Today's postings

  1. [Baren 38990] Re: Funds (Barbara Mason)
  2. [Baren 38991] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V47 #4830 (May 22, 2009) (Marilynn Smith)
  3. [Baren 38992] RABBIT/ TIGER ("bobcatpath # 207me.com")
  4. [Baren 38993] Re: Funds & request for financial report (Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com)
  5. [Baren 38994] Exchanges by Committee? ("Maria Arango Diener")
  6. [Baren 38995] Welcome to the Baren Ads & Ops Newsletter (Mary Kuster)
Member image

Message 1
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 13:31:27 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38990] Re: Funds
Send Message: To this poster

This would be a big project, to do it right. I suggest all of us video our work as we do it and then look at the video.
I think we will see that it is not so easy to do but think we don't have enough money to do it professionally.
I think we would need a printmaker to edit it. In working with my brother, who knows me well, I had problems just because he did not understand all the processes.
Lots to consider
My best
Barbara
Member image

Message 2
From: Marilynn Smith
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 15:24:02 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38991] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V47 #4830 (May 22, 2009)
Send Message: To this poster

I like the idea of hiring someone to redo and maintain our website.
Perhaps the funds are not predictable enough to do more than redo the
site, but that is a huge job and our volunteers are obviously very
busy with many tasks. Further I think we need to have a set number of
council members. Their job title and job description should be on our
website. If it is possible for a volunteer with a huge job to have
helpers, that seems like a great idea. Bringing in more of our
members to help seems reasonable, we have grown in numbers. How to do
that is the huge question. As Maria stated they need warm bodies.
But like me many of us have limited skills when it comes to web
building, no knowledge of HTML. And like me have limited programs for
image manipulation. So how do we help??? I like the idea of council
members having helpers, they would not be on the council they would be
ones who lend a hand. As I said before in my observation of leaders,
the good ones know how to delegate.

Volunteers are special people and I agree they should be recognized.
With that thought I also agree with the idea of giving our special
volunteers some sort of gift of recognition.
Marilynn
Member image

Message 3
From: "bobcatpath # 207me.com"
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 15:40:15 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38992] RABBIT/ TIGER
Send Message: To this poster

oh! Georga-- you are right

it is RABBIT and TIGER that are left

i have to keep going around the circle
a little further, cuz i jumped ,on at HORSE
i have a SNOWSHOE HARE living in "the dip" on my gravel road
by a very small stream
so it will be fun to another rabbit print

which can hop into my series of WILD ANIMAL woodcuts
see some at:

http://rst-art.com/GG-animals.htm

my cottontail linocut is at lower left
but i also have a 12 x 22" woodcut on plywood of a SNOWSHOE HARE
it is not on the website

they interest me because they change color through- out the year
varying from snowwhite- to mottled brown- to mostly brown
great material for light/dark woodcuts

and it is even greater fun to
get to see and observe them at each stage
my most favorite time is when the rabbit is still white
but the snow has melted-early spring

see how a simple thing
like having a loose exchange(CHINESE NEW YEAR)
can (for me), stimulate a whole years works on a subject / series that has already involved me

being a catalyst
a motivator

being a barener who lives out in the boonies
i would like to thank the council members for being a woodcut life line


never too early to begin thinking about the next new year animal ;-)


gillyin gatto in down east maine

where the snowshoe hare
now only has white
on his feet and his face
Member image

Message 4
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 16:19:14 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38993] Re: Funds & request for financial report
Send Message: To this poster

Rachel writes:
" I'd be curious to see a Baren budget. What proportion of the available
funds should be tapped for projects? Certainly there should be a buffer
of operating capital, based on the expenses that the group has. "

I think this is a good idea. Before we can decide how to 'use' the money
we need to understand what we have and what portion of it can be used for
projects, scholarships, videos, etc.....and what needs to be kept for
paying the bills.

Barbara, can you post something for the general list to look over so we
know what we are working with.......nothing fancy but more like a quick
summary of funds, money owed, etc. I know we probably have some mall paper
in stock and maybe exchange cases, etc......but I think the group is more
interested in the big picture.

How money comes in. Barbara can elaborate more but for the most part the
way funds come to Baren is from the small percent profit we make on
BarenMall orders. Payments for BarenMall orders (from all over the world)
go to our Baren account once order and payment is approved by the mall
managers. Our vendors in Japan receive the orders and send out the
merchandise right away. Every other month or so Barbara gets a bill from
the vendors in Japan and she pays off what we owe. We make a small profit
with every order. All merchandise goes out directly from Japan except for
some hosho paper (we buy up-front in large quantities and keep in Oregon)
and I think the exchange cases. One issue that Dave and Barbara have to
deal with is how to navigate the fluctuations between the dollar and the
Japanese yen since there can be major changes from the time and order is
placed (and paid for) and the time that our vendors send us an invoice &
receive payment. This requires occasional updates to the mall prices to
keep things under control.

How money is spent. We pay the bills for hosting the website and the forum
list. We purchase a small inventory of exchange cases to keep on hand. We
have awarded some small scholarships in the past to printmaking students
(2002 & 2003 Georgia University, 2004 Harper College). See the links
below. We have also subsidized a few Baren projects to help the project
coordinators break even and there may have been some Baren paid expenses
related to Summit's in KC 2003 and Vancouver 2006.

http://barenforum.org/newsletter/issue11/issue11.html#feature4
http://barenforum.org/newsletter/issue08/issue08.html#spotlight

We also have these pages but are not currently linked from the main page:
http://barenforum.org/awards/
http://barenforum.org/mall/donations.html


thanks...Julio
Member image

Message 5
From: "Maria Arango Diener"
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 17:19:54 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38994] Exchanges by Committee?
Send Message: To this poster

I agree a good leader needs to delegate from time to time, however a good
leader knows the tasks and what it takes to do them as well so that the
delegation process doesn't create more work for either the leader or someone
else behind the curtains. What has happened in Baren is that, because of
distance and other issues, it is almost always easier to sit down at the
computer for an hour or so and DO things than it is to spend a few hours
with emails back and forth hand-holding someone else to DO a task (generally
speaking).



As for hiring a webmaster, the principal reason we have not done this is
because most of us in the Council have the skills and web people, in my
opinion, grossly over-charge for what is a perfectly "learnable" skill. Most
of my husband's web people at the university work on the side for about
$100-250 per hour or per webpage; revisions are extra; graphics are extra.
At that rate, Baren owes David Bull several million dollars.

I'm afraid ALL of Baren's profits would be sucked up by a hired webmaster.



The type of people that are needed as things are run now (not to say things
couldn't be changed by a new fresh leadership) are people that require
little oversight and limited "training". Example: when I took over as
Exchange Manager, I had coordinated several exchanges so I knew what
coordinating was all about. I also pretty much knew what Mike was doing and
how to do it. Mike was absolutely wonderful in transitioning and it only
took a few emails from him to let me know where everything was and how to do
a few things.

Aside from that, I stepped in, took a gander at the website and all the
pages involved and took over. I don't really think I'm all that special or
that skillful, I just had the desire and the time and now I have run out of
both.

There have been some coordinators that have all the skills, so I know that
the "bodies" are out there.



As far as tasks in Baren, almost ALL require some HTML knowledge or
computing skills and ALL of them require someone who is diligent in checking
the list and their email on a daily basis and that knows what is going on in
Baren and can communicate. We are, after all, an online based group so being
online is an essential requirement.



As for divvying up the workload, that is a great idea; the task of Exchange
Manager could be easily divided into three positions plus the Manager:



-The Exchange Manager can remain as such, coordinating everyone involved,
recruiting coordinators and keeping the calendar updated as well as
communicating to the list the monthly Exchange Updates. This position would
require organizational, communication and management skills. At present all
the information is kept on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.



-Exchange Webmaster could take care of the web page upkeep, upload the
galleries, upkeep of web pages, sign up forms, email forwards, etc. This is
the most time consuming position and the one that requires most attention to
detail. I suppose this could also be split among two people but they would
have to be in very close communication between themselves and with the
manager to avoid duplicating work or really messing up the website.



-Exchange Graphic Artist could take over the image scanning manipulation
when coordinators are unable to do this task and forward the scans and
formatted images to the web master.



-Exchange Archive Liaison could take care of receiving the archive set,
ordering a case, printing label and packaging the and mailing to our
archivists.



Again, and I don't mean to be pushy or negative in any way: more ideas are
great, warm bodies are still needed.

Words are just words-ACTION is what makes the world go around.



Maria
Member image

Message 6
From: Mary Kuster
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 18:17:06 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38995] Welcome to the Baren Ads & Ops Newsletter
Send Message: To this poster

*Baren Ads & Ops*

* *May
15, 2009

Welcome to the Baren Ads & Ops Newsletter

*_Training_*
In depth Moku Hanga DVD instructional video. This DVD is playable on
your computer or a video player attached to the TV. The information and
instructions shown on this professionally made DVD is over an hour long
and is second to none. It is the accumulation of 18 years of hands on
experience by Graham Scholes who has created over 100 print images,
carving 600 plates and printed approximately 55 thousand sheets of Hosho
Paper. Full details are available at... http://www.woodblockart.ca/how-to/



*/New Directions in Printmaking: The Technical Side/* Nik
Semenoff produced DVD - which contains the following:

§ Toner in All Media: General information on how toner can be used in
print media.

§ Waterless Lithography: Explains how to use common caulking silicone
as the ink rejection surface on the plate.

§ Toner in Intaglio: How toner is used with photo intaglio plates and
using electro-etching for safer etching.

§ Copper sulfate Mordant: Using inexpensive copper sulfate and common
salt to etch metal plates. It can be converted to cupric chloride for
etching copper plates.

§ Order on the Internet by using PayPal:
http://www.ndiprintmaking.ca/?page_id=60



*_Workshops_*

*Japanese Woodblock:* *Moku Hanga SANTA CRUZ
*Classes are in the traditional water base woodcut technique of Japan,
printed with watercolor and sumi ink. This refined woodcut technique
offers rich, light-fast color, precise registration, non-toxic cleanup
and printing without a press. It is the same technique used by the
Japanese ukiyoe masters in the 19th century, made accessible for western
artists. These workshops include an historical overview and focus on how
the technique can be useful for contemporary printmakers.

June class at Cabrillo College is filled, we are organizing a second
one. If you are interested, please sign up soon!

The additional dates (Class #01CAMH1-05) are: Sat. & Sun., August 23 &
24, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Registration: $200, plus $50 materials fee at class.
(This includes wood, paper and color, and the loan of printing and
cutting tools. Block size will be 6 x 8 inches, image size approximately
5 x 7 inches.)

Cabrillo Extension and Community Education
6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos, California 95003
The class is in room 5010 in the horticulture area at the top of the
hill, overlooking Monterey Bay.
Cabrillo main office: 831-479-6331 fax: 477-5239
e-mail: ce@cabrillo.edu
Register on line at: * cabrillo.edu/services/extension
*


*July 14 to August 18, 2008 - six Monday nights*
Lower East Side Printshop
306 West 37th St., 6th floor
New York, NY 10018
(212) 673-5390
* www.printshop.org *



*March 2009 4-day workshop*
Center for Contemporary Printmaking
Mathews Park, 299 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06850
Phone: 203-899-7999 Fax: 203-899-7997 E-mail: mailto:info@contemprints.org

check website for upcoming details: http://www.contemprints.org/

*_ _*

*_Marketing Tools:_*

*ART FESTIVAL GUIDE *

Making a living as an artist, the brave way! Entertaining and thorough
account on how to launch a career as an art festival artist. A book for
brave artists who embark on the treacherous and most wonderful adventure
of selling artful creations in art festivals and generally directly to
the public. What you will need, how to choose shows, sales at the booth,
marketing and promotion, setting goals for continued success, display
tips, tricks of the trade, staying healthy and much more.

http://www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/artfestivalguide/book.html

*_Artist Opportunities_*

Alphabet Exchange due June 15th

There are 6 more letters available for the "Road Trip"

http://www.fouroceanspress.com/exchange_alphabet.html



Starting with "North" due October 15, 2009

Our new quarterly series the "Cardinal Directions" will be taking
sign-ups soon....

http://www.fouroceanspress.com/exchange.html



Call to Participate

Prints for Peace 2009 Second International Printmaking Juried Exhibit



Monterrey, NL México.

Deadline for receiving Print in Monterrey: July 15, 2009
http://www.printsforpeacemexico.blogspot.com/



/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
/

Ads & Ops published on the 15th of each month

Send your ad or opportunity request before the 13th to
ads@barenforum.org



Newsletter coordinator: Mary Kuster

Mail Mary Kuster


_ _