Summiting Performance Peak—Personal and Public:
A Workshop for Performing Artists
April 27, 2011 Boise Public Library Downtown, Hayes Room
8:30-9:00 Registration and Sign In/Introductions
9:00-9:15 ARTS NORTHWEST, known as one of the finest booking conferences and performing arts organizations in the United States, features superior showcases with tremendous presenter participation and the highest artistic quality. Providing services to performing arts presenters in the West, it enhances its professional and booking capabilities to present performances of regional, national, and international significance to Northwest audiences. Karen Hanan will talk about how Arts Northwest promotes booking opportunities and publishes a juried roster of available performing artists and ensembles. It maintains a communications network among presenters of performing arts events throughout the Northwest and Canada.
9:15-12:00 SHOULD I WEAR THE WHITE SOCKS? Artists need to become aware of how they appear, what they say, how they say it, how they sound, and what they hand out. Artists cannot afford vanity or arrogance or ego—they are in the business of making the arts essential and available to the rest of the world. Everyone can learn more about his or her profession and professional conduct. Often a seemingly insignificant detail or oversight can result in the loss of a booking, dissuade a presenter, make a member of the audience uneasy—and the performer is unaware. Bob Greenwood helps artists understand who they are, what they do, and how they do it to the best of their abilities—in every area—not just within their particular area of talent. He says, “We need to know every characteristic of our art form and what makes it accessible. Our artistry is not simply a specific gift, it is the entire presentation of that gift—from one’s shoes to one’s hat. We cannot afford to overlook any aspect, and we cannot afford to complain, make excuses, or ignore the needs of presenters, management, or ourselves as performers.”
12:00-12:45 Lunch
12:45-4:00 GETTING THE GIG: Marketing That’s as Good as Your Art! As much as the marketing landscape seems to change, there are two things that do not—the need for a clear, compelling brand and telling your story creatively. Marketing consultant Kathleen Hosfeld will guide you in a fast-paced workshop to hone your marketing message—the basis of your brand—and persuasively deliver your message to your fans and presenters. This workshop will explore the importance of visual strategies—graphics, photos, and social media such as MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube—in promoting your work. Learn what other artists think about marketing and social media and what tools and strategies work.
4:00-4:30 Q & A – Closing Remarks
About the Presenters
• For more than 20 years, Kathleen M. Hosfeld has helped artists and arts organizations find and develop their audiences. In 1995, she was instrumental in the launch of Icicle Creek Music Center, and for its first decade was marketing and audience development director for its Chamber Music Institute and Festival. Through her firms, Hosfeld & Associates and Hosfeld Artists, she has worked with both presenters and a wide range of artists, among them fiddler Darol Anger, mandolinist Mike Marshall, composer Maria Newman, Latin jazz artist Jovino Santos Neto, native storyteller Keith Bear, world flute artist Gary Stroutsos, conductor Paul Elliott Cobbs, and Magical Strings. Ensemble clients have included the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras, the Kairos String Quartet, Kairos Chamber Festival, Lyceum, ValCouer String Quartet, and The American String Project. Hosfeld has served on the board of directors for ArtsEdWashington and Annex Theater, and as a committee member of the board of the Seattle Youth Symphonies.
• With over 50 years experience in theatre, Robert Greenwood has created over 350 roles on stage, radio, and television, and directed and choreographed some 80 productions. He trained at Dartmouth College; Yale School of Drama; and in New York City, Los Angeles, Banff, and London. Greenwood offers professional development workshops in theatre arts for organizations, communities, and in elementary and junior-senior high schools. He is the recipient of numerous awards and has taught at colleges and universities, having chaired two acting and directing programs.
• Karen J. Hanan is Executive Director of Arts Northwest, a nonprofit membership organization facilitating professional interaction among performing arts presenters, performing artists, and management and performing arts service providers throughout the Western United States and Canada. Arts Northwest produces the annual Northwest Booking Conference, renowned for its focus on quality. In addition to keynotes, attendees benefit from networking, entertainment, juried showcases, a teeming exhibit hall, and opportunities for block booking and professional development. Before accepting her position with Arts Northwest, Hanan was founder and executive director of the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts.
The Idaho Commission on the Arts recognizes the vital role that Idaho’s finest artists have in the lives of Idahoans. Since 1966, its work makes possible the rich variety of expression and experience that we all enjoy. The Commission supports and honors those efforts, helps make accomplishments more visible, and acknowledges the diversity of artistic expression throughout the state.
