With Craft Lake City Applications now open, many of you are beefing up your portfolios, and getting ready to submit your ideas with the hope of being a 2012 CLC participant.
Over the past few years, as Exhibition Manager, I have had the opportunity to peruse hundreds of applications and have gained experience in assessing what makes one application stronger than another. Though I’m not a Craft Lake City judge, I can certainly give you some tips and hints as to what will make your application stronger.
One of the first things that will set you apart from others is the immediate, visual representation of your work. Sometimes applicants believe showing a range of items will give them the edge, but in general, a more cohesive representation of what your strongest skills are, and what you intend to sell the most of, is more impressive. Spend some time thoughtfully selecting your five images. Use close-ups when possible and try to display your items without too many distractions in the image, unless the background images add to the overall composition. Craft Lake City 2011 participating artist Nelsy Woodbury did a fantastic job of photographing her work in a way that shows cohesiveness, detail, design, composition, color and interest.
Another really important quality we are looking for in CLC crafters is that thing that makes your work unique. Along with your images, show us your personality and how your own creative effort is different than others who may work in the same medium. Talk about or show us an example of what your process is, how you arrive at your ideas or how you have re-thought a new solution to an old problem. One example I can share with you is an item Leah Boelman, 2011 CLC alum, created. Leah took a common accessory, a belt buckle, and re-thought it very creatively making a writable chalkboard belt buckle. This is an item that can change daily to match a look as well as a fun way to express yourself and show your individuality. I’m guessing if you wore her buckle, you would have the most interesting accessory in the room.
One more tip… Though it isn’t essential to have a website or different social networking options to apply for CLC, it is the primary way we stay privy to the information others want to share about themselves. With sites such as Pinterest and Facebook, one is able to really get a sense of a someone’s personality through their posts, pictures and interests. When the judges sit down and start reviewing applications, it’s always good to give them a link that may help them know who you are and how you promote yourself. This year’s application gives you the option of providing links to your own various sites so that you show us how you sell your craft. Provide as many links as you like. Including but not limited to Big Cartel, Etsy, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter.
I hope you found this helpful. Good Luck to all of you. I look forward to seeing your work.
– Michelle Stark / Exhibition Manager
For five years, Michelle has worked at Jordan Valley School as a Special Education Teacher for Canyons School District. After two years of teaching experience, she began incorporating her other love, art, back into her life by volunteering with Craft Lake City and Art Access. Michelle has always believed her bliss includes teaching and making art accessible to everyone, and strongly feels that art needs advocacy at all levels and from all directions. Her appointment as Artist Manager for Craft Lake City in its second year, 2010, was a perfect platform to accomplish these goals.
Prior to attaining a degree in Special Education from Utah State University in 2008, Michelle earned her first BFA in Illustration and Graphic Design from the University of Utah in 2004. Throughout college, Michelle worked in adult services assisting people with severe disabilities. After she graduated, she worked in Graphic Design, but eventually returned to working with people with disabilities, though this time it was as a public school teacher.
Michelle has always remained passionate about art and is an artist herself. She won the University of Utah Purchase Prize at the Senior Art Show in 2004, and continues to make art. In addition to her volunteer work for Craft Lake City, she has been involved in several non-profit art events such as Community Nursing Services’ Art and Soup, Turn Community Services’ Art and Soul, and recently Art Access’ 300 Plates Fundraiser, assisting disabled art students in their adult workshops as well.
It is her most sincere hope to use her educational experience and love of everything art to gain a broader knowledge of art and craft so that she can continue to support artists and bring something important, essential and amazing to the community.