2024 ARDEN ARTISAN COLLECTIVE RETREAT
January 20th, 2024 from 7AM-3:15 PM
BUZZ WARE VILLAGE CENTER; 2119 The Highway, Wilmington
$25 for Arden Residents / $35 for non-residents
Residents will have priority if registered before December 22nd; All registration due by January 10th
Room 1: We will start the day at 7:00 AM. (Late comers—let’s face it, we are in Arden— are asked to enter quietly and find a seat.)
Bring pillows/blankets you require for comfort, a journal or notebook, pen, and water bottle
Megan King will lead us through 30 minutes of guided meditation and breathing exercises to clear our channels and begin our day. With minds that are relaxed yet energized, we will segue to journaling. From 7:30-8:30 AM, Jill Althouse-Wood will provide journal-writing prompts to harness New Year’s energy and bring intention to all that we take on in 2024—as people, as artisans, and in our collective.
7:00 AM Pre-Breakfast Sessions
8:30 AM Welcome Breakfast
9:00-10:45 Arden Artisan Collective Meeting
Room 2: At 8:30 AM Join us for coffee/tea, muffins and light fare before we make our way to the AAC Meeting. (Non-residents are invited to observe the meeting in a non-voting capacity or take part in an alternate vision board activity located on the stage.)
9:00 AM Gather round the white board in Room 2
Meeting Agenda:
Review of all we have accomplished since our inception in September 2021.
Highlight what we already have scheduled for 2024.
Brainstorm what we would additionally like to do with the group in 2024, 2025, 2026.
Breakout volunteer interest groups based on brainstorming. Possibilities include: web design, group shows, educational opportunities, marketing etc.
Reconvene in larger group. Share insights. Create an agenda for 2024 and proposed agenda for 2025, 2026 based on volunteer energy.
Vote on a 5-person board to meet monthly to facilitate agenda, activate volunteers, and approve expenditures (or whatever the group determines their roles should be).
10:45-11:00 PM BREAK
*Take this time to peruse the Give-Away table. We will be setting up a table. It is a chance to recycle items you no longer use. Attendees are invited to bring books, tools, supplies pertaining to art/business to trade or giveaway. You can even bring product to trade.
Room 1: Roxanne Stanulis; Program Officer, Artist Programs and Services; will speak to our group about Delaware Division of the Arts and the resources and programs that the state of Delaware has for individual artists and groups of artists.
11:00 AM KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Roxanne Stanulis of Delaware Division of the Arts
LUNCH BREAK
LUNCH BREAK
11:45-12:25 PM
Recharge with a Vegetarian* lunch, included in the price of the retreat. Lunch will be a cold vegetarian salad bowl with a quinoa, corn, and black beans base; an array of toppings; a piece of fruit, cookie; and a drink. Take a load off, eat, and commune with your artist community.
*Entree will be Gluten Free and can be made Vegan. Fruit is naturally Vegan and Gluten-free. The cookie? Not so much.
During Lunch and Breaks
CHECK OUT THE DELAWARE CONTEMPORARY
Throughout the afternoon, the Delaware Contemporary will have a table where they will share information about ArtSource and all their programs throughout the year.
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Session 1—12:25-1:10 PM
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Photographing Your Artwork with Joe del Tufo
Photographer and Arden resident, Joe del Tufo will demonstrate how to photograph artwork, including set-up, lighting, and how to create a photographic files that are appropriate for the web versus ones that can be used to make artist prints. As this is a big subject, he will be giving us the broad strokes as well as resources to turn to for a deeper dive.
Joe del Tufo has been a creative photographer for close to 30 years, with a wide skill set that excels at portraiture, architectural photography, concert/event and landscape work. He and partner Jim Course started their business, Moonloop Photography, eight years ago. Joe considers lighting and color to be key strengths in giving his photography that wow factor. His work features in magazines and album covers as well as exhibits and permanent displays in the Wilmington area and beyond.
Session 2— 1:50-2:40 PM
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Sketching on Location with Artist/author Rosemary Connelly
Sketchbook artist and popular art instructor, Rosemary Connelly will discuss Urban Sketchers Delaware - their philosophy, founding, monthly sketchcrawls, and how you can participate. She will tell you about the two years she lived and journaled in Italy with her late husband and show samples of her work from this time period, reading select passages from her memoir "Two Years in Italy" available on Amazon.com and showing examples of her work. Rosemary will also tell you about last year's successful Sketching Holiday in Umbria and upcoming Sketching Art Experience in Provence, France, welcoming a dozen artists to join her.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rosemary Connelly is a watermedia artist living and working in Milford, Delaware. Playful use of line and color are hallmarks of her painting style. Her layered approach to painting suggests the passage of time and human existence and she finds inspiration in historic towns, aging factories and barns, botanicals, and the beauty she finds in her travels. She studied fine art, drawing, painting and graphic design at Arizona State University and Mesa Community College and worked for over 20 years as a professional graphic designer.
Session 3—2:15-3:00 PM
Artist Branding using Canva with Jamie Liberatore
Jamie Liberatore, board member in charge of marketing for Jester Artspace, will speak with us about artist branding, specifically what it is and why artists should have a branding plan as well as how to add to it for shows. Specifically, Jamie will talk about the Canva app as a marketing tool, including how to load colors, fonts, etc to make designing print and social media materials so much easier. *Hint: it is the tool she uses for 90% of the social media posts she makes on behalf of Jester Artpace.
Jamie Liberatore is a Brandywine Valley native. She is known for speaking out about local conservation efforts and is bringing her voice to support the Jester Artspace. Her background includes a Bachelor’s in Digital Communications. In her spare time, she is a casual fiber artist working in string art and macramé. She is responsible for the Artspace website and social media channels and is the Committee Chair for the Marketing Committee.
Wrap-up—3:00-3:15 PM
Any final thoughts that anyone wants to share. Perhaps Megan will lead us in a few synchronized breaths before we are taking our charged selves out into our community and homes.