artwork through IA’s Art Loan Program. Nancy West’s four pieces were recently installed in the offices of Providence Behavior Therapy in Austin. They will remain on display until they sell, Imagine Art needs the artwork back, or when the borrower requests a refresher.
