Please check in to pick up registration materials and get a name tag. Take this opportunity to ask questions, connect with other conference attendees, and plan your day. Lunch will not be provided, but there will be coffee!

Begin Day One of the 2020 Business of Art Conference with brief opening remarks in the Main Gallery.

The presentation of your art is as important as the artwork itself. Professional finishing elevates your work and your image as an artist. Learn the ins and outs of signing, framing, hanging/displaying, and packaging/shipping. See examples and learn best practices. Sources for recommended hardware packaging will be provided. Get ready for exhibitions and festivals alike!

About the Presenters:

Learn more about Kristen Greteman:  candidcrane.com

“I’m an artist, not a writer!” Us too. But in our highly verbal culture, writing is just as important a color on your palate as our favorite rainbow hues.

This immersive session will begin with a comprehensive overview about why writing is vital for your art, and the many places it takes root in daily art practice.

Next, learn together with fellow artists as we wordsmith and add writing moves to our repertoire. Constructive feedback will help polish a short statement to something we’re proud to share.

You might even leave with a newfound passion for lined journals (those useless sketchbooks you can’t draw in).

About the Presenters:

Anna Segner

Anna Segner is a painter, writer, and teaching professor (drawing) at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. Through painting and assemblage, Anna incorporates critical animal studies and other research to question the human act of “toying” with animals.

Anna has gained professional exposure through participation in both
regional and national juried exhibitions and solo exhibitions. Most recently, Anna was a part of a group exhibition, “Dear Earth” at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, IL. This year, she is thrilled to be working with ISU
faculty on 20 Artists 20 Parks, an artist residency program celebrating the 100th birthday of Iowa State Parks in coordination with Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa Arts Council.

Anna earned her MFA from Iowa State University in Spring of 2019, and
she graduated from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in 2015 with a
Bachelor of Arts in Literature with Writing Emphasis and Studio Art.
Between studies, she worked as a newspaper reporter in Owatonna, MN
(her hometown).

Learn more about Anna Segner:  www.annasegner.com

Naomi Friend

Naomi Friend is a Central Iowa artist exploring the intersection of our urban, rural, and wild spaces through artmaking. She is inspired by the love of the land we share in the Midwest. Her artwork includes one-of-a-kind exposures using Cyanotype, combining the photo process with drawn illustrations of farm animals, cultivated, and native species. Her current project is the Iowa State Park Stickers project. She designs vinyl stickers celebrating nature escapes and destinations in Iowa.

Friend’s work has been shown in solo shows in Iowa, California, and Nebraska, and other group shows. It is recognized in local and regional radio, newspaper, published in Diffusion magazine, and resides in public and private art collections. It has received awards in national juried art exhibits. She exhibits in a variety outdoor public art events including the Des Moines Arts Festival. Iowa park stickers are available to view and purchase at the Octagon Shop, Jax Outdoor gear, and a growing number of nature centers in Iowa.  

She earned a Masters of Fine Art in Integrated Visual Arts at Iowa State University in 2013 and grew up in the community of Sioux Center, Iowa. Her undergraduate degree is from Dordt College where she studied fine art and graphic design. Naomi was the exhibits director at the Octagon for three years and operates Friend’s Flowers, a small 3 acre farm north of Ames where she lives with her son and husband.

Learn more about Naomi Friend: 

Social media is an incredibly powerful resource in growing your business and establishing strong connections with those interested in your work – but only when used correctly.  It is all too easy to fail in growing an audience, or quickly lose engagement with your followers.  This presentation will cover what is truly essential for a successful social media presence – creating visually striking posts without expensive equipment, getting to know your audience, generating content that is authentic to you and your work, what to share for continued interest, and how to accurately assess the type of content that best connects with your community.

About the Presenter:

Kara Grupp is a “contagiously energetic mother of two young boys and six dwarf goats,” as well as the chief face, heart, and head of Three Pines Farm, a folk school & community-focused, artistic gathering space.  The folk school was established in 2014, when Kara left Ames and a career in the sciences behind to pursue this dream on her family’s historic farm in Cedar Falls.  Being on a quiet country road, rather than a well-trafficked Main Street, social media has been a major driver at Three Pines Farm in reaching an interested audience, building strong relationships, and keeping folks engaged with the farm.  Kara has established a beloved, loyal following on Facebook and Instagram, with virtually no advertising, and very few community connections when starting out almost 6 years ago. Kara and Three Pines Farm have also been featured in Midwest Living Magazine, several local TV stories, and multiple newspaper articles, some of which have reached a national audience.

Learn about Kara Grupp: 

website: www.threepinesfarm.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThreePinesFarmIA

Instagram: www.instagram.com/three_pines_farm

Please check in to pick up registration materials and get a name tag, if you did not attend day one. Take this opportunity to ask questions, connect with other conference attendees, and enjoy a light breakfast.

Start Day Two of the 2020 Business of Art Conference with brief opening remarks in the Main Gallery.

Often, emerging artists strive to be able to say they are “full time artists” — as if it, in and of itself, that can be the only true marker of success. While that could be true for those who have defined success to themselves that way, it is not the ONLY metric of being a successful artist. I will discuss my own history, evolving from an underground graffiti writer in Des Moines (at a time when mural opportunities were consistently met with closed doors) to commissioned muralist, who eventually had to weigh the consideration of quitting my regular job in corporate America. I had to decide whether to “make it” as an artist or find a way to allow both endeavors to co-exist; in doing so I redefined my own perspective of success, established stability for my family, and followed my passion for aerosol arts. Much of this involves defining one’s own concept of value, learning how to say “No,” recognizing when a job offer compromises my integrity and should be avoided, balancing artistry with a career, etc… My hope would be that sharing my experience and perspective might aid other young artists in not confining themselves to someone else’s definition of success, thereby limiting their ability to be content as they continue to pursue art.

About the Presenter:

ASPHATE is a member of the nationally recognized Scarce Elementz Mural Crew, whose work has appeared throughout the United states, most notably in Iowa, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Denver, California, Chicago, Phoenix, etc. He is also the founder of Iowa’s largest graffiti writing exhibition, held in Des Moines, IA, “COLOR CODES,” as well as the found of the Color Control graffiti writing workshops for youths of various metro schools through DMPS and the Movement 515 program. Notable and familiar works include the Iowa Speedway’s 200 x 14ft tunnel mural (Newton), the 2016 “Fathom” seascape wall (180+ft) (Des Moines), previously located at 900 Mulberry St., Morning Bell Coffee (Ames), etc.

Learn more about ASPHATE:  www.thescarce.org

In this whirlwind session you will be introduced to sources of funding, learn what to look for in each call, and be given a practical guide to the standard, required sections common in most proposals.

About the Presenter:

Sandra Norvell serves as the Research Development Coordinator for faculty in the arts, design, humanities and social sciences disciplines at Iowa State University. In this role she assists faculty with finding sources of funding and writing their proposals. She has had experience working on more than 500 proposals to more than 60 different funding agencies and residencies.

Before moving to Iowa, she was involved in the American Handcraft industry for more than 20 years in New York State as the Director for Training and Graphics with People’s Pottery, Inc. and was responsible for developing artist statements and product information for more than 600 national artists. Over her career, she has also worked at the Spurlock Museum in Champagne/Urbana, IL and at the Marian E. White Museum in Buffalo, NY and been site director and ceramics lab director for various archaeological
digs in the state of New Mexico, and the countries of Honduras and Mexico.

Sandra received her Masters of Arts in Anthropology and Archaeology at SUNY Buffalo and her BA at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA with a major in Archaeology and minors in Art History and Architectural Design.

She currently serves on review panels for the Iowa Arts Council and Humanities Iowa and on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Fulbright Association.

Table Discussions

Grab your lunch and join a discussion or start your own! This is a perfect time to get to know someone, ask a question, and share your wisdom. Several of our speakers are facilitating discussions:

• Ask Jonathan: Jonathan Castro
• Teaching your craft: Jody Boyer
• Arts Advocacy: Julia Franklin
• Self-publishing:
• Public Art: 
• Health and the working artist: 

Artist Melynda Van Zee will present a framework and practical ideas for building and organizing your art practice which will help you discover your core vision and develop your core studio and art business practices which can ultimately lead to more creative freedom and long-term sustainability for your art practice and life.

We will discuss how to uncover your unique artistic vision, values and passions which will be the foundation of building your art practice. There will be a focus on practical ways to gather your creative ideas, organize your creative work and build a sustainable art practice. Melynda will share her personally developed studio organization tips, plus software and online platforms that assist with organization for artists (payment systems, artist inventory, artist websites, artist newsletters and client tracking). Financial concerns for artists will be discussed including insurance, taxes, flexing your financial muscles, tracking your art business and marketing materials, and building a distribution network for your work.

About the Presenter:

Melynda Van Zee, artist and owner of Melynda Van Zee Studio, creates acrylic paintings with vibrant layers of translucent paint enhanced by swirling dimensional line work.  She shares her fine artwork at art exhibits and art fairs throughout the United States. Her works are in the collections of numerous private and corporate collectors. She is the author of an art technique book published by Lark Books. Melynda earned her BA in Elementary Education and Art from Dordt College. Her studio is located in the heart of the prairies of central Iowa.

For more information about Melynda Van Vee: www.melyndavanzee.com

With limited spaces to exhibit art and fund new projects, how can you navigate new and existing places to show your work and find ways to fund expenses and generate revenue? First, understand the basics of making a professional and compelling exhibition proposal. Second, explore options on possible locations to find the best fit for what you do. Third, let’s brainstorm ways to creatively fund your project. And lastly, let’s partner together to make this happen and promote your idea. Come away with directions, resources and confidence to get your work seen so you can be part of the vibrant art scene here in Iowa.

About the Presenter:

Julia Franklin received her BFA from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and earned her MFA from TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. She served as Professor of Art at Graceland University for 19 years, where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2011 and the Excellence in Scholarship Award in 2019. She now resides in West Des Moines and recently made the leap to manage the galleries and arts outreach at Drake University. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Des Moines Art Center’s Print Club and assists nonprofits in grant writing.

Franklin is a recipient of the prestigious 2018 Iowa Artist Fellowship which is made possible by an annual appropriation from the Iowa Legislature to the Iowa Arts Council. Julia recently received a 2019 Iowa Arts Project Grant, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, to create an immersive performance-based installation in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Julia has exhibited artworks in over 70 shows across the nation including the City Museum in St. Louis, the Sioux City Art Center, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the Arlington Museum of Art, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, the Dubuque Museum of Art and many regional colleges and universities. She also participated in a pivotal month-long artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont.

Learn more about Julia Franklin: www.juliafranklinart.com