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[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:14 | null | 2012-08-26T00:00:00 | Newspapers sell advertising space on a page to retail advertisers, advertising agencies, and other media buyers. Ads are measured using column inches. A column inch is a unit of space one column wide by | http%3A%2F%2Fthereviewnewspapers.com%2F%3Fp%3D151.json | http://clients.matthewdbedadesigns.com/TheReviewNewspapers/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Column-Inch.jpg | en | null | _ What is a Column Inch | null | null | thereviewnewspapers.com | Newspapers sell advertising space on a page to retail advertisers, advertising agencies, and other media buyers.
Ads are measured using column inches. A column inch is a unit of space one column wide by one inch high.
CLICK PICTURE TO VIEW FULL SIZE
On the six column page above, the total available column inches would equal the number of inches high x the number of columns. | http://thereviewnewspapers.com/?p=151 | en | 2012-08-26T00:00:00 | thereviewnewspapers.com/9582e78119a6a04e97dfb977995260283f442529ef7cd0f1908ee7d7962aac2c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:47:49 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Six members of The Tri-County Metal Detecting Club went to an elderly Bazetta man's home to look for his wedding band. He had just lost his wife in the past year and | http%3A%2F%2Fthereviewnewspapers.com%2F%3Fp%3D3652.json | http://thereviewnewspapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/32-300x288.jpg | en | null | __ Tri-County Metal Detecting Club recovers lost wedding ring | null | null | thereviewnewspapers.com | Six members of The Tri-County Metal Detecting Club went to an elderly Bazetta man’s home to look for his wedding band. He had just lost his wife in the past year and was just devastated that he had lost the ring that had bonded them together. Club Member Mike Marsh was contacted by one of his old classmates after seeing an article about a Master Gardener in The Tribune that had lost his wedding ring. He contacted Charles Harper and set up a time to search his property. Club Member Tom Morris found the ring after they were there about an hour and a half. Members helping in the search were Jesse James, Marshall Hall, Paul Bakich, Evin Erb and Mike Marsh. This is a service the Club does for free. Way to go guys!
Contact the Club on Facebook at Tri-County Metal Detecting Club or check out the Club’s Blog online at www.TCMDCLUB.blogspot.com. | http://thereviewnewspapers.com/?p=3652 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | thereviewnewspapers.com/64040507e63da76b570f37a959116ee517013e93e25dabdd4e186d089dd92374.json |
[
"Alison Campsie"
] | 2016-08-26T13:08:20 | null | 2014-08-08T09:31:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pressandjournal.co.uk%2Ffp%2Fnews%2Fww1-centenary%2F250690%2Fworldly-possessions-scrawled-haste%2F.json | http://wordpress.com/i/blank.jpg | en | null | Worldly possessions scrawled in haste | null | null | www.pressandjournal.co.uk | They were often found fluttering on the churned battlefields of France and Flanders, detailing a soldier’s last wishes should he not live to fight another day.
The informal wills of WWI soldiers were often discovered alongside their paybooks, a record of their service, and have come to offer a measure of the ultimate sacrifice the fighters knew they faced.
The wills often stretch to just a few paragraphs, written in haste by the rank and file in a moment away from the action.
Like that of Private Charles Simpson of the 1/6th battalion Seaforth Highlanders.
In old-fashioned cursive, it said: “In the event of my death I leave all my belongings to my mother, Mrs Simpson, of 7 Nicoll Street, New Elgin.”
That was written on January 27, 1918. And by the July of that year, he had been killed in action.
In some instances, no will was made and letters home would often be used in court to help determine the estate of the fallen.
Correspondence of Gunner William Sutherland, of 315th Royal Field Artillery, of Aberdeen, was used to such effect following his death on April 4, 1918.
He tells his father of “being gassed continuously” by the enemy before being pounced on in the fog and being “put on the run” for four days.
He added: “We have some very hard fighting before us yet. I hope the Lord keeps me safe through it all.”
It continued: “If anything should happen me (sic) I wish you to get the little money I possess and do with it what you think best.
“Nellie has got my bank book.”
Private Andrew Hamilton, of the 4th battalion Gordon Highlanders, was dispatched to France having enjoyed several successful seasons playing for Aberdeen Football Club.
He was killed in action on April 20, 1915, just two months after he arrived on the frontline.
Eight days before he died, Private Hamilton wrote: “In the event of my death, I leave personal belongings to my wife, Mrs A Hamilton, 11 Forbes Street, Aberdeen.”
She had been told by his captain that her husband’s death was instantaneous and that he was now buried behind the trenches, with a cross marking his grave.
More formal documents did exist for higher ranks, such as those located for Bombardier Alexander Dunlop Pope, of the Royal Field Artillery, who lived with his parents at 66 Skene Street, Aberdeen.
Records show that the former
employee of Sandlilands Chemical Company was shot by a sniper on September 26, 1916 while laying a
telephone wire in a communication trench.
A newspaper cutting recorded that the Bombardier, a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), had been embroiled in some of the “hottest fighting” of the conflict.
His will shows that he left all his personal belongings to his mother. | https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/ww1-centenary/250690/worldly-possessions-scrawled-haste/ | en | 2014-08-08T00:00:00 | www.pressandjournal.co.uk/759d3841c5c8ba7fbbdf30506ac93dafad71a8742b7ba821c3119f9e37c4e971.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:48:01 | null | 2016-08-29T18:06:04 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30749%3Airanian-regime-executes-30-people-in-one-weekend%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/dar1-340.jpg | en | null | Iranian Regime executes 30 people in one weekend | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran’s totalitarian mullah’s regime executed 30 people, over this past weekend, despite international calls for a halt to the executions.
On Saturday, August 27, 12 prisoners were hanged in the Central Prison of Karaj. They had been transferred to solitary confinement on Wednesday, August 24.
On Thursday, 18 people were executed.
Eleven were executed in the Central Prison of Zahedan, south-east Iran; one victim was identified as Hamzeh Rigi.
A further seven, including a woman, were executed in the Central Prison of Yazd, central Iran.
Rokna, the state-run news agency, claimed that five of them were accused of drugs-related charges.
Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said: "As the regime plunges further into domestic and regional isolation, it resorts to more executions en masse and suppression, but the reality is the regime is at a total strategic impasse, and these barbaric measures only indicate its utter desperation."
The Iranian Resistance is calling on all international human rights organizations to take urgent action to stop the executions. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30749:iranian-regime-executes-30-people-in-one-weekend&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/5d322d03558aaffe49fc62210ba23ffd62fde3c5c9151004ef810d770f96b32e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:47:58 | null | 2016-08-24T08:20:39 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30736%3Airan-95-arrested-by-cyber-police-for-activities-in-social-media-this-year%26catid%3D4%26Itemid%3D109.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights-1/cyber-police-340.jpg | en | null | Iran: 95 Arrested by Cyber Police for Activities in Social Media this Year | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 24 Aug - On August 23, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reports that several youths have been arrested, allegedly for internet crimes, according to Commander of Ardabil's Internet Police, FATA.
Hafez Sharifi said, "In the past year, more than 95 people were arrested in this area. We opened the files for the convicts and they were turned in to the judicial authorities.” He added, “The average age of those arrested is between 19 and 27.”
Sharifi states that they are trying to prevent "a number of criminals" from going wild on the internet, and that the force has "complete knowledge of the cyber space”.
"Although dissemination of falsities, insults and accusations comprise the larger share of violations in this area, but we are monitoring the cyber space 24 hours a day to gain full knowledge and prevent such immoralities from taking place.”
A 15-year-old boy who had tried to launch a channel in virtual social networks, was arrested by the Cyber Police (FATA) in May. Jahangir Karimi, a police commander of the regime in Isfahan, central Iran, announced that, "After the final investigation, the 15-year-old teenager from Isfahan was identified quickly and summoned to the police.” Karimi’s remarks were broadcasted on May 26 by the official website of the IRIB.
The most notorious case that the Iranian regime’s Cyber Police (FATA) are responsible for is that of blogger Sattar Beheshti, who was killed under torture in November 2012.
The head of the FATA police in Gilan Province, Colonel Iraj Mohammadkhani, recently announced that "[illegal] production, distribution and access to any data, software or any type of electronic devices are regarded as computer crimes and anyone committing such acts will be sentenced from 91 days to one year of imprisonment, or will have to pay a fine of five million to 20 million Rials (U.S. $166 to $662), or both."
Reporters without Borders (RSF) say Iran is ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters without Borders press freedom index.
Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) previously said, "Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are non-existent in Iran under the mullahs' regime. Not only does the regime severely clamp down on journalists for reporting on subjects considered sensitive by the mullahs, it even goes so far as arresting and torturing to death dissident bloggers such as Sattar Beheshti.”
“The regime's draconian measures against news organizations have become more aggressive since Hassan Rouhani took office as President in 2013. Several international human rights organizations have attested to this reality," Mr. Gobadi added.
The regime, earlier this year announced that it had set a one-year deadline for international social media, in particular Telegram, to hand over data on their Iranian users. The official state news agency IRNA reported that the decision was made at a session of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, a committee that serves as the regime's IT regulator, headed by President Hassan Rouhani. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30736:iran-95-arrested-by-cyber-police-for-activities-in-social-media-this-year&catid=4&Itemid=109 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/9171434cf9b38de6d78e448612f006e9ab7a74b8794ae5a3f97731925f2b8869.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:57:23 | null | 2016-08-21T19:34:52 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30729%3Airan-s-crackdown-on-freedom-and-having-fun%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/15girl-pardis-340.jpg | en | null | Iran’s crackdown on "freedom and having fun" | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
London, 20 Aug - A crackdown by the Iranian regime on mixed-gender socialising has been underway since the spring.
The regime’s Prosecutor declared that the Judiciary would not tolerate the actions of "law-breakers who use excuses such as freedom and having fun at birthday and graduation parties."
In Shiraz, southern Iran, 63 young men and women were arrested in raids on two separate birthday parties.Colonel Yousef Malek-Zadeh, Commander of the State Security Forces, said the young people had been "sent before the judiciary." He told the Tasnim news agency on August 19 that police monitoring had been "stepped up" with the arrival of summer.
In Amol, northern Iran, 20 university students were arrested for attending a mixed-gender party, the Prosecutor-General, Ali Talebi, announced on August 19. They too were "handed over to the local judiciary for prosecution," he told the state-run Entekhab website, adding, "We will deal with anyone in this city who disturbs public order."
On August 16, the Fars news agency reported the arrest of more than 60 boys and girls for attending a mixed-gender party in Tehran's Sorkheh Hesar National Park. The raid was carried out by the IRGC's para-military Bassij force with a warrant signed by Tehran's Deputy Prosecutor.
Last month, the regime arrested 150 boys and girls for attending a mixed-gender birthday party near Tehran, Colonel Mohsen Khancherli, Police Commander for the west of Tehran Province, told the Tasnim news agencyon July 25. The youngsters were "sent before the judiciary."
Khancherli said that "police surveillance" would be "stepped up."
The Tasnim news agency carried news days earlier that more than 50 youngsters were arrested at a party in Davamand, east of Tehran. Like the raid in Tehran's Sorkheh Hesar National Park, the security forces had monitored social media beforehand.
Tasnim quoted Mojtaba Vahedi, the Head of the Judiciary in Damavand, as saying,"Families must be more vigilant regarding their children to make sure they do not end up in such circumstances."
Some 35 young men and women were flogged in May for socialising together at a graduation party near Qazvin, the city's Prosecutor told the Mizan news agency.
Ismaeil Sadeqi Niaraki said that the following morning each youngster received 99 lashes from the 'Morality Police.' He said, "Thank God that the investigation, court hearing, verdict and implementation of the punishment all took place in less than 24 hours."
Commenting on the crackdown, Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said:
"The clerical regime has never been so isolated at home and loathed by the Iranian people, in particular by youth and women. As such, it is resorting to more and more repressive measures to confront this growing trend. This once again proves that the notion of moderation under Hassan Rouhani is a total myth. But it also indicates the vulnerable state of a regime that cannot even tolerate the private festivities of the people, particularly the young. It is becoming more evident that the mullahs are totally paranoid of any social gathering for fear of a popular uprising." | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30729:iran-s-crackdown-on-freedom-and-having-fun&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/a2ced2de8ce73273bc60a9f400ffae2ab8d85e093520634b57319a2377d13f18.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:56:54 | null | 2016-08-18T14:45:40 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30724%3Arep-ted-poe-seeks-protection-for-iranian-mek-in-iraq-s-camp-liberty%26catid%3D4%26Itemid%3D109.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/july-december-2016/Ted-Poe340.jpg | en | null | Rep. Ted Poe seeks protection for Iranian MEK in Iraq’s Camp Liberty | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
Washington, 18 Aug - A United States Congressman has written an op-ed for Medium discussing the fate of Iranian exiles in Iraq.
Ted Poe, a Texan Congressman, states that the political exiles are “unarmed, innocent people who have been forced to flee their homes because of their opposition to the tyrannical theocratic regime in Tehran”.
There are currently around 1,200 dissidents, mainly from the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK), living in Camp Liberty in Iraq and despite their protected status as designated by the United Nations, they remain subject to the whims of the pro-Iranian government in Baghdad.
Poe said: “They have endured decades of exile outside of Iran marked by continuous suffering and persecution.”
This persecution includes seven rocket attacks since 2013, which have wounded hundreds and killed at least 139 people. All of which is reportedly been carried out by militias linked to the Iranian Regime or members of the terrorist Quds force, but no one has been held to account.
He said: “Despite the fact that the Iraqi government signed a Memorandum of Understanding ensuring the safety and security of the residents of Camp Liberty, it appears that the Iraqi government’s subservience to Iran takes precedence.”
He reports that 1,800 residents have already been resettled in safe countries but the rest still need relocation and protection as the Quds force are reportedly contemplating another attack before the residents can leave.
Poe said: “The Iranian government would like to extend the reign of terror it wages at home against any and all people who speak out against it- including the dissidents in neighbouring Iraq. How many more people have to die? How many more times will unarmed refugees be attacked by rockets? The Iraqi government must live up to its commitment and protect these refugees until every last one of them finds his or her way to safety. And that’s just the way it is.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30724:rep-ted-poe-seeks-protection-for-iranian-mek-in-iraq-s-camp-liberty&catid=4&Itemid=109 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/3ef3a644f70cc2142031693069cbf7ba787450e8695ff8e336ae9cfb905a788b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:37 | null | 2016-08-19T20:31:54 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30728%3Airanian-executions-then-and-now-senior-uk-figures-call-for-action%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/2016-08-19_22-23-34.png | en | null | Iranian executions then and now: senior UK figures call for action | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
London, 19 Aug - Senior UK figures have called for action on both the infamous massacre of political prisoners by the Iranian regime in 1988 and the escalation of executions and other atrocities under President Hassan Rouhani.
Malcolm Fowler, a former member of the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales, said that lawyers have a responsibility to help bring to justice the perpetrators of the killing of some 30,000 activists especially in the light of Montazeri's new revelations.
An audio tape of a 1988 meeting between the late Hossein-Ali Montazeri, former heir to the Iranian regime's Supreme Leader Khomeini, and senior officials was released by Montazeri's son on August 9.
In the recording, Montazeri can be heard telling the Death Committee, responsible for the implementation of the massacre of mostly of members of the main opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK): "[T]he greatest crime committed in the Islamic Republic … for which history will condemn us, is being committed by you. In the future your [names] will be etched in the annals of history as criminals.”
Mr. Fowler called the massacre "an injustice of historic proportions," and pointed out the role of current senior Iranian officials such as the Supreme Leader and the Justice Minister.
Those responsible, he said, should be sent for trial to the International Criminal Court.
Jim Fitzpatrick from the UK House of Commons said, "There should be an enquiry; there should be charges levelled. Somebody has to be held responsible for the deaths of these people whose only crime was opposition to Ayatollah Khomeini."
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass, a member of the UK House of Lords, also discussed the Montazeri revelations, expressing the hope that the UK government would commission an inquiry into it.
He linked the past and the present: "The 3000 executions in Iran during the last three years are in a way the continuation of the 1988 massacre."
"So long as Iran is treated as a trading partner and we focus on financial gains, the executions in that country will continue. The UK's policy must focus on the plight of the Iranian people," Lord Maginnis said.
Also linking the 1988 atrocity to repeated attacks by the Iranian regime’s proxy forces on members of the PMOI (MEK) in Camp Liberty in Iraq, he said "Iran is involved in atrocities all over the region." | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30728:iranian-executions-then-and-now-senior-uk-figures-call-for-action&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/afa0ce0e59d6c7c88babe9a15e88ff966d2fb94f6a6beaa8fcb3f6a5e179dd2d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:47:33 | null | 2016-08-28T13:56:00 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30748%3Athe-hill-the-un-should-investigate-the-1988-massacre-in-iran%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/CpflzYLXEAABsjL-340.jpg | en | null | The Hill: The UN should investigate the 1988 massacre in Iran | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 28 Aug -The Hill.com, top US political website, read by the White House and lawmakers, in an article by Hamid Yazdan Panah an Iranian-American human rights activist and attorney, after recounting the recent events after the revelation of an audiotape concerning the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran , calls UN to investigate this massacre, the following is the text of the article.
In the summer of 1988, thousands of political prisoners in Iran were systematically executed in a matter of a few months. The killings were not only horrific in scale, but remains shrouded in mystery with the regime blocking all attempts to investigate the extent of the massacre. Now a new audio tape has revived calls for an investigation into this massacre, and renewed focused on Iran's ongoing execution of dissidents.
The audiotape, released earlier this month is a recording of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, once Khomeini's heir apparent, and brings to light his own adamant opposition to the massacre, as well and his belief that history would not look kindly on the killings that took place in the summer of 1988. Montazeri, who passed away in 2009, is heard on the audio tape chastising the four officials in charge of the mass executions, “In my opinion, the greatest crime committed during the Islamic Republic, for which history will condemn us, has been committed by you.”
Montazeri also voiced his opposition to the killings at the time, writing several letters to then then Supreme Leader Khomeini. As a result, he lost his designation as Khomeini's successor, but maintained that he made the correct choice throughout his life. On the audiotape Montazeri is heard stating that he was compelled to speak out in order to have an answer on "judgment day" and that the massacre remained on his mind long after it was carried out. “I haven’t been able to sleep and every night it occupies my mind for two to three hours … what do you have to tell to the families?”
What concerned Montazeri, and ultimately destroyed any semblance of justice and legitimacy in the Islamic Republic was not only the scale of the killings, but the manner and nature in which they were carried out. Families who had waited for the release of their loved ones were instead instructed to pick up the belongings of their deceased relatives, many of whom were buried in unmarked mass graves. Virtually all of the victims had been sentenced to prison terms, or in many cases they had completed their sentences.
The orders for the systematic execution of dissidents came from Khomeini himself, in the form of a fatwa (religious edict). His intention was to purge the country of any opposition, notably the main dissident organization, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Khomeini's fatwa set up the so-called "death commissions" which were tasked with vetting the ideological standing of prisoners. Many prisoners were only questioned for a few minutes by the commission. Those refusing to renounce their affiliation with the MEK were sent to the gallows.
Along with the Mujahedeen, many Marxist and leftist activists were also executed for refusing to renounce their beliefs. According to testimony given to United Nations human rights rapporteur, Kamal Afkhami Ardekani, a former Evin prison employee described the massacre thus: “They would line up prisoners in a 14-by-five-metre hall in the central office building and then ask simply one question, ‘What is your political affiliation?’ Those who said the Mojahedin would be hanged from cranes in position in the car park behind the building.”
Amnesty International has noted that 25 years after the massacre, the regime continues to suppress any information about the killings, arresting family members who dare to speak out or visit mass graves at the Khavaran cemetery. The trauma has been passed on to the younger generation as well.
The massacre served the regime's short term and long term interests of legitimization and survival through violence and terror. Ironically, 28 years later, the regime is neither any more legitimate nor stable. And it has failed to eliminate the MEK, because in the words of Montazeri, “The Mujahedin-e Khalq are not simply individuals. They represent an ideology and a school of thought. They represent a line of logic. One must respond to the wrong logic by presenting the right logic. One cannot resolve this through killing; killing will only propagate and spread it”
The statements by Montazeri have once again reminded Iran of its past, and should remind the world of the true nature of this regime. Those involved in the massacre still occupy senior positions within the regime, including Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who questioned many of those put to death in 1988 and now serves as justice minister in the "moderate" government of Hassan Rouhani.
It is not a coincidence that Iran continues to execute individuals in public, and leads the world in per capita executions. Nearly 2,700 people have been executed during Rouhani’s tenure, with another 4,500 on death row, according to regime officials. Dissidents and prisoners of conscience in Iran remain at risk of execution while the international community has remained largely silent.
It is time that the world demands justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre, and holds the regime accountable for breaches of international law and crimes against humanity.
A report on the massacre prepared by human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson notes, “the killings compare with the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica in terms of the vulnerability of the victims, and they exceed it when measured by the cold-blooded calculations made at the very pinnacle of state power.” Robertson points out that the evidence of international crimes committed by the regime during the massacre are such that the 1948 Genocide Convention imposes a duty to investigate the of the massacre.
The United Nations Security Council should heed the call by Robertson to invoke its Chapter VII powers to establish an international court and prosecutor to fully investigate the massacre and hold the perpetrators accountable. International obligations and human rights laws must be effectual and enforceable if they are to have meaning. The people of Iran deserve to know the truth about what happened in 1988, and the victims of this massacre deserve justice.
Hamid Yazdan Panah is an Iranian-American human rights activist and attorney focused on immigration and asylum in the San Francisco Bay Area. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30748:the-hill-the-un-should-investigate-the-1988-massacre-in-iran&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/fd71472e997d681e697a3fbd94e72666f84da4436085e2e40b95223d90820091.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:46:44 | null | 2016-08-26T15:27:32 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30743%3Airanian-opposition-leader-calls-for-international-investigation-into-1988-massacre-of-political-prisoners%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/28942611410_da08c0dbd0_o-340.jpg | en | null | Iranian opposition leader calls for international investigation into 1988 massacre of political prisoners | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 26 Aug - The leader of the Iranian opposition has stated that an international inquiry into the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran, is essential to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Maryam Rajavi made this speech during a tour of the exhibition of photos depicting Paris’ massacred political prisoners on the anniversary of the liberation of Paris. It also features reflections and testimonials from political prisoners in Iran.
A statement from Paris Municipality 2nd District about the exhibition read: “This exhibition especially commemorates the sad anniversary of the massacre of some 30,000 political prisoners during the summer of 1988 in Iran. This terrible episode in modern history is now back on the front burner with the revelation a few days ago of an audiotape recounting conversations that occurred at the highest level with those directly responsible for the killings.”
On August 24, the President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran paid tribute to the fallen soldiers of the French Resistance and victims of the Nazi occupation; comparing their sacrifice to that of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) forces. She urged the UN to bring the war criminals to justice.
These feelings were echoed the politicians in attendance with Jacques Boutault, mayor of Paris's 2nd District, stating that executions within Iran should be halted.
Boutault said: "Our borough today commemorates the liberation of Paris, which ended four years of occupation by Nazi Germany. If European countries were able to sustain the end to the dictatorship, it is because they have the ability to remember the past so it would not be repeated. This unspeakable episode in Iranian history would only result in a continuation of what is unspeakable. That is why the town hall of the 2nd District is honored to host this exhibition and listen to the witnesses of this inhuman episode in Iranian history. " | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30743:iranian-opposition-leader-calls-for-international-investigation-into-1988-massacre-of-political-prisoners&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/dc9092a9efbd81aa8c303fd6889f6b7f13ebced5724bf6b9832b5a9d5251d41a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:46:50 | null | 2016-08-26T15:05:49 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30741%3Asomebody-who-should-be-in-an-iran-prison-is-actually-the-minister-of-justice%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/Irwin-Cotler-340.jpg | en | null | Somebody who should be in an Iran prison is actually the Minister of Justice! | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 26 Aug - A former Canadian Justice Minister has spoken of the importance of standing in solidarity with the people of Iran and supporting the Iranian Resistance on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.
The Hon. Irwin Cotler made this speech in front of the Old City Hall in Toronto, last Saturday, during a pro-Iranian demonstration.
He read aloud excerpts of a resolution co-sponsored by the Canadian Parliament which condemned the massacre as a crime against humanity, honoured the memories of the victims and established September 1 as a day of solidarity with political prisoners in Iran.
Colter said: “I am delighted that the Canadian parliament in passing this resolution made it the first country in the world to unanimously and unequivocally remember and condemn what happened in Iran as a crime against humanity. And as it happens, we meet in the wake up just a few days ago of the publication of the audio of Ayatollah Montazeri, providing further corroborative evidence not only about the mass murders and the horror of the executions, but also implicating the leaders of Iran, some of whom are in power even today as we meet, in that executions when Montazeri addressed the death committee at the time responsible for those executions.”
He pointed out that Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a member of the death committee, was now the Minister of Justice in Iran.
He remarked: “So somebody who should be in an Iranian prison is actually the Minister of Justice presiding over more executions in Iran because we meet also in the same month when in August 2nd of this month 25 Sunni Muslims were executed in one day by the same people involved in the death committee in 1988.”
He urged other members of the international community to come forward in support of the Iranian Resistance, to bring the leaders of the Regime to justice and to ensure that political prisoners in Iran are freed. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30741:somebody-who-should-be-in-an-iran-prison-is-actually-the-minister-of-justice&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/672245a5d00b761f68c1409d055ae5caa7e5dfc0e4dd496f7861d6a426bd6be6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:59:01 | null | null | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2F%3Fformat%3Dfeed%26amp%253Btype%3Drss.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/?format=feed&%3Btype=rss | en | null | Welcome to Iran Focus | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | There are growing concerns in Washington that Iran is expanding its terror network among South American countries hostile to the US, during a visit to the area by the Iranian Foreign Minister, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
During the tour, Javad Zarif has visited Cuba, Venezuela, and other countries that are believed to be sheltering Iranian-funded terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/?format=feed&%3Btype=rss | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/4ca966ac6206a3ce9bf9d5b19bf33cacc4d9455ff8aad4e748c2dc0d90dc9d46.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:52:30 | null | 2016-08-26T08:47:07 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30740%3Airan-expands-terror-network-in-latin-america%26catid%3D9%26Itemid%3D114.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/Iran-Cuba-340.jpg | en | null | Iran expands terror network in Latin America | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | There are growing concerns in Washington that Iran is expanding its terror network among South American countries hostile to the US, during a visit to the area by the Iranian Foreign Minister, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
During the tour, Javad Zarif has visited Cuba, Venezuela, and other countries that are believed to be sheltering Iranian-funded terrorist organizations like Hezbollah.
While in Cuba, Zarif promoted Iran’s desire to ally with anti-American countries.
He said: “Iran and Cuba could prove to the U.S. that it cannot proceed with its policies through exerting pressure on other countries…Now the time is ripe for realizing our common goals together and [to] implement the resistance economy in Iran and materialize Castro’s goals of reconstruction of the Cuban economy.”
Russia, an Iranian ally, has also boosted its spy operation in the area and US officials are worried about the potential this has to foster anti-US sentiment in the area.
A US Representative from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, made a statement about Zarif’s tour.
Ros-Lehtinen, who is also chair of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The threat to U.S. national security interests and our allies should be setting off alarm bells…I urge the White House to stop downplaying the Iranian threat and take immediate action to prevent the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism from establishing a regional safe haven in the Americas”.
She added: “Tehran’s classic playbook is to use cultural centers, new embassies or consulates, or cooperative agreements on various areas to act as façades aimed at expanding Iran’s radical extremist network”.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior analyst on Iran at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that Iran has boosted collaboration efforts with South America after 2015’s nuclear agreement.
He said: “Zarif is aggressively continuing Iran’s diplomatic outreach, a policy which began early in the Rouhani administration and was kicked into high gear in the aftermath of the JCPOA—last summer’s nuclear deal… Zarif’s trip symbolically commences in Havana, Cuba, where the Iranian foreign minister harped on themes of steadfastness and resistance to American legal and economic pressure.”
He added that Iran wanted to promote “an anti-American and anti-capitalist world order” and “solidify the anti-American political orientation” of some South American countries.
He ended: “In short, Iran will be looking to deepen to its footprint in Latin America”. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30740:iran-expands-terror-network-in-latin-america&catid=9&Itemid=114 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/a76c55f67402f5fe5f71a9519dc3fd87fa547020509be8ce11cddfffbf116498.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:57:47 | null | 2016-08-17T19:47:04 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30723%3Airan-arrests-adolescents-for-attending-mixed-gender-party%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/1757794_930-340.jpg | en | null | Iran arrests adolescents for attending mixed-gender party | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
London, 17 Aug - Iranian officials arrested over 60 young people for attending a mixed-gender party this past weekend.
According to regime officials, the youngsters had been partying and the women had violated the Regime’s dress code. Their main suspect was only identified as Fariborz G, who organised the event on social media.
The raid, at Tehran's Sorkheh Hesar National Park, was carried out by the Bassij force, a paramilitary branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), with a warrant signed by Tehran's deputy prosecutor.
This was reported by the regime-affiliated Fars news agency on August 16.
This is nowhere near the first time, that Iran has done this, over the course of 2016, they’ve arrested hundreds of young people according to this article on the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) website.
Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NCRI made a statement in response to the spate of arrests.
He said: “The clerical regime has never been so isolated at home and loathed by the Iranian people, in particular by the youth and women. As such, it is resorting to more and more repressive measures to confront this growing trend. This once again proves that the notion of moderation under Hassan Rouhani is a total myth. But it also indicates the vulnerable and shaky state of a regime that cannot even tolerate private festivities of the people, particularly the youth. It is becoming more evident that the mullahs are totally paranoid of any social gathering in fear of a popular uprising.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30723:iran-arrests-adolescents-for-attending-mixed-gender-party&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/3fde31237b75556a40c528ca3cbe3a283fdd72194b0c513824a74ceb0a340987.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:48:27 | null | 2016-08-30T19:30:48 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30754%3Athe-assembly-of-experts-speak-to-their-participation-and-agreement-with-the-1988-massacre%26catid%3D4%26Itemid%3D109.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/maryam-rajavi-340.jpg | en | null | The Assembly of Experts Speak to their Participation and Agreement with the 1988 Massacre | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 30 Aug - In her August 29th statement, President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), described a statement that was recently issued by the Assembly of Experts, about the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, as an “explicit, decisive and official document” calling it “agreement and complicity” among of the current regime's leaders, for their part in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners.
The highest institution in the mullahs' Velayat-e Faqih regime is the Assembly of Experts. They described the massacre in 1988 as "a historic and revolutionary decision by his highness Imam Khomeini", and "a prompt decision" to "deal seriously and decisively with the Hypocrites (the Mojahedin)", indicating Khomeini's "deep and insightful understanding.”
According the Mrs. Rajavi’s statement, “The decree for the massacre of PMOI prisoners is so anti-Islamic and so inhuman, that the Assembly of Experts --which is comprised of the most criminal ruling mullahs and a number of those directly responsible for the massacre-- does not dare to repeat the decree. Instead, in a deceitful and scandalous maneuver, they describe the decree as Khomeini's decision to have ‘fair trial for leaders and some members’ of the PMOI.”
The statements of the regime's leaders points out their concerns that the principle of Velayat-e Faqih will be undermined and Khomeini's image distorted. Conversely, they worry that the Mojahedin will be "whitewashed" and "an atmosphere for (their) innocence created.”
It is for this reason, according to Mrs. Rajavi, that Khamenei praised "the blessed and radiant image of Imam (Khomeini)" and Rafsanjani defended "Imam's unprecedented role and status in contemporary history" with regards to the 1988 massacre. President Rouhani's Minister of Interior, Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, stated, "We are proud to have carried out God's verdict on the Hypocrites.”
Mrs. Rajavi “challenged the regime's officials to publish the text of Khomeini's verdict, questions by Mousavi Ardebili, and Khomeini's response to him in the media without censoring them, and said the decree is anti-Islamic and contradicts even the foundations of the mullahs' own fundamentalist jurisprudence.”
Condemnation of this decree was urged upon the clergy and religious authorities in the world of Islam by Mrs. Rajavi, who plead, “and do not allow this great crime which is unprecedented in contemporary history be registered in the name of Islam and Muslims.”
She added, “The documents published recently, as well as the admissions made publicly by the regime's highest officials and institutes in recent days, have doubled the need for international prosecution of those responsible for this great crime. Based on its duties, the United Nations must set up a committee to examine these confessions and register them as decisive documents of crime and thus prepare the legal grounds for legal prosecution of the criminals ruling Iran. Now that the regime's leaders confess to having committed the massacre, they have to announce the names of those massacred, publish their last wills, and the addresses of their graves, as well as the names of all members of the death commissions in various provinces.”
The statement by the Assembly of Experts describes Khomeini's decision as "fair trial of leaders and some members" of the Mojahedin, while Khomeini wrote in his evil decree: "Those who insist on their position of hypocrisy in prisons across the country, are enemies of God and condemned to death… It is naïve to have mercy on enemies of God… Those gentlemen who are responsible for making the decisions, must not allow themselves to have any speck of doubt." Then in reply to questions by Mousavi Ardebili, Khomeini wrote: "Anyone at any stage, if persists on hypocrisy, he/she is punishable with death. Swiftly, annihilate the enemies of Islam. As for the examination of the cases, those measure are preferable that would expedite execution of the verdicts.”
A quotation is included from Khomeini's letter to Montazeri on March 26, 1989 in the statement of the Assembly of Experts, which uncovers the main reason for the massacre. "Since it has been made clear that after me (Khomeini), you (Montazeri) will hand over Iran to liberals and through them to the Hypocrites, you have lost the competence and legitimacy for future leadership of the regime.”
One of the officials of the presidential office under Ali Khamenei and Rafsanjani, Mehdi Khaz-Ali, recently revealed some of the regime's crimes that occurred in the course of the 1988 massacre. He gave this reason for the massacre, “The largest and most populous group that opposed the state was the People's Mojahedin Organization which held four hours of parade in Enqelab Avenue. This group could be annihilated only with authorization from Imam (Khomeini)… The officials wanted to uproot this group while the Imam was still alive. They said that they would possibly join (the organization) once they were released. Then we would be confronted by a large number of people. While if we execute them, now, these executions will terrify their families and no one would dare to join (the PMOI).”
Before the Assembly of Experts' statement, Ali Khamenei expressed concern in a meeting with the regime's officials on August 24, 2016, that the audio recording of Mr. Montazeri's meeting would ‘attempt to whitewash’ and create ‘an atmosphere of innocence’ for the Mojahedin and distort Khomeini's image.”
Rafsanjani also expressed regret over "a new wave of attacks directed against Khomeini,” and said, "The wave has embraced virtually all foreign opposition media, to the extent that the mayor of Paris recently held an exhibition which recreated the scenes of executions in those days… The extent of support for the Mojahedin Organization at this time deserves to be pondered." He added, "The main objective of our international and domestic enemies is to take revenge from the unprecedented role and status of Imam (Khomeini).”
Rouhani's legal deputy, Majid Ansari, said that in addition to distortion of Khomeini's image, "a complicated conspiracy is being concocted on the international level to present the People's Mojahedin Organization as a legitimate and civilian organization." | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30754:the-assembly-of-experts-speak-to-their-participation-and-agreement-with-the-1988-massacre&catid=4&Itemid=109 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/1d5941d0d52f6761ca732dac9c4f27df02429740135245fe5e51925f9908641c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:47:26 | null | 2016-08-24T14:48:55 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30739%3Athe-international-community-must-prosecute-iran-s-ruling-mullahs%26catid%3D4%26Itemid%3D109.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights-1/maryam-rajavi340.jpg | en | null | The international community must prosecute Iran's ruling mullahs | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 24 Aug - The following is the text of the message of Mrs. Rajavi on Wednesday to an exhibition in Paris' Mairie du 2e commemorating the 28th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran.
The time has come for the UN to adopt a resolution, condemning this crime. The international community must prosecute Iran's ruling mullahs
Mr. Mayor,
Ladies and gentlemen of the City Council,
Dear friends,
Let me begin by honouring the anniversary of the liberation of Paris, and by paying homage to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for freedom and taught the lesson of perseverance. They showed that we can and we must defeat the enemy even if it appears to be powerful and invincible. It was not the military force, but the power of faith in human values that liberated Paris. Such faith will also be the force to liberate my country which is enchained by a religious dictatorship.
These days, we are commemorating the anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran, a hideous genocide carried out by the mullahs' religious dictatorship.
In summer 1988, Khomeini issued a decree for the massacre of prisoners affiliated to the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, in which he wrote, "Whoever --in prisons across the country-- continues to persist on his/her position of hypocrisy, is considered the enemy of God and is punishable by death."
Khomeini's Chief Justice asked him whether the decree applied to the prisoners who had already been sentenced to limited jail terms. Khomeini replied, "If anyone, at any stage, persists on hypocrisy, his/her sentence is death. Annihilate the enemies of Islam, at once."
Twenty-eight years after the massacre, an audio recording was published this month of a meeting between Montazeri, Khomeini's incumbent successor, and the officials responsible for the massacre. The meeting had been held in the midst of the carnage.
In this meeting, the officials responsible for the massacre said that they had asked every single member of the PMOI whether they still adhered to the PMOI's ideas. Those who responded positively, were executed. The officials also explained about their plans on how to continue the massacre.
In this meeting, Montazeri said: "The Iranian people are repulsed by the velayat-e-faqih” and “later, they will say that Khomeini was a bloodthirsty and brutal figure.” He added that this was "the greatest crime committed during the Islamic Republic."
Montazeri also revealed in this meeting that Khomeini had made his decision some three to four years before the massacre was actually carried out, to execute "all members of the Mojahedin, including those who read their newspaper, those who read their magazine, and those who read their statements."
Based on this audio recording, those massacred included 15-year-old girls and pregnant women. It was because of such protests that Montazeri was ousted from his position and remained under house arrest until the end of his life.
You might be surprised to learn that one of the main officials responsible for that massacre, namely Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, is today the Minister of Justice in Rouhani's cabinet.
Western governments have so far remained silent on this great crime against humanity. The time has come for the UN to issue a resolution censuring this crime. The international community must prosecute the mullahs ruling Iran.
We have organized a movement, both inside Iran and on the international level, to obtain justice. This litigation is part of a national movement for Iran's freedom. The martyrs’ families as well as this movement demand that the names of the victims, addresses of their graves and names of the perpetrators of this crime be published.
I urge you and all advocates of human rights to join the people of Iran in this quest for justice. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30739:the-international-community-must-prosecute-iran-s-ruling-mullahs&catid=4&Itemid=109 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/4c8f9f59275d51efa343e67a0158c686992b8ab1e74754cdd1dfe55cde831933.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T10:47:06 | null | 2016-08-27T09:18:22 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30747%3Abritish-news-site-reports-on-the-row-inside-iran-over-the-1988-massacre-of-political-prisoners%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/people/maryam-rajavi340if.jpg | en | null | British news site reports on the "row" inside Iran over the 1988 massacre of political prisoners | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 27 Aug - The National, a British online news site, reported today on the Iranian regime's 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, mostly members of the People’s Mujahidin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK), saying "the row continued in the country."
Reporting that a 1988 tape had emerged in which Khomeini's then heir-apparent, Hossein-Ali Montazeri, can be heard telling members of the "Death Committee" that history would judge them as "criminals" for the killings, the National discussed its impact upon Iranian society.
It was Montazeri's son, "a moderate cleric," who had posted the tape. The following day, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence ordered him to remove it, and he was summoned to a special court of clergy, where he was interrogated for three hours, the National said.
"Ahmad Montazeri said that he was also in possession of other documents which he might reveal later," the report continued.
The National said that members of the "Death Committee," charged with carrying out the killings, "are still in senior positions in the current regime of Hassan Rouhani." They include Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, Rouhani's Minister of Justice.
The report quoted from the tape, of which if had a transcript. The ideas of the MEK could not be defeated by mass executions, Montazeri told the "Death Committee": "killing will solve nothing. It will make it worse."
The cleric warned: "We will not be in power forever. In the future, history will judge us."
Montazeri "criticises the hangings of teenagers, pregnant women and those whose only crime was to read the newspaper of the People’s Mujahidin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK)," the National said.
Establishment figures in Iran have attempted to justify the atrocity. The report quoted Mullah Ali Razini, a judiciary official, who praised Khomeini's decision, and Khomeini's grandson, Mullah Ali Khomeini, who said, "What was the regime supposed to do with these people? It had to fight, and had to fight hard. Praise be to Allah, it did happen."
The National reported that Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), had called for justice in the light of this "irrefutable evidence" of the current regime's complicity in the atrocity. The international community was "obligated" to act, she said. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30747:british-news-site-reports-on-the-row-inside-iran-over-the-1988-massacre-of-political-prisoners&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/779598c0700ba79d030169675c3d8e07dbde2376b6086120e7740acf6cdad6e6.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:48:26 | null | 2016-08-30T19:10:19 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30753%3Airan-s-minister-of-justice-admits-pride-for-his-role-in-the-1988-massacre%26catid%3D4%26Itemid%3D109.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/Mostafa-Pour-Mohammadi-340.png | en | null | Iran’s Minister of Justice Admits Pride for his Role in the 1988 Massacre | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 30 Aug - According to an August 30 article from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Tasnim news agency, affiliated to the IRGC Qods Force, wrote on August 28 that Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a member of Khomeini’s “Death Commission” and current Minister of Justice in Rouhani’s government, admitted to his role in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners and members of the MEK in the summer of 1988. He said he was proud of it.
When speaking at the administrative council meeting in the city of Khorram-Abad in Lorestan province on August 28,Pour-Mohammadi said, “We are proud we have implemented God’s order about Mojahedin (PMOI or MEK). We have stood against the enemy of God and people and confronted them with power. God have said that do not have mercy on the infidels because they do not have mercy on you and we should not have mercy on Mojahedin.”
Last week in a message at an exhibition in Paris' Mairie du 2e, commemorating the 28th anniversary of the 1988 massacre, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance stated, “The time has come for the UN to adopt a resolution, condemning this crime. The international community must prosecute Iran's ruling mullahs.”
“Western governments have so far remained silent on this great crime against humanity. The time has come for the UN to issue a resolution censuring this crime. The international community must prosecute the mullahs ruling Iran,” she declared. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30753:iran-s-minister-of-justice-admits-pride-for-his-role-in-the-1988-massacre&catid=4&Itemid=109 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/a0afa368cfae1e1433a1edef470a1050c0f0339490e6bbb27ae0547e80ae3a3f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:47:03 | null | 2016-08-26T15:16:40 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30742%3Amek-campaign-forces-supreme-leader-to-confront-outrage%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/20160823_121454-340.jpg | en | null | MEK campaign forces Supreme Leader to confront outrage | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 26 Aug - The Iranian resistance has forced the regime to comment on the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners four weeks into its campaign for justice for the victims, mostly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK).
On Wednesday, August 24, 2016, the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, said, "Unfortunately, some people are trying to provide an atmosphere of oppression for Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) members, and tarnish the image of Imam (Khomeini), but they will not be successful."
On August 9, 2016, relatives of Hossein-Ali Montazeri, Khomeini's former heir, published an audio tape in which Montazeri can be heard telling members of the "Death Committee" in August 1988 that they were committing a crime against humanity and that history would judge them as "criminals."
The tape provided, to use the words of Maryam Rajavi, "irrefutable evidence" of the responsibility of current regime members in the atrocity. Those members include Rouhani's Minister of Justice, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, who was a member of the Death Committee.
Rouhani himself was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the regime's armed forces at the time, and, since 1982, a member of the Supreme Defense Council. In those positions, he was fully cognizant of the atrocity.
Far from being a "moderate," he is implicated in the killing of 30,000 defenceless prisoners many of whom had served their sentences. Teenagers and pregnant women were not spared in the slaughter: "Annihilate the enemies of Islam immediately," Khomeini's fatwa decreed.
Although Amnesty International has said the massacre was "one of the worst abuses," and called for those responsible to be held accountable, international governmental pressure has been lacking.
Public protest brought Khamenei to acknowledge both what had happened to the MEK in 1988 and what is currently besetting the regime, namely unrest at economic and political conditions.
"Today, economic problems and bottlenecks are the foremost problem of the country," he said.
Reflecting the centrality of force in maintaining the regime, Khamenei went on to praise the security services "for their role in safeguarding the Islamic Republic’s security at a time when insecurity is rampant in regional countries."
http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/human-rights/20962-public-outrage-in-iran-subsequent-to-the-revelation-of-1988-massacre-forces-iran-regime-s-supreme-leader-to-react | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30742:mek-campaign-forces-supreme-leader-to-confront-outrage&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/075c98d073f9ae57cc0bdec3152a3e89d7b855acb20750dfd8fe93f893aa7e67.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:04 | null | 2016-08-23T12:54:40 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30734%3Aincreased-security-measures-in-iran-prison-warn-of-another-massacre%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights/gohardasht340.jpg | en | null | Increased security measures in Iran prison warn of another massacre | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 23 Aug - The political prisoners held at the Gohardasht (Rajai-Shahr) Prison in Karaj, have witnessed and reported a significant increase in security measures, and many now fear for their lives.
According to reports from prisoners in wards 3 and 4, there has been an increase in prison personnel, and more guards patrolling on the prison roof. Whereas the inmates were able to enjoy short amount of time outdoors, now they are prohibited from spending any time outside at all, and the prison doors are held shut all the hours of the day. As an increased security measure, the windows are being blocked by welding heavy steel on the outside as well as on the inside. These activities are even more startling because they echo the preparations carried out before the recent mass hangings of 25 Sunni inmates which took place on the Gohardasht prison grounds earlier in August.
After months of torture, the victims were not even allowed to be visited by their families before they were hanged. Throughout their imprisonment, they were denied basic care such as health treatment or access to a lawyer. Before their execution, “the prison authorities cut off ties to the outside world in order to stage this mass execution in secret”. The resemblance to the current activities that have been reported by ward 3 and 4 prisoners are causing them to fear for their own lives, especially considering the notorious role which the Gohardasht prison has played in Iran’s political past.
Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) were held here for a short time before their appearance in ‘mock trials’ and subsequent execution during the summer of 1988, which saw more than 30,000 political prisoners executed. Recent mass executions, such as the killings of the 25 Sunni inmates in Tehran earlier in August, have been carried out during the anniversary of the 1988 massacre. This has raised serious concerns among members of the international community who are querying the extent of the regime’s crimes against humanity since 1988. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30734:increased-security-measures-in-iran-prison-warn-of-another-massacre&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/e789022e53820ba0c7aac2e23c9fa8aec6b725e6420261bc372c40a62ff732c8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T18:46:49 | null | 2016-08-26T17:12:52 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30745%3Adisabled-mother-of-iranian-prisoner-of-faith-begs-for-the-release-of-her-son%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/Ebrahim_firozi-340.jpg | en | null | Disabled Mother of Iranian Prisoner of Faith Begs for the Release of Her Son | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | In an article by Stoyan Zaimov, in the August 24 Christian Post, he writes about the plight of a disabled mother of a Christian prisoner in Iran. Her son is held in Rajaei-Shahr prison, and she has been unable to visit him because she is visually impaired.
As reported by Mohabat News on Tuesday, Ebrahim Firouzi, is one of several people imprisoned because of their Christian faith. Because he was not allowed access to his defense documents, he refused to attend his appeals court hearing. His appointed judge was not present, so the hearing has been postponed for four months.
According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Firouzi was arrested in August 2013, and sentenced to five years in prison in 2015. he was charged with "acting against national security," a charge often given to prisoners of faith in Iran.
Firouzi's mother pled with officials to handle her son's case fairly and to release him. "Crying as she delivered the message to the authorities, Mr. Firouzi's elderly mother said that she is visually impaired and there is nothing she can do and has no one to help her. She said she doesn't have the ability to go from court to court and follow up on her son's case," Mohabat News reports. "She added that she misses her son and because of her disability she has not been able to visit her son in prison. She pleaded with the authorities to release her son so he can come home.”
Persecution of Christians and other minority religions is common in the Islamic Republic, where jail sentences are regularly meted out to those who practice their faith. Those who gather in House churches, which are not permitted, may be rounded up and arrested. Christian converts are often beaten and arrested.
Last May, the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, leader of a house church from the Church of Iran, was once again under arrest, after his acquittal of apostasy in 2012, for which he had originally been sentenced to death by hanging. "We are deeply concerned by these developments and await further clarification regarding the reasons for these arrests," CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said at the time, noting that the 37-year-old pastor's wife, Tina Pasandide Nadarkhani, and fellow church member Yasser Mosayebzadeh, had also been arrested. "Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for Christians who have been arrested on account of their religious beliefs to be released and re-arrested time and again, in a tactic designed to foster a sense of insecurity within the community," Thomas added.
As of March 15, some 821 individuals are imprisoned in Iran for exercising their fundamental rights, according to the database of prisoners of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, including Sunni Muslims, Baha'i, Christians, Sufis, Dervishes, and other religious minorities. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30745:disabled-mother-of-iranian-prisoner-of-faith-begs-for-the-release-of-her-son&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/d4b9ae79c1bab2258795b8f8f7cccdeeb8b4a8566a4635742ee6b7debe2d8408.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:57 | null | 2016-08-19T12:22:31 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30726%3Airan-arrests-11-christians-in-raid-on-house-church%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/christians-arrested-in-Iran.jpg | en | null | Iran arrests 11 Christians in raid on house-church | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
London, 19 Aug - Iranian authorities arrested a group of Iranian Christians at a house-church in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, last week.
A total of 11 Christians were arrested by armed plain clothes intelligence agents in the raid on August 12.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) have been able to identify ten of those arrested but an eleventh has still not been identified. However, there is no information about the current status of the detainees.
Those identified were Amin Ahanin, Mohammad Alyasi, Fatemeh Amini, Edmund Khachaturian, Mohammad Malek Khatai, Mohsen Khoobyari, Arash Qodsi, Hamed Sepidkar, Samaneh Shahbazi-Far and Maryam Zonubi.
Intelligence agents also confiscated Christian books and other literature.
This is the latest incident in the regime’s suppression of Iran’s minority Christian population.
On Christmas Day 2015, a number of Iranian Christians were arrested in the city of Shiraz, southern Iran. Intelligence agents ransacked the house-church and confiscated personal items and satellite dishes
In the lead up to July’s ‘Free Iran’ rally, nearly 80 church leaders from the United Kingdom and the United States expressed deep concern over the suppression of Iranian Christians and urging the international community to condition relations with Iran on an improvement to human rights.
The bishops (including John Pritchard, former Bishop of Oxford; the Bishop of Stepney, Adrian Newman; the Bishop of Selby, John Thomson; and Rachel Treweek, the Bishop of Gloucester who is the Church of England's first diocesan bishop) and priests reiterated that the suppression of Christians in Iran has increased during Hassan Rouhani’s tenure.
The letter from the religious leaders said: “Iran’s ruling theocracy is rightly a source of grave concern for human rights organizations and institutions with a particular interest in the protection of the rights of Christians. … Reports by the UN Secretary General, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and the U.S. State Department all indicate that the repression of Christians has not only continued but intensified during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30726:iran-arrests-11-christians-in-raid-on-house-church&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/f84867abe844eac467551b42ebb26faf1c5396a72ba214f37cb94d952744ec77.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:33 | null | 2016-08-22T07:04:14 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30730%3Abritish-charity-worker-arrested-on-family-visit-in-iran-has-case-heard-in-secret-court%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/nazanin-340-221.png | en | null | British charity worker arrested on family visit in Iran has case heard in secret court | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
London, 21 Aug - The British charity worker, who was arrested while visiting her parents in Iran earlier this year, was brought before a secret court last week.
Nazanin Radcliffe was recently sent to trial by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) but still no formal charges have been brought.
Her husband, Richard Radcliffe, released an update about the #FreeNazanin case on the Change.Org petition on August 20th.
This was a bold move by Mr. Radcliffe as the IRGC has made thinly veiled threats against his wife in response to his previous allegations.
Mr. Radcliffe said: "I was quiet for over a month, while Nazanin was kept in such cruelty. I will be quiet again when Nazanin and Gabriella are back home. Not before."
Nazanin sat before Judge Salavati in the Revolutionary Court, facing 10 years in prison for espionage; an allegation that she, the charity she works for and her family have repeatedly denied.
The IRGC are trying to paint the Thomson Reuters Foundation as an ‘infiltration project’ directed by Western intelligence services, rather than as a charity dedicated to “socio-economic progress and the rule of law worldwide”.
Mr. Radcliffe said: “For the Revolutionary Court, you defend yourself against suspicions. Formal charges appear only at the end. As an outsider, it can seem upside down, even retrofit - it risks making the crime fit the punishment.”
The trial lasted three hours and her parents and the UK lawyer her husband attained were banned from attending.
Nazanin’s interrogators, who were “angered by a miscommunication” insisted that Mr. Radcliffe “clarify” some previous statements he had made publically.
Mr. Radcliffe said: “They wanted her/me to clarify: it is not their mandate to negotiate deals with other governments which are handled by the Iranian government; the Revolutionary Guard’s authority is for investigations. Their actions have only ever been to call for better cooperation between Iran and the UK.”
His statements had so angered the IRGC that when Nazanin’s father and daughter were allowed to visit- the IRGC stopped her mother outside the prison. Then the pair were "marched through the corridors with a sack over their heads”- the standard issue silencer for the Revolutionary Guard.
Nazanin expressed thanks to her captors for their ‘kindness’ in allowing her to see her daughter and phone her husband but it’s not hard to imagine that she was pressured to do so, especially as other prisoners’ family members have come forward about IRGC threats of relatives being arrested and children being in ‘road accidents’.
Judge Salavati apparently considers it suspicious that Nazanin’s story has attracted so much media coverage. The truth is that Nazanin has attracted around 100 pieces of media coverage in the nearly five months since she was arrested but the reason is that the British people do not take kindly to the kidnapping of charity workers and their children.
Mr. Radcliffe discussed why he wanted to keep Nazanin in the public eye including documenting the regime’s lies and U-turns.
Radcliffe said: “But mostly, I speak because you are watching. Right now, your watching is what keeps Nazanin safe. Because you can see the sound and fury around her for what it is, you see the Guards for what they are.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30730:british-charity-worker-arrested-on-family-visit-in-iran-has-case-heard-in-secret-court&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/2401476d5ed32ef4e804394762699b982a0cf42f959add9647d0c04e1c0c4733.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:52:00 | null | 2016-08-18T15:34:39 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30725%3Anearly-4-500-iranian-clothes-shops-closed-in-2015-for-breaching-morality-code%26catid%3D6%26Itemid%3D111.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/economy/clothes-shops-340.jpg | en | null | Nearly 4,500 Iranian clothes shops closed in 2015 for breaching morality code | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
London, 18 Aug - More than 4,400 clothes shops were shut down in 2015 for violating the strict morality code in Iran, according to a leading official in the State Security Forces.
Hossein Sajedi-Nia, Commander of the State Security Forces said that they offered “indecent apparel violating public morality".
He was addressing a meeting on August 12 on “virtue” which was about finding new ways to clamp down on women’s “immodest” dressing.
He said: “The current status of the hijab and virtue does not conform to an Islamic society. The monitoring of women's veiling over the past 15 years indicates that the situation has gradually worsened."
Tehran’s prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi also commented that Iran had failed in its attempts to suppress women.
He said: “24 departments have responsibilities [in the areas of chastity and public morality]. Despite the fact that specialized courts have been set up in Tehran to encounter these types of offenses, a lack of coordination among relevant departments, has prevented progress.”
Jafari-Dolatabadi said that people who did not abide by the strict morality codes were prominent in public places.
According to the state-run news agency ISNA, Tehran’s Prosecutor-General called on public officials to deal with "offenses against public chastity and morality” following remarks from the supreme-leader Ali Khamenei in July.
Khamenei said: "Any discussion over the voluntary or mandatory nature of the Hijab (women's veil) is deviatory, and does not have any place in the Islamic Republic.... If it turns out that something is religiously unlawful (haram), the Islamic regime is duty-bound to stand against such haram.”
The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran has condemned this “backward” position on women’s rights.
They said that the regime is escalating its oppression of women in response to growing protests.
Their statement said: “They know, however, that this will only foment the Iranian people's fury against the regime as manifested in the protests by various strata of society.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30725:nearly-4-500-iranian-clothes-shops-closed-in-2015-for-breaching-morality-code&catid=6&Itemid=111 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/79cd7054349a060b83525dcb7a18d581682e07f523a0bbd1fe0445a25d82cd0d.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T18:48:25 | null | 2016-08-30T18:29:42 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30752%3Aparis-exhibition-30-000-souls-taken-highlights-victims-of-1988-massacre-in-iran%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights/Maryam-Rajavi-The-movement340.jpg | en | null | Paris Exhibition:“30,000 Souls Taken” Highlights Victims of 1988 Massacre in Iran | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 30 Aug - An article in Media Express posted by Craig Davidson, describes a solemn event that took place on August 23rd and 24th, when people came to view the exhibition in the Mayor’s office Paris’ 2nd district.
A remembrance of the 28th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI), the largest single Iranian resistance group, was on display. Portraits of the victims, listing their name, age, and and occupation (many were university students), made a poignant statement on their own. Memorabilia, such as their possessions were included int the exhibit, evoking the personal lives and character of the slain dissidents. News articles from 1988, as well as later revelations about the extent of the killings were also on view.
The Mayor of Paris’ 2nd arrondissement, Jacques Boutault, attended and spoke with The Media Express at the exhibition. “This event commemorates the 28th anniversary of a massacre that took place in the greatest secrecy within Iran’s prisons for their opinions, for their political affiliation…Today, those responsible for the massacre are still in power in Iran. The international community must open with utmost carefulness and pressure political change in Iran so Iranians can practice democracy and a free form of Islam.” He added, “Yes, of course, the international community must first avoid the worst possible outcome: that Iran obtains a nuclear weapon. This being avoided, Iran has been allowed to return to the table of international negotiations; but this cannot be done naively, it cannot be done without speaking the truth about the Iranian regime, without demanding accounts [of the victims] from them and creating economic and political pressure for political change in Iran.”
In an attempt to suppress political dissent, the Iranian regime ordered mass arrests of PMOI members. Later, a fatwa was decreed, calling for their extermination. The summer of 1988 saw some 30,000 people hanged, in a massacre where life or death were based on just a single question, “What is your political affiliation?”
French politician Rama Yade spoke with The Media Express at the event.
“We have a duty, a mission, to help [Maryam Rajavi] to introduce liberty and human rights in [Iran],” she said. “Iran is a huge country; it is an important country for the world and for the security of the world; and it is a problem today to have a theocracy at the head of the state. So I hope that Mrs. Rajavi will tomorrow be the head of the state; because it is absolutely necessary to have political change in Iran.”
The populous knew that the massacre had occurred, but thought that only a few thousand had been executed. The full extent of this crime against humanity was not revealed until 2001.
In attendance was also, Rassoul Asghari, an Iranian journalist living in exile in France. Asghari, once the editor of Iranian state-run newspaper Sarmayeh, also spoke with the Media Express. When he was asked for the most important reason of the renewed interest in the 1988 massacre, he replied that it was because “the injury that occured in 1988 has still not been repaired…The families of the victims have not stopped seeking justice for their loved ones. By exhibitions like this, as well as other demonstrations, we can see the will to never forget what happened.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30752:paris-exhibition-30-000-souls-taken-highlights-victims-of-1988-massacre-in-iran&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/e24eb5cebcb18463c8a352e9ccfc9c86d7b667c637c39d210d557720428ad0a2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:59 | null | 2016-08-23T11:26:29 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30732%3Arise-in-executions-in-iran-reflects-widespread-unrest%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights/farzad-madadzadeh-340.jpg | en | null | Rise in executions in Iran reflects widespread unrest | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 23 Aug - One of the UK's most widely read newspapers, Metro, reported on Saturday the increase in protest in Iran under Rouhani and the corresponding rise in executions.
The newspaper also published an account of the arrest, imprisonment and torture in Iran of a supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK), taxi driver, Farzad Madadzadeh.
Quoting Amnesty International estimates of 2,000 people executed between 2013 and 2015, Metro reported on what it called "a recent escalation," which included this month's hanging of 20 Sunni inmates at Gohardasht Prison.
Farzad Madadzadeh served the final year of his sentence during the first year of Rouhani's presidency and said that conditions worsened then; for example, hospital treatment was denied to inmates.
Reflecting on the state of the country since his release, Madadzadeh said, "The number of arrests increased - teachers, workers, and all sorts of people". Every day there were "multiple protests in Tehran,” he said.
Recently, political prisoners have been "warning that another mass execution could take place," Madadzadeh continued.
He described an "intense" situation in Iran, with "anything" triggering popular calls for "regime change."
"All these arrests and executions, they show Iranian society wants change," Madadzadeh told Toby Meyjes of Metro.
His own experience of repression in Iran began with his involvement in PMOI activity in anti-regime protests. Madadzadeh claimed his right to protest, but recognised the risk of doing so in Iran. Many of those who have protested were imprisoned or executed.
Summoned to a police station in 2009, at a time when, Metro reported, "tens of thousands" were arrested, plain clothes policemen put a hood on Madadzadeh's head and threw him in a car.
He was taken to Evin Prison and the notorious Ward 209 run by the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
At his interrogations, "There was three of them and they would kick me around like a football," Madadzadeh said. Worse, he said, were long periods in solitary confinement.
Metro said, "British mum, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has just faced trial in Iran after she was accused of being a ‘Western spy’, was left unable to walk after 45 days" in prison.
At his trial, which lasted five minutes, the judge told Madadzadeh the charges were "war on God and having a relationship with the PMOI." There was no opportunity to mount a defence. Two weeks later, he was informed he had been sentenced to five years.
Metro said Madadzadeh was "one of the lucky ones" in that he escaped execution.
The newspaper also reported on the 1988 execution of 30,000 political prisoners by the Iranian regime - a crime against humanity which the UK government ought to acknowledge, according to the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom.
Metro said that women and teenagers were executed in the atrocity. Some victims “were loaded on to forklift trucks, hanged from cranes at half-hourly intervals," it reported.
"The increasing level of suppression has led to a growing fear that the government could exercise its power in a mass execution akin to that in 1988," the newspaper said.
It also reported that, "Multiple demonstrations have taken place across the world, including London, in recent weeks attempting to draw attention to what is happening in Iran."
Madadzadeh said, "The only tool the regime has to be able to maintain power is suppression and, in particular, execution. The western governments must put pressure on the regime to make it stop."
http://metro.co.uk/2016/08/20/heres-what-its-like-to-be-a-political-prisoner-in-iran-6080718/#ixzz4I32Ggsks | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30732:rise-in-executions-in-iran-reflects-widespread-unrest&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/19c8e440aea0652f7dc1b69b864318a58e9684670752edae47137dabbf773146.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:31 | null | 2016-08-23T11:37:42 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30733%3Arally-in-the-hague-by-dutch-iranian-communities-protest-wave-of-executions-in-iran%26catid%3D4%26Itemid%3D109.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights/Dutch-Iranians340.gif | en | null | Rally in The Hague by Dutch-Iranian communities Protest Wave of Executions in Iran | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 23 Aug - The Dutch-Iranian community, and supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), staged a protest rally in solidarity with the victims of the recent wave of political executions in Iran. Hundreds of people gathered together in the protest in The Hague on Saturday, August 20.
This follows last week’s three-day hunger strike staged by dozens of members of the Dutch-Iranian communities in The Hague.
The rally also coincided with the anniversary of the massacre of some 30,000 political prisoners during the summer of 1988.
A never before published audio tape recently surfaced, on which Hossein-Ali Montazeri, Khomeini’s former heir, can be heard shedding new light on the scope and pace of the 1988 massacre of at least 30,000 political prisoners. The overwhelming majority of the victims were activists of the main opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) who had been serving prison terms.
The executions were ordered by Death Commissions appointed by Khomeini. Amnesty International has described it as a crime against humanity. Yet, shockingly, members of the Death Commission are cabinet ministers in the Rouhani government, or currently hold other senior positions.
Dozens of people have been hanged in the past two weeks on orders from the Iranian authorities. On 2nd August 2nd, 25 Sunni political prisoners were put to death in one day, prompting a condemnation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. There is now evidence which shows that the victims had been tortured prior to their execution.
More than 2,600 people have been executed in Iran during Hassan Rouhani’s three-year tenure.
The protestors urged the Dutch government to categorically condemn the ongoing executions in Iran, and act with its allies to call for an immediate halt to the executions and torture in Iran. They also called on the UN Security Council to form an international court to prosecute those responsible for the 1988 massacre in Iran. They further stressed that any improvement of relations with the Iranian regime should be preconditioned upon an improvement in human rights and a halt to executions in Iran.
Other major European cities, including London and Oslo, have held similar rallies and hunger strikes in the recent weeks. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30733:rally-in-the-hague-by-dutch-iranian-communities-protest-wave-of-executions-in-iran&catid=4&Itemid=109 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/c5ae49e5fa4561d5af2c600a85eb1ebc615d4371aad730eaa0f971deeb2947be.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:56:26 | null | 2016-08-22T20:33:35 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30731%3Ahigh-ranking-officials-in-the-iranian-regime-involved-in-the-1988-massacre%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights-1/massacre67-340.JPG | en | null | High-ranking officials in the Iranian Regime involved in the 1988 massacre | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 21 Aug -An Iranian-American political scientist has given his view on the leaked audio footage which shows the Iranian Regime’s crime in the 1988 massacre in which 30,000 political prisoners were executed in just a few weeks.
In the Al Arabiya piece, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, praised Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri for speaking up to the Death Committee against the executions in 1988, for which he was put under house arrest.
Rafizadeh said: “[Former heir to the Regime,] Montazeri’s fate changed dramatically. He always felt compelled to speak up; he thought the Islamic Republic had significantly diverted from the ideals of the revolution, he believed religion was intervening in the political affairs of the state, the image of Islam was being tarnished by the Islamic Republic, and he thought people should be given more power over the government.”
The audio, which was leaked by Montazeri’s son, Ahmad, features Montazeri addressing the Regime leaders over their crimes.
In the tape, he is heard saying: “You will be in the future etched in the annals of history as criminals. The greatest crime committed under the Islamic Republic, from the beginning of the Revolution until now, which will be condemned by history, is this crime [mass executions] committed by you.”
the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)ordered that the audio be removed from Ahmad’s website but it has since spread like wildfire.
Rafizadeh said: “The writings, messages, and audio from Iran’s ex-heir Supreme Leader highlight the systematic method that the officials of the Islamic Republic used to address opposition. Executions or brutal punishments to opposition has become the cornerstone of Iran’s political establishment. Iran ranks top in the world when it comes to executions per capita.”
He points out that most of those involved in the massacre are still high-ranking officials in the Iranian Regime; indeed, they even appear to have profited from their crimes against humanity. He called upon the international community to hold the criminals accountable as they did with Nazi Germany because war criminals should not be able to live a comfortable life. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30731:high-ranking-officials-in-the-iranian-regime-involved-in-the-1988-massacre&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/8fe095cbc929d6fb21779680cad7dfd48f0c43a699748a554148b83138587385.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T10:47:08 | null | 2016-08-27T09:08:46 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30746%3Awarnings-of-another-attack-on-camp-liberty-iraq%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights/campliberty340-inu.jpg | en | null | Warnings of another attack on Camp Liberty, Iraq | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 26 Aug - A letter addressing the US President Barack Obama and General Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary, received on August 19, warns against another attack on Camp Liberty in Iraq where Iranian political dissidents are claiming shelter.
According to a guest column in Augusta Free Press by Prof. Raymond Tanter (former member of the U.S. National Security Council Staff) and Col. (Ret.) Wes Marten (former antiterrorism/force protection for coalition forces in Iraq), the letter was signed by “a bipartisan group of 36 former national security officials.”
Prominent figures of the U.S. politics, including Ed Rendell and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, were among those who had signed the letter. The letter expressed fear of another attack on Camp Liberty in Iraq, organised by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Despite the extreme danger that the dissidents of Iran’s ruling regime are facing at Camp Liberty, it will not be the first time that they come under such a threat. Following the July 9 rally, hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Paris, which attracted a following of 100,000 supporters, the media in Iran reported that “Camp Liberty must be targeted once again with a number of missiles,” according to Otagh-e-Khabar.
Camp Liberty has seen the reality of such threats before. In February 2013, nine people died and over 50 were wounded, following rocket and mortar shells falling on the camp. More recently, in October 2015 at least 23 people were dead and dozens left with injuries after an array of rockets were launched on the camp. The Iraqi militia al-Mukhtar Army who claimed the responsibility for that particular attack also warned at the time that it may be repeated.
The way forward, proposed by Prof. Tanter and Col. (Ret.) Marten is to “follow-up bipartisan bills regarding Camp Liberty,” which include plans for safe resettlement of the Camp Liberty civilians in Albania. They also propose that the US Embassy should send its diplomats to Camp Liberty to address the threats. Above all, the August 19 letter to the White House should be taken very seriously, and a plan devised to protect the refugees claiming shelter at Camp Liberty. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30746:warnings-of-another-attack-on-camp-liberty-iraq&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/977c556043eefa2b83d3d5bb0732c9f20a1b88eb4f9030822d4328bd7e15f4bc.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:48:05 | null | 2016-08-29T18:17:53 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30750%3Airanian-regime-officials-fear-justice-for-1988-massacre%26catid%3D4%26Itemid%3D109.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/img_t_24230-340.jpg | en | null | Iranian Regime officials fear justice for 1988 massacre | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | One month after a campaign was launched to seek justice for the political prisoners murdered in the 1988 Iranian massacre and two weeks after an audio recording was released which showed the guilt of the Iranian leaders, current supreme leader Ali Khamenei and chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani have finally broken their silence.
They did not accept responsibility or express regret for their crimes, instead expressing alarm at the international condemnations of their crime and the “desacralization” of former supreme leader Khomeini and concern about growing global support for the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).
On Saturday, August 27, Rafsanjani said: "The wave has embraced virtually all foreign opposition media, to the extent that the mayor of Paris recently held an exhibition which recreated the scenes of executions in those days… The extent of support for the Mojahedin Organization at this time merits being pondered."
He added: "The main objective of our international and domestic enemies is to take revenge from the unprecedented role and status of Imam (Khomeini) in [the] contemporary history of Iran and the world."
On August 24, in a meeting with regime officials, Khamenei expressed concern over the attempts of international communities to “distort the radiant image of the late Imam (Khomeini)” and "a complicated conspiracy [to] present the People's Mojahedin Organization as a legitimate and civilian organization."
Of course, they say this because they are scared of the retribution of the international community over their genocidal actions. The PMOI is part of the Iranian Resistance to promote a free and just Iran, so the Regime would attempt to smear them.
It’s worth noting that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps who works on behalf of the Iranian Regime is designated a terrorist organisation by the US State Department, not the PMOI.
Mehdi Khazali who worked at the presidential office under Khamenei and Rafsanjani, made a speech on August 26, revealing new information about the 1988 massacre.
He said: "The largest and most populous group which opposed the state was the People's Mojahedin Organization… It could be annihilated only by authorization from the Imam (Khomeini). In fact, they wanted to uproot this group while the Imam was still alive. They said that if anyone was released, he/she would become a renegade; then we would be entangled in a situation where we would be facing a large number of people. So, we execute these people, and these executions would terrify the families and no one would dare to become a renegade."
Khazali added: "According to an Intelligence Ministry directorate, some 20,000 people (were executed) in Tehran and provinces. This means that the 4,000 (mentioned by Montazeri, former heir to Khomeini) belonged to Tehran and according to someone like Maleki (chancellor of Tehran University following the 1979 revolution), nearly 33,000 people were hanged in [just five weeks]." | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30750:iranian-regime-officials-fear-justice-for-1988-massacre&catid=4&Itemid=109 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/2862563f6f6954687ea6c4dfd0286888e4c16a56f7b2eb800d9e111e095f950e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:30 | null | 2016-08-24T07:58:42 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30735%3Airan-political-prisoner-arjang-davoudi-demands-prosecution-of-gohardasht-prison-warden%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights/arjanghdavoodi-340.jpg | en | null | IRAN: Political Prisoner Arjang Davoudi Demands Prosecution of Gohardasht Prison Warden | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 24 Aug - After 33 days on a Hunger Strike, on August 18 Iranian political prisoner, Arjang Davoudi published a letter demanding criminal prosecution of the warden of Gohardasht Prison in Karaj.
Mr. Davoudi started his hunger strike on July 17. He stopped taking his medications, as well. He did this to protest to the deplorable situation of fellow inmates.
He is now on day 39.
In his letter, Mr. Davoudi wrote, "IRGC Col. Mohammad Mardani-- whom I, political prisoner Arjang Davoudi, believe must be formally prosecuted for seven counts of charges—has denied my charges…" | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30735:iran-political-prisoner-arjang-davoudi-demands-prosecution-of-gohardasht-prison-warden&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/567fd15418f86b6f2d42f607bea0f1a74ec00546229fd4c201c6ca582eeb9bb8.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:48:02 | null | 2016-08-29T18:25:40 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30751%3Athe-swedish-iranian-protest-on-the-anniversary-of-the-1988-massacre%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/sweden-340.gif | en | null | The Swedish - Iranian protest on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Members of the Swedish-Iranian community and supporters of the Iranian Resistance gathered in Stockholm on Saturday to protest the rising level of executions in Iran.
The rally, on August 27, came during the anniversary of the 1988 Iranian massacre in which over 30,000 political prisoners were murdered by the Regime in just a few weeks.
Recently, audio leaked which proved the involvement of high-ranking Iranian officials in this genocide; some of these same men hold positions of power today.
This – and the fact that close to 3,000 people have been executed in his three-year tenure- contradicts any notion that Rouhani could be a moderate.
The Swedish protesters called on the UN Security Council to hold those responsible for the massacre – and this recent spate of executions- responsible for their crimes against humanity. They also wanted the Swedish government to condemn the ongoing executions and call for a halt to executions and torture.
Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) stressed, on August 24, that the UN must adopt a resolution condemning this crime.
Similar protests have been held across Europe in recent weeks, in London, Oslo and at The Hague. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30751:the-swedish-iranian-protest-on-the-anniversary-of-the-1988-massacre&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/8bcc80503f9fadb9698b755cb54be1f20d4d7374d3ede8ca14bbe730307d1ecf.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:37 | null | 2016-08-24T13:31:47 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30737%3A4-500-death-row-prisoners-under-repressive-measure-in-iran%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/humanrights-1/rejaei_shahr-340.jpg | en | null | 4,500 death row prisoners under repressive measure in Iran | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 24 Aug - An Iranian Resistance group has released a statement calling for a halt to the spate of mass executions that have taken place this month.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) states that at least 66 people were executed by the totalitarian regime in the past three weeks alone.
These needless deaths were scheduled to coincide with the anniversary of the 1988 massacre which killed more than 30,000 people; a crime for which new evidence recently surfaced regarding the regime’s guilt.
In response to protests against these horrifying acts, the regime has seen fit to escalate its draconian punishments, specifically those concerning death row prisoners.
On August 21, Rouhallah Hazratpour, a member of the parliamentary legal and judicial committee, gave a statement to the state-run news agency where he said that something must be done with regards to the 4,500 prisoners whose cases were undecided.
The NCRI reports that Gohardasht Prison, where the prisoners are being held, has adopted more severe and restrictive measures recently.
They’ve drastically increased the number of sentry guards, stationed groups of Revolutionary Guards within the prison, closed all doors and barricaded all windows on the ward, preventing prisoners from getting fresh air.
The NCRI warns that these measures are similar to those forced on the victims of the 1988 massacre and urged international organisations, especially the United Nations and the European Union, to intervene before more lives are stolen by the regime.
They also stated that the UN Security Council needed to bring those responsible for the 1988 massacre to justice.
Their statement read: “The international community's silence and inaction with respect to this massacre emboldens Iran's ruling theocracy in continuing the trend of mass executions of political prisoners.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30737:4-500-death-row-prisoners-under-repressive-measure-in-iran&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/b0c882595517f0e9aa090769ee0505aa34b9cb8583a2e9bb68b4d8fc4141a93b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:46:57 | null | 2016-08-26T15:51:53 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30744%3Airan-will-amputate-fingers-as-punishment-for-stealing%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/Iran-amputation-finger-gr_03_72AYWTr.jpg.885x520-320.jpg | en | null | Iran will Amputate Fingers as Punishment for Stealing | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | London, 26 Aug - According to an article published August 25, by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the judiciary chief of Tehran’s districts 16 and 17, Sadeq Rezvani, told the Mizan Online News Agency on Tuesday that several prisoners who have been accused of stealing will have their fingers amputated. He said that several prisoners, all caught stealing in Tehran in the past five months, have been sentenced to have four of their fingers chopped off. Their cases are currently pending an appeal.
In the city of Mashhad, north-east Iran, on May 9, 2016, the regime amputated the fingers of a man in his thirties. The draconian punishment took place at the Central Prison of Mashhad.
He was identified only by the initials M. T., by the state-run Khorasan newspaper, which also added that he was 39 years old.
The prisoner was accused of theft, and wasalready serving a 3-year jail sentence, which was upheld by the regime's Court of Appeal. The regime's prosecutor in Mashhad, Gholamali Sadeqi, made this mystifying statement, "One of the most important policies in the current year is confronting criminals and carrying out sentences precisely and decisively.”
Ms. Farideh Karimi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and a human rights activist, commented on the amputation, saying that such acts “point to the barbarity of the mullahs’ regime which has unfortunately become more worrisome due to the international community’s inaction.” She added, “It is now incumbent upon [the UN Special Rapporteur of the human rights situation in Iran] Mr. Ahmed Shaheed to urgently take necessary and effective action to halt the wave of executions and medieval tortures.” | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30744:iran-will-amputate-fingers-as-punishment-for-stealing&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/84b8f58755248b8fc5b804220fd7b3ed9f057809e1626317a1bb5a6a9871e866.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:26 | null | 2016-08-19T13:43:42 | Iran Focus is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and news on the Persian Gulf and Middle East region in a fair and balanced manner. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranfocus.com%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D30727%3Adr-mohammad-maleki-more-than-30-000-pmoi-activists-killed-in-the-1988-massacre-in-iran%26catid%3D5%26Itemid%3D110.json | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/images/August-2016/Dr-Mohammad-Maleki-340.jpg | en | null | Dr. Mohammad Maleki: More than 30,000 PMOI activists killed in the 1988 massacre in Iran | null | null | www.iranfocus.com | Iran Focus
London, 19 Aug - In response to the 1988 audio file that has been recently released on the website of the late Hossein-Ali Montazeri, who was at one time the designated heir to the Iranian Supreme Leader, the first Chancellor of the University of Tehran after the 1979 revolution has publicly announced that the number of victims, reported by the Iranian officials, is far from the actual figure.
Dr. Mohammad Maleki who is now 83, has spent much of his life in prison for speaking out against the regime and is currently prohibited from leaving Iran. Over the years, he has made many claims against the injustices and brutalities committed by Iran, among them the 2015 rocket attack on Camp Liberty in Iraq, which killed more than twenty members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK).
He now claims that the actual number of the victims of the executions which took place in the summer of 1988 and were ordered by the government under the rule of Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s Supreme Leader, are much higher than previously through.
Maleki argued that the 4,000 to 5,000 numbers account for executions that took place in Tehran alone. Dr. Maleki claims that the number is much higher, if other towns, villages, and provinces across the country are taken into account.
He agreed with the number proposed by Reza Malek, a former director of the Research and Survey department of the Intelligence Ministry. Mr. Malek reported a number in excess of 30,000. Most of the prisoners were supporters of the regime’s opposition, PMOI or MEK. To this day, members of this organisation are still being targeted by the Iranian regime.
Dr. Maleki’s claims are supported by many international figures, among them Malcolm Fowler, a former member of the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales, who believes the number of 1988 atrocities to be greater than 30,000 and calls for justice to be brought to account for these crimes. | http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30727:dr-mohammad-maleki-more-than-30-000-pmoi-activists-killed-in-the-1988-massacre-in-iran&catid=5&Itemid=110 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.iranfocus.com/13428422d3073102bdee219b5c46c3e3be2b84f34471a003fcf6907e1a680b11.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:43 | null | null | Alongside Silicon Valley engineers and software developers, artists explore new technologies By Melissa Hart This May, artist Andrea Blum wandered through | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F07%2Fhigh-tech-gets-artsy%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | High Tech Gets Artsy | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Alongside Silicon Valley engineers and software developers, artists explore new technologies
By Melissa Hart
This May, artist Andrea Blum wandered through the woods of Marin County collecting plants, insects, and lichen. Then, she headed for Autodesk’s steel-and-glass Pier 9 studio in San Francisco to cook the natural materials into a dye, which she’d later use to color pieces of felt. She cut the felt according to a design she’d made with the company’s 123D Make software and layered the purple, brown, and gold squares between wood that she’d cut and milled in the studio. Finally, she used an Omax water-jet cutter with 55,000 psi of water to cut the layers into circles and cake-like wedges.
“They’re ecosystem-based cake stands—color maps of specific places and ecosystems where I tend to forage for certain foods,” Blum explains of her creation. “[The ecosystem] is very much a part of my philosophy around the table and cooking—that is, ecosystem eating and really knowing where your food comes from.”
Autodesk, a multinational software corporation, inspires Blum, who is also a chef and food entrepreneur, to think beyond hand-crafting objects and to consider using machines to do things she can’t do with her hands. “Machines push your imagination further,” she explains.
Blum is an artist in residence at Autodesk, one of several artists and fabricators who receive a monthly stipend to create side by side with programmers and engineers at the Pier 9 workshop on the San Francisco waterfront. In the past few years, high-tech companies all across Silicon Valley have recognized the creativity and collaboration that emerge when they invite visual artists to use cutting-edge software and machines such as 3-D printers and water-jet cutters.
Vanessa Sigurdson, Autodesk’s Artists in Residence program manager, appreciates the mutual inspiration that occurs when tech meets art. “We’re all about inspiring others to make things and ask questions and share their work,” she says.
INNOVATION AT ALL LEVELS
Autodesk offers four-month residencies to artists and fabricators who want to take advantage of the digital-fabrication workshops with high-tech equipment and cutting-edge software. Some residents arrive with a project in mind, and others explore the tools and then begin creating new work. They meet other artists and staff at company-hosted dinners and take classes on how to use the tools. Once they’ve taken those classes, Sigurdson says, they can get to work. Artists document their process along the way and post photos of their work on the website instructables.com. At the end of their residencies, they present their projects to a crowd of as many as 100 people who pack the Pier 9 office space.
Staff and supporters flocked to see, for example, artist Wei Li’s “Dangerous Popsicle” project. Li created silicone models in Rhino 3-D computer graphics and computer-assisted-design application software; printed them on a Stratasys Objet 3D printer; and then produced frozen desserts in the shape of cacti and viruses, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), influenza, and HIV. A video on Vimeo shows grinning participants taking cautious licks of the colorful popsicles in a decidedly celebratory atmosphere.
“The staff is incredibly knowledgeable,” Blum says of her Autodesk cohorts. “There are electrical and mechanical engineers, rocket scientists, all kinds of people. [The company has] one of the biggest and most pristine machine shops in the country—a place in which you can really push your boundaries.”
Employees at Autodesk, in turn, find themselves challenged. By working with artists who use the software and machines in innovative ways, they’re inspired to extend the boundaries of the software they’re developing.
Artist in residence Andreas Bastian came to Autodesk to create work on a metal-laser-printing machine and became one of the company’s 3-D printing research scientists. Bastian is also involved with e-NABLE, an online community that creates low-cost 3-D-printed prosthetics for children. “The residency took him to a place that allowed him to explore what he’s passionate about,” Sigurdson says. “He gets to work on this project that helps a lot of people.”
Blum says that Autodesk employees often come by Pier 9’s commercial test kitchen or the water jet to offer high-fives and to watch her progress on the ecosystem-based cake stands. “People get excited about what I’m doing,” she says. “It’s an amazing creative process.”
Blum is thriving as an artist in Autodesk’s collaborative learning environment, informed by San Francisco’s “maker” culture. (The Maker Faire that occurs each May attracts approximately 65,000 people.) “Innovation happens at all levels,” she says. “It’s not just from the top down. All of us make stuff. It’s fantastic to be in an atmosphere that celebrates those who make things, and then you share your knowledge so that people can take it further.”
CREATIVITY IN CORPORATE CULTURE
Blum discovered Autodesk’s Pier 9 program through an artist she met at another residency—this one through the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, California. Montalvo, which offers five studios and a gallery on 175 acres in the heart of Silicon Valley, offers one- to three-month fellowships to 60 artists a year. Fellows may find themselves working in collaboration with professionals at Sun Microsystems and other local high-tech companies. “They have lots of opportunities to meet people at companies interested in this spark of creativity, and [who are] looking for how to bring it back into their corporate culture,” says Kelly Sicat, director of the Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo.
She mentions new-media artist Daniel Canogar, who worked as a Montalvo fellow and connected with Palo Alto, California, venture capital group The Hive to become part of the group’s think tank. The company is also supporting another fellow who’s doing a residency program with the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute—a nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to exploring and explaining the origin and nature of life in the universe. SETI artists work with scientists to investigate how humans think and communicate. “There are a lot of ways in which artists can become a conduit for information and understanding between tech and science, between the academic sector and your average citizen,” Sicat says.
ART IN THE WORKSPACE
Artist and illustrator Forest Stearns has set his sights on space. He decorates shoebox-sized satellites that Planet Labs in San Francisco releases into orbit. Stearns became the first artist in residence at the company, which is working to create a constellation of Earth-observing satellites that the company hopes will generate imagery that will enable innovative new approaches to agriculture and environmental monitoring.
Stearns met one of the founders of Planet Labs at a venture capital camp. “His satellite was really ugly,” he says. “I asked him if he’d seen the World War II bombers with girls painted on them and said, ‘Let’s paint on your satellite.’”
Instead of pinup girls, Stearns painted black-and-white illustrations of interwoven migratory animals. “There’s an octopus wrapped around the horns of a caribou and a penguin and a bald eagle,” says Stearns. “These satellites … fly around the world and take pictures and look for changes in large organic matter, [and they are] covered in animals that watch and hope that people will make better decisions. I wanted to have the first art show in space to be about respect and responsibility.”
The Planet Labs residency program’s directors look for artists who find inspiration in scientific exploration, artists who—like those in residence at Autodesk—like to collaborate with creators in the technology industry. They’re encouraged to work onsite in a studio space in the company’s office and conduct hands-on workshops. They exhibit their completed work in the Planet Labs office space.
“If you’re a serious company, you have to tap into markets where people are being visually overwhelmed by their devices all the time,” Stearns says about the vitality of art in the workspace. “You’d better be able to resonate on a personal level with your team and make sure your company is more valuable than the app they’re using. Humans are a mark-making species. It’s how we communicate. Art is about creating community and people feeling like they’re valued. When there’s big, beautiful artwork on our walls, it makes everyone feel good.”
CREATIVITY WITH A BUSINESS ANGLE
The staff and artists at Minted believe that art should appear on walls, paper, greeting cards, buttons, and home decor. Differing from traditional resident-artist programs, the company invites designers from around the world to propose artwork and collaborate on products online.
Mariam Naficy is founder and CEO of the San Francisco-based company. She says that inviting outside artists to participate in Minted’s mission offers a fresh, continually evolving perspective on product design. “People never feel threatened when an outsider comes in,” she explains. “The internal creative team likes having someone new to brainstorm with and provide inspiration.”
Typically, artists interested in working with Minted enter a virtual competition to propose their designs. Community members vote, and competition winners earn a virtual store in which they can exhibit and sell their designs. Georgia-based painter and creative stylist Kelli Hall initially channeled her creativity toward stationery and art before transitioning into a deeper relationship with the company.
Minted created a stylist/photographer role for Hall and provided her with the technology and studio space to style photo shoots that display the company’s products. Her work has influenced the internal styling and design staff. “People want to learn from other talented, creative people,” says Naficy. “It’s been very successful and makes us want to extend this opportunity to more artists.”
It’s an opportunity that Hall never expected to have when she graduated with a degree in fine art. “I thought I was destined to atrophy and make stuff and not find a real application for it,” she says. “Then I connected with Minted and started to realize this new platform. It’s reshaped the way that I think of opportunities for artists.”
Last summer, Hall styled a wedding shoot in an art gallery, pulling pieces of fine art into the scene and pairing them with watercolors and marbled papers that she’d made. “I collaborated a lot with creative directors at Minted and worked closely with the people making their products to make sure I was using them in a creative way,” she says.
The ability to bring her creative vision to life has been a unique experience. “It’s a rare thing to have this idea and be able to collaborate creatively from a business angle,” she says. “They give you the tools and resources to pull it off; it’s just amazing.”
NEW IDEAS, PROJECTS & IDENTITIES
Back at Autodesk’s Pier 9 commercial kitchen, Blum stays late into the night working on her ecosystem-based cake stands and growing fabric from bacteria, yeast, and tea. She’s collaborating with a fashion designer from Denmark on a project involving the resulting sienna-colored material festooned with a pattern that looks like cells under a microscope. Her residency at Pier 9, she says, makes her ask questions about her identity, as well as how her work represents who she is.
Blum is currently working on a proposal that would allow her to stay longer at Autodesk. “They’ve really opened me up to new ideas and projects,” she said. “I hope I never have to leave.”
A Sampling of Artist-in-Residence Programs in Silicon Valley
Autodesk Pier 9 Artists in Residence Program
autodesk.com/artist-in-residence/home
Autodesk’s 4-month residency allows artists to work flexible hours at the Pier 9 location in San Francisco and offers a monthly stipend of $1,500.
Facebook Artist in Residence Program
facebook.com/artistinresidence
Artists are offered flexible residencies in various locations with a stipend.
Minted
minted.com
The company solicits artists year-round to submit designs to be sold on the website. Artists receive a portion of each sale and receive a virtual store
in which they can launch and sell their designs.
Montalvo Arts Center Lucas Artists Residency Program
montalvoarts.org/programs/residency
The center offers one- to three-month residencies at Montalvo’s Saratoga, California, location. Artists receive a one-time stipend of $1,500.
Planet Labs Artist in Residency Program
planet.com
Two- to three-month residencies
require artists to work three days
a week in the studio at Planet Labs’ office space in San Francisco. Artists receive a monthly stipend of $1,000.
The SETI Institute’s Artist in Residence Program
seti.org/artist-in-residence The Institute offers two-year terms
with flexible locations. Artists must generate their own funding.
Zero1 Fellowship Program
zero1.org/programs/fellowship
The program offers flexible residencies in various locations with a stipend. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/07/high-tech-gets-artsy/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/826a96a566b64091cc6c79b7316713d6a271dc690226353a41be8f9bafccd1c2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:11 | null | null | In the past decade, the art and framing industry has faced a number of significant challenges. It has experienced the worst economic downturn since the Great | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F09%2Fwhy-i-hate-george-jetson-the-guerrilla-framer%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Why I Hate George Jetson | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | In the past decade, the art and framing industry has faced a number of significant challenges. It has experienced the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the crash of the housing market, and the proliferation of big-box craft stores.
All of these factors have affected the sales and profitability of small independent frame shops and galleries. Yet, through ingenuity and perseverance, they’ve managed to survive, and art and framing sales are now experiencing a resurgence in sales. This situation is especially true for independent framers, who are starting to gain market share as more and more consumers recognize that 70 percent off a grossly inflated price is not such a great deal for a frame design showing a lack of professional design skills.
Just as handing someone a paint set doesn’t make them an artist, giving someone a title and showing them how to use a cash register doesn’t suddenly endow them with the skills they need to be a professional frame designer. It’s taken years, but consumers have finally begun to recognize that the real value of custom framing is in the enduring beauty of the results, not in the inexpensive frames they see in newspaper ads. The industry today is smarter, bolder, and more profitable than it has been at any other time in the past decade. However, despite this increase in prosperity, framers have yet to overcome one obstacle: the widespread, misguided, and illogical placement of flat-screen televisions on walls, instead of in entertainment centers or on furniture. This trend in consumer behavior has caused the framing market to shrink, robbed it of millions of sales opportunities, and generated a tremendous amount of human pain and suffering.
Despite its widespread and devastating consequences to art and framing merchants and to consumers, the problem has gone mostly unnoticed and almost completely ignored, and it has grown to pandemic proportions. And it’s got me hoppin’ mad.
Flat screens have taken over valuable vertical real estate that was once the domain of artists, photographers, and framers. Paintings, prints, photographs, needlework, and lots of frames—your frames and my frames—belong on walls. What does not belong on walls are rectangular black holes of nothingness.
And it’s all the Jetsons’ fault—George, Jane, Judy, and even little Elroy. They started it. They were the first perpetrators of this mess. They’re the ones who made us yearn for the advent of wall-mounted TVs. And now we’ve got ’em. But the Jetsons were wrong.
TVs do not belong on walls. They surely don’t belong in the corner near a ceiling. And they have absolutely no business being mounted above a fireplace. Just because your customers can mount their Samsungs and Vizios on their walls doesn’t mean they should. In fact, mounting a TV on a wall isn’t just a bad idea from the perspective of a custom framer, it’s also a bad idea for your health.
Historically, as you may recall, people placed TVs at eye level. Because most people watch television from a seated position, TVs were once much closer to the floor. This placement provided a viewing experience similar to what one enjoys when sitting in the center of a movie theater.
Earlier generations of TVs were in their own cabinets or consoles; placed on stands; or tucked into entertainment centers, which have doors to hide the rectangular black hole when it is not in use. Today’s TVs are much lighter and flatter than those of yesteryear. They rarely exceed a thickness of more than 5 to 6 inches, making wall mounting possible.
But almost every wall-mounted TV is positioned much higher on the wall than is optimal for comfortable viewing from a sofa or an easy chair. These viewing angles can produce stiff necks, sore shoulders, and aching backs. If you don’t believe it, ask a chiropractor. Most will tell you that wallmounted TVs are great for their business.
Any adult who has ever had the unfortunate experience of sitting in the first few rows of a movie theater should know better than to mount a TV so high up on a wall. Sure, it was cool to sit in the front row of the theater when you were 10 years old, but no adult ever willingly sits that close to the screen. Long before the movie is over, your neck is certain to feel like a PEZ dispenser locked in the tilted-back position.
Wall-mounted TVs rob custom framers of potential sales, and they need to do something about it. They need to take back what belongs to them.
Unfortunately, this trend is not likely to go away anytime soon, and there’s little framers can do about it. However, you might consider educating your customers by providing literature about the potential health problems—and letting them know why they don’t want to emulate the Jetsons. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/09/why-i-hate-george-jetson-the-guerrilla-framer/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/a97676988fdcfdd3f2cb1961b35780aea4d602ad86cd9022ce1be1183dd347b3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:43 | null | null | Mammoth, miniature & one-of-a-kind By Melissa Hart Sculptors this season promise whimsy, color, and endless surprises in the form of a giant metal | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F03%2Fthe-seasons-best-sculpture-exhibits%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | The Season’s Best Sculpture Exhibits | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Mammoth, miniature & one-of-a-kind
By Melissa Hart
Sculptors this season promise whimsy, color, and endless surprises in the form of a giant metal sculpture of a rock topped by a sheet of paper and bisected by red-handled scissors, a 6-foot leopard-print stiletto trimmed in red fur, or a couple of professional tennis players forged from a family’s heirloom silverware.
This curated list of the season’s top sculpture exhibits takes lovers of 3-D art across the country, from Theodore Gall’s fantastical bronze busts in a Beverly Hills park to Ai Weiwei’s towering installation of 42 steel bicycles at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Prepare to be amused—and amazed.
Endless Line: 3-D Printed Work by Kevin Caron
Feb. 5–27, 2016
Walter Art Gallery, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Kevin Caron specializes in large 3-D-printed sculptures. A 3-D printer will run during the opening of the show, offering a close-up look at how the artist creates his vibrant resin forms.
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge: Try to Altar Everything
March 11 – Aug. 1, 2016
Rubin Museum of Art, New York, N.Y.
This exhibit of paintings, sculptures, and installations examines the influence of Hindu mythology and Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley on P-Orridge’s work and interests in devotion and ritual. Visitors will have opportunities to interact with the artist, whose work also explores physical alteration in the service of creative gender identity.
Spectrum Indian Wells
March 17–20, 2016
Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, Calif.
The newest addition to the lineup of Spectrum art shows, this Indian Wells event will feature a sleek, gallery-style exhibition space and an outdoor sculpture garden for 3-D pieces. Eric Shupe, Jim Keller, Time McClendon, and Nonos Gallery will be some of the highlights.
Jae Ko: Force of Nature, 白 Shiro
Through May 1, 2016
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township, N.J.
Jae Ko creates paper-relief sculptures by soaking rolls of adding-machine paper in water infused with Japanese inks made from wood ash. The undulating sculptures stretch to as long as 80 feet and as tall as 14 feet. Grounds for Sculpture is also home to 270 permanent works of art.
Projects 103: Thea Djordjadze
April through Summer 2016
MoMA PS1, Queens, New York
Berlin-based Georgian artist Thea Djordjadze presents sculptural ensembles using basic construction materials, such as plaster, wood, wire lath, metal rods, glass, and fabric. The site-specific installation reflects the building’s unique architecture.
Megacities Asia
April 3 – July 17, 2016
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston
Representing Asian megacities with populations of more than 10 million, this exhibition features 14 large sculptures and installations. Works appear in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery and throughout the museum’s campus.
Joel Shapiro
May 7 – Aug. 21, 2016
Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
Shapiro explores geometric form through complex composition. Along with key works from Nasher’s permanent collection and an array of drawings, the show will feature multicolored shapes suspended in the gallery at various heights and angles.
Beverly Hills artSHOW
May 21–22, 2016
Beverly Gardens Park, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Near the center of Beverly Hills, Beverly Gardens Park will showcase the work of 30 sculptors. Among the highlights are Jeff Davis, who will show free-form metal geometries welded from industrial parts, and Theodore Gall, who will display bronze sculptures inspired by film and fantasy characters.
Origami in the Garden
May 21 – Nov. 13, 2016
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus, Ohio
Sculptor Kevin Box has created more than 20 giant metal sculptures inspired by the Japanese art of folding paper. The collection includes collaborative works with Jennifer Box, Robert J. Lang, Te Jui Fu, Michael G. LaFosse, and Richard Alexander.
Sculpture in the Park
Aug. 13–14, 2016
Benson Sculpture Garden, Loveland, Colo.
This celebration showcases 2,000 pieces of sculpture created by 160 sculptors worldwide. Year-round, the Benson Sculpture Garden is home to 148 permanent pieces of sculpture displayed around a lagoon and surrounded by trees and flowers, with the Rocky Mountains in the background.
Q&A WITH SCULPTOR ERIC SHUPE
ABN: Why did you choose silverware as your medium?
ES: On walkabout with my father as a child, he only took jobs to which he could bring me. He’d hand me a 2-by-4 and a pocketknife and tell me to whittle. He planted the seed that developed my three-dimensional mind. Later, I went into the Air Force. When I came home, to center myself and feel calm and creative, I’d go out in my garage and fool around with silverware. I think about how many people have had those spoons and forks in their hand—thousands of people—and different stories about each one. It’s not just a piece of metal; someone raised children with those spoons. They fed someone, took care of someone. Each piece is someone’s life.
ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor?
ES: I’ve been sculpting for 17 years. Three years ago, a woman came to my house and said, “Where did you get these sculptures? They’re amazing.” She’d been doing art shows for 30 years and hadn’t seen anything like my work. The next week, she filled out an application and brought me a tent and said, “You have something special and unique. I paid for this art show in Ormond Beach, Florida, and I want you to go to it.” I flipped out a plastic table, and I won the show.
ABN: Your sculptures include everything from horses to mermaids to athletes. How do you choose your subject matter?
ES: I love to capture the explosion of energy. For one piece, I watched my daughter run track over and over to see all the movement, to find the spot where you can see all the muscles on the back and the arms. I’m doing a show in Indian Wells in March, and the last two days of the show coincide with the first two days of the [BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament], so I’m sculpting two tennis players. Some people will come to me and say, “I have my grandmother’s silverware. Could you create a sculpture to pass down like a family heirloom?” One woman whose daughter had passed away inspired me to create “Mary,” a sculpture of a mother grieving the death of her child. Some people could care less about a box of spoons and forks; as sculpture, they become a powerful statement about family.
ABN: What current trends do you notice in sculpture?
ES: People are gravitating toward handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces. They really appreciate being the only one in the world to have a particular piece of art. They don’t want to buy a reproduction or something that a factory has created. That’s why I find appreciation for my work: I get so many compliments from people telling me that it’s rare to find an artist who creates that one-of-a-kind, classy piece of art.
ABN: Where can we see your work this season?
ES: I’ll be exhibiting at Spectrum Indian Wells, March 17th to 20th; the Indian Wells Arts Festival, April 1st through 3rd; and at the Melbourne Art Festival in Melbourne, Florida, April 23rd and 24th.
Q&A WITH SCULPTOR HEIDI LOEWEN
ABN: Why did you choose porcelain as your medium?
HL: I started working in clay when I was 2. My parents were also phenomenal landscape artists; everything they did on the weekends was in the garden, and I loved to play in the mud. When I turned 10, my mother asked if I’d like to take a clay class and learn how to do pottery on the wheel. I absolutely loved my class and my teacher. When I got into Skidmore [College in Saratoga Springs, New York], I took classes in painting, drawing, jewelry making, and welding, but my favorite was ceramics.
ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor?
HL: In Santa Fe, 22 years ago, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when my child was young. I started off teaching, and then I took over a friend’s space downtown near the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and opened a gallery. I’ve never looked back. It’s the most hilarious and fun job I’ve ever had.
ABN: What drew you to sculpting shoes?
HL: I love shoes. Stilettos mean you’re ready for fun, adventure, action, and a great time ahead. I was producing wild and crazy sculptures with my porcelain; then, several years ago, I decided I should take a break and do something fun just with my fingers. I took a small block of clay and started modeling; the first thing that came was this fabulous little stiletto shoe. I decided I’d add my love of everything—lace, fabric, fur, gemstones, feathers, and gold and silver leaf. I display them on Plexiglas cubes. The back is a mirror, and the floor is a mirror, so you can see the sole. The shoes are approximately 6 inches long and up to 12 inches tall.
ABN: A much larger version of one of your shoes appeared at the entrance of Spectrum Miami last December. What was the public’s reaction?
HL: I cast it in Thailand and created a 6-foot aluminum stiletto covered in sparkling, candy-apple red automotive body paint and completed the inside with white marabou feathers and opalized quartz crystal up and down the back. The thing that got me the most excited was watching people’s faces as they came down the aisle; they saw this crazy big shoe and got the biggest grins on their faces.
ABN: Who are your favorite sculpture artists? How have they inspired you?
HL: I love what Kevin Box has done. He has no fear, knows no boundaries. He’ll work in aluminum, in stainless steel, in bronze. For his piece “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” he uses a real rock. Native American artists will often add turquoise or coral or various kinds of bones. I love it when people do anything out of the ordinary.
ABN: Where can we see your work this season?
HL: I have a gallery in Santa Fe where I show my work and offer private ceramic wheel work and sculpture classes. My only requirements are that people have a sense of humor and say only wonderful, uplifting things about their own work.
Q&A WITH SCULPTOR IRA REINES
ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor?
IR: I’ve been sculpting since age 5 [and] professionally since age 15. I’m self-taught. At 21, I began collaborating with Art Deco artist and designer Erté. I transformed 69 of his two-dimensional designs into bronze sculptures and turned them into the Erté Sculpture Collections, pieces of which appear in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.
ABN: Much of your work explores mythological figures, such as “The Three Graces,” a trio of larger-than-life figures that you combined into one 8½-foot-tall piece and unveiled at the Peninsula Shanghai last October. What draws you to sculpt heroic-sized characters from mythology?
IR: I discovered my own voice in the year 2000 through loss; my parents had passed away and a long-term relationship had ended. For the first time, I was completely alone. It was a devastating experience; I found myself completely broken open as a person and as an artist. Through my work, I was able to heal my soul. My work is a spiritual statement; I’m really sculpting the spirit of the ascendant human form.
The unveiling was astonishing; my gallery representors stood on one side of a 20-foot curtain covering the sculpture, and I was on the other side with my publisher. A beautiful opera singer from Shanghai sang a piece from Madama Butterfly before the curtain came down. The moment remains frozen in my mind as an example of aesthetic purity.
ABN: What current trends do you notice in sculpture?
IR: We’re doing more one-of-a-kind pieces; with our editions limited to nine pieces, they become more valuable and desirable to collectors who want to buy something that has worth as an investment.
ABN: What project are you currently working on?
IR: It’s the largest thing I’ve ever done, called “The Gates of Creation,” with 11 30-foot-tall figures. I use beauty as a metaphor for divinity. I have places in my sculpture that are extremely refined and smooth, which represent perfection of the soul and, in the same piece, places that are raw, showing the more elemental state we come from as human beings. For an artist to have his dreams and visions realized in bronze [is] an amazing feeling.
ABN: Where can we see your work this season?
IR: You can see my work at the Marcus Ashley Fine Art Gallery in Lake Tahoe, California, and at Midtown Artery in Greenville, South Carolina.
Melissa Hart teaches nonfiction for Whidbey Island’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. She’s the author of two memoirs and a children’s novel. melissahart.com. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/03/the-seasons-best-sculpture-exhibits/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/7cd5e9058e01673bae956dd200057c498ad79ec23c7e7a52300a995ae4a6f821.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:39 | null | null | How Ann Rea Makes Both Art and Money By Jack Hamann Ann Rea was once one of those artists. Stuck in a cubicle. Staring at a screen. Collecting modest | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F04%2Fselling-art-sucks%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Selling Art Sucks | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | How Ann Rea Makes Both Art and Money
By Jack Hamann
Ann Rea was once one of those artists. Stuck in a cubicle. Staring at a screen. Collecting modest paychecks for work entirely unrelated to the five years it took her to earn an art degree.
And hating every minute of it.
“ I had to pay back a student loan,” Rea recalls. “I had to pay a mortgage. I had to pay for adult life. Art just wasn’t a practical option.”
These days, however, Rea’s art is more than practical; it’s downright lucrative. Gone are the cubicle, screen, and static paychecks. In their place are paintings, patrons, and the joy of a career that more than pays the bills.
Except that, as Rea tells it, art is not a career. She points to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, which in 2014 listed only 3,300 fine artists employed in the United States. “There are no jobs for fine artists,” says Rea. “If there are no jobs for fine artists, then there are no careers for them, either.
“If you want to make art and make money, then pursuing an art career is a dead-end road,” she says. “Successful artists run businesses.”
They didn’t teach business at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where Rea focused on industrial design, graduating in 1987. Art school left her with student-loan debt and the impression that artistic success depends on pursuing permission from the art establishment. For Rea, that strategy was toxic.
She grew up in what she says was an alcoholic household. A relatively brief marriage ended when her ex revealed his own drinking issues. Relentless ennui and sadness plagued her unhappy years at various desk jobs.
At the urging of a friend, Rea pulled her brushes and a canvas out of storage. “I started painting again as a way to alleviate my own anxiety and depression,” she says. “I had no intention of actually selling my work at that point or even showing it.” The more time she invested at her easel, the better she felt. The better she felt, the more her art blossomed.
“Anxiety is a preoccupation with the future, and depression is a fixation on the past. When I paint, I’m able to be 100 percent in the present,” Rea explains.
Rea had talent enough to enter the world of galleries and representatives, but that move proved a poor pairing. Looking back, she says, she felt that the art establishment had abused her in ways that felt like abuse at the hands of her family, her ex, and a lecherous former boss.
“As soon as I recognized that, I said, ‘Well, hell no. Why am I doing this? I don’t like it that I’m not getting paid. I don’t like it that people lost my art. I don’t like it that they sent it back damaged. I don’t like it that I have to wait for a show. I don’t like it that they’re asking me if they can discount my work and have me eat the discount. I don’t like that. It doesn’t work for me.’”
Rea reached a turning point. She says she “fired” the galleries she worked with, relationships she now describes as “pretty lame.” “I don’t want to work that damn hard for permission to just show my art so it might sell, and they keep half or maybe more.
“I’d much rather cultivate a relationship with a patron. Get paid up front. Not allow any discounting. Keep all of the money. And through that relationship, get repeat purchases and referrals to their friends and family. That’s a smarter way to go.”
Living near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Rea grew increasingly confident painting landscapes bathed in the Bay Area’s hazy warm light. Rea reached out to the region’s renowned wineries, where she’d paint a permanent reminder of a memorable setting. In her first year painting vineyards, Rea earned more than $100,000—far more than she’d ever made in her office jobs.
As word of her business model spread, Rea took the next step: teaching other artists what she had learned. Rea created the website Artists Who Thrive and copyrighted the phrase “Making Art Making Money.” Her online seminars made her a minor sensation, and an interview with podcast guru Alex Blumberg introduced strangers to some of the darker chapters in her life’s journey. “Most of my closest friends had never heard those stories,” she says.
Those dark chapters, however, are central to her curriculum. First and foremost, she tells her students to find their personal purpose. “Look at the three most painful moments and three most joyful moments in your life,” she says. “Ask yourself: What was the lesson in each of those moments, and what was the lesson in all of it? That’s your purpose, because, if you look at the most painful moments in your life, they stand in stark contrast to your most deeply held values.”
For Rea, those values were financial and creative independence.
Armed with that insight, Rea tells her students, “You don’t want to sell art. Why? Because selling art sucks. You want to create value above and beyond your art and sell that.” In her case, accompanying clients to a favorite spot and creating a memory they’ll hang on their wall and cherish is added value beyond the art. Her patrons see more than art; they remember an experience.
For some, Rea’s approach is simply too commercial—a sell-out. Rea, however, insists she is selling art without selling out. “If you want to truly deliver unique value and a passionate mission that will resonate with other people, you cannot sell out. You have to absolutely stand firm in who you are and what you stand for. And know your values. And never, ever compromise.
“When you submit to the art establishment and try and figure out [its] crazy rules, that’s more of a sell-out.”
Recently, Rea’s easel time has had to take a backseat to her seminars and consulting. But at the start of 2016, she says she’s determined to bring her art back to the fore. The sudden death of two close friends has added new urgency and perspective. “Life is precious—and short,” she says.
Even so, she’s not ready to cede the bully pulpit. She recently relaunched her Making Art Making Money website with a renewed determination to free fellow artists from a wait-to-be-discovered mindset. “The new creative class of artists is leveraging the Internet to reach [its] target market and delivering a unique value proposition. That’s the type of artist I can help.
“Artists need to take their power back. It’s long overdue.”
Ann Rea’s 10 Signs You’re Approaching Your Art as a Hobby, Not a Sustainable Business
1. You’re using Etsy as your primary distribution channel.
2. You display your résumé on your website instead of communicating clear benefits to your target market.
3. You have “poverty consciousness,” and you take some pride in it.
4. You have a website versus an e-commerce site. That’s like having a store without a cash register.
5. You proudly display inventory that you’ve already sold. Think about it. Would Tiffany’s display a diamond engagement ring in the front window if it were not for sale?
6. You spend more time hoping versus planning daily focused action.
7. You do not have an up-to-date one-page business and marketing plan.
8. You do not have professional photographs of your inventory or yourself.
9. You enter art contests for validation. (Please tell me you don’t pay to enter these contests.) Selling—not showing—your art is validation.
10. You don’t have a mentor who has accomplished what you want to accomplish.
Remembering San Francisco
In 1905, Henri Matisse visited Collioure, France, near the Spanish border. His paintings of the village’s churches are among his most respected works. Other artists, including Pablo Picasso and André Derain, also found inspiration in the same small village.
More than a century later, Ann Rea visited Collioure with one of her mentors, landscape painter Gregory Kondos. She was struck by a particularly stunning view of the Chapel of St. Vincent, but her easel was unavailable. An hour later, she saw a Matisse drawing of that same scene in a museum. That vivid interpretation was the most memorable moment of her French adventure, and the memory of the chapel was stuck in her head forever.
Returning home to San Francisco, Rea considered how landscape paintings can evoke powerful memories and emotions. She has focused the idea into a new business, Remember San Francisco.
“People come from all over the world to experience San Francisco, and they get herded to the usual places,” she says. “I’ll offer an artist’s tour, perhaps three per season, where a visitor can go and experience the city from an artist’s unique perspective.”
Visitors to her new e-commerce site, RememberSanFrancisco.com, will receive geo-coordinates to her favorite, often hidden, spots. When visitors reach the venue, they’ll have a chance to use her website—and, soon, a smartphone app—to hear or watch Rea describe the site’s artistic and emotional appeal. If her customers find their own inspiration at any of the locations, they can purchase a fine-art print of that spot.
“A friend of mine had a medical condition and faced certain, imminent death,” says Rea. “When he and his wife reminisced about their many years together, they talked mostly about the places they had traveled. Travel memories are among our most powerful, and fine art of places we remember offers unique value.” | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/04/selling-art-sucks/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/4e7a02f298f0238d208ead9acf725ad27450b4c588b6f889514c764c0a1ae2fa.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:15 | null | null | Photos by Robert J. Hibbs For 38 years and counting, Artexpo New York has been changing the way people buy and sell art. An annual juried art show, Artexpo | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F03%2Fartexpo-new-york-2016-a-dont-miss-event%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Artexpo New York 2016: A Don’t-Miss Event | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Photos by Robert J. Hibbs
For 38 years and counting, Artexpo New York has been changing the way people buy and sell art. An annual juried art show, Artexpo brings the biggest publishers, galleries, and collectors face-to-face with hundreds of established and emerging artists. It is exactly what it claims to be: the world’s largest fine-art marketplace. There, many of the world’s most renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Peter Max, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Indian, Keith Haring, and Leroy Neiman, launched their careers. Which artists will get a chance at fame this year?
In 2016, Artexpo will host more than 400 innovative exhibiting artists, galleries, and art publishers from across the globe, showcasing exciting original artwork, prints, paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, giclées, lithographs, glass work, and more—all under one roof. The show will take place from April 14–17 at Pier 94, New York City’s hub for art, fashion, and design events. Each year, thousands of art-industry insiders flock to Artexpo New York in search of the art and artists that will shape trends in galleries worldwide. Annually hosting more than 28,000 avid art enthusiasts, it is also the largest international gathering of qualified trade buyers, including gallery owners and managers, art dealers, interior designers, architects, corporate-art buyers, and art and framing retailers.
Three Shows in One
As in past years, Artexpo, a juried collection of global galleries, art publishers, and established artists, will colocate with [SOLO], a juried exhibition of innovative, independent artists from around the world. This year, Artexpo will also include [FOTO SOLO], which features collections of fine-art photography from the world’s finest abstract, contemporary, and realist photographers. [FOTO SOLO] thus echoes [SOLO]’s philosophy of supporting the career opportunities of independent artists.
Artexpo New York Events
This year’s show is jam-packed with fabulous parties, live demonstrations, helpful seminars, and more. Thursday’s VIP Opening Night Preview Party from 4 to 7 p.m. will kick off the weekend and will include complimentary beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment, as well as the unveiling of the 2016 Poster Challenge winner. The soirées continue with Friday Night at Artexpo from 5 to 7 p.m., with more libations and chances to mingle with artists and gallery owners. Throughout the weekend, attendees will have a chance to get up close and personal with the artists during exclusive meet-the-artist events and demonstrations, and with thousands of artworks on display, they’ll be sure to find the piece of art they’ve been looking for.
Topics & Trends Educational Series
Alongside the three shows, the event features four days of cutting-edge Topics & Trends, seminars and conference classes offering expert perspectives on art and the economy, small-business management, art marketing, social media for artists, and other subjects. Free with admission, the series once again promises to be jam-packed with valuable information and ideas. Topics & Trends has something on the slate for everyone, with artists sharing experiences and expert advice in Art Talk sessions and industry experts giving practical advice on art licensing, event marketing, color trends, and design ideas.
Exhibitors: Returning Favorites and New Faces
Favorite exhibitors will be in the halls again this year. Mattson’s Fine Art, Art Design Consultants, Progressive Fine Art, Smart Publishing, and Artblend return with some of their most popular artists as well as new artists and collections to excite you. Favorite artists will include Socrates Marquez, Samir Sammoun, Brad Robertson, Louise Cutler, Nick Paciorek, James Paterson, and John Napoli, who will be there to greet attendees with their new collections. And you won’t want to miss the new [FOTO SOLO] extension of the [SOLO] pavilion, where some of the best fine-art photographers will be showcasing their amazing work.
Put it on your calendar. It’s always a don’t-miss event, and this year won’t disappoint. It’s an unrivaled opportunity to see and buy great art, meet the artists, learn their stories, and enjoy all the excitement Artexpo has to offer.
Artexpo New York 2016: Hours & Location
VIP Opening Night Preview Party
Thursday, April 14, 4 – 7 p.m.
Open to all attendees
Show Hours
Thursday, April 14, noon – 7 p.m.
Trade-only day
Friday, April 15, noon – 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 17, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Show Address
Pier 94
711 12th Ave at 55th Street
and the West Side Highway
New York, NY 10019-5399 | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/03/artexpo-new-york-2016-a-dont-miss-event/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/2611ea45801bc4d3cd4858dc763da0caf440b6b7247bc4cff660636511f93eb7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:08 | null | null | “The Lady of the Camellias,” Alphonse Mucha. By Michael Pacitti Inspired by the unruly aspects of the natural world, the Art Nouveau style affected art, | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2014%2F09%2Fperiod-design-series-all-about-art-nouveau%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Period Design Series: All About Art Nouveau | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | By Michael Pacitti
Inspired by the unruly aspects of the natural world, the Art Nouveau style affected art, illustration, design and architecture from 1890 to 1910. Despite its relatively short span as a popular trend, Art Nouveau made many appearances throughout the decades, including a secondary highlight during the 1970s psychedelic movement. Remember the Grateful Dead’s album covers? Pure Art Nouveau! Even today, the Art Nouveau style still permeates the framing industry.
The phrase “Art Nouveau” translates to “new art” or “modern art.” Originating in France and Germany, the style was characterized by sinuous, undulating lines that sensualized the design world. It featured flowing organic motifs and ornaments with graceful, flowing edges, like a curling whiplash. Artists and artisans often based the asymmetrical patterns on plant shapes such as flowers, vines, leaves and seaweed. Small insects and birds were also key motifs in the Art Nouveau movement.
Art Nouveau contrasted with the later style of Art Deco, which emerged in the early 1920s soon after the popularity of Art Nouveau waned. While Art Deco is still, rigid, defined and motionless, Art Nouveau portrays life, motion and continuity.
Art Nouveau revolutionized the way people looked at the objects that made up their world. As a period in design, Art Nouveau could be considered more of a movement rather than a style, transforming the Victorian era with new, modern imagery. The movement coincided with the Industrial Revolution and brought new approaches to interior design, architecture, furniture, fabrics, glass, tableware, jewelry, frames, posters, wallpaper, textiles and lighting. The style embraced new materials including molded bubble glass, animal horns, ivory tusks and semiprecious stones. It was also very prominent in the styling and production of stained glass that originated in England and incorporated many Art Nouveau styles, shapes and patterns.
Art Nouveau affected the design of the most everyday objects including utensils, hardware and furniture. The movement resisted classical restrictions. Rather than limit art to a canvas or traditional sculpture, Art Nouveau expanded the artistic premise by turning everyday objects into art. The artists incorporated the distinctive Art Nouveau curves and flowing lines to a painting; added a dimensional dragonfly to door decor; or graced doorway moulding with flowers, vines and leaves.
As with any new style introduction, critics and exhibit attendees either loved the style or loathed it. But boosted by its appearance at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, the movement flourished across the globe. In the United States, Art Nouveau emerged naturally from the craft tradition and trades of the early 19th century. Soon, North American designers contributed their own ideas to the Art Nouveau style, particularly in ceramics, glassware, architecture and frames. In the United States, a new style of glass art surfaced as Louis Comfort Tiffany took interest in Art Nouveau. Tiffany’s lamp designs are still renowned today.
Furniture designers also embraced the forward-thinking Art Nouveau movement, using the new organic, flowing motifs in defined furniture rather than regimented architectural patterns. Like fine artists, Art Nouveau furniture designers drew inspiration from the natural world and shared the same belief in quality goods and fine craftsmanship. They embraced mass production and combined the ornate Rococo style with botanical influences. Charles Macintosh of Scotland had a particularly profound impact on furniture design and style, and is considered one of the fathers of Art Nouveau furniture.
In the print world, Art Nouveau became one of the first major artistic movements. The concept of mass-produced images and graphics played a significant role in the industry, incorporating color-printing techniques that were relatively new at the time. Art Nouveau designers painted, drew and printed work for popular forms such as advertisements, posters, labels and magazines. The poster craze of the 1890s spread throughout Europe and America.
In early 1895, Paris artist Alphonse Mucha debuted his work with a lithographed poster for the play Gismonda featuring Sarah Bernhardt. The look and design of this poster not only popularized the Nouveau style, but identified and spread the concept of the design throughout Paris. Although originally called Mucha Style, it soon became a major part of Art Nouveau. Mucha went on to produce thousands of advertisements, illustrations, paintings and designs.
Many other artists of the time interpreted Art Nouveau as part of their own styles, including painter Gustav Klimt, glass designer René Lalique and architect Antoni Gaudí.
Today, contemporary illustrator Echo Chernik captures the essence of Art Nouveau in her modern work. Her concept of “total art” can be found framed in many styles of Art Nouveau period frames and on display throughout the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas. Her paintings illustrate the sensuous lines and subtle light of Art Nouveau and feature feminine figures with long, flowing hair. Chernik’s success shows that Art Nouveau’s symbolism and motifs are still appreciated by the art world today.
Michael Pacitti is publisher of DECOR magazine and Show Director for DECOR Expo Showcase. He has worked in the interior design, art, photography and custom framing design industry for more than 25 years.
The Art Nouveau frame style is ideal for images or posters representing Paris plays and advertising from the late 1800s. Unlike the symmetrical style of Art Deco mouldings and frames, Art Nouveau frames incorporate linear movement of tendril-like motifs and weaving patterns that capture the eye. Most frames of this style depict flowing leaves and flowers with sinuous lines. Art Nouveau frames should have movement within the surface of the moulding. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2014/09/period-design-series-all-about-art-nouveau/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/6647f38d5ee9c32e6bc7189fa81ba9814e04fb50fa0b0e66aa2d9f81884da0f3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:48:06 | null | null | "As the forerunner in art registry and fine art registration throughout the world, I am proud to represent Fine Art Registry (FAR) as the international | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2012%2F08%2Fintroducing-fine-art-registry%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Introducing Fine Art Registry | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | “As the forerunner in art registry and fine art registration throughout the world, I am proud to represent Fine Art Registry (FAR) as the international standard for the authentication of fine art collectibles,” says Richard Ahart of Lighthouse Media Management, FAR’s international representative.
In the Summer edition of Art Business News, FAR CEO/founder Theresa Franks shares why it’s so important to take control of your body of work today. So just how does Fine Art Registry do that? Read on to learn more. For more information, contact Richard Ahart at rahartlighthousemedia@gmail.com.
Fine Art Registry (FAR) is a U.S. patented identification numbering system and database, realized, engineered and specially developed as a Web-based, permanent standard registration system and globally networked database for fine art, which is based on the Getty’s Object ID, the core world standard for the identification of art and cultural objects.
The Fine Art Registry ID tagging system standardizes, systemizes, collects and publishes the portfolios of contemporary artists worldwide. The principle philosophy of FAR is to promote the permanent registration of all fine art and valuables before theft or loss occurs, recording detailed and accurate information about each piece, thereby providing the global art trade a solution to better manage, control and market fine art while encouraging accountability, good business practices and truthful disclosure of the fine art market.
Historically, the development of and compliance with “standards in the industry” have been crucial to creating and maintaining a reliable, ordered and structured flow of information. The FAR system of tagging and registering each piece of fine art or art object, individually, with a unique, tamper-evident ID tag and then registering that piece with a full description and photos is an excellent deterrent to copyright infringement and all kinds of abuses, deceit and fraud that regularly occur in the fine art market. If each artist makes a point of ensuring that every single piece of art and limited edition print created or produced carries the Fine Art Registry ID tag and the details of the art object are registered and recorded in the FAR database, both artists and their collectors are protected. This alone adds tremendous legitimacy and value to an artist’s body of work, especially when it comes to limited edition reproductions.
Fine Art Registry takes a keen interest in how the art market is affected by the ongoing abuse in the multiples market and has taken steps to do something about it by enhancing its registration process to include, in addition to Certificates of Authenticity (COA) for original works of art, a customizable, online Multiples Certificate of Disclosure (MCOD) modeled after the California Civil Code (1740-1745.5). The MCOD is offered to all printers, publishers, artists and other industry professionals who market, sell, produce and/or manufacture prints or multiples today. Like the Fine Art Registry COA, the MCOD is available free of charge to Fine Art Registry members and is only valid when it is accompanied by the Fine Art Registry patented tag, which is affixed to the work of art.
The COA and MCOD options are activated for processing and printing once a Fine Art Registry tag has been registered to the original work of art, print or multiple for which a COA or MCOD is required. In every case, each completed COA and MCOD will be stored and permanently archived online in the Fine Art Registry database and in the user’s account for future access and reference and which can be easily be modified and printed by the user until an ownership transfer of the FAR ID tag is affected by the buyer, at which time the registration record is frozen.
It is important that all artists who care about preserving their bodies of work and the integrity of the art print and multiples they create be diligent about making proper disclosure of the art edition to their buyers and ensure that the disclosure is indelible by using the Fine Art Registry tagging system, database and Multiples Certificate of Disclosure.
Fine Art Registry is a powerful tool in the management and protection of an artist’s body of work, especially as it relates to the very real potential of piracy and hijacking of intellectual property, because each individual registration record is date and time stamped the second it is processed into the database. The Fine Art Registry system is also excellent for publishers and printers as well as retail galleries and other art industry professionals, as the permanently recorded details of a work of art or art print bearing the applied Fine Art Registry ID tag, along with the accompanying Fine Art Registry COA or MCOD, is a sure winner for everyone involved and especially in the often complicated process of producing, marketing and selling prints or multiples. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2012/08/introducing-fine-art-registry/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/92afd52482a998d2ec955f781a7c6ba0a49a1282cb37bc1d323c37437d56f329.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:18 | null | null | How visual social media can increase sales and promote your brand By Lance Evans No matter how old-school your marketing style, you must be aware of how | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F08%2Fmarket-your-gallery-on-pinterest%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Market Your Gallery on Pinterest | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | How visual social media can increase sales and promote your brand
By Lance Evans
No matter how old-school your marketing style, you must be aware of how social media has become the preeminent way to reach many consumer markets. Facebook is the granddaddy of social media, but there are many other significant players in the field, including Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Pinterest uses the analogy of an old-fashioned bulletin board, on which users “pin” items of interest to various boards. You can also think of it as the modern day equivalent of creating collages from torn-out magazine pages. This system has found great success not only with consumers, but also with marketing and public relations professionals.
DISTINCTIONS IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD
Simple ideas make a social media site successful, but the social media market is anything but straightforward. The things that differentiate one social site from another are often the same elements that attract—or repel—one market segment to or from a platform. Social media can be a fickle sport.
For example, the attraction of Facebook for many consumer markets has simply been its ubiquity. Knowing that “everyone” is on it makes it an appealing one-stop shop for many users who are looking for easy solutions. As Facebook has become ubiquitous, however, many of its users have jumped ship to other sites, especially younger users who didn’t want to be on the same platform as their parents.
Every social media site has its own raison d’être—a twist or gimmick that sets it apart from other sites. Twitter’s twist is that it enables users to communicate in short bursts. Instagram, on the other hand, finds success by enabling users to communicate via imagery.
Many a network’s claim to fame has been simply that they were the newest—or, momentarily, the trendiest—one on the block. Most of those networks have come and gone. Only a handful have had the staying power to join the small list of social media icons we recognize on websites. Pinterest has had that staying power, thanks to the way in which it allows users to employ its tools.
ON PINTEREST
The average Pinterest user’s intent is to find elements that they then incorporate, or “curate,” into their own boards. In the same way they use a search engine, users can search Pinterest for specific subjects and content. They can then create visually appealing boards by pinning and grouping the content they discover in ways that make the most sense for their needs.
For example, users can create and name many boards and then organize pinned elements onto them. Each pin is a link to the original website on which the image appeared, and, as such, the pins are more than just photos; they often include bits of information as well. Users can assemble items of personal interest, recipes, and how-tos onto reference boards.
Because of such flexibility, Pinterest’s platform has experienced significant growth since its creation in 2010. In a recent news item, one of Pinterest’s co-founders told Business Insider that the company’s most recent round of fundraising brought the company up to $1.3 billion of investment. This amount might seem like a lot, but the company is valued at $11 billion—not bad for a 5-year-old start-up (though with a piggy bank that size, Pinterest is as much a start-up as a Weinstein film is independent).
On the street, all of those billions translate into a website whose user base and viewership has had an off-the-charts growth rate. It reached 10 million unique visitors a month more quickly than any other website to date.
Demographically, the site is more popular with women. According to data from 2012, 83 percent of its user base is female—except in England, where 56 percent of Pinterest users are male. Pinterest’s age distribution closely matches that of Internet users on the whole. Thus, it reaches a broad range of users.
From the vantage point of artists and dealers, this demographic could represent a huge opportunity because these Pinterest users place a great emphasis on home decoration, do-it-yourself projects, and home improvement. People interested in these topics are often also interested in art.
Pinterest is a thriving platform on which to focus many types of art-marketing efforts. This fact is important for both the marketer and the platform. Pinterest has put great effort into helping business users get on board.
SETTING UP YOUR FIRST PINTEREST ACCOUNT
1. Choose to log in through Facebook or to create a unique Pinterest account. Logging in through Facebook is an increasingly popular option, and there may be some good reasons for choosing this option, but I prefer to control my accounts individually and create a unique account for each social media platform.
2. Decide whether to create a personal account or a business one. As always, there are pluses for both options. Pinterest states: “If you’re using Pinterest as part of how you make a living, whether by driving traffic to a blog that makes you some money or to build your personal brand to find customers for your products or services, you should sign up for a business account.”
As an artist or an art dealer, you want to show the world your personal talents or those of the people you represent. In that case, a business account is best. Because the casual user won’t see significant differences between a personal account and a business one, choosing a business account won’t forgo the homespun image that a personal account sometimes projects to the world.
Note that if you already have a personal Pinterest account that you have been using for business, you can now convert it into a business listing if you want.
3. Select five interests. Gallery owners, artists, and agents can start by simply typing the word “art” into the search box at top. A nice selection of art-related topics from which to choose will pop up.
4. Choose whether to add a Pinterest browser button. This browser extension allows you to easily pin items to your boards.
5. Once you’ve completed Step 3, the system chugs away to install the plugin and create your Pinterest page, drawing from the elements of each of the chosen topics. The accompanying graphic shows the default screen for the fictitious Acme Art Gallery account.
6. Verify your business website.
DOING BUSINESS
Obviously, doing business on a social media site entails more work than being a regular consumer on it. Although a business account on Pinterest won’t look obviously different from the consumer’s point of view, it does give the user access to many things designed just for businesses.
One of the most useful applications of a business account is the access to Pinterest’s analytics. The analytics display your average daily impressions, daily viewership, monthly viewership, and monthly engaged followers. They also allow you to figure out what people love most from your Pinterest profile and your website, which pins drive traffic back to your site, who your Pinterest audience is—including gender, location, and interests—and how adding the Pin It button to your website leads to referral traffic from Pinterest.
Another benefit of a business account is the ability to use Rich Pins. Rich Pins are a step above Standard Pins. They enable you to automatically add extra details, including pricing information and a direct link to your website. Rich Pins should thus become more useful to users and result in more traffic to your site. Rich Pins include selections for movies, recipes, articles, products, and places. If you sell products, note that Product Pins include real-time pricing information, and anyone who has pinned them will get a notification of a decrease in price. This feature can easily apply to art items.
Sellers of art should also consider taking advantage of Article and Place Pins. You can use these to create value-added information that draws in potential customers. Article Pins can be stories from your blog and items about your artists; Place Pins can be items about regional artists you may represent. Be creative and find ways to make the best use of these tools.
You aren’t required to create Rich Pins on a business account, but if you have an online store, it’s definitely worth the extra effort. However, setting up Rich Pins involves steps that may require the help of your web developer.
If you don’t create Rich Pins, you can still include a product’s price in a Standard Pin’s description.
Another creative way to use a Pinterest account is by hosting a contest. Contests are fun and are a great way to attract a bigger audience and drive engagement in your Pinterest account. Your contest can require entrants to pin an image from your website, follow your account, pin a photo of them with one of your products, or create a specifically themed board. Contests are also a great way to collect email addresses.
OPTIMIZE YOUR ACCOUNT PROFILE
Carefully choose your profile image to help people recognize your business. If you have a logo, use it. However, make sure your logo is square, because that’s how your profile will display. If your logo is not square, ask your designer to make a square version of it.
On the other hand, if you “are” your brand—for example, as an artist—then use a nice photo of yourself on your Pinterest profile. If you’re active on other social networks, use the same profile picture across your platforms so that your followers on one network will instantly recognize you on others.
Name your account appropriately. Use your company name if that’s what you typically promote. If the name of your product is more popular than your company name, however, use the product name.
Choose a username that makes sense. Your username becomes part of the custom URL of your Pinterest profile (i.e., pinterest.com/username), so make it the same as your business name.
In the About You section, write a conversational description of who you are, naturally weaving in your target keywords. Also provide and verify the URL of your website. This step is necessary if you want your hyperlinked URL to show up on your profile—and you do. Pinterest provides step-by-step instructions for accomplishing this task.
Now start pinning! You can easily pin items while surfing the web. Just install the Pin It button to your browser, and you can pin images from anywhere on the web to one of your boards without leaving the webpage.
Businesses should seriously consider installing the Pin It widget and one or more of Pinterest’s other buttons—including Follow, Profile, and Board—to their websites to allow visitors to easily share content from the site. You can find the Pin It button and other buttons and widgets on the Button and Widget Builder page. To find this page, visit the Goodies page in the About section of Pinterest’s website.
SOCIAL MEDIA: IT’S A PROCESS
Like all other marketing efforts, social media is a process that will not change your business overnight. It takes a commitment from businesses to become parts of the fabric of the social media network into which they put themselves.
If you apply these steps with real commitment and over a period of time, the returns can be tremendous. Keep in mind one thing: consistency. Don’t set your goals or commitments too high. Decide how many hours a month you might want to commit to the effort and stick with it. Consistently putting in five hours a month will yield better long-term results than dedicating 20 hours a month a few times a year. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/08/market-your-gallery-on-pinterest/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/ffbcd66e0a1e54136528d039bbe7b2f80c2e548e3c32a9ea55510834ccc6e595.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:59:02 | null | null | Tanner Lawley on how he found his calling as an artist and his philosophies as a gallery owner Interview by Lee Mergner ABN: How did you get into the | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F04%2Fqa-with-artist-gallery-owner-tanner-lawley%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Q&A with Artist & Gallery Owner Tanner Lawley | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Tanner Lawley on how he found his calling as an artist and his philosophies as a gallery owner
Interview by Lee Mergner
ABN: How did you get into the business side of the art world?
TL: I went to college for business and got a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. When I got back to Dallas, I got a job working as a handyman for a fine-art gallery. I became the owner’s right-hand man. I mixed his paints, I built the studio, I hung the artwork, I painted the walls, I sold the artwork, I delivered the artwork, I installed the artwork, [and] I ran the staff. I was the utility player. He [gave] me the fire.
One of the first pieces I did was an itty-bitty one. It was terrible. I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t understand the medium. He looked at it. We had an honest relationship, and he said to me, “Tanner, I don’t think this is your strength. You don’t really have a talent for this. You can’t learn this. It’s something you’re born with. You’re very talented, and you can do a lot of things, but this isn’t one of your things. You’ll never be an artist.” He didn’t know me and my God very well. I am a very faithful person, and I believe in positivity. Faith is believing that things that haven’t happened yet are going to turn out in a positive way. Fear is the exact opposite: Things that haven’t happened yet turn out in a negative way. I always choose to look for the positive and believe that I can do anything that I put my mind to.
ABN: Tell me about your painting “How Deep Is Your Love?” that has attracted a lot of attention at this show.
TL: This one was a big 5-by-5 [foot] canvas, and, for three months, I took all the paint that I could scrape off the other paintings as I was painting them, and I would put it on the background of this piece. The very first thing I painted on this piece was “LOVE” right across the middle. And I started building background, background, background. I use high-energy music when I paint, like electronic dance music, and as I was painting that heart on the piece, a song by Calvin Harris came on, called “How Deep Is Your Love?” While I was painting the heart, that song was just jamming, and, when I finished the heart, that song ended. Knowing that “LOVE” was the first thing I painted on there months ago, I thought that was the perfect name for the piece: “How Deep Is Your Love?”
ABN: How have your experiences as an artist shaped your approach to running a gallery?
TL: They’ve made me a better gallery owner. [Artists] want to get paid a fair wage. We want people to deal with us honestly. When [galleries] sell something, let us know—those types of things. I’ve made certain rules because I represent my friends who are artists, and I pay all of my artists a higher percentage. They get between 55 and 75 percent of the sale. I share my gallery list with them, so whoever owns their work gets a copy of the invoice, so they know exactly who has it. I love for them to be able to get in contact with those people. I pay them immediately. Those are three simple things that I think are a big deal in the art world.
I pride myself on being a gallery for the working artist. Every one of these artists is out there hustling and working. I know their families. I’ve played with their kids. For me, that’s my motivation.
ABN: You were an Artist to Watch in Art Business News in 2010. Who would you name a current Artist to Watch?
TL: A guy whose work I’m selling a lot of is Pete Tillack. He’s an Australian artist [who works in] San Diego. He’s got great scale, proportion, [and] color theory. He does these city scenes, but he puts living-room furniture in the middle of places you wouldn’t expect it—out under an oak tree or in a vineyard or in Times Square. It’s really nice high-designer-type furniture—couches or chairs. I’ve got [his work] in my front window, and every day someone comes in and looks at it. His stuff is so hot right now, I can’t keep it in the gallery. He’s shipping me 11 new pieces because I’ve sold out his inventory just in a matter of two months. He would be one of my artists to watch.
Here in Miami, I’ve seen so many people that have blown my mind, and it makes me realize just how little I am in the world of art. But I’m OK with that. I’m only seven years in. I haven’t been doing this forever. That’s what I love about coming to a show like this. I’ve seen a ton of artwork that I would love to sell, and, before the end of the show, I’m going to talk to some of the artists. I may not know them yet, but I’m going to get to know them. You see that level of expertise at this show. I’ve heard over and over that this show compares with any of the big shows out there. People seem to like this one more. It’s more for us. It’s more for the residential buyer. It’s more attainable. Having all the artists here makes a difference. You go to a lot of those bigger shows, and the artist isn’t there. That’s very important when you’re purchasing or acquiring artwork for your home. You want to get to know the artist. It makes such a better story. It makes it something that they’re going to pass down to their kids’ kids because they have that personal connection. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/04/qa-with-artist-gallery-owner-tanner-lawley/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/a0b957f0858a4768c257ab0695be5527b41f85c3fdaffb80a65624ef7985d3c5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:48 | null | null | By Christine Schrum If you’ve been in the framing industry for some time, you’ve no doubt heard of or attended DECOR Expo Atlanta. A moulding-world mainstay | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2014%2F12%2Fdecor-expo-atlanta-a-design-world-mainstay-returns-to-atlanta%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | DECOR Expo Atlanta: A Design-World Mainstay Returns to Atlanta | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | By Christine Schrum
If you’ve been in the framing industry for some time, you’ve no doubt heard of or attended DECOR Expo Atlanta. A moulding-world mainstay for decades, the annual event was legendary for its exhibitions, education, special events and, of course, the mingling and connecting with peers. Two years ago, Redwood Media Group CEO Eric Smith acquired DECOR Expo Atlanta and has been quietly planning a big relaunch of the popular show, slated for September 9 through 11, 2015, at Atlanta’s Marriott Hotel. DECOR interviewed Smith about the show’s future.
DECOR: Redwood Media Group has a storied history with iconic art shows, such as Artexpo New York and [SOLO], along with exciting new shows, such as SPECTRUM Miami and Art San Diego. What made you decide to get into the framing expo business?
Eric Smith: Opportunity and history. Art and framing have always gone hand in hand, and it’s a natural fit for our business. I’m also very familiar with the framing market: From 2000 to 2008, I was vice president of Summit Business Media, and I ran DECOR Expo until we sold it in 2008. At that point, it went to another company, and I didn’t really hear much about it. But in its heyday, DECOR was huge! It was a mainstay in the framing industry, and everyone, including me, had really fond memories of the show.
So naturally, when in late 2012 I received a call from a business associate who asked me if I was interested in purchasing the DECOR properties—which included Art Business News, DECOR, DECOR Expo Atlanta and DECOR Expo New York—I couldn’t resist. I really missed the show. And now that my company, Redwood Media, is in a growth phase, I see no better time. The first step was launching DECOR Expo Showcase in New York this spring, alongside Artexpo New York and [SOLO]. That was a big success. We’re looking forward to bringing the showcase back to Pier 94 next spring and then launching the all-new DECOR Expo Atlanta in the fall.
DECOR: Why do you think the original DECOR Expo Atlanta tapered off?
ES: It’s important to realize that, from 2009 to 2012, it was under entirely different ownership. I’m not actually 100 percent sure the owners even produced the show, although they owned the name. I believe that group went on to other businesses in the end. Since Redwood Media Group acquired the show, we’ve been sort of incubating ideas around it for the past year or two. We believe in the slow-but-steady approach, just like we’ve taken with all our other shows: We’ve more than doubled the size of our company in the last two years! So, what framers really need to know is that DECOR Expo Atlanta and New York are under completely new management and will give them an exemplary experience.
DECOR: Tell us about that debut of the showcase in New York. How did it go?
ES: It was great. We have a small venue that we allocated for framing exhibitors, and we had about 30 exhibitors right at the front of the hall, so they got excellent traffic. More than 22,000 people go through Artexpo New York each year, and, of those, about 4,000 are trade buyers. So, we made a really big deal about getting the trade in to see the framing products, and our exhibitors were quite happy with that.
On the last day of the show, I did an exit interview and went around shaking people’s hands. Of the 30 exhibitors, 28 said they’d return. Bear in mind: The New York event’s really more of a showcase, not an expo. The full-blown expo we’ll be doing in Atlanta is a much bigger event. We’ll have product demonstrations, extensive education, a larger floor plan, and more exhibitors. At the showcase, it’s more of an add-on to Artexpo, and we’re really just showcasing new products. That said, it could grow into a full-blown show someday. If we could double the size next year, we think that would be great.
DECOR: You launched DECOR at the showcase this spring in New York. What’s your vision for the publication?
ES: Well, as I mentioned earlier, Redwood Media Group acquired DECOR, DECOR Expo, and Art Business News all together in late 2012. Our first initiative was to get Art Business News back in the market because it fits so well with the four art shows we’re already producing: Artexpo New York, [SOLO], SPECTRUM Miami and Art San Diego. Once we got that back into publication, we added a decor/framing component to it via our DECOR section, which readers seem to be enjoying.
We have excellent resources and writers within the framing industry—our show director and publisher Michael Pacitti, “the Guerrilla Framer” Paul Cascio, Tara Crichton; the list goes on and on. And, of course, we’re always on the lookout for more writers and more intriguing content, and we encourage interested parties to contact us. To date, we’ve been pleased to feature some really exciting profiles on industry players, like Roma Moulding and Urban Ashes. It’s an industry that keeps reinventing itself, and it’s exciting to play a part in documenting that.
Over the last 90 days, we’ve attracted over 300 subscribers to the new DECOR. If that continues, we’ll have 1,400 to 1,500 brand-new subscribers to the magazine in the next year to add to our list of 4,000. This all circles back to the shows: One reason exhibitors exhibit at shows is to meet new customers and peers, so we’re going to invite all of our subscribers to the expos. We want to make it easy for framers throughout the continent to network and connect.
DECOR: What new initiatives do you have for the new DECOR Expo Atlanta?
ES: For starters, we’ve got an all-new venue. We’re not going back to the Georgia World Congress Center, where the show was usually held. We’ve decided to take a three-year growth approach, building year upon year, and hold it at the Marriott in downtown Atlanta. It creates a beehive of buying and networking. Everybody will stay in the hotel, eat in the hotel, drink at the bars and enjoy an excellent, three-day framing expo in the ballroom.
We’re also planning a really compelling front-of-the-shop educational series, which will be free for all attendees. We’re going to have cutting-edge product demonstrations on the show floor. And we are going to revive our extremely popular DECOR Expo Top 100 Art and Framing Retailer Program. We’re going to throw a big party during the show and honor these hardworking framers and also give them exposure in DECOR magazine. There will be other surprises mixed in to make things exciting, interesting and fun for participants. It’s going to be a very exciting event, and we hope framers from across North America will join us.
DECOR: What do you hope exhibitors and attendees will take away from these two new framing expos?
ES: For attendees, seeing new products, sharpening their skills … and, hopefully, they’ll take home a Top 100 Retailer Award. For the exhibitors, they’ll meet lots of attendees they don’t see at the West Coast show. There are a lot of framers in the South and Southeast—and, for that matter, the Northeast—we’ve made contacts with over the past year, and everyone has been telling us they miss DECOR Expo Atlanta.
As art-industry veterans, we try to stay on the forefront of all the latest advancements in the world of artists, galleries and frame shops, and we have a lot to offer framers in that regard. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to DECOR Expo Atlanta next fall.
Christine Schrum is editor-in-chief of DECOR magazine. She has extensive experience in the fine-art industry, particularly in art-show marketing and production, social media, blogging and magazine writing. She is currently director of content and social media for Redwood Media Group, purveyor of fine-art shows and publications. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2014/12/decor-expo-atlanta-a-design-world-mainstay-returns-to-atlanta/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/13ce8166ec14c272c98fbc4177482f0354b594abc3765db68d7f0ef5df0d68af.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:11 | null | null | Here are some of our favorite blogs, with success as the goal and passion as the driving force, that cater to helping starving artists eat—or at least kill some | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2013%2F12%2Ftop-10-art-blogs-to-follow%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Top 10 Art Blogs to Follow | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | By Joseph Armstrong
We all use the term “starving artist”; it’s a moniker that’s often a prerequisite for an artists’ success. But no one strives literally become a starving artist. Artists derive success from their passion to create art in which they have invested a certain amount of emotion. Here are some of our favorite blogs, with success as the goal and passion as the driving force, that cater to helping starving artists eat—or at least kill some time.
1. Barney Davey, the voice of Art Print Issues, has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry and helps visual artists market themselves in more effective ways. His blog offers advice on how, what and where to sell your art, as well as video clips and links to helpful books and inspirational pieces to boost morale. artprintissues.com
2. Carolyn Edlund spent 20 years running a full-time production studio, representing artists and selling their art and is now executive director for Art Business Institute (artbusinessinstitute.org). Her blog, Artsy Shark, provides many useful tips on better art business practices, artist vignettes and interviews with gallery owners. artsyshark.com
3. Art Biz Coach is another useful site, offering direct consultation from the site’s curator, Alyson Stanfield. The site offers videos with advice on how to be successful showing your art. Find out what to expect from galleries, how to avoid alienating perspective buyers, resources that can help, and how to get emotional fulfillment from your art. Her site also provides links to workshops nationwide, books and other helpful websites. artbizcoach.com
4. How many artists, when asked how they became artists, have answered, “Well, I wasn’t any good at sports, so…?” For starving artists trying to explore every avenue of exposure, the weekly podcast at Bad at Sports features contemporary artists and people in the art community discussing the art world and a range of related topics. A blog also discusses the art world from ideological and practical perspectives. badatsports.com
5. Daily Art Fixx comments on art history and promotes unknown artists. It has links to facts, historical pieces and artists and quotes and links for art subgenres, including painting, photography, sculpture and video art. For artists hoping to use this blog as a self-promotion tool, site creator Wendy Campbell offers numerous options for submission: in a group gallery, where your piece will be displayed with works from others; in a short feature with one to four pieces; or in a full feature with six or more pieces and a short artist bio. A neat feature of Campbell’s site is the art-related prize- giveaway contest for any- one who chooses to enter. dailyartfixx.com
6. Connecting art lovers with exhibitions in South Carolina started DailyServing, but it grew to become an international network of artists. More than 30 writers contribute editorial here. Each month its “Fan Mail” section provides a portrait of an artist, whom the editor selects, making this a great way for unknown artists to gain recognition. dailyserving.com
7. We just can’t keep our eyes off another obscure, yet interesting site: Doodlers Anonymous. It focuses primarily on publishing fan- and artist-submitted works of—well—doodles. A database of featured artists is available, as are myriad interesting tools for the potential doodle star. If you’re feeling particularly inspired—or bored—try the site’s Showcase feature, which challenges visitors to submit doodles that conform to a set of parameters. For example, one challenge may be to draw a book cover from a class you wish you could have taken in high school. Download doodle wallpapers or order a Doodlers Anonymous coloring book of submissions, which the site publishes each year. doodlersanonymous.com
8. Art dealer Edward Winkleman’s blog, edward_winkleman, details the do’s and don’ts for artists striving for success. Many posts focus on the trade of art from dealer and gallery owner perspectives. For artists looking for exhibition or increased sales and exposure, this site gives the all-important perspective from the other side of the tracks: the promoter. Many film directors will tell you about the experience they gained by dabbling in acting and gaining perspective in front of the camera. Winkleman’s blog is a useful tool in applying that logic to the art business. edwardwinkleman.com
9. Although it accepts submissions and suggestions from anyone, Happy Famous Artists focuses on promoting art from all realms that have already attained some level of success. Creators—Intelligensius Anarchus, The Great Attractor and Rick B—provide the site with an edgy feel. It features a huge amount of content, ranging from art, music, architecture and television to perspectives on pornography, travel, top-10 lists and a perfectly captioned “WTF?” section. Although not necessarily the “anarchist of art,” happyfamousartists.com certainly fits into that niche. happyfamousartists.com
10. Dan Johnson, creator of Right Brain Rockstar, has given his site a credo: “Make creativity your day job.” Johnson offers advice based on his experiences of the transition from art as a hobby to art as a profession. The site focuses on but is not limited to the topic of building a successful art website. His archive proves as inspirational as it is instructional, and he offers links to many useful books and products. rightbrainrockstar.com | http://artbusinessnews.com/2013/12/top-10-art-blogs-to-follow/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/b6357184693a039edf56c1e2e0eca51dc2688219c7c9beb5c334b63f36d19033.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:21 | null | null | Maz Zorn on his unique artistic technique By Lee Mergner ABN: How did you come upon your unique technique of creating art with packing tape? MZ | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F03%2Fqa-with-packing-tape-artist-max-zorn%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Q&A with Packing Tape Artist Max Zorn | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Maz Zorn on his unique artistic technique
By Lee Mergner
ABN: How did you come upon your unique technique of creating art with packing tape?
MZ: It started with the idea to do street art in Amsterdam. Amsterdam has these beautiful old streetlamps, and I saw so much street art in the daytime, but no artist was using city lights and streetlamps as a canvas. I started with little sketches with colored markers on Plexiglas. And one night I put up one of these sketches with a piece of brown packing tape. It was the first time I saw how the packing tape interacts with light and creates the sepia tones that remind us of old photography. I thought that was interesting. The next morning I still had that roll of tape. I started on my kitchen window, unrolling strips, and I cut it with my sushi knife and layered it a little bit. It stuck nastily on the window and it looked pretty ugly, but there was already some potential to be seen.
ABN: How long has this journey been?
MZ: That was about five years ago when I had the idea to do street art. It was not a big thing. I liked it, but it was nothing that I even showed people much. But it got popular in Amsterdam where I live. People would write me emails, asking me, “How do you do this? I don’t understand how this image is made of tape.” At one point, I was just really sick of answering these questions because I really couldn’t satisfy anybody with my answers. So I filmed myself making a little artwork on my window and put the video up on YouTube. I was gone for a week to surf, and I came back to something like 3,000 emails, and I thought I must have been spammed. I didn’t even read them. But then I thought I should check that video, and maybe I’ll have 20 or 30 clicks on it. I had over 100,000 in the first week and on up to over a million soon after. People asked me for artwork, and people asked me to events, and I was totally not ready for it. But it was the moment when I had to decide, “Do I take that chance, and do I start working and diving into that crazy pool and start swimming?” I decided to do that. I had all day to develop techniques. Every day of the week, I was taping. It gave me the chance to develop myself and my skills with that medium, which is great.
ABN: How long was the original video in real time?
MZ: I think the actual process was something like five hours. I took some breaks, drank some coffee. It was nothing planned out. It was the key to transport what [my art is] made of to the public that was not even so interested in art. YouTube isn’t necessarily for art lovers. But that was the bridge to the audience.
ABN: Here at the show, you’ve been handing people a piece of tape and asking them to place it on a canvas.
MZ: It’s a dangerous game, I’ll tell you, because they can drop them in weird places.
ABN: But you’re able to work around it?
MZ: Sometimes when the day is over, I do peel some pieces off that are really in places I can’t use them. Other than that, I can usually cut them to make them part of the artwork. Most of the time, it works.
ABN: What do you get from that interaction?
MZ: It was born first out of necessity to have people understand what these works are made of. We had them at exhibitions, and people liked it, but there was no understanding between the artwork and the audience. So, I thought, “All right, I have to just show it.” I didn’t like it at the beginning. It was like a math teacher looking over your shoulder when you’re taking a test—like I was being observed and not in a good way. But it’s something I pulled through with, and now I really love it. It’s a cool thing to show people the process to an artwork, not only the finished result. Art in the making is what fascinates me.
ABN: How do you deal with the business side of being an artist?
MZ: I have a manager. She takes care of the business side, but she’s an artist in spirit, so we don’t fight often about things. We have very clear ideas about what we want to do. It’s a gut feeling. If we don’t want to do something, we don’t do it. It’s not about the money so much. We have enough money for the both of us to keep going and do what we both like.
ABN: Do you do a lot of art shows?
MZ: I did about six this year and one or two solo exhibitions. It’s a lot of work to show, but I enjoy the attention, and it’s very fulfilling to connect with the audience. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/03/qa-with-packing-tape-artist-max-zorn/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/20b0a89ddbdbdf79b316e932adcdd7d16485ee389fec23d094d97c07ef075e21.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:57:51 | null | null | Kris Gebhardt knows that physical well-being plays an integral role in an artist’s creativity and career success By Priscilla Tallman Kris Gebhardt is a | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F05%2Fpiece-of-work%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Art Business News | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Kris Gebhardt knows that physical well-being plays an integral role in an artist’s creativity and career success
By Priscilla Tallman
Kris Gebhardt is a piece of work—literally and figuratively. His art reflects the winding road that led him to the canvas; his body reflects the daily dedication to training that led him to physical health and mental stamina.
“I don’t consider myself an artist but more of a reporter. All my art is tied to my unique life experiences,” says Gebhardt.
Those unique experiences have taken him all over the world and through several phases of his life. Even with setbacks and injuries, his passion for physical fitness and health has never wavered.
A member of the Ball State University football team in the early ’80s, Gebhardt was living the student athlete life until he endured a career-ending knee injury in 1984. Without the structure and discipline collegiate sports offered, his physical and mental game suffered along with his health.
“I ballooned up to 250 pounds,” he says. “I was a washed-up jock.”
But he didn’t wallow for long. Instead, he quickly found himself a job as a member of the personal security team for Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza Corp., and worked himself back into shape. He stayed fit, running five or six miles a day and, at the urging of his boss, started training to become a pizza-franchise owner.
With franchisee training nearing completion, however, he realized he was more into fitness than he was into selling pizza. In 1989, he moved to Indianapolis to begin life as a fitness-equipment sales rep. Again, Gebhardt got restless; he believed it was more important to show people how to use and be successful with the equipment, rather than just sell it.
In 1990, he settled on personal training. “Nobody took fitness seriously back then. It was personal training before there was personal training,” says Gebhardt. However, he took it seriously—so seriously that he put pen to paper and published his first fitness book, Body Mastery, in 1992. Gebhardt is now the author of four books about fitness and health. In 1996, he began training high-profile rock ’n’ roll legend John Mellencamp, who had suffered a heart attack several years earlier. Mellencamp needed a fitness program that would get his heart healthy and his body ready to begin touring. For six years, Gebhardt traveled all over the world on three rock tours with Mellencamp.
As the years of touring came to a close, Gebhardt developed a passion for art and began experimenting with photography and mixed media. But instead of booking shows in the United States, he quietly started showing his work online and overseas under the name “Kristian” in an effort to gain confidence.
In 2005, Gebhardt booked his first stateside show in Louisville, Kentucky, and then booked several in Miami, New York, and at various private exhibits that could hold his 80-by-84-inch pieces. One of these shows, Art Basel Miami, featured two things with which he was intimately familiar: fitness and rock ’n’ roll.
“All art is physically demanding; if you are physically clear, it stirs creativity. If someone comes in to buy a piece of art, they are buying you,” says Gebhardt. It’s no surprise, then, that Gebhardt combined his varied life experiences and made the natural connection between physical and mental fitness and selling art at art shows. Selling creativity, Gebhardt believes, takes stamina. Artists’ financial investments in their booths, their creativity, their travel, and their work should also reflect their investment in their health.
A neglect of one’s physical self, Gebhardt says, reflects in the artist’s presentation of his or her work. But the converse is true, as well: Being fit and having the mental and physical stamina to work big art shows gives the artist an edge. An edge, Gebhardt believes, that is available to anyone who chooses it.
“Our outer shell is a reflection of our inner being, how you are feeling, and the painting you give to the world,” says Gebhardt.
As an artist and a businessman, Gebhardt believes that a daily training regimen is vital for producing and selling his best work. With art shows and gallery openings around the nation, Gebhardt says the following things can affect how you sell art and your overall experience at any art show.
Nutrition: “Don’t leave your food up to someone else. Take your nutrition into your own hands,” says Gebhardt. As soon as he and his wife, Angela, arrive in the city where they will be showing art for the week, they hit the deli. The couple brings a small cooler with snacks, snack bars, sandwiches, and waters for the day and restocks each morning. Gebhardt’s hard rule is “no fast food.” If you plan your meals beforehand, eliminating fast food is easy. Remember that the best food at a venue is usually gone by noon, so having a plan for nutrition is paramount.
Hydration: Pack water to bring along and drink plenty of it throughout the day. The venue may sell juice drinks, but they are full of sugar and will leave you depleted of energy in the long run. If you are well-hydrated, you will likely need to take some bathroom breaks. Use these breaks to stretch your legs, take a quick walk around the venue, and get your blood flowing.
Exercise: A full day of travel can be rough on your body. “On the day you arrive, go right to the gym. It’s critical that you exercise every day; it helps with jet lag, revives [you], and gets blood going to move out toxins,” says Gebhardt. Most hotels offer enough equipment for you to get daily exercise, and, if not, you can always take a brisk walk to get your heart pumping. Daily movement and exercise are also good for your posture. Good posture communicates confidence, and confidence helps sell art. Poor posture and visible exhaustion may cause you to miss an opportunity.
Weight Training: “Moving blood brings oxygen and nutrients to parts of the body. Blood is life,” says Gebhardt. Weight training creates demand on the body to move blood to your muscles, and your muscles in turn move the blood throughout your body. Weight training releases endorphins and oxygenates the body and mind. In essence, it clears out the cobwebs and helps you focus your mind and body.
Mental Stamina: “Mental stamina is a byproduct of [your] focus on the whole body,” says Gebhardt. When you combine nutrition, hydration, exercise, and weight training, you will have a clearer mind and more confidence to deal with the emotions inherent in exhibiting and selling art. When you go up against the biggest and best artists in your space, people will judge you on what you create. If your mental game is off, it may show up in your posture or energy levels. Having a fitness and nutrition regimen will help your body recover from physically and emotionally draining days and keep you energized longer.
Gebhardt admits that it’s emotionally demanding and mentally taxing to put your career on the line at a big art show and expose your creativity. But throughout his life, he’s seen the ability of health and fitness to counterbalance the intense and varied feelings that come with the territory of selling art.
Though he no longer trains rock stars and billionaire business moguls, Gebhardt is still passionate about getting his message to those who are willing to make a change. You may experience several career paths or experiences, but you have only one body. “Keep going for it; you have to celebrate these things. [My art] looks like my life. Our scars are so important; my career is full of them,” says Gebhardt. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/05/piece-of-work/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/99e07114f87161430faa47e493d95f4274528664b11ec73d0d73c21ea7bee741.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:01 | null | null | In many renovations, framed art is often at the bottom of the design budget. A designer asks that a client purchase the key elements first: flooring, furniture, | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F07%2Ffinishing-with-style%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Finishing with Style | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | In many renovations, framed art is often at the bottom of the design budget. A designer asks that a client purchase the key elements first: flooring, furniture, rugs, window dressing, and decorative mouldings for the walls. These big-ticket items anchor the design aspects of the room and constitute the basis for all future metamorphoses of the room.
Most prevalent design strategies propose that these investment pieces be of good quality and as design-neutral as possible. The items that comprise the trendy and fashionable aspect of the design plan are usually cheaper and deliberately interchangeable for seasonal variety.
This situation puts custom framing in an awkward middle position, as it is neither cheap nor interchangeable. Properly custom-framed art is expensive and aligns more closely with furniture than with pillows, throws, and other accessories. Framed art that is cheap, interchangeable, and ready-made, on the other hand, requires frequent replacement due to its poor construction and general absence of real artistic value. Yet the framer still must often handle the tail end of dwindling resources for customers who show them paint chips and carpet swatches and expect things to match.
When you face this situation, all you can do is take a deep breath and dive in.
As with most other situations, preparation is key. After bellying up to your counter, what the customer sees first are your frame samples. I like to arrange mine according to finish and size. My customers don’t know or care what company supplied them, so arranging them by supplier would be unnecessarily confusing. By keeping all my similarly colored frame samples together, I ensure that my customers can see at a glance what kind of selection I offer.
I cannot overstate how necessary it is to have the right samples on display. You must have samples that reflect current styles and trends—not because you want to create trendy and fashionable framed art, but because you want to represent yourself as knowledgeable of current design trends and as a credible source of design advice.
People’s tastes change. Recently, there has been a noticeable movement toward a simpler design aesthetic. Empty-nesters are getting rid of all their heavy wood “investment” furniture and decorating with an eye for clean lines and simple shapes. Furniture retailers will tell you that white is the most common color choice for leather furniture. You will not sell anything to this customer if all the samples they see when they walk in your store are mahogany or barn-board blue.
Your frame supplier is the best resource for keeping your frame samples current. Your sales rep shows you carefully considered frame samples that coordinate with what your customers have seen in interior-design magazines. Keep an open mind when viewing samples from a frame supplier—don’t assume that your customer won’t like what you don’t like. When I was a sales rep and first went out to galleries showing them a new line of brightly colored lacquer frames, most framers were visibly repulsed. Those sweet little frames brought up all kinds of unpleasant memories of bad lacquers gone by. The framers brave enough to put those samples out were thoroughly surprised to find that their customers did not share their feelings. Clients were more than ready for some color and shine in their framing projects. Sales were so good that some colors ended up on backorder due to the unexpectedly rapid depletion of stock.
Pay attention to what your customers are asking for. Customers were asking me for wenge frames long before I carried anything with a wenge veneer. They were asking for white gallery frames long before I had the right matte white and tall stem shape that such frames required. They were asking for floater frames before I even knew what a floater frame was. We framers get caught up in the day-to-day operation of our businesses and our busy lives, and we can lose track of the dynamic nature of our customers’ desires. But this changing nature is the lifeblood of our business, so you must change along with it.
Properly implemented custom framing is a craft. It has all the attributes of fine furniture, and, like fine furniture, it is expensive. Education is the only approach to customers’ resistance to your price point. Be knowledgeable about your product and be willing to share that information. People pay more when they understand what they are purchasing. Fine Italian wood veneers look different from foils. Real metallic leafing looks different from a metallic spray finish. Acid-free mats won’t fade and discolor as paper mats will. I don’t offer paper mats, and I don’t use any materials in my gallery that are substandard, because I know that the product my gallery produces is my representation in the world. It is the best advertising I will ever do, and it has to show the quality and design expertise that my clients have every right to expect.
Do not hesitate to charge properly for your work. If you are proud of your work, you should be paid accordingly. There will always be someone willing to do it for less, but do not let that fact affect you. Good customer service and a superior product always win in the end. Great design is priceless.
People are obsessed with trends and all things trending in popular culture. The trends are unavoidable and, if you keep them in mind as reference points, rather than the full objective, they are useful tools.
For example, I have recently noticed the re-emergence of gold in interior-design compilations. It is the brassy, true-to-life gold that hasn’t been in the hardware palette in a long time. For as long as I can remember, silver has been the metallic finish of choice. The trend started with bright silver leaf, which slowly shifted into nickel and then into darker silvers with patinated finishes. Gold was the color of “Grandma’s framing,” and designers and their clients avoided it like the plague. The new gold is modern, sharply angular, narrow, and delicately textured. It will be a slow process, but be warned: Gold is coming back.
The espresso wood trend is sticking around due to its total domination of the furniture world. Because people have invested so much money in espresso-finished flooring, furniture, and cabinetry, I don’t expect the trend to disappear for a long time. There has been a lot more conversation about color forecasting and Pantone’s Color of the Year in the media this year than I remember from years past. I find that, for me, this forecast is of personal interest but of limited use in my framing projects. A change from Radiant Orchid to Marsala in the color schemes of mass-market production will never influence the directions I give my customers concerning frames and mats.
When customers come in for the final finishing touches on their newly renovated space, be confident and ready. With preparation and design savvy, you will have exactly the right tools to ensure that those last pieces of their design puzzle will be exactly what they need to finish the project off with style. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/07/finishing-with-style/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/317b5ea78e46deb9701326573b2280d023b45b6508c3606fac999635a29838ae.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:52:14 | null | null | Some of this year's top talent, curated by the ABN editorial team Here at ABN, we’re always discovering new artists to love. With this list of top 40 artists | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F07%2Ftop-40-artists-to-watch%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Top 40 Artists to Watch | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Some of this year’s top talent, curated by the ABN editorial team
Here at ABN, we’re always discovering new artists to love. With this list of top 40 artists to watch, we are thrilled to introduce you to our current obsessions. This group includes painters, sculptors, and photographers with already flourishing careers, as well as those just bursting onto the art scene.
Ashley Andrews
ashleychaseandrews.com
“I’m working on minimalist found-object sculpture and painting. The trademark of my work is the idea of mark-making. I incorporate images; marks with references to other artists; personal references; and colors from Mexico, the Caribbean, California, Africa, and Europe—all places dear to me.”
Ted Asnis
tedasnis.com
“For a long time, I have had the desire to paint in an abstract mode, and in the past few years I have been applying all I learned from my landscape painting to this new effort. The work has slowly migrated from total abstraction to an abstraction of my beloved Hamptons settings.”
Andy Baird
bairdstudios.com
“My paintings are unique in that they are finely rendered subjects done by dripping paint instead of the traditional methods of ‘medium and brush.’ That’s the eye-catcher. If you look at my body of work as a whole, you realize that my genre is pop in nature. My subjects are from the commercial world and its infatuation with beauty.”
Joëlle Blouin
joelleblouin.com
“Imperfection and abstraction are present in my work to show that aesthetic beauty can emerge from a simple environment. At times chaotic, serene, or mysterious, each of my works should be viewed differently. The moment my painting catches your eye, a new journey has begun and beauty shall prevail.”
Ken Bonner
kenbonner.com
“I love to combine an abstract with figurative work. The inspiration for this comes from the world around me; for instance, going on a hike will produce many ideas for me. No photos or drawings are used. I allow all of the aspects of nature to be absorbed in the moment into my being and imagination. The composition evolves from these sensory experiences, internalized visions, scenes, and creatures.”
Roy and Amanda Clark
clarkartstudio.com
“The trademark of our work is the process of sculpted fine art. To our knowledge and from what has been confirmed by art professors from around the world, we are the only ones painting on solid sheets of brass and then sculpting the paint off with a grinder to reveal the metal underneath, creating an illusion of texture, depth, and movement.”
Christian Charrière
christiancharriere.com
“In my portraits’ frontal, oversize compositions, I mine the same kind of crackling energy that I find in comic book panels. Texture is an essential component, especially in the different kinds of hair: short stubble, groomed eyebrows, and luxurious long curls. Because there is no background or even body in many of the images, the viewer must wring all the information possible from small details like the sitter’s hair and grooming habits.”
Andres Conde
andrescondeart.com
“My work is a mix of modern pop imagery with a classical expressionist style. My goal is to create an emotion which leaves the viewer feeling as though the passing of time has no relevance. I always want the work to speak for itself, to have its own storyline.”
Patricia Coulter
patriciacoulter.com
“The most challenging part about establishing myself in the art world is finding the right connection for promoting my art. My art belongs in places where people need to be energized and uplifted, and I hope to make connections with the right partners to facilitate that.”
Jeanne Dana
paperandstone.com
“We both grew up studying music in the ’60s and ’70s, but Jeanne also designed greeting cards, and Dana had experience in photography and printmaking. Together we created silk-screened greeting cards and sold them at fairs and festivals. With the development of the Internet in the late ’90s, the demand for greeting cards declined, so we built a small paper mill, making paper, envelopes, and cast-paper sculpture with recycled glass.”
Mamuka Didebashvili
mamukadidebashvili.com
“Much of the emotional charge of my paintings is drawn from their color palettes. When painting a background, I guard against it taking away from the main statement of the canvas. When I paint people, I strive to depict them so that their essence is comprehensible by hinting at their occupation and descent and featuring their personal accessories because they are informative and add to our ability to understand and interpret the characters.”
Nancy Egan
nancyegan.com
“My trademark today is my Museum Scapes [series]. These paintings capture who is looking at what art—everyday scenes recording details of our culture.”
Joe Fenton
joefentonart.com
“All artists now have the opportunity to present their work to a large audience through the Internet. Especially for artists like myself that do not fit into any particular box that may have been defined by the fine art world, the Internet has become a necessity in order to survive and make a living from my artwork due to the fan base I’ve managed to have gained.”
Sandra Fuka
sandrafuka.com
“My trademark in art is the women. I try to paint them in their different moods and characters: sensible, sensual, delicate, joyful, seductive, or powerful. Sometimes I paint them alone; sometimes [I paint them] with a partner who supports them, like in a dance, or protects them in the form of an animal. With my paintings, I like to bring positive energy into places and to awake something new in the observer.”
Brian Goodman
briangoodmanphotography.com
“I’m often asked if the images in my ‘Solace of Space’ series are watercolors, or even oil paintings. While many of the photographs start out as landscapes, I use a variety of techniques to create an otherworldly experience for the viewer. I don’t want people to analyze my art, I want them to feel it.”
Christine Hähner Murdock
christine.exto.org
“I have done a lot of black and white recently. I am going for bigger sizes, more color, and easier-to-read paintings. So the obvious is more obvious without letting go of the hidden layers. That’s for my entertainment and for [that of] the buyer to be.”
Gina Piccirilli Hayden
ginapiccirillihayden.com
“My vision is to achieve common ground with emotional connections through my art. History repeats, and our interpretation of the circumstances are what’s unique. I am a clay sculptor who tells stories. My empathy dictates the story. I use the symbolism of nature because it is the oldest form of communication.”
Inam
inamgallery.com
“I usually don’t plan things; I just let my feelings loose and my soul wanders around until that specific moment emerges from nowhere. When this moment embraces me, I feel the energy. Then I immediately start. It is a beautiful world, though temporary, that this energy establishes for me.”
Jean Leclercqz
flyingmachines.be
“The basis of my work is a hand drawing on a large sheet of white paper with a continuous line that I compare to writing. When I start drawing, or ‘writing,’ flying machines, it is a constant discovery. At the beginning of the drawing, I never know what the final shape of the flying object will be.”
Brett Lethbridge
lethbridgegallery.com
“My secret, if there is one, is to always base my search for subject matter on my own emotional experiences and the things that have significance to me. The drape was in fact the sheet I shared with my future wife while she was studying in Europe for 5 years, and the perfume bottles were the gifts I bought her when I would go and visit. These deeply personal emotions I have toward these objects … breathe life into them as the subjects of my paintings.”
Iryna Lialko
larkgalleryonline.com
“Art requires an exacerbation of feelings, the heightening of all senses leading to the shedding of my own skin, which is very difficult to do when exposed to the cold, piercing winds of life. My main inner struggle in the world of art is my struggle to find time I can devote to pure art without hustle.”
Cathy Locke
cathylocke.com
“I like to capture behavior that is unique to a child, whether it is the joy of twirling in circles, hiding in a secret place, or creating a puppet show out of an old box. My figures are painted in the method of the old masters, where I build up thin layers of paint over an extended period of time. I also like to combine oil and cold wax to create a rich surface for the backgrounds.”
Arrington Magny
arringtonart.com
“One of the most challenging aspects of establishing oneself in the art world is simultaneously one of the most liberating: There are no rules—at least none etched in stone. There are no straight, direct paths. Seeking to further one’s career as an artist is certainly not as easy as 1, 2, 3. There is quite a bit of trial and error, experimenting, failing. But it is an adventure!”
Peter Maier
impossiblyreal.net
“My passion for creating art and for making a mark within the fine art world has been one wild ride. The journey to me is everything. Let it continue.”
Jason Matias
jasonmatias.com
“There is something quiet and pensive, something solemn and secretly stirring about my photographs. My work has veiled energy and subjective drama. I try to create images that give the audience room to travel and find themselves in their own unique space. I see life as a patchy blanket of individual happenings. Regardless of the world’s connectivity, our experiences seem more and more singular.”
Darian Rodriguez Mederos
condecontemporary.com
“First and foremost, I’m looking to please myself with the visual results of my work. I want to get to my perfection. Every centimeter of the canvas has a secret, a richness. I want to feel like a god in front of the canvas, creating a completely habitable world.”
Todd Monk
toddmonk.com
“I have a background in graphic design and have worked as a digital retoucher for many years. I use these skills in my pre-visualization process and my roughs. When you see my art, you get the impression that it’s somehow digital, but it’s not. My work is a marriage of vector, pixel, and digital art—all rendered traditionally.”
Kat Moser
katmoser.com
“These amalgamations are an extension of my evolution from image taker to image maker. There are no longer any bad photos, merely unfinished images waiting to be manipulated or layered with another that together make a more compelling statement than either image would on their own.”
John Napoli
johnnapolifineart.com
“What distinguishes my work is the way in which it depicts the positive energy in the world around us, particularly the life energy of nature. My paintings and pastels are colorful, exuberant, and rhythmic. Capturing nature’s beauty, the changing light of day, and the passing of time, the art depicts flow and movement.”
James Paterson
jdpaterson.com
“A trademark of my work is the use of kinetic, hand-driven motion as a compositional element in the art pieces themselves. I like that the viewer must engage in a tactile way to get the full effect of the art. I want the work I create to be beautiful to look at, invite reflection, stimulate ideas, and then further spark the imagination when you touch it and it moves.”
Rigo Peralta
rigoperalta.com
“I’m working on a series of black-and-white paintings entitled ‘Nothing is black and white; there is some gray in between.’ The basis of this is differences in human race. I’ll be showing that, if there is no pigmentation on our skin (in the paintings), then we are all the same.”
Richard Riverin
labelleimage.org
“I had to develop a personal style. I had to paint in a way nobody else ever had. I knew that my paintings had to look great in a living room or a dining room. It was not enough to do a very artistic work; it had to be cherished and loved by the buyer. It had to have a great and comforting presence in a home.”
Christopher Rimmer
christopherrimmer.com
“A Zen-like calm is revealed in my work as I seek out a visual representation of the polar opposite to what I experienced growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid era. My childhood was dark, chaotic, and tragic. I have never been able to completely release myself from my experiences as a child in South Africa; thus, as an artist, I have felt compelled to constantly return in an attempt to articulate what I feel.”
Susan Schmidt
susanschmidtart.com
“My continuing ‘Seaburbia’ series explores the cultural memory and heritage of the beachfront homes of Australia. Painted in acrylic and oil, patterned, layered, rubbed back, and glazed, the works achieve a weather-worn texture recalling the erosion of matter overtime and the exquisite residues of nostalgia and decay.”
Ok Seo
okseo.see.me
“I have tried to apply a scientific approach for art. This approach applied in my art seems to be significantly different from [that of] other artists. Whenever I start to work on a new work, I always consider two aspects: Is this a new and important question for me and others at the same time, and is this a new methodology? This scientific approach seems to be related to the geometric property of my work.”
Waqian Sun
waqiansunart.com
“We are living in the 21st century, really overwhelmed by a multitude of different art forms: modern, contemporary, pop, classic, abstract. If I were just to crawl behind some masters who are my idols, imitating their styles, I could never become a real artist on my own. I must be completely free in my spirit, following my heart and mind and inspiration to offer to the world what I really feel and see.”
Rajvi Dedhia Unadkat
rajvidu.com
“I take deep inspiration from ongoing transitions in life, and I strive to portray these inspirations on canvas, which gives me immense joy. Constant change brings challenges. I strive hard to convert challenges into new opportunities.”
Anna Voloshko
artvoloshko.com
“A human life, and especially the life of an artist, is full of events, impressions, and achievements. Since my first steps in art, I was doing something I really enjoyed. The sculpture is the most important thing in my life. When I create, I am happy and I live.”
Kenneth Ray Wilson
kennethraywilson.com
“Big, bold, simplistic images of pristine nature have been a passion of mine throughout my career as a professional fine artist. My most recent series of birch and aspen trees has brought a surprising reaction from the public. My ‘portraits’ of birch and aspen trees are like faces; they are all interestingly different.”
Martin Wittfooth
martinwittfooth.com
“My work is most recognized for exploring the confused relationship between our species and the rest of the natural world, depicted in animal allegories. This is an issue that weighs heavily on our times and is one that I feel compelled to process through my work.” | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/07/top-40-artists-to-watch/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/598d036a615d0fb058560796056061a961f05f6a710ee801e3fc6fa934aee350.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:35 | null | null | By Paul Cascio Business owners in the framing industry use a variety of creative methods and expend a considerable amount of time, money and attention to | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2014%2F12%2Fthe-guerrilla-framer-the-power-of-a-phone-call-in-turning-prospects-into-customers%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | The Guerrilla Framer: The Power of a Phone Call in Turning Prospects into Customers | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | By Paul Cascio
Business owners in the framing industry use a variety of creative methods and expend a considerable amount of time, money and attention to generate sales leads. In addition to traditional advertising media, today’s businesses introduce themselves to prospective customers through websites, email and social networking. And well they should, because creating awareness for your brand lies at the foundation of any good marketing strategy. However, it’s not enough to just reach out to prospects; you need them to reach back. You want them to reciprocate by responding to your overtures. Ideally, you want each prospect, upon introduction to your business, to jump into the car, drive to your business and make a purchase—without procrastination and without detours or delay.
Unfortunately, modern consumers rarely take the shortest path to the point of sale. Getting a prospect into your business often involves an intermediate step: a phone call. Making a telephone inquiry gives prospects an opportunity to ask questions; assess the quality of customer service, competence and professionalism; and ultimately decide whether you’re the one they want to do business with.
In my previous column, “Turn Your Website Into a Sales Engine,” I wrote that the goal of your website should be to get a prospect to call you. A phone call is easier to achieve and gives you a second bite of the apple: a personal interaction that lets you build rapport with your prospect, provide useful information about your business and distinguish your business from the others.
That phone call also halts, at least temporarily, the prospect’s online browsing and keeps them from the clutches of your competitors.
I view every phone inquiry as an opportunity. It’s a chance to have a conversation with a prospect and to start and build a relationship. A telephone inquiry lets you sell the unique benefits your business offers and to sell yourself.
Your website may aim to get a prospect directly into your store, but the odds of it happening are stacked against you, especially if the prospect also visits the website of an always-on-sale-but-not-really-on-sale craft store and sees a coupon for 70 percent off. At that point, it’s “game over” for you because you have nothing with which to trump such a compelling offer, regardless of its veracity. But if your website convinces a prospect to call you to obtain more information, answer questions or learn about your current promotion, the outcome of the game is now within your control.
Take Charge
Now, let’s look at what you can do to take advantage of the great one-on-one opportunity a telephone inquiry offers.
When you receive a phone call from a prospect, you must be ready to effectively handle the call. Your primary goal, of course, is to get customers and their frame-worthy items through the door of your business. However, to make that happen, you’ll need to reach two secondary goals: building a rapport with the prospect and taking control of the conversation.
Building a rapport will come naturally as a result of the conversation, especially if you take time to include some small talk.
However, making a new friend is just half of the battle. You must also take control of the conversation. Taking control lets you—not the prospective customer—determine the direction and length of the conversation. Fortunately, with practice, you can fairly easily take control of a conversation. You need only ask questions; then, you’ll be the one driving the bus.
In any dialogue, the person asking questions is the one in control; the one answering the questions is not. You needn’t be pushy or rude to take and retain control. Instead, develop a habit of ending your portion of the dialogue with a question that encourages your prospects to talk about themselves or the items they want to frame. Controlling the conversation also lets you steer the discussion away from price.
The best questions to ask are those that help you get your new acquaintance into your store or gallery. Preparation makes that goal easier to achieve. Develop a list of standard questions that you can rely on. Here are a few to get you started:
Where will you be displaying the artwork?
What is the decor in that room?
Do you know where we’re located?
Can you come in now?
These questions are easy to work into almost any conversation, and they help you achieve your objective.
Keep in mind that someone is going to be in control of each conversation; if you’re not in control, the prospect is in control. The one question a prospect always wants to ask is, “How much will this cost?” That question is the one that you can’t and shouldn’t answer over the phone. Simply be strong and get them into your store or gallery, so that you can make a sale.
When you do get a question about price, explain briefly that pricing depends on a lot of variables, including the mounting method, glazing options, degree of required preservation and display options. The existence of all those variables makes it impossible to answer that question over the phone. Promise that you’ll provide an exact quote when the customer comes in.
Avoid mentioning the size of the piece the customer wants framed because he or she probably knows the dimensions of the artwork and will expect that information to be enough for you to quote a price. Also, avoid discussing the frame itself because this question, too, may lead to another pricing question: “What’s the cheapest frame I can buy for this piece?”
After you rattle off all the variables that affect price, follow up with a question of your own to retake control.
Open the Door
Clinch the deal by asking for a commitment: “Can you come in now?”
When a customer says, “Yes,” let him or her know where your shop is. Give directions that might bypass a competitor’s location.
Conclude the call by recommending that the caller ask for you upon arrival. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the only one there; it puts a potential customer on a first-name basis with you and lets that would-be client know that he or she has a friend in the business.
After ending the call, write down the name of the person you spoke to. It’s also good to keep track of your conversion rate—that is, how many prospects show up after a call. These techniques are amazingly effective, and they can make a dramatic difference in increasing your income.
Selling is possibly the most overlooked and underdeveloped skill in our industry. It’s also part of your job, so learn to do it well. Improving your sales skills and those of your staff can pay off in a big way. Because the sales process often starts with a phone call, include these tips in any training program.
When your website does its job well, your phone will ring more frequently. How well you handle each opportunity to speak with a prospect often determines the success or failure of your business. Be a guerrilla. Learn to sell. ◆
Paul Cascio, the Guerilla Framer, is the lead instructor for The American Picture Framing Academy (pictureframingschool.com). He also provides business and sales training and consulting. Contact Cascio at pdc@pictureframingschool.com. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2014/12/the-guerrilla-framer-the-power-of-a-phone-call-in-turning-prospects-into-customers/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/8fe0e3e6f2270b6faa3c79ad3d9754ef583078ecadbd8828327c841518d4327e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:56:09 | null | null | Framers are always looking for ways to increase profits. They’ll try just about any advertising idea, even having their logo emblazoned on placemats at the | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F06%2Fmind-your-margins-more-profit-for-happier-customers%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Mind Your Margins - More Profit for Happier Customers | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Framers are always looking for ways to increase profits. They’ll try just about any advertising idea, even having their logo emblazoned on placemats at the local diner, cash-register tapes and bowling score sheets. They’ll squeeze suppliers for discounts; I’m guilty of this one. They’ll walk around their shops switching off lights to save a few pennies. However, one of the easiest ways to increase profits is by analyzing the markups on the materials that go into a custom-framing order and begin placing more emphasis on those that offer the best profit margins. This business concept certainly isn’t new; in fact, businesses in every industry focus their sales efforts on their most profitable items. Supermarkets place their moneymakers at eye level on store shelves; Chevy and Ford advertise their pickup trucks more frequently than they do their cars. Why shouldn’t framers do the same?
Many framers put most of their effort into selling low-margin products while ignoring more profitable items. Consider the major components that go into a typical custom-framing order and explore how to dramatically increase profits by shifting emphasis to selling products that are better for the bottom line. You can achieve these goals and give your framing more visual bang for the buck.
MATS
I consider mats—not frames—to be the foundation of custom framing and the center of the custom-framing universe. Consumers can buy some fairly nice frames in a number of places, including art supply stores, online sources and even some general retail stores, such as Target. These frames are not as nice as the ones consumers can purchase from custom framers, but they are certainly adequate for many buyers. Custom matting, on the other hand, tends to be the exclusive domain of the custom framer. Mats add beauty, create visual depth and enable the framer to control color and space. Most important, mats are among the keys to your profit picture, producing both direct and, more importantly, indirect income. When it comes to direct profit, mats are the kings of markup, when you calculate on a percentage basis. I discovered that a $5 sheet of matboard can produce more than $100 in retail sales. I proved this fact by doing an experiment under controlled conditions, and, admittedly, it required cutting concentric openings in the mat. Although this approach is great for making a mobile to hang in a child’s bedroom, it doesn’t represent the typical yield. However, even if you get only $50 worth of sales at from a $5 mat board, you’d probably be pretty happy.
When it comes to mats, however, the indirect profit has the greatest effect on both your sale and your profit, and that effect can be huge. Simply including a mat in a custom-framing order may increase your sale by as much as 35 to 45 percent. When you place a mat around a piece of artwork, you’re no longer framing the piece; you’re framing the mat. So, in addition to the price of the mat, the order now requires a larger frame, a larger mounting board and a larger piece of glass, all of which add to the total sale. For proof, try this experiment. Using a 24-by-36-inch print, a frame of your choice and your default glass type, price out the order without a mat. Then, add a single mat and once again price out the order. You should find a substantial increase in your sale. That mat can also produce additional profit by leading the way for add-ons, such as additional mats and upgrades to conservation-quality mats and fabric mats. But why stop there? Mats also open the door to fillets, decorative cuts and other embellishments. One of the best things about selling mats is that, while you’re increasing your profit margin, you’re also improving customer satisfaction. Mats provide great visual bang for the buck, and they put the “custom” in custom framing. And because the benefits of mats are readily apparent, they’re an easy sell, as long as you begin the design process with mats. For obvious reasons, it’s almost impossible to sell a mat after you’ve quoted a price without one.
FRAMES
Mouldings will typically have varying markups, with lower-priced units typically receiving a higher percentage markup than more expensive mouldings. Because the frame is the most expensive component in most framing orders, frames account for both the largest cost of materials and the largest portion of each sale—but not always the most profit. To illustrate this concept, compare two design options for a piece of artwork. The first design includes a nice high-end frame but has no mats—only a frame and your default glass choice—and prices out at $400. The second design includes a frame that’s neither as nice nor as expensive as the first. However, this option includes a double mat and the same type of glass you chose for the first design. This order also prices out at $400. On the surface, both designs may appear to produce similar profit margins, but not all $400 sales are equal. The order with mats and a lower-priced frame probably generates a significantly greater profit.
GLASS
Glass is the last major component that goes into most framing orders. I believe that many framers err when it comes to choosing their default glass. I recommend that your go-to choice for glass should be the lowest-price option you can offer: standard, reflective picture glass—the cheap stuff. I know that many framers do not use this glass as their default choice. It’s in your and your customers’ best interest to offer premium glass products as options, not the default, however, because a large portion of the public sees custom framing as expensive, and many see it as too expensive. By forcing the customer to buy a premium glass product, you’re adding to that perception. Furthermore, most of your customers have set a limit to the amount of money they’ll spend to frame an item. A vendor who offers a variety of choices almost always offers better but more expensive materials as options rather than forcing them upon the customers. This approach lets the seller keep
the base price more affordable and leaves an upgrade path in place. It makes sense for framers to take this approach, too. Another thing to consider is that standard picture glass provides an attractive markup percentage that is second only to mats. Standard glass produces a healthy profit for you and is a budget-friendly option for the customer. Premium glass products, on the other hand, are more expensive, typically produce significantly lower margins and take a bigger slice from your customer’s budget. You should continue to sell these products when appropriate, but you should offer them as options.
One final point is that framing components fall into one of two categories: those that enhance your designs by providing visual benefits and those that provide protection. Upgrades to archival products and all glass products typically provide protection. Buying them is somewhat like buying insurance. Not everyone wants to buy insurance, but it should be available for those who do. Customers should be the ones who make the choice. Analyze some of your recent sales to see whether you might be able to increase profits—and improve customer satisfaction—by changing sales emphasis. A few simple changes could provide a big improvement in your profit picture.
Paul Cascio is the lead instructor for The American Picture Framing Academy.
Cascio also provides business and sales training and consulting. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/06/mind-your-margins-more-profit-for-happier-customers/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/430dad4eae7498b5da6419e6dee3f7960c0999bc2d3b56db87c352651c80a0ac.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:14 | null | null | You’re an artist. You’ve created a body of work and you’re ready to see it acquired (read: It’s time to make some money). In most cases, this process begins | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2012%2F11%2Fseven-things-a-gallery-owner-doesnt-want-to-tell-you%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Seven Things a Gallery Owner Doesn’t Want to Tell You | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | You’re an artist. You’ve created a body of work and you’re ready to see it acquired (read: It’s time to make some money). In most cases, this process begins with finding a gallery willing to dedicate wall space to your art. Even with the proliferation of Websites and social media opportunities for artists, there’s still nothing that can replace a buyer being able to experience a piece of art in person, properly lit and beautifully displayed in a reputable gallery.
Why, then, isn’t your art in a gallery? Or in more galleries? Or in the prestigious ones? You know your work is good. You’ve practiced your gift, studied art and might even have a degree to show for it. You’re confident that, if given the chance, your art would sell. If you’ve done the legwork—visiting galleries, sending images via e-mail, closely following gallery submission protocols and maybe even dropping by with your portfolio tucked under your arm—and you’re still not having much luck, it might be time to ask yourself one very simple question: Why?
As a gallery owner, publisher and art business writer (not to mention the wife of an artist who has gone through every stage of becoming a professional), I’ve learned the rationales behind the decisions a gallerist makes when deciding which artists to represent. I’ve listened to numerous artists present their work, make their pitches and ask for representation. And I can assure you that no gallery owner enjoys looking an artist in the eyes and telling him or her “No,” much less explaining the reasons behind the rejection—particularly if we’re afraid we might hurt the artist’s feelings. That’s why many galleries won’t review a portfolio in person, instead asking for electronic submissions only.
There are two standard reasons a gallery gives for rejecting an artist: “We’re not accepting new artists right now” or “It’s just not right for us, but there is another gallery you might try….” (This latter technique is also called “passing the buck,” but we’d still like to appear helpful.)
Do you want to know the honest truth? Nine times out of 10, if we don’t accept your art, it’s because we don’t think we can sell it. Which begs the same question: Why?
After commiserating with many other gallery owners and examining my own motives, I’m sharing with you the top seven reasons a gallery owner has for rejecting an artist… and what you can do to turn that “no” into a “yes.”
1 Your work is not
developed enough.
This is the most common reason a gallery says no (and the most frustrating for many artists). When a gallery enjoys a reputation for being a credible, artistic authority, having fine art in the truest sense is paramount to its image. It only takes one obviously inexperienced artist to alter the clientele’s perception of the entire gallery. Galleries are justified in being discerning for this reason alone. Being nice or doing favors doesn’t pay the rent.
There is no quick and easy way to mature as an artist. You just have to spend more time practicing and experimenting. In his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell explains the “10,000-Hour Rule,” which states that in order to become a master at what you do, you must first practice it for 10,000 hours. That’s 20 hours a day for 10 years. Gladwell cites The Beatles and Bill Gates as 10,000-Hour Rule success stories; both spent many years (and about 10,000 hours) practicing, experimenting and learning their individual crafts before they ever reached the level of talent and success that was their ultimate destiny.
There are exceptions, of course. But even if you look at the entire body of work of an artistic genius, his or her best work usually occurs after that 10,000 hours of practice has been completed. And most artists who do attain “overnight success” find that it doesn’t last; their 15 minutes are a product of industry connections, not refined skill.
How many hours have you worked at refining your skills as an artist? If the number doesn’t come close to 10,000, that might explain why a gallery owner doesn’t think that you are ready for primetime. There are very few shortcuts, so it’s best to start practicing… and then keep practicing. If you’ve got talent and a work ethic, you’ll get there.
2 Your art doesn’t fit the needs of a
gallery’s clientele.
Look around the gallery you’ve approached. If you’re presenting a macabre collection of work to a gallery that seems to vibrate with bright colors and positive energy, they’re likely to take a pass. Most galleries want unique and exciting art, but they also want art that fits within an already-established style.
While gallery owners meet new clients and visitors each week, their most important job is cultivating and maintaining their relationships with existing collectors. They sell a large percentage of art to the same people again and again, so their goal in presenting new artists is to pique the interest of these longtime collectors, while still maintaining an environment consistent with their past acquisitions. Clashing moods don’t accomplish that.
3 i don’t like your art.
Ouch! Let’s face it, gallery owners aim for pragmatism, but their tendency is to fill their space with art they like. This is a subjective business, so personal taste plays a large role.
You might be the greatest at what you do, but if what you do does not appeal to the gallerist you’re pitching, it’s probably not going to be accepted. Gallery owners work hard to create a brand that reflects their personal tastes; if your art doesn’t appeal to them, they are going to have a hard time overcoming that prejudice and promoting it to their clients. Don’t take it personally; you just have to find the right gallery.
4 Your body of work lacks cohesion.
Your work might be getting the brush-off because, to put it bluntly, it’s all over the place. It’s far easier to paint whatever’s in your head at any given moment than to discipline yourself and narrow your focus. You need a “calling card,” a distinctive identity. While there is always room for experimentation, you should also explore the boundaries of a unique subject matter or style that you can develop as your own. You can’t develop greatness if you aren’t focused, determined and constantly working to make each piece better or more interesting than the last.
Gallery owners also like to know that what they get from their artists will sell. If I sold five of your still life paintings last month, I’ll want more of them. If you fly off in a completely different creative direction, it’s like starting over with a new artist. Gallery owners invest in you, and ask that you work with them toward mutual success in return.
5 you might be high-
maintenance.
You might have some fabulous art, but if you make diva demands and high-handed assumptions or requests from the get-go, it’s likely that your portfolio will be swiftly handed back to you. Gallery owners have a lot of artists to keep happy, so they try to be fair and do what’s right by their business. If you start out by asking about your gallery publicity, wall space, shows, framing, marketing materials and so on, it’s not going to sit well.
If a relationship isn’t working (which is easily evidenced by a lack of sales), everyone will know soon enough. Few gallerists will want to keep an artist who isn’t selling (and vice versa). It’s good to be helpful, interested and enthusiastic, but let’s face it: Gallery owners know their job better than you do. So let them do it!
6 Your art is worth less than you think.
The best determination of the value of a painting is the artist’s sales history. If you don’t have one, or if it is weak, then your paintings should be priced aggressively so as to establish a record of sales. Think of it as a marketing expense as you’re getting off the ground. The best advertising an emerging artist can have comes in the form of collectors who will talk up your work to others. You can raise your prices as demand increases, but if you’re just starting out, you should let the gallery owner sell your art for whatever he or she deems a fair price.
7 Your art isn’t
particularly unique.
If there are lots of other artists doing the same thing as you, a gallerist isn’t going to get excited about your work. A unique style, perspective or interpretation is paramount to an artist’s success. If you’re painting in someone else’s style, chances are your work isn’t as good as the artist who created that style and has been perfecting it for years. People want the original, not the copycat.
While a gallery strives to represent art that will sell, that art still needs to be fresh, distinctive and inspiring. The biggest thrill for a gallery owner is to find art that is both unique and desirable to his or her clientele. As a gallerist, I can tell you that is easier said than done. When an artist becomes successful, there will always be others who will try to capitalize on that success by copying his or her style. Imitation is a sincere form of flattery, but in the art world there is a fine line between flattery and copyright infringement.
Mastering the skills isn’t enough; it’s imagination and vision that make a true artist. Developing your own style may take time and a lot of experimentation, but doing so is critical to your success.
If you’re stalled on the road to success, you may have fallen prey to one or more of these drawbacks. Work hard to correct them, and you’ll be doing your career a tremendous favor. Remember, as with any worthwhile endeavor, there’s always room for improvement. ABN
Cristi Smith is co-owner and president of Ford Smith Fine Art and owns the retail Ford Smith Gallery in Roswell, Georgia. She is also the agent and publisher for her husband, Ford Smith. Her professional background spans 25 years in retail advertising and marketing and includes executive leadership in Fortune 100 retailers, with a concentration in start-up companies in the upscale home decorating industry. For more information, visit www.fordsmithfineart.com or call 770/552-5942. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2012/11/seven-things-a-gallery-owner-doesnt-want-to-tell-you/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/87c294a2c5896612f5fa14e52147718d4b92975d966ca3f98768cf0fb5f34c5d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:42 | null | null | By Isabel Thottam Every year, Redwood Media Group’s LaunchPad Program selects two up-and-coming, unrepresented artists—one from San Diego and one from | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F03%2Flaunchpad-artists-brittany-segal-and-renuka-adhav-make-their-mark%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | LaunchPad Artists Brittany Segal and Renuka Adhav Make Their Mark | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | By Isabel Thottam
Every year, Redwood Media Group’s LaunchPad Program selects two up-and-coming, unrepresented artists—one from San Diego and one from Miami—to exhibit their work at Art San Diego and Spectrum Miami respectively. The selected artists get an opportunity for which many young artists strive: to present their art at a site-specific exhibition.
Ann Berchtold, founder and executive director of Art San Diego, created the program in 2011. After Redwood Media Group bought her company, the LaunchPad Program expanded to Spectrum Miami, one of Redwood’s other contemporary art events. The program also has the potential to be included in future Redwood shows, such as Spectrum Indian Wells, which premieres this March, and July’s Art Santa Fe, Redwood’s latest acquisition. To date, the company has named seven artists as LaunchPad Artists.
In 2015, Redwood selected Brittany Segal and Renuka Adhav to be the sixth and seventh members of that prestigious group. Segal, 27, studied fine-art sculpture at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and has recently gained recognition for her small, detailed drawings. From abstract oil paintings to acrylic graphic works, Segal’s art includes purposeful and haunting illegible writings and intricate, small designs.
Adhav, 28, has an associate’s degree in radiography and a four-year certificate in nuclear medicine and is a practicing nuclear medicine technologist. In 2012, she took time off from her full-time job to pursue a bachelor of fine arts in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. After graduating, she moved to Miami for a job in nuclear medicine, but continues to paint and sell her work.
The Selection Process
Selecting artists for the LaunchPad Program is based on a set of criteria, says Linda Mariano, managing director of marketing at Redwood Media Group. “We look for local artists in the communities of Miami and San Diego that are at a point in their careers where they are being recognized … in the media and have done a few local shows at galleries, museums, or private venues,” says Mariano. “They need to show a dedication and a commitment to becoming professional artists. Both Brittany and Renuka fit that profile.”
Part of the process for selecting the LaunchPad Artists is finding candidates and determining whether they would be good fits. Segal appeared on Berchtold’s radar, and, after finding out more about her work, Berchtold decided that Segal would be a great candidate for the program.
In Miami, Redwood works with Life Is Art, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting and highlighting art in the Miami area. Life Is Art put out a call for applications for the LaunchPad Program, asking applicants to create profiles and submit their artwork. James Echols, co-founder and executive director of Life Is Art, and Redwood’s Mariano then reviewed the submissions and narrowed down the pool of more than 100 candidates to 10. They then selected one of those 10 as the artist who had the unique opportunity to paint live during the Miami show.
“What stood out [about] Renuka was the developed level of her work—the quality and the distinctive nature of it,” says Mariano. “The material she uses, the media, and her approach to creating a canvas are unique, and that is what drew us to selecting her.”
Benefits of the Program
The LaunchPad Program gives emerging artists the opportunity to gain a wealth of exposure. The program can be a catalyst for emerging talent—from those exhibiting at Art San Diego or Spectrum Miami to social-media coverage, press releases, and emails to a long list of collectors.
“We hope what happens is that they are already on the edge of becoming career artists,” says Mariano. “The artists we choose already understand the importance of being in a venue like Art San Diego or Spectrum Miami. Brittany had the opportunity to exhibit at the show, and Renuka was painting live during the show. This [ability to exhibit or paint at the show] maximizes the opportunity, and it’s a key benefit.”
Renuka Adhav
Adhav recalls first learning about the LaunchPad Program through a friend and fellow artist who had exhibited at Spectrum. “I never thought I’d be able to get … into the show since I had just moved down from Atlanta,” says Adhav. “But my friend encouraged me to try it out and see what happened.”
Adhav describes her work as surreal, imperial landscapes. The South Florida community is more receptive to her contemporary work than Atlanta was, she says. “South Florida has more culture and diversity. There are people from all over the world who bring their art here, and people are more welcoming to their ‘crazy’ pieces,” Adhav explains. “[In Atlanta], they did not seem interested in collecting contemporary art.”
Adhav says that finding out that she won was a surreal experience, especially because it was her first show. She exhibited paintings from her series of surreal landscapes. She uses oil on some pieces but also enjoys working with nontraditional media, such as polyurethane wood stain.
“I like to experiment and see what happens when you mix these materials together,” Adhav says. “Sometimes, it takes time to work and see how it will look the following day. It’s a lot of layering and building up on the surface. When pouring things onto the surface, I’m exploring and building it up into something; I start to envision a landscape as I do this. It starts to resemble something, and I let the idea formulate as I paint.”
Adhav believes that the LaunchPad Program has had a tremendous impact on her career and that it has expanded her potential. “Being a part of this [program] gave me a confidence boost that I had not felt before,” she says. “It made me feel like my work is worthy of these shows and that I should keep trying. It helped me learn how to price my work, to be ready for any opportunity, and to be appreciative of everything.”
Brittany Segal
Though she has been painting since she was young, Segal entered the professional art field only about three and a half years ago. She credits her father, an architect, for encouraging her to engage in creative activity. After a few years of working full time in a more traditional job, Segal decided to go full-force with her art. “Since becoming a full-time artist, it has been a crazy, wild ride and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.
Segal says her art is very emotional; she draws her inspiration from the people and interactions she has in her daily life. Segal uses these inspirations—from relationships and love interests to people she has met only briefly and those who are close to her—to fuel her work.
“I use a lot of texture in my work to evoke movement, which then evokes emotion,” she explains. “I paint with oils on canvas. All of my work is completely abstract. I find something very freeing about abstract art; it allows me to be perfectly and imperfectly me.”
Segal also has a pen series, which she calls her “love letters.” They are illegible to the viewer because she contorts the letters in each word so drastically that only she knows the meaning. The reader is then left with only the emotion that stemmed from the experience she wrote about. “My mind runs in all sorts of directions at times, and my pieces reflect that chaos in a very calming way. It is as if my paintings put to rest [my] internal chaos,” says Segal.
At Art San Diego, Segal showcased an assortment of her mini-pen series of ink-on-paper artwork. She also showed two of her large love letters on canvas: one softer and more whimsical and the other stronger and more defined. An abstract green and neutral oil painting hung at the back of her booth. This piece was from her Idaho series “The Detailed Terrain,” and she says it is one of her favorites. She also showcased an all-olive-green painting for which she used scraping techniques to provide texture.
Segal is currently working on several large commissions from private clients. She also has a few ideas for her next collection. She says that her time in the LaunchPad Program was unforgettable. “The LaunchPad Program was amazing. I met so many people over the course of the weekend and throughout the buildup to the event,” she explains. “I definitely found that it created a space for my art in the San Diego scene.” | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/03/launchpad-artists-brittany-segal-and-renuka-adhav-make-their-mark/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/a160d7e3730e12061f980d02a8eac05549e67cc30f219f278004172c350480ec.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:46 | null | null | How do conservators restore damaged art works, what does it cost, and how does it impact value? By Isabel Thottam Image courtesy Ana Alba Imagine | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F12%2Fthe-cost-of-conservation-and-restoration%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | The Cost of Conservation and Restoration | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | How do conservators restore damaged art works, what does it cost, and how does it impact value?
By Isabel Thottam
Imagine walking through a beautiful exhibit of famous paintings at a museum. You look closely at a Picasso and lean forward in admiration. Suddenly, you lose your balance and, without thinking, latch onto the painting to catch your fall. Whoops. You’ve left a fist-sized hole in a million-dollar painting.
It may sound impossible, but it happens more often than you think. This year, a 12-year-old Taiwanese boy tripped and accidentally punched a hole in a $1.5 million Paolo Porpora oil on canvas. His accident is one of many unfortunate slip-ups to damage expensive works of art. In some cases, people purposely damage artwork. In 1990, a man sprayed sulfuric acid on Rembrandt van Rijn’s “The Night Watch.” This action was the third time someone purposely damaged Rembrandt’s famous work; vandals with knives slashed it in 1911 and 1975.
In the case of the Porpora painting, the boy’s family did not have to pay for the damages. Fortunately, the painting was insured and is currently undergoing restoration. But who spends the time and money to fix these valuable artworks when accidents happen? How much does it cost, and what does insurance cover? More important, how does one fix a painting with a hole in the middle of it, and does the artwork lose value due to the damages?
Enter the art conservator, the quiet hero who spends countless hours performing delicate work to restore and conserve damaged pieces of art.
Structural and Aesthetic Damage
Though people often refer to conservation and restoration as one entity, they have a few distinctions. Conservation is the profession and the starting point for a conservator, whereas restoration describes parts of the process.
Beyond conserving the original materials, conservators consider the restoration side of their practice to encompass areas requiring fillers, colors, or coatings to reconstitute a missing component of the art. The process is tedious and an art form in itself. Art conservators see variations of damage, but they all fall into one of two categories: structural or aesthetic.
Structural damage might be the result of storage in an improper environment, the deterioration of materials, or poor handling practices. Human intervention falls into this realm and is a top contender for what causes the most damage to art. Aesthetic or cosmetic damages are due to the fact that the artwork has old varnishes, causing discoloration, or has paint flaking off the surface.
Conservators also experience inherent vice, a problem that occurs when the material the artist used is not compatible with the coatings an art conservator uses in restoration. This problem occurs most often with works of modern and contemporary art, because such artists use experimental acrylics, which are more sensitive than oils.
“[Contemporary artists] are creating multimedia works of art, and those are naturally harder to care for than a traditional painting,” says Ana Alba, an independent art conservator in Pittsburgh and founder and owner of Alba Art Conservation. “But our code of ethics is to use most things that are reversible because we can’t change the artist’s intent or chosen materials. However, I have treated cardboard before, and no one should expect that to last a thousand years.”
The Cost of Conservation and Restoration
Museums have access to technical equipment that independent conservators lack, according to Rhona MacBeth, a conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. For example, museums have X-ray machines, which allow conservators to look below the surface of paintings to document their condition and quality. Infrared cameras can cost $50,000 to $100,000, but conservators can also perform repairs with SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras that cost approximately $1,000.
“In a big museum like the MFA, we have a huge scientific department that can do an analysis of coatings to see how [a painting] was made,” explains MacBeth.
Independent art conservators typically do not own huge pieces of equipment. Instead, they pay to send samples to a lab for scientific analysis, later adding this expense to a customer’s bill.
“In the public realm, conservators will have an hourly rate, and a conservation treatment will either be charged according to that rate or a total project cost,” says Nicholas Dorman, chief conservator at the Seattle Art Museum.
Alba’s projects can range from simple cleanings of personal paintings for a few hundred dollars to more involved projects costing thousands of dollars, depending on the size and condition of the artwork. Alba bills her clients by the hour. If there’s a bigger issue, she’ll address that in her estimate.
Providing an estimate is part of the American Institute for Conservation’s code of ethics. Conservators must provide a treatment proposal with cost estimates and an examination report. The customer must sign it before any treatment can occur.
Peter Himmelstein, paintings conservator at Appelbaum & Himmelstein Conservators and Consultants in New York City, works for individuals and small institutions, noting that some clients pay out of pocket, whereas others receive grants to fund the conservation. He says a small painting with an average amount of restoration work can cost $800 to $1,000. A larger painting with damages can cost $10,000 to $15,000.
Grants to fund conservation come from a variety of sources. The National Endowment for the Arts awards grants annually, and New York State offers a $7,500 grant for treatment.
The MFA in Boston employs five conservators. Two are staff on yearly contracts, whereas others work on special projects funded through foundations or grants.
In some cases, insurance claims will pay for treatments, as was the case when the Taiwanese boy’s family did not have to pay for restoration efforts.
Himmelstein explains that there is all-risk art insurance, which covers liability for fire, flood, and theft. However, he says there is no professional liability insurance for conservators.
“Owners should expect to pay insurance while the art is in the conservator’s hands, but it does not cover the work,” says Himmelstein. “We provide insurance to the owner at a low-level amount for free, as $2,000 to $5,000 will cover most of it. For a more valuable painting, they can increase the coverage when needed—say, if it’s going to take four to five months to complete.”
Most museums don’t have listed policies. However, Himmelstein says that insurance in a museum will cover the cost of treatment if something is damaged and incurs a loss of value or if someone bumps into a piece of artwork. The insurance covers the cost of the treatment to repair the damage.
Between costs and insurance, conservation is an expensive business. “Oddly, people don’t seem to balk at spending money on cars or house maintenance, because these things have both utility and aesthetic importance,” says Dorman. “Although paintings can be quite valuable, their status as primarily aesthetic objects means people often consider conservation as something of a luxury—a luxury on top of a luxury, if you like.”
The Biggest Cost is Time
“Time, experience, and the training that people have is what customers are paying for,” says Himmelstein. “Conservation is time-consuming, so that’s where the cost is.”
Time accounts for the largest expense because conservation is labor-intensive. MacBeth and Dorman work with professional staffs to conserve and restore museum pieces. Moreover, museums often work on multiple pieces at once with various deadlines.
Conservators say that it can take two to three weeks to restore a painting. However, this timing can vary depending on a piece’s condition, the extent of damage, and the painting’s size. A large painting with extensive damage could take months and, in some cases, years.
“It’s very labor-intensive,” says MacBeth. “It could take a few days if it’s not a big intervention. For a tiny bit of restoration or surface cleaning, such as taking grind off the surface, it can happen in a day or two. But I have worked on paintings for years at a time.”
The Impact of Intervention
The life cycle of a painting varies depending on its condition, the materials the artist used, and the amount and quality of the restoration it has undergone.
“In recent decades, conservators have given considerable thought to … lengthening the period between treatments,” says Dorman. “We know that, even when we raise the flags of reversibility and minimal intervention, our work is precisely that—an intervention—and it has an impact on the art.”
Conservators and appraisers seem to agree that conservation doesn’t decrease a painting’s value. However, this factor depends on the conservator’s ability to restore the piece without changing anything about the art.
“While few forms of conservation treatment can really be said to be objective, conservators are trained to try to keep the visible signs of their interventions as unobtrusive as possible,” says Dorman.
“People argue [that] it would be better if no one ever touched it,” says MacBeth. “[But] it’s incredibly rare to come across an old painting that hasn’t been restored. If the restoration is done well, I’m not sure if it adds to the value. There’s always a bit of subjectivity here, depending on how someone believes [the restoration] to have been done.”
Scott Zema, an appraiser at Ark Limited Appraisals in Seattle, says that most canvas paintings have had restoration work done because canvas, in various forms, disintegrates over time.
“Restoration is a huge part of value determination,” says Zema. “If restored correctly, there is no loss in value. But you have to look at the quality of conservation and the amount of damage; it all comes into play in [affecting] the value.”
Alba explains that conservators cannot make damage disappear. Though they usually can do something, conservators might not be able to completely restore a piece, and the cost of treatment could outweigh the cost of the painting.
“The American school is different from the European school, which might be more stringent on cleaning. Here, it’s common practice to remove a varnish because you’re returning it back to the originally intended appearance,” says Alba. “But there have been big controversies on this [issue], such as the Sistine Chapel cleaning and at the National Gallery with a Rembrandt.”
Alba refers her clients to a local appraiser before agreeing to treatment, explaining that they will be able to better determine the market cost of the artwork, whether they need to conserve the piece, and how likely it is to resell.
Zema says that conservators can restore paintings with 50 percent or less damage. As long as the damage does not materially affect the original work, they can restore the painting without decreasing its value. Think of it this way: If a car needs a new engine and a new body, the owner needs to replace it with a new car.
“You don’t want to be filling in the face because of a hole in the canvas. If restoration has been done on a significant part, it won’t have much value,” Zema explains. “The value will never be what it would be without the big touch-ups.”
Structural and cosmetic damages can harm a work of art, and improper treatment could affect the value. The important thing to note, however, is that many paintings in great museums worldwide have undergone some type of restoration. But, as Zema points out, when restored correctly without significant damage, the artwork’s value will not change.
“These issues don’t always disturb the audiences who enjoy those paintings, because conservators have carefully treated the paintings to reduce the visual impact of such damages,” says Dorman.
MacBeth agrees, explaining, “If you do it in an educated way, it can be fun to see what happens after the restoration. Then you end up buying something that no one else realized was as beautiful as it is.”
Art lovers should not overlook the work of art conservators; without restoration and conservation, the paintings they enjoy in museums or their homes could disappear. Conservation does not devalue art; rather, it restores what was once beautiful so that audiences can continue to admire the artwork for years to come. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/12/the-cost-of-conservation-and-restoration/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/18bb6de1f0c66610a6b677fa9597b79a604ac70ff57f41952aede1986eda2fe0.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:18 | null | null | During recent trips to my favorite art gallery and an amazing museum exhibition, I was reminded of how important an artwork’s display is to the overall effect | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F07%2Fpease-pedestals-displaying-success%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Pease Pedestals: Displaying Success | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | During recent trips to my favorite art gallery and an amazing museum exhibition, I was reminded of how important an artwork’s display is to the overall effect of the art. As I viewed the sculpture collections at this gallery and museum, I noticed how the pedestals on which the artwork rested enhanced my experience of each piece.
If you’ve had a similar experience and wondered how you can achieve the same display and appreciation for your treasured sculpture pieces, look no further than Pease Pedestals. Celebrating 20 years of creating beautiful acrylic fabrication, Pease Pedestals has established itself as a premier U.S. manufacturer of high-end acrylic furniture, fixtures, and accessories.
Founder Patrick Pease and new owner Scott Gordon reveal how the company started, what drives its development, where it is headed today with Gordon at the helm, and—perhaps most important—what Pease Pedestals can do to inspire success in your business.
DECOR Magazine: How was Pease Pedestals founded?
Pease Pedestals: Patrick Pease began working with acrylic in 1979 as co-owner of Carmichael Designs in Palm Springs, California. Carmichael specialized in acrylic furniture design and fabrication. Patrick sold that business in 1995 and returned to his hometown in the Chicago area to raise his family. There, he opened Pease Plastics, again focusing on acrylic fabrication and creating a variety of furniture, display fixtures, accessories, and artwork.
In 1997, Patrick exhibited his spectacular colored acrylic sculptures at Artexpo New York, and he realized that his pedestals were generating as much interest as his artwork. As a result, he created a full line of pedestals, and Pease Pedestals was born.
DM: How did you develop your careers and come into this business?
PP: With a background in art, Patrick was drawn to the techniques and creative possibilities of acrylic fabrication. His first and most celebrated pieces were layers of laminated colored acrylic forming magical prismatic sculptures. Needing a way to display the sculptures he created, Patrick made coordinating display pedestals. Galleries began ordering the display pedestals for their artwork, and Patrick soon realized that he could expand beyond the sculptures. The addition of high-end furniture—dining tables, side tables, chairs, barstools, benches, and more—gave the company a full range of products to enhance any decor.
After 35 years of running a successful business, Patrick decided to scale back his involvement and find someone to buy into his business who would continue—and, he hoped, expand on—the legacy that he had built.
Scott has always had a passion for working with his hands. By the age of 10, he had discovered Guillow’s wooden airplane kits—basically a set of plans with a couple of flat sheets of balsa wood from which he could build a fairly complex 3-D airplane that could actually fly. Over time, he expanded and refined his skills, building furniture and remodeling his home. A passion for art led him to open two art galleries in the 1990s, but, with a successful career in film and television, all of these remained merely hobbies—that is, until 2013, when Scott decided to start a second career and do what he loved. He looked for a successful business to buy into that would allow him to be creative and make things with his own hands. Luckily, he found Pease Pedestals just as Patrick was looking to make a move in his career.
Today, Scott and Patrick work side by side, with Scott running all aspects of the business and Patrick advising when needed and occasionally working on a sculpture commission.
DM: What is your vision for the company and the motivation and inspiration behind your product lines?
PP: Our vision is to make Pease Pedestals and its sister company, Pease Plastics, the premier U.S. manufacturers of high-end acrylic furniture, fixtures, and accessories. Pease has developed a solid reputation over the years, focusing on innovative design, quality, and service for the most discerning customers. The company wants that legacy to continue. The challenge is to keep all of those attributes at the highest level while scaling up to meet the demand. Deploying the latest technology—laser cutters, engravers, and computer-numerical-control (CNC) routers—certainly helps, but it is our exceptional craftsmen who ultimately maintain our high quality and make innovation happen.
The pedestals are intended to be functional and beautiful yet not overpowering. Because they were originally developed to showcase Patrick’s acrylic art, many of them incorporated lighting, along with motors and turntables. The original designs have evolved over the years to our current line. We also create custom designs, and popular custom features often migrate to our standard line. We are continuing to develop new designs, inspired by the latest trends in art and architecture.
DM: What materials and components do you use in your products? What innovations and product features differentiate you from competitors?
PP: At Pease, we use a variety of methods in our construction. Many are common knowledge and similar to woodworking techniques, but we do have a few proprietary methods that set us apart from other acrylic fabricators. In particular, we are known for making beautiful, strong, crystal-clear joints in thick acrylic. Industry professionals constantly compliment us on our joinery, and we have even acted as subcontractors for other acrylic manufacturers to provide them with our high-quality joints. We’ve also developed unique ways of using our laser to build jigs for cutting and shaping, allowing us to make items most acrylic fabricators would only tackle with a CNC.
DM: What are your customers like? Do you have any great customer stories?
PP: Our customers vary quite a bit. Most are galleries or furniture retailers who are in turn dealing with their retail customers. We provide them with all of our resources so that they can offer custom, high-end pedestals as if they were the manufacturers themselves. We work very closely with galleries; they are actually our primary sales force. We also supply a variety of designers and decorators, as well as a few of our own retail customers. We cater to a high-end, discerning clientele, but we also provide a full range of pedestals, including simple boxes and display cases.
One of our favorite stories involves a designer who was so pleased with the acrylic furniture and decorative items that we had made for her that she sent us a very generous gift. In most companies it works the other way around! Somehow, we’ve managed to attract the most amazing, appreciative, and loyal clientele. Who could ask for more?
DM: How many people do you employ?
PP: We have 27 employees, and every one of them counts. We believe in taking very good care of our staff; they are our most important asset. Each is an expert at what he or she does, and is valued by everyone within the company. We’re very proud to provide them with good wages, paid vacation and sick time, a health plan, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan with matching funds.
In addition, we support the community where we all live and work. Many of our regular customers are local, so their causes often become our causes. We donate money, goods, and services to local charities. We’re also members of the local chamber of commerce and some neighboring towns’ chambers of commerce. We think this completes a circle of taking care and giving back, and we have been rewarded with loyal employees and loyal customers.
DM: What can you tell us about product development? What’s on the drawing board?
PP: Our customer base includes many leading designers and decorators, so we’re always participating in the latest trends. The development of new products at Pease Pedestals is constant and ongoing. Some designs begin as modifications to existing pedestals, and others are completely new creations. Inspiration comes from a variety of sources—perhaps an amazing work of art or a bold example of architecture.
Inspiration can also come from new technology. For example, although we have no specific plans to introduce any new models in the coming year, it’s quite possible that our ongoing migration from halogen- and fluorescent-light sources to LEDs could result in new designs. Our growing use of lasers and CNC routers also opens up new possibilities beyond what we could do with traditional tools. We’re not only able to manufacture in a better way, we’re also often able to add new aspects to the design.
DM: Do you have anything else to tell our readers?
PP: Even after all these years, it’s great to see the business growing and thriving. We do it through building partnerships internally and externally: with our staff, our customers, our community, our industry, every point of contact.
We’re excited about what we have. What we see in our customers is love for what we do and how we do it. How can you beat that?
For more about Pease Pedestals, visit peasepedestals.com. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/07/pease-pedestals-displaying-success/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/954c008c532cf46c70227d9b925b8d57b8298a846aec12485580be6c46d8a8e0.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:59:54 | null | null | Jonathan Brender finds inspiration for his signature style in the pointillist artwork of Aborigines By Lee Mergner Venezuelan-born painter Jonathan | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F04%2Fpoint-man%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Art Business News | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Jonathan Brender finds inspiration for his signature style in the pointillist artwork of Aborigines
By Lee Mergner
Venezuelan-born painter Jonathan Brender’s bright pointillism pieces have made him popular with collectors in the United States and Europe. The South Florida resident, who first received his artistic education in ceramics and sculpture, spoke with ABN contributor Lee Mergner at Spectrum Miami, where he contemplated light, inspiration, and the changing nature of art as a career.
Art Business News: Do you remember your first piece of work that others recognized?
Jonathan Brender: I do remember. The beginnings of my art were from a trip I took to Australia in the back country where the Aborigines live. I stayed there for two months learning their art of pointillism. They used to do big faces with a million dots—aborigine faces, maybe kangaroos. I was so amazed at their patience and how many points [it took]. I started modifying that art into [portraits of] modern icons. My first [pointillism piece] was a face of Bob Marley, which had immediate success in my exposition in London. Then I knew I had something going on, something different from other artists. I started pursuing that, and, in two years’ time, I started attending Spectrum and other shows, and it just skyrocketed.
I can only make 10 to 12 paintings a year because it takes that much time, and physically it takes a toll on my shoulders and on my fingers. Once I started selling out all my yearly productions or collections, I knew that I really had something special and different.
ABN: What drew you to that form?
JB: I think it’s the time-consuming aspect of each painting. I need that time consumption to maintain my mind in the same way. For me, working eight hours, 10 hours, 12 hours a day for a month and a half doing only points … keeps me from going insane.
ABN: For most people it would be the opposite! Do you listen to music while working?
JB: Yes, only classical and jazz. And, [contrary to] what people might think, I can’t drink a drop of alcohol when I’m painting because I cannot have my hands shake even just an itty bit. When I’m painting, I’m at my most sober time.
ABN: How has your work evolved over the years?
JB: I’ve been doing this for 15 years. It has evolved, first of all, in the number of dots I do. When I started out, I did 20,000 or 25,000 dots. Now, I’m up to 180,000 dots. Also, I’m incorporating a few UV tints and inks that work only in darkness or with a UV light. I’m also doing some geometrical forms that you can see only from far away, and, from near you can see only the dots. I think I’ve come a long way.
ABN: What is your relationship with the people who buy your art?
JB: Usually, nowadays, I don’t even meet my clients. When I started out, I sold them personally to each of my clients. Now, it has become somewhat of a real business, where my PR manager takes care of all the sales. It’s really strange when I meet the real buyer. And they’re mostly from Europe. I really don’t get to meet them personally, which is something I really would like to do.
ABN: Why has Europe been a better market for you?
JB: I was born in Venezuela, but I’m an American. The place to be historically for art, besides Europe, is America. I collect pop art from American artists, which is hugely collectible. But Europeans, I think, buy more art. I think Americans buy more expensive art but fewer pieces. But Europeans like the emerging artists. They’ll buy an entire collection of one emerging artist. It’s a different market. It’s really interesting—the chemistry between the European buyers and the American buyers. It’s totally different.
ABN: How has technology changed the business side for you?
JB: That’s something I’m still trying to adapt to. A hand-painting artist [like myself] doesn’t have the time for this new media—Facebook, Instagram, and whatever. You get to the point where you have to hire somebody to manage that. But if you don’t have sales, then you can’t manage that. So you’re without an arm or a leg. Thank God I do sell out my collections each year, so I have two people to take care of that. It’s a really important part of being an artist in this day.
ABN: Technology has changed things for the galleries, as well.
JB: Nobody walks into a gallery now unless they have bought from there before. Now you go online and you have 100 pages—Saatchi, Amazon, whatever—that specialize in handmade art. Now you don’t have to walk through three or five or eight galleries. Now you just go online and find whatever you’re looking for. People who buy art … have something on their mind that they really want to buy. They have to research. The technology now goes like the left hand with the right hand for the artists and their paintings.
ABN: But it’s hard to really experience the 3D and tactile aspects of art online. A JPEG is very different from a piece of art.
JB: On my website, you can see my paintings, but you can’t really appreciate each of the dots I do because it’s a digital image. You have to look at it closely. For me as an artist, it’s hard that people like to look first at the work on a computer. Art is supposed to be seen in real life and in the real light. But you either modify, or you die. You either keep up with the times, or you wither. It’s a fight between the old-school art that we love and cherish and the new age.
ABN: Light is a big issue for all art, but how does light affect your work?
JB: I only work with yellow light, and, interestingly enough, I can’t work with light hitting directly on the canvas. I need light to be from any of the sides, so I paint on a light shadow. It’s really different from other painters, who need natural light or white light. I need yellow light and [to be in the] shadows.
ABN: Why is that?
JB: It makes me measure the dots and the position of the dots better.
ABN: Like the filmmakers’ magic hour?
JB: Yes, I actually start at 7 a.m., and when the light gets heavy, I can’t paint anymore.
ABN: What was the last piece of art you saw from another artist that inspired you or struck you?
JB: I can’t think of any emerging artists that really wowed me recently, but I would say that my favorite artist in history is Jackson Pollock. At that date he started doing his style, it was a revolution. No one dared to do that. And the colors he used. It was so simple but yet so shocking. I think the first painting I saw of his was No. 203 or something. I remember my first paintings. I didn’t put names; I put numbers. He was my biggest influence, although my technique has nothing to with that. He was so bold and so risky. And I also identify with his personal life [laughs].
ABN: What do you get from coming to a show like Spectrum Miami or Artexpo New York?
JB: I have a great connection with Spectrum and with Artexpo. First of all, the organization is incredible. The friendliness, for it being an art event, is unbelievable. The networking I see here is really difficult to find in other places, mainly because the ambiance here is not that of old-school galleries. Everybody here is young. There are new galleries. Everybody is on the same page. Nobody thinks they are bigger or better than anybody. Everybody here is the same. This attracts me the most [to] the Redwood shows. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/04/point-man/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/1d6650b2f4627081364f9f8affdf0bfe4a0604b3a3afee1ddb68da3f0914609c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:41 | null | null | Eye-catching displays at Tara Crichton's gallery help lure customers into the store. By Tara Crichton I love when people stop to look in my store’s front | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2014%2F12%2Fthe-art-of-framing-put-your-best-face-forward-with-your-storefront%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | The Art of Framing: Put Your Best Face Forward with Your Storefront | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | By Tara Crichton
I love when people stop to look in my store’s front window. The longer they stay, the happier I am. Even better is when they come into the store because they just had to see what else was inside. It means my window is doing its job.
Put Your Personality Up Front
My front window is the face of my business that customers see from the street. Once a customer comes inside, I am the face of my business. I’m lucky that people consider picture framing artsy, so I can be quirky in my personal appearance; it only adds to my credibility. In an art business such as picture framing, people will judge you by all the artistic choices they observe in your business decor, advertising, promotion and personal presentation.
This revelation shouldn’t surprise you. Hairdressers must have good hair; if they charge top dollar, they had better have great hair. Everything that customers sense when they enter your space paints a picture in their minds of who you are and what they can expect of your product. What does the art on display in your store have to say about you? Does it look as though you have only one or two frame mouldings to sell? Does it look as though you haven’t framed anything new since the ’90s? Does your space have a bad smell? Is your store dirty or messy? If a customer notices any or all of these things, your business won’t grow and be successful.
Good picture framing is by its nature expensive, and the environment for selling expensive things needs to be inspiring. The exact method of inspiration differs for everyone.
Create Intrigue with Eclectic Accents
My store is eclectic. I’ve branched out into various modes of artistic expression through sculptures, interesting home decor, vintage frames and salvage. For me, anything that’s beautiful and unique is fair game. Oddly enough, there is a strange continuity in the store’s decor, which was completely unintentional. It works for my location and for the customers I want to attract.
One of the most successful picture-framing businesses I know has achieved its success by cultivating its own unique clientele. The business has two small locations in affluent areas of Toronto. When I say small, I mean SMALL. One has dimensions of approximately 10 by 10 feet with basement space for assembly. The other location is twice that size and has a front gallery space. Both locations dedicate 90 percent of their wall space to frame samples. But you won’t find the same frame samples you see at every other frame shop. The business derives its success from being a maverick of the framing world. The owners frame big and spectacular. Its personal presentation and the framing that the business produces have a rock-star vibe, which would-be imitators cannot copy. Customers go to these shops when they have money to spend and they want a piece of that magic for themselves.
Look at your location and decide what kind of customers you want. You can’t have everyone. Give up on that idea right away. If you cheapen your materials and workmanship to appeal to bargain hunters, then bargain hunters will become your clientele. This business strategy works only if the quantity of resulting work is so great that you can still make a profit.
Curate Your Collection
An ambitious picture framer is a curator. You should carefully choose everything that goes into your framing to reflect your artistic sensibility and the quality end product you will produce. Do you really need 100 frames with a black finish? Do you have frames from various companies that are indistinguishable from each other? Choose which ones you actually want to sell and the profiles that will give you the greatest range of finished products.
I am the worst person to advise against frame-sample hording. When I was working as a showroom manager for a national frame importer, I had more than 900 frame samples to work with. Yet, I still missed some of my favorite mouldings from the competition. This mentality does me no favors. It just ends up muddying the waters for my customers and cutting into my bottom line. I have now streamlined my business model with the mouldings I’ve chosen to be my mainstays and the unique, exciting lines that spice up the presentation.
I’ve been disappointed with most of the new moulding lines that have come out lately. They are so depressingly “safe”—that is, boring. I can’t get excited about brown frames. Instead, frames that look like iron fencing, complete with nail heads; frames that have traditional distressed silver beads and wood that looks like tortoiseshell; and frames of stained woods in Japanese red and ebony get my creative juices flowing.
Mats are the exception to the minimalist rule. I find that I really do need every sample out there. The mat companies have stepped up their game by producing new lines that fully optimize and expand the borders of picture framing—pun intended. Some customers would choose heavy jute overlay on gold leaf, pebbles or genuine gold and silver leaf as mat options. Apparently, the sky is the limit. I won’t use these mats every day, but as a person who has mounted gift paper onto matboard sheets to get just the right look, I applaud the innovative vision that led to their creation.
Use Your Creativity
I promote the frames and the framing techniques that comprise my vision through the framed art I display on my walls. Whenever possible, I frame original art that I acquire from local artists, university and college art sales and auctions. I carefully select decorative prints, as well. I creatively frame these gems in the best, most creative way according to their medium. I have so many options: floater frames; shadowbox frames; and mats with spacers, fillets, antireflective glass and linen mats. I do not randomly assemble these pieces as examples of framing technique. Instead, I frame each piece for the art, but I can refer to it as an example if a customer asks. The goal is to educate through inspiration. Customers first see how compelling the framed art is, and then they ask how you accomplished it.
The business you currently run is the business you have chosen. Every choice you have made about location, decor and frame suppliers has come together to create the face of your business. Ask yourself whether the face of your business is the one you want to show the world. It is completely under your control. If you build a business that shows the best that the industry offers, you will attract the customers who appreciate that quality. The universe rewards enterprises that you execute with passion and with a drive for excellence.
Tara Crichton has worked in the framing industry for more than 24 years and is a graduate of University of Guelph with a double major in fine arts. She has worked in every aspect of the framing industry, including retail, wholesale distribution, OEM and art direction. She now owns and operates a gallery just north of Toronto. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2014/12/the-art-of-framing-put-your-best-face-forward-with-your-storefront/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/cbe41659f83cadc18c4332c4f96b52cd67dee8f82a6362852fc354f2f978d20c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:57:27 | null | null | 5 tips for becoming a successful artist, both professionally and financially By Laura Zabel Making a living as an artist is an expansive, ever-evolving | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F05%2Fsharpen-your-business-savvy%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Sharpen Your Business Savvy | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | 5 tips for becoming a successful artist, both professionally and financially
By Laura Zabel
Making a living as an artist is an expansive, ever-evolving challenge. However, artists have found ways to make it work for centuries, pooling income from sales, patronage, teaching, grants, fellowships, and day jobs. New opportunities for artists have recently opened up through digital platforms, social media, and licensing, and knowing which business opportunities to take on can be overwhelming.
But, just as the practice of fundamental creative techniques can make artists’ work better, artists can practice fundamental business techniques that will make their professional work stronger. Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists, a free digital toolkit from Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota, guides artists through those business practices. It covers career planning, marketing, legal considerations, business plans, and more. The toolkit is based on a series of professional-development workshops that have been delivered to more than 5,000 artists in 80 communities.
The toolkit includes 12 units with activities and templates to use in planning your career goals and strategies, as well as a series of videos of artists sharing their experiences and best business practices. Here are five tips to get you started from the Work of Art toolkit; think of them as the business equivalent of stretching your canvases and sharpening your pencils before you get ready to start your masterpiece.
Make time to make art
You can’t make a living as an artist if you’re not making art. But life can be complicated, and distractions are everywhere, so making time for your work requires setting goals. Use the S.M.A.R.T. (simple, measurable, action, relevant, and time-bound) framework to clearly articulate your goals and get your art going.
Get your portfolio in order
Getting your work out into the world is a key part of making a living and a life as an artist. But what work should you be introducing? And how do you make sure that the work is right? Use the “Portfolio” module in the toolkit to clean up your artist statement, résumé, and work samples. The pieces you exhibit to the world should be your best work and representation of you now and historically.
Price your work right
Selling work can be a daunting challenge for any artist, and setting the price can seem like a high hurdle. Depending on your arts practice, you may have material or studio costs, labor costs for your working time, overhead costs for getting your work to market, and a profit that you want to make. If that challenge sounds daunting, don’t worry; the “Pricing” unit walks you through the steps to help you nail your price point.
Protect yourself
Artists face many issues around the use of images, copyright, intellectual property, and work for hire. The “Legal Considerations” module helps you get up to speed on legal terms and covers the questions you should ask to protect yourself in contracting. It also includes a sample cease-and-desist letter template, just in case you need to use it.
Find your circle
Whether your practice is solo studio time or community-engaged creation, you put in the work to make it better. The same is true for your business practice, and it’s even better if you have a circle of support. Work with other artists to share information, opportunities, and support.
Laura Zabel is executive director of Springboard for the Arts, which operates Creative Exchange, a platform for sharing free toolkits and resources for artists and communities. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/05/sharpen-your-business-savvy/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/5165791b3b3c8c17acfc489bf41a1799df05ed4a38dca396c478171600488dcd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:52 | null | null | A multiyear agreement seals the return of the premier event for the world’s top frame manufacturers and their creations, blending technology and use of | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2014%2F12%2Fnewsmakers-fama-art-returns-to-bolognafiere-in-march-2015%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Newsmakers: Fama Art Returns to BolognaFiere in March 2015 | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | A multiyear agreement seals the return of the premier event for the world’s top frame manufacturers and their creations, blending technology and use of materials with a keen eye for design and quality. FamaArt, the trade show organized in partnership with FAMA Europe, the European consortium of picture-frame manufacturers, will take place at BolognaFiere in Italy from March 6 through 8, 2015.
More than 1,200 manufacturers, 40 percent of whom were from abroad, attended the FamaArt preview last March in BolognaFiere. The preview showcased the excellence of European frame manufacturing and graphic arts, with more than 50 exhibitors representing the top businesses in frame production and frame-moulding machinery.
Also open to visitors, next spring’s exhibition will present the new season’s designs with three days dedicated to European excellence in framing, marking the return of top-quality manufacturing in the frames and graphic-arts sectors.
“It is a happy comeback for our fair district,” says BolognaFiere President Duccio Campagnoli. “Thanks to the newfound partnership with the consortium of European manufacturers, Bologna will once again host and organize an international showcase for … frame-making, in which ‘made in Europe’ still stands for quality—a sector which grew up and once did business the world over from its hub in Bologna. This is further evidence of Bologna’s capacity to create events tailored to business and Italian industrial districts, launching them on an international scale.”
“We are very happy about the agreement with BolognaFiere,” says FAMA Europe President Mauro Fioravanti. “After a three-year gap, we are to return to Bologna, the district we worked in for so many years with great success, to the satisfaction of all businesses in the sector. Now we are ready for new successes starting from BolognaFiere.” ◆
Got a scoop to share with framers across the nation? Send your moulding and framing press releases and stories to info@decorartandframing.com | http://artbusinessnews.com/2014/12/newsmakers-fama-art-returns-to-bolognafiere-in-march-2015/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/0f87215563ad8b91f96c02743b7eb412df7e86c5e6a130e791bdfd357de0427d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:10 | null | null | Shades of radiant orchid. By Michael Pacitti Color trends reflect how we live our lives, and our outlook on color has broadened thanks to | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2014%2F09%2Fbehind-the-color-trends%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Behind the Color Trends | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | By Michael Pacitti
Color trends reflect how we live our lives, and our outlook on color has broadened thanks to today’s new technology. Simultaneously, our boundaries between public life and private life have blurred, and our take on privacy has evolved. Some people desire to create a personal territory, away from the hustle and bustle of our world. Our age-old desire is to take shelter and find that peaceful inner space. Within the comforts of our home, we respond to a need for privacy. Color helps us abound in our nest.
The home also takes center stage when it comes to color trends and decoration. Original art, canvas transfers and Giclée are growing to fill large loft walls or high ceiling entrances. Mirrors are also welcome additions throughout the home. Traditional styling has merged with modern designs to produce a new “transitional” look.
We now live in a time more focused on natural environment, fresh eating and healthy living. Citrus and farm-fresh colors of vegetables, fruits and open fields help illustrate our way of life. Some colors have become more weathered and washed, as though they have worn down over the years, making our spaces feel lived-in and comfortable. Paint companies curate new neutral color palettes each year to help you find and create those moments of sanctuary in your home.
By staying on top of changing color trends, framers can harness color fads and boost their business.
A Colorful History
The human eye can see approximately seven million colors, many of which affect the viewer’s mood and health. When naming colors, people rely on cultural conventions. Some cultures have a few names for all colors; others have dozens or hundreds of names. We learn to name colors the same way we learn to name animals, foods or letters of the alphabet: We look, someone else points and names, and after a while we get the connection.
Color trends have changed dramatically throughout the decades. In 1917 Evercote House Paint released one of the first color-trend forecasts for home interiors and exteriors. This practice continued for years and included paint for trend periods such as Victorian, Colonial, Jacobean and Art Deco. The original forecasts for interior and exterior home color came from paint companies. Today, paint companies such as Benjamin Moore, Pantone and Dulux still continue to track the color trends.
Consumers drive color trends. A color cannot be a trend unless it sells. A color does not change; the consumer’s attitude toward a color changes. Several factors will affect the trend including lifestyles and social changes, political events, travel, art, social media, music and cultural and global events.
A significant global event, such as World War II, can greatly affect the direction that colors take in the ensuing years. Like the battlefields, the color trends during that war were drab, full of khakis, heavy grays, somber teals and thick reds.
New color trends can show up in a matter of months after a major event. In 2010, Pantone predicted the popularity of the color turquoise. That year Twitter released a new turquoise logo, and the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games used turquoise as the background color for the Games’ website, which received more than 1.5 billion hits. Hollywood also released the hit movie Avatar and released a live-action version of Alice in Wonderland, both of which use turquoise in many of the backdrops and color schemes.
Each year Pantone and other organizations also forecast the year’s top wedding color, which often links to a current fashion statement. “Radiant orchid,” 2014’s color, is abundant in this year’s wedding palettes as decorative trims, accents, centerpieces and bouquets.
Boost the Business
Today’s color trends adapt diverse design influenced by individual color selection. Custom picture framing designers can choose color though matting and moulding to fulfil customers’ desires. Framers should understand the tint, tone and shade factors in any combination of selected colors or schemes.
Keeping in tune with the latest images, such as trend posters and art, will also help framers know what colors are hot and what moulding to use in a framing combination. For example, movie posters from the ’70s and ’80s, with their heavy use of primary colors, are now fashionable additions to home decor.. Red, blue and yellow mouldings and mat boards, such as Crescent Cardboard’s Brite Cores, are well-suited for these posters.
Color trends appear to develop at a fast pace, in and out within a year. Separate and identify mat boards in trend colors to identify yourself as a custom framing designer aware of the current trends.
Michael Pacitti is publisher of DECOR magazine and Show Director for DECOR Expo Showcase. He has worked in the interior design, art, photography and custom framing design industry for more than 25 years.
Sidebar:
Color Tools
Websites such as colorhunter.com and pictaculous.com extract all of the colors in an image or picture to produce a color palette for color design and assessment. They are great tools for solving matting issues that require the breakdown of an image by color distribution. These free sites will help you upload an image, instantly send back the color distribution and, in some cases, show the most predominant color. | http://artbusinessnews.com/2014/09/behind-the-color-trends/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/06444f06fe418b4794efa46a1d2de890c117945e4418ede5c1c182dda6c0075d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:38 | null | null | Create additional income with your art By Alan E. Katz, Esq. “A booming art market has many investors viewing their collections in a new way—as cash | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2016%2F05%2Fborrowing-with-art-as-collateral%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | Borrowing with Art as Collateral | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Create additional income with your art
By Alan E. Katz, Esq.
“A booming art market has many investors viewing their collections in a new way—as cash machines.” So reported The Wall Street Journal in an article by Andrew Blackman from June 14, 2015. Blackman notes that, with art prices rising, many collectors realize that the value of their art collections has increased substantially. However, collectors have many valid reasons to keep their art rather than sell it if they want to tap into that wealth. A collector may prefer to use the proceeds from a loan, rather than a sale, to purchase additional artwork, raise cash, expand a business, invest in a new business, refinance debt, diversify an investment portfolio, or fund life events, such as a divorce settlement or estate taxes.
Why has the art lending market become so hot? From the art collector’s perspective, numerous reasons exist for borrowing against, rather than selling, art. For example, the sale of art involves significant transaction costs and taxes. The federal long-term capital-gains tax on profit from the sale of art is 28 percent. Adding state and local taxes can result in a total tax bill of 40 percent or more on the gain, depending on the seller’s legal residence. Furthermore, the negative publicity that may result from selling a trophy piece of art, particularly through an auction house, in which the sale is well-known to the public, could lead the collector’s peers to assume that the seller is in financial distress.
Both major banks and smaller specialist lenders offer art-secured loans. Private banks typically offer loans ranging from $1 million to $10 million, with the loans generally not exceeding 50 percent of the appraised value of the art that the seller pledges as collateral. There is sometimes also a minimum value of $100,000 to $200,000 for each piece of art in the collection being pledged. Specialty lenders often deal with loans starting as low as $100,000.
Lenders offer a variety of loan types in today’s market. They can be term loans for as long as 10 years, structured as interest only; partially amortizing or fully amortizing facilities; lines of credit to fund short-term cash needs; revolving-credit facilities to fund recurring cash needs; recourse loans; or nonrecourse loans. In recourse loans, the art serves as collateral for the loan, but the borrower also must give a personal guarantee of repayment. If the borrower defaults and the art that has been pledged as collateral is of insufficient value for the bank to recover the full amount of its loan, then the bank can make a claim on the borrower’s other assets. A nonrecourse loan does not require the borrower’s personal guarantee, and the lender can look only to the art that has been pledged as collateral.
Some banks offer art-secured loans at interest rates of only 2.5 or 3 percent to ultra-high-net-worth collectors, such as hedge-fund manager Steven A. Cohen, whose art collection is reportedly worth an estimated $1 billion. In contrast, some small specialty lenders, such as Borro, can charge interest rates as high as 59 percent on an annualized basis in California and 47 percent in most other states. Most private bank loans are in the high-single-digit to low-double-digit range, however.
Even with these sky-high interest rates, the art-lending market is estimated at $9.6 billion a year, according to the Deloitte Luxembourg and ArtTactic Art & Finance Report from 2014. However, when you consider that global art sales that year were estimated at $63 billion, it is clear that only a small percentage of the art market is taking advantage of the benefits of borrowing against one’s art.
Art lenders have concerns that are specific to art as collateral. For example, the value of art is subjective and may fluctuate to a greater degree than other types of collateral. Art is relatively illiquid, and the provenance and authenticity of art present unique challenges to a lender. To establish provenance, the borrower must provide the lender with proof, such as purchase documents, exhibition history, and sales history, and must state whether any catalogs have included the artwork. Authenticity issues, on the other hand, relate to whether the artist alleged to have created the artwork did in fact do so. Certain types of artwork carry other risks that the lender must consider as well. Art from ancient civilizations faces the possibility that the government of the country of origin will try to recover it. The borrower must convince the lender that he or she is the legal and beneficial owner, that no other ownership claims exist, and that the artwork is not war booty or stolen goods.
In the United States, the lender will secure its interest in the collateral by filing a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) financing statement, which in effect tells the world that the lender is the holder of the security interest in the artwork. This mechanism is generally not available to lenders in Europe. The lender must file the UCC financing statement in the state of the borrower’s principal residence. If the borrower has multiple residences, it is good practice to file in all such states.
Because the value of art can vary significantly over time, the lender will often claim that it has the right to do an annual appraisal of the art at the borrower’s expense. The loan-to-value ratio usually cannot exceed 50 percent; if the appraisal indicates that the value of the art has declined, then the borrower may have to repay a portion of the loan, reduce the size of a revolving credit facility, or pledge additional collateral to the lender. Generally, the lender will permit the art to remain in the home or warehouse of the borrower. In some circumstances, however, the lender will require that the art be stored in a warehouse, where the lender would have unfettered access to reappraise or seize the art in the event of a default by the borrower. The lender may permit the borrower to loan the art to a third party, such as a museum or gallery, but may insist upon an agreement with the third party establishing the lender’s rights to access or seize the artwork.
Using art as collateral for a variety of loans, while in most cases maintaining the ability to continue to enjoy the art, has great appeal to many art collectors.
Credit:
serazetdinov/Shutterstock | http://artbusinessnews.com/2016/05/borrowing-with-art-as-collateral/ | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/0c338f2e0b02f41290bf31c551f587834761123b554f7a307ce9791251f88a1d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:20 | null | 2015-08-05T00:00:00 | Marketing framing services through daily-deal companies is not for every business, but for those that are thinking about giving it a try, here are a few | http%3A%2F%2Fartbusinessnews.com%2F2015%2F08%2F5-tips-for-marketing-through-daily-deal-websites%2F.json | http://artbusinessnews.com/wpdev/wp-content/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/images/default-user-image.png | en | null | 5 Tips for Marketing Through Daily-Deal Websites | null | null | artbusinessnews.com | Marketing framing services through daily-deal companies is not for every business, but for those that are thinking about giving it a try, here are a few suggestions. Over the last several years, my shops have used daily-deal marketing to great advantage, and the following list contains some of my company’s success strategies.
Daily-deal websites include Groupon, Amazon Local, and Living Social. These companies promote special discount deals; sell vouchers to their customers; and pay them for the sales, minus commissions and fees. New customers then bring these vouchers to your company. The daily-deal websites collect no money from you upfront. They get paid only if the offer to your customers is successful; if they don’t sell a deal, you pay nothing.
Here are five more things to keep in mind when you first try out a daily deal.
1. BE AWARE OF THE TYPES OF CUSTOMER A DAILY DEAL ATTRACTS
You will attract a few people who want something for nothing. One of the great advantages of these programs is that if customers are unsatisfied with your offer, they can easily return their voucher for a refund. This approach keeps you from getting negative online reviews. Most customers, however, understand what they are buying and are just looking for an incentive to spend money in your shop.
2. KNOW YOUR PRICING
Get a good idea of how much your average customer spends per order. Make sure that the total value of the deal you are making is well below that average. This tactic ensures that the 50-percent-off deal that the daily-deal site presents costs you only about 20 to 25 percent on average. Potential customers don’t see this approach as a trick.
They generally understand that framing is far more expensive than the amount that the deal offers. If they do not
understand this concept and feel that you are overcharging them, suggest that they return the voucher for a refund.
This approach will generally defuse a potentially tense situation and prevent any bad online reviews.
3. CAREFULLY WORD YOUR DEAL
Do not in any way imply that the amount offered will cover an entire framing order unless you are offering a package deal. Offers generally set certain limits, such as “$50 for $100 toward custom framing.” Also be sure to include important specifications, such as “limit: one voucher per frame,” “limit: three vouchers per customer,” and “voucher must be used in its entirety; there will be no refund or credit issued for unused amounts.”
4. GET AS MUCH INFORMATION FROM YOUR NEW CUSTOMER AS POSSIBLE
When customers redeem their vouchers, make sure to get their contact information, especially their email addresses.
Email is a preferred and effective method for these customers to receive future offers from you. Second, most of the
daily-deal sites do not make a repeat offer to the same customer from the same merchant, so it is up to you to bring
that customer back into the shop. Finally, email is the easiest and cheapest way to keep in contact with your customer base.
5. KNOW WHETHER DAILY DEALS ARE NOT FOR YOU
Daily deals may not be the type of marketing that will work with your business model. If your shop cuts margins close so that you can offer your customers the best possible price, you have no room for an advertising budget.
Therefore, this approach is not for you. However, when you use them properly,daily-deal sites can help bring new
customers into your shop. So, if you’re looking for a new marketing strategy, come up with a plan that makes sense for your business and give it a try.
With three Framing Palace locations in Maryland, Ed Gowda has specialized in custom framing for over 25 years. One of his passions is to share information and ideas within the industry. framingpalace.com | http://artbusinessnews.com/2015/08/5-tips-for-marketing-through-daily-deal-websites/ | en | 2015-08-05T00:00:00 | artbusinessnews.com/042e37fb7e755fb3b34203e9c62a8e147ca557a080e9288121820337f0cfa6c5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:46:37 | null | 2016-08-26T09:21:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fsports%2Fwest-frankfort-pins-hopes-15-seniors.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | West Frankfort pins hopes on 15 seniors | null | null | www.annanews.com | West Frankfort High School football coach Brian Beery is looking for his seniors to turn around a team that finished 0-9 last year.
“This is one of our strongest varsity football teams since I’ve been here,” Beery said. “We have 15 seniors this year. Hopefully, we don’t make the mistakes we made last year.”
The Redbirds are scheduled to open their season on the road against Anna-Jonesboro Friday, Aug. 26. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be aired on WIBH radio in Anna.
Quarterbacking the Redbirds this season will be the coach’s son, senior Brandon Beery, 6-1, 195 pounds. He started the final two games of last season.
The backfield will be led by seniors Logan Tomanovich, 5-10, 220 pounds, Mason Wyant, 5-8, 200 pounds and junior Ben Souders, 5-8, 165 pounds.
Top offensive linemen are seniors Trey Snyder, 6-0, 250 pounds; Zack Lindsey, 6-1, 220 pounds and Luke Morris, 6-5, 330 pounds.
Defensive standouts are safety Beery, senior linebackers Garrett Willmore, 6-0, 200 pounds, Jake Uptron, 5-11, 225 pounds and Tomanovich.
“I’d prefer to play them at home (A-J) on our first game,” Beery said. “We know they are going to be well prepared. He (head coach Brett Detering) is an excellent coach and he’ll have them prepared.”
“When their seniors (West Frankfort) were freshmen they had success,” Detering said of the West Frankfort program. “It should help them down the road.” | http://www.annanews.com/sports/west-frankfort-pins-hopes-15-seniors | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/43abe7c5a1c8956c658def2ad38d6543e149bc4e73d8f61a4403da25a1bcde0a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:52:41 | null | 2016-08-25T10:13:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fclare-bunyan-cobden-crowned-2016-union-county-fair-queen.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Clare Bunyan, Cobden, crowned as 2016 Union County Fair queen | null | null | www.annanews.com | The 2016 Union County Fair queen was crowned Sunday night in Anna.
The new queen is Clare Bunyan, 20, of Cobden. She is the daughter of Chris and Jill Bunyan.
First runner-up in the queen pageant was Brookelyn Cast, 18, of Cobden. She is the daughter of Melodie and Buddy Cast.
Second runner-up was Katelynn Cook, 20, of Jonesboro. She is the daughter of Stacy DeHarpart and Brian Cook.
Jericha Carter was named as Ms. Congeniality. She is the daughter of Tom Carter and Amanda Carter (Fox).
The pageant also featured the crowning of Little Miss Union County and Junior Miss Union County.
Avery Osman, 11, of Anna, was crowned as Little Miss Union County. She is the daughter of Eric and Janice Osman.
Addison Osman, 14, of Anna, was crowned as Junior Miss Union County. She is the daughter of Eric and Janice Osman. | http://www.annanews.com/news/clare-bunyan-cobden-crowned-2016-union-county-fair-queen | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/0ddc89a39c5853a92b01da183f1c382ac718f5885efcadf1030504874e2d56ab.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:47:03 | null | 2016-08-26T09:11:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fluechtefeld-named-parade-grand-marshal.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Luechtefeld named parade grand marshal | null | null | www.annanews.com | He has served as an educator, coach, mentor and state lawmaker.
Now, David Luechtefeld will add grand marshal of the Du Quoin State Fair twilight parade to his list of accomplishments.
Luechtefeld announced last year that he would retire from the Illinois Senate at the end of his term.
Luechtefeld has served in the state senate since 1995, representing the Southern Illinois counties of St. Clair, Monroe, Washington, Randolph, Union and Jackson.
He is a member of the Senate Education and Senate Agriculture Committee, and serves as Assistant Minority Leader of the Senate, a role he has held since 2003.
Prior to serving in the state legislature, Luechtefeld taught social studies and coached baseball and basketball at Okawville High School.
“Coach,” as he is commonly referred to as, is a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, the Illinois Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Players Hall of Fame.
“The Du Quoin State Fair is a tradition in Southern Illinois,” Luechtefeld said in a news release.
“I have been a strong supporter of the fair and will continue to be even after my days in the legislature.”
The Du Quoin State Fair is scheduled to run from Aug. 26 through Sept. 5. The twilight parade is set for 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26. | http://www.annanews.com/news/luechtefeld-named-parade-grand-marshal | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/1f322564c54d22dabd3256dee4779c0edaef5b3966f744e5c6f3ae24860abb8c.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:46:59 | null | 2016-08-30T15:18:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fatv-strikes-squad-car-hardin-county-crash.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | ATV strikes squad car in Hardin County crash | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Illinois State Police reported in a news release that 44 year-old David Thomas, of Elizabethtown, sustained injuries from a car crash in Rosiclare on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 3:11 p.m.
Thomas was driving an ATV southbound on Walnut Street towards 5th Street when Rosiclare police officer Greg Robinson indicated Thomas should stop. Thomas tried to evade the officer, turning right onto 5th Street and colliding with the officer's squad car. The ATV rolled and Thomas was thrown.
Thomas was taken to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Ind. Robinson was not injured.
Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor. The Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash. | http://www.annanews.com/news/atv-strikes-squad-car-hardin-county-crash | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/f23a6d83f479490db5e91eb905eeaa705a1c04f995c2bbd847b9fe133ece7d19.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:25 | null | 2016-08-25T10:23:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Funion-county-colorfest-pumpkin-town-coming.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Union County ColorFest, Pumpkin Town coming | null | null | www.annanews.com | Union County's annual ColorFest celebration is coming up in October.
Plans also are being made for the 2016 Pumpkin Town display on the grounds of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna.
Pumpkin Town
Pumpkin Town has been a popular part of ColorFest for a number of years.
The event features colorful and creative displays which feature the use of pumpkins.
This year's theme for the Pumpkin Town displays will be the Olympics.
Carol Hoffman of the Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau is coordinating planning for Pumpkin Town.
Hoffman noted in an Aug. 19 email which announced the Pumpkin Town theme that in order for "Pumpkin Town to continue, we need to have businesses/organizations/churches willing to commit to doing a display."
Those who participated in past years are being given the first choice of spots for this year's event. Hoffman said she would hold spots for last year's participants through Aug. 31.
For more information about how to be a part of Pumpkin Town, contact Hoffman by phone at 833-9928 or by email at carol@southernmostillinois.com.
ColorFest Information
The Union County Chamber of Commerce, as well as The Gazette-Democrat, are seeking information about ColorFest activities for 2016.
Information about ColorFest events can be shared with the chamber of commerce at ucchamber@outlook.
ColorFest information can be shared with The Gazette-Democrat by calling 833-2158 or emailing news@annanews.com. | http://www.annanews.com/news/union-county-colorfest-pumpkin-town-coming | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/78693c00dc402d8a2ee3dee5af347bec7c0b6d93be10a21618a21175a1062057.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:53 | null | 2016-08-24T10:18:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fcarrie-joy-vanamburg-tellor.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Carrie Joy VanAmburg Tellor | null | null | www.annanews.com | Carrie Joy Tellor, 88, of Anna, died at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale.
She was born on Dec. 4, 1927, in Jonesboro, the daughter of Michael and Ida Zwahlen VanAmburg.
She is survived by her children, Jim Dillon of Carterville, and Janet and Benjie Dunville of Jonesboro; six grandchildren, Cecilia (Chris) Keller, Angela Joy (Billy) Alsip, Keith Goins, Kelsey Goins, Jill (Beau) Bolin and Ryan (Brittney) Dillon; 12 great-grandchildren, Payton and Miles Alsip, Morgan, Evan, Bennett and Hayden Keller, Halli and Cade Bolin, Jeff, Myklyn, Maddox and Maxton Dillon; many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Michael VanAmburg and Ida (Zwahlen) VanAmburg; her husband, Henry Tellor; and her sister, Mary Ruth VanAmburg.
She was a member of Salem Lutheran Church in Jonesboro. She loved church activities, reading and watching her favorite soap operas. She also loved spending time with her family and her River to River friends.
Services were at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, at Salem Lutheran Church in Jonesboro, with Pastor Mark Hasty officiating. Interment was in Jonesboro Cemetery.
Memorials can be made to Salem Lutheran Church.
To leave online condolences for the family, visit www.rendlemanhilemanfh.com.
Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro was in charge of arrangements. | http://www.annanews.com/news/carrie-joy-vanamburg-tellor | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/bd4eb66b2426501faf994937f01451ec0d7e63ec7408943b3ee3fa1dc40c890e.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:47:01 | null | 2016-08-29T09:48:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Flegislator-attack-guards-result-tamms-closure.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Legislator: attack on guards result of Tamms closure | null | null | www.annanews.com | A recent attack on prison guards at Pontiac Correctional Center serves to highlight the shortsighted decision to close a prison in Southern Illinois, an area legislator says.
The Tamms Correctional Center, a “supermax” prison that housed Illinois’ most dangerous criminals, closed its doors in 2013.
State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, said that the Tamms Correctional Center was a casualty of then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget.
Forby said in a news release that he fought four years ago to keep the prison open and is urging the current governor to reconsider his predecessor’s decision.
“Tamms was built with the purpose of housing violent prisoners who have attacked Corrections officers and other prisoners,” said Forby, who represents the prison’s namesake town.
Forby said that the recent attack in Pontiac “could have been avoided if Tamms were still open.”
Tamms was built in the 1990s under then-Gov. Jim Edgar after officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections pleaded for help in getting the state prison system’s gang problem under control.
Inmates who attacked guards and other prisoners would have had to worry about getting sent to Tamms, which held inmates under solitary confinement for 22 to 24 hours a day, Forby said.
“Now that Tamms is closed, there is no deterrent for inmates who attack the men and women who are working hard to keep them and the general public safe,” Forby said.
He said that closing Tamms “only added to the dangerous overcrowding” at the Pontiac and Menard correctional centers, “and now we are seeing the results of that.”
Forby added that Gov. Bruce Rauner has followed in Quinn’s footsteps by keeping Tamms closed.
“There were six Corrections officers sent to the hospital from an attack that never should have happened,” Forby said.
“There is a modern, efficient prison in Southern Illinois sitting vacant because of Pat Quinn’s mistake. Governor Rauner has the chance to reverse that mistake.” | http://www.annanews.com/news/legislator-attack-guards-result-tamms-closure | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/f3d0a8fa9981ec613358c0091475bdda4353efb62476788a0f631d8848676847.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:49:45 | null | 2016-08-25T10:32:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fsports%2Fnew-shawnee-coach-prepares-opener.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | New Shawnee coach prepares for opener | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Shawnee High School baseball team was senior laden last season.
“Our seniors were really good last year,” Shawnee first-year coach T.C. Schaefer said. “But now it’s these kids turn. I think we’ll be competitive.”
Schaefer is a former Shawnee junior high school baseball coach.
“I’ve been fortunate to have been associated with several good coaches from around the area,” Schaefer said.
Schaefer said most of Shawnee’s players return with experience from playing summer baseball on traveling and Khoury league teams.
“We’re going to be a young team,” Schaefer said.
The lone senior on the squad is third baseman/outfielder Nate Baltzell.
Juniors in the mix are catcher Shannon Crane; outfielders Dalton Mayberry, Chapman Hill, Casey Baltzell; infielder/pitcher Dawson Johnson; and infielder/outfielder/pitcher Trace Faire.
Sophomore candidates are infielder Nick Rose and infielder/outfielder Michael DeRossett.
Freshmen hopefuls are infielders Ryan Schaefer and Coby McLane and outfielders Jesse Ellet and Nick McAlister.
Schaefer is looking for pitching depth to come from Crane, Schaefer, McLane, Casey Baltzell and Faire.
“What I do like about them is they do everything that I ask them,” Schaefer said. “I’m really excited about the season.”
Schaefer said the weather has not cooperated because of the continual rain and it’s been hard to get practice in on muddy field conditions.
The Redskins are scheduled to open their season at home against Century on Tuesday, Aug. 30. | http://www.annanews.com/sports/new-shawnee-coach-prepares-opener | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/1abb7f118441ee7c85e6468938e4a343087f7052f119487f4b90fd637cff0cf4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:45:32 | null | 2016-08-26T09:25:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fsports%2Fgolf-tourney-rescheduled.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Golf tourney rescheduled | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School Invitational golf tournament scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 20, at the Union County Country Club course in Anna was cancelled because of inclement weather.
The tournament has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, at the Anna course. | http://www.annanews.com/sports/golf-tourney-rescheduled | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/30e6e5f19d13ec1ef0e00e025d37d5758e96a69841e2119a2a4aac6113237a00.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:47:08 | null | 2016-08-30T09:30:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fmeasures-invest-young-hunters-conservation-work.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Measures invest in young hunters, conservation work | null | null | www.annanews.com | Legislation signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner is designed to make adjustments to the law to allow the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR, to more efficiently do its job of protecting Illinois’ lands and wildlife.
In addition, SB 2410 extends the youth licenses program to further invest in young people who are passionate about the outdoors.
“Investing in young hunters and fishers helps implant a great love for the outdoors that will continue through a lifetime,” Rauner said in a news release.
“As an avid hunter and fisherman, I believe in utilizing Illinois’ vast natural resources to enhance our quality of life while also protecting them for future generations to enjoy. Giving more opportunities to appreciate our resources to these young Illinoisans will ensure conservation of our lands for generations to come.”
SB 2410 extends the youth license program from just hunting and fishing to trapping.
Young hunters age 18 and under may apply for a youth trapping license.
The young people must still abide by all wildlife laws and codes, and must be accompanied by and under the close supervision of a parent, grandparent or guardian who is 21 years of age or older and has a valid Illinois trapping license.
Rauner said the bill will help maintain young hunters who throughout their lifetime will contribute to the conservation effort through purchases of licenses, stamps and other fees.
This model of conservation has been successful for more than 100 years, and young hunters and anglers are the key to its continued success, the governor added.
HB 5788 adds catfish to the list of aquatic life that may be taken by bowfishing.
This means catfish taken by anglers using bowfishing equipment can be kept and utilized by anglers.
Daily limits and other rules can be set by the department through administrative rule rather than by statute.
Putting these limits under the discretion of the department gives them more authority to access and conserve local populations, the governor said.
HB 4604 allows IDNR to permit hunters to take bobwhite quail, chukar partridge and gray partridge on public hunting grounds.
The department can set the hunting season for game birds by administrative rule between the dates of Sept. 1 and March 31.
SB 3003 allows the department to offer free landowner permits for both deer and turkey as long as the landowner has 40 acres or more. The proposal would combine the application for both deer and turkey.
The bill requires the department to hold a youth turkey season for two consecutive weekends, instead of the current one weekend.
The measure also reduces the amount of staff time spent verifying that free landowner permits are going to eligible landowners and by increasing the youth season to two weekends, the department reduces spring holiday weekend conflicts. | http://www.annanews.com/news/measures-invest-young-hunters-conservation-work | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/05db2e69af22863de0cf3e1d68fc7d46be4f06afbe886c40ab6e80f15d2f5c02.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:46:19 | null | 2016-08-26T09:23:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fsports%2Fj-volleyball-team-set-open-season.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | A-J volleyball team set to open season | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School volleyball season hasn’t begun, but it has already suffered a huge blow.
Senior power hitter Maddie Bigler, who the Lady Wildcats were counting on this season, broke a foot during the offseason and will be out.
“We’re trying to fill in the power hitter position,” A-J head volleyball coach Amy Fitzgerald-Wilson said. “The loss of Bigler is huge, but it is giving an opportunity for the underclassmen to step up. They are really battling on the court each day.”
The foursome of seniors returning from last year’s 20-13 season are outside Elle Basler, setters Brooke Miller and Ashley Oliver and middle Kenzie Boget.
“We have four seniors who work with their hearts on the floor,” Fitzgerald-Wilson said. “The juniors are battling for positions and the seniors are directing the traffic.”
Juniors in the mix are outside Jasmin Foster, defense Payton Alsip, setter Clair Boget, outside Lexi Smith and Jaccque Arreola and middle Heidi Mitchell.
Sophmores include setter Brayden Fitzgerald-Deener and middle Jade Marks.
“I don’t know how we will start out this season, but I do anticipate us finishing well,” Fitzgerald-Wilson said.
The Lady Wildcats moved up a class from 2A to 3A this season.
A-J is scheduled to open its season at the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference Tournament at Herrin Saturday.
The new assistant coach this season is former A-J and Shawnee volleyball player Rebecca Corbit. | http://www.annanews.com/sports/j-volleyball-team-set-open-season | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/41c3df7536424dfad8e5d363bfd583f1cef1c9a7326613cd06b7b9d6a138d796.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:09 | null | 2016-08-24T11:44:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fcobden-burglary-reported.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Cobden burglary reported | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Union County Sheriff's Office has reported that a residential burglary occurred Monday, Aug. 22 at approximately 7:30 a.m., in rural Cobden. An estimated $2000 cash was taken. A white male suspect was seen running from the residence.
The first suspect is described as a white male in his 20s with long dark hair. He was seen wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, a dark shirt with some type of writing on it and long pants. This is the suspect that fled from the residence.
The second suspect is described as a white male in his 20s with a shaved head.
The Sheriff's Office is also look for a tan or gray Chevrolet Avalanche.
If anyone has information on these suspects or the vehicle, they are encouraged to contact the Union County Sheriff's Office at 618-833-5500. | http://www.annanews.com/news/cobden-burglary-reported | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/901cd77a3261ba1e65942c43dd35d9046c1561195758d2c81a4d3d3ecc0497d2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:45:55 | null | 2016-08-26T09:16:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fprayer-walks-held-union-county-schools.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Prayer walks held at Union County schools | null | null | www.annanews.com | First Christian Church of Anna led a prayer walk through the halls of Anna-Jonesboro Community High School on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Prayers focused on student and teacher safety and the completion of various projects at A-JCHS.
The Union County Alliance of Churches sponsored the event, along with prayer walks at other Union County schools, in conjunction with the start of the 2016-2017 academic year. | http://www.annanews.com/news/prayer-walks-held-union-county-schools | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/f7ba01df1bd9ca5c249541c93bc28ef9d4d31fbaa6defecc1b2f06fc8b751a50.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:48:50 | null | 2016-08-25T10:28:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fsports%2Fwildcats-set-open-2016-football-season-friday.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Wildcats set to open 2016 football season this Friday | null | null | www.annanews.com | Anna-Jonesboro Community High School football coach Brett Detering enters his 20th season at the helm of the Wildcats.
“Sometimes I feel it and sometimes I don’t,” Detering said. “It’s different now since I started. There have been a lot of changes, both good and bad.”
The veteran Wildcat coach will attempt to turn around a 4-5 season from last year. A-J saw 15 straight postseason appearances come to an end last year.
“I’ve been pleased with the experience we have to draw on,” Detering said.
A-J is set to open the 2016 season this Friday night at home against West Frankfort.
The big drawback so far this season is getting on the practice field. Constant rain has had an impact on the team’s practices.
“We’re having issues with the weather and we haven’t been able to get out on the field much,” he said. “Most teams are going through the same thing. It’s just very, very muddy.”
Quarterbacking the Wildcats this season will be junior Bryce Osman, 6-2, 185 pounds. He was a starter in the defensive backfield last season. He will be backed up by junior Noah Smith, 6-0, 150 pounds, who will also be a wide receiver.
Other targets downfield Osman will be looking for are a pair of wide receivers in senior Jade Gillis, 6-1, 190 pounds, and junior Arieh Hart, 5-10, 155 pounds.
A-J’s top rusher from last season Alec Gold moved to Kentucky this past summer.
“He could have played and injured an ACL on the first game,” Detering said of the loss. “You’ve got to be able to go with what you’ve got.”
Senior Trenton Turner, 5-9, 210 pounds, and junior Jayce Turner, 5-11, 200 pounds, will split duties at fullback and handle inside linebacker duties as well as defense. They are not related. Detering is impressed with both players running out of the fullback slot.
Seniors Dylan Fox, 5-10, 155 pounds, and Caleb Clover, 5-10, 165 pounds, should be the top running back threats.
The offensive line will be anchored around four returning senior starters in center Aaron Lence, 6-2, 240 pounds, guard Kris Potter, 5-10, 260 pounds, and tackles Shad Turner, 5-11, 215 pounds, and Austin Dillow, 6-2, 210 pounds. Junior Jackson Boyd, 5-10, 180 pounds, will be a back up on the offensive line.
“Most of these guys will turn around and be on the other side of the ball (playing defense),” Detering said.
Another defensive line candidate is senior Nick Jimenez, 6-0, 280 pounds, and at defensive end positions should be a pair of seniors in Keaton Busby, 5-10, 185 pounds, and Nick Harvel, 5-10, 190 pounds.
The assistant coaches this season are Michael Eudy, Kyle Kueker, Jimmy Page, Dave Sullivan, Joel Dallas, Tom Stark and Chase Hargrave. | http://www.annanews.com/sports/wildcats-set-open-2016-football-season-friday | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/11c0e2669c9ee6277f525d63cdc2b016f75c209bfca656e6cec27c167dd45186.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:52 | null | 2016-08-25T10:17:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Feffort-underway-support-k-9-unit.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Effort underway to support K-9 unit | null | null | www.annanews.com | Ivy Roach knew that after her husband’s death, and after she learned that a family member was the victim of a violent crime, that words would never be enough to show her gratitude to the Union County Sheriff’s Office and all the other police departments in Union County.
Her husband, Shane Roach, passed away from cancer in 2013. He was a sheriff dispatcher for 911.
Roach said he was very ill and was placed in hospice, but local officers treated him like a brother.
During the investigation of the violent crime, they all stepped in and helped as much as they could.
“Those guys are wonderful,” Roach said. “So I wanted to give something back.”
Roach said it’s something she wanted to do for a long time, but she was held back by her own struggles, as she dealt with breast cancer.
Finally, Roach felt it was time to do something. She originally had the idea to sell decals that showed support for local law enforcement and to give the funds to the sheriff’s office.
She called Union County Sheriff Scott Harvel in June to seek his input.
Just two weeks before Roach called, Harvel had been informed that the sheriff’s office was not eligible for a grant they applied for to receive funding for a K-9 unit.
Now, a committee has been formed which has a current main goal to raise funds for a K-9 unit. The unit would be used by all police departments in Union County.
“I see a need for it. We would use it for drug detection and to track. We have a lot of people missing in the Shawnee National Forest,” Harvel said.
The sheriff’s office already knows where they would like to purchase a dog: from Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Ind. Harvel said they hand-pick their dogs from Europe.
They plan on receiving a green dog, which means the dog will not be trained. The dog will come with a guarantee of two years.
Union County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Eric Ralls would go through a 10-week training course in Springfield, which costs around $2,000. The dog, will cost around $8,000.
The department also has to buy equipment, including a vehicle cage, auto door popper, alarm system, temperature detector and more.
Overall, the committee initially would like to raise $15,000 to get the K-9 unit functioning. They would also like to meet this goal by February 2017.
Roach said she plans to have fundraisers after they reach their goal for maintenance.
“I now have the energy and time and I want to work diligently to continue raising funds,” Roach said.
Harvel said he believes he can work the dog food and vetting bills into his annual budget.
Every evening at the Union County Fair at the Anna City Park this week, the committee is setting up a booth at the sheriff office’s trailer that will be selling several items to show support for local law enforcement and help raise funds for a new K-9 unit.
They will be selling decals, yard signs, window signs, blue rubber bracelets and t-shirts.
For more information about the committee or to learn how to be a part of it, there will be a meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 6 p.m. in the community room at the Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro.
Currently there are about 10 members who make up the committee.
There is also a Facebook page called “We Support Our Law Enforcement of Union County, Il.”
There, they post updates on donations, photos of items for sale and information about future fundraising events and meetings.
Donations have already been coming in, even though the committee just recently started and it’s estimated they have raised about $4,000.
Harvel said he’s excited about the support.
“I love it. It’s very helpful. Ivy is a hard worker,” Harvel said.
“This is a Lord-driven project and it came at a good time for me,” Roach said.
To make a donation, mail it to the Union County Sheriff’s Office in Jonesboro and make it out to Union County Sheriff’s Office. In the memo, put K-9 fund.
To purchase items that support law enforcement or to learn more about the committee, call Roach at 697-4293. | http://www.annanews.com/news/effort-underway-support-k-9-unit | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/aa723cd3d9aff471fb37cba633003adc7230eb1ed10ace3ded6687fa62feca10.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:19 | null | 2016-08-25T10:20:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fanna-council-approves-bid-next-phase-improvement-project.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Anna Council approves bid for next phase in improvement project | null | null | www.annanews.com | The next phase in an Anna downtown improvement project is scheduled to begin soon.
A bid for the project was approved at a regular meeting of the Anna City Council. The meeting was held Tuesday evening, Aug. 16, at Anna City Hall.
The city received two bids for the project. An engineer’s estimate for the project cost of the project was $271,825.50.
E.T. Simonds Construction of Carbondale submitted a bid of $305,778.94 for the project.
Samron Midwest Construction of Murphysboro submitted a bid of $248,891.
The city council voted to the approve the bid from Samron Midwest Construction for the project, which will be paid for with state allocated motor fuel tax funds.
Improvements are planned in the South Main Street area, including Washington, Davie and Lafayette streets.
The work is slated to include sidewalk improvements, lighting and the creation of green spaces.
Two phases of improvement work have been completed in recent years.
Work is scheduled to begin in September and continue through mid-October. The project is expected to take about 40 working days to complete.
Street resurfacing work also is planned. Due to the change in seasons and the anticipated arrival of cooler weather, the resurfacing work, which involves asphalt, now is planned for 2017. | http://www.annanews.com/news/anna-council-approves-bid-next-phase-improvement-project | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/94aaa47d6cfef48027c270b97555a4d3f3ead068fccc78bf220e30a5b57aff54.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:46:31 | null | 2016-08-29T10:04:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fcollege%25E2%2580%2599s-school-supply-drive-success.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | College’s School Supply Drive a success | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Future Teachers Organization, FTO, at Shawnee Community College near Ullin conducted an annual school supply drive as a new academic year got underway.
As part of the drive, the FTO issued a Pack-A-Backpack Challenge to all full-time faculty and staff at the college.
A total of 43 backpacks filled with school supplies, as well as some miscellaneous supplies, were delivered.
Every elementary school in the five-county collegewide district received a portion of the donations.
The group collected what amounts to over $1,300 in donations.
“The annual School Supply Drive is a benefit to both the SCC students and the public school children. The future teachers learn to support local schools through community service, while the school-age children receive tools that allow them to be ready to learn,” Shawnee Community College educator instructor and program coordinator Ruth Smith said in a news release.
Community members are invited to help support the annual event.
Donations can be sent to club sponsor Ruth Smith at Shawnee Community College, 8364 Shawnee College Rd., Ullin, Ill. 62292.
Checks can be made payable to Shawnee Community College, and they will be credited to the organization’s account.
For more information, contact Smith at 618-634-3347 or ruths@shawneecc.edu.
Shawnee Community College photo. | http://www.annanews.com/news/college%E2%80%99s-school-supply-drive-success | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/574c37ba1c7df822a000ac0216967b43e1d452945c3eb1e5c65fe4ffd07c4877.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:47:08 | null | 2016-08-30T12:42:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Ftwo-dead-massac-county-crash.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Two dead in Massac County crash | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Illinois State Police reported in a news release that 26 year-old Justin Oliver, of Metropolis, and 33 year-old Brittany Miller, of Brookport, died in a car crash that occurred in Massac County on Monday, Aug. 29 at 6:15 p.m.
Miller was traveling southbound on Pell Road. Oliver was traveling westbound on Unity School Road. Miller proceeded past the stop sign into the path of Oliver who had no stop sign.
The crash resulted in the ejection of Miller, who was taken from the scene by emergency services to Baptist Health where she was declared deceased.
Two children were restrained in safety seats in Miller's car. They were taken to Baptist Health, suffering what was believed to be non-life threatening injuries.
Oliver required extrication from his vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Massac County Coroner.
Toxicology results are pending. The crash is still under investigation by the Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit. | http://www.annanews.com/news/two-dead-massac-county-crash | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/5019ac543316c0de306fec943900ebbfe99802d0f1a00e971eb1a93de90ea1c9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:27 | null | 2016-08-24T11:31:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fmissing-woman-reported-anna.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Missing woman reported in Anna | null | null | www.annanews.com | Anna police confirm they are looking for a woman reported missing.
The woman is described as standing 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing 134 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a back and white long-sleeved jacket, a black shirt and jeans.
If you have information about where she is, you can contact Anna police or the Union County Sheriff's Department. | http://www.annanews.com/news/missing-woman-reported-anna | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/edbc1883acdbd5f822e780fc473c2cc7614f631d7be2152c45fdcc58cdd7b10b.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:46:51 | null | 2016-08-29T10:18:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Funimin-plants-receive-recognition.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Unimin plants receive recognition | null | null | www.annanews.com | Unimin Specialty Minerals and its Tamms and Elco plants have been recognized for outstanding community involvement and support activities, as well as safety performance by the Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers, IAAP.
A Community Relations Award and Rock Solid Safety Awards were presented to company representatives on Aug. 8 during a safety celebration day and luncheon for company employees at the community center in Tamms.
“I understand we are fortunate to be located in these great communities for many years so we share our good fortune by giving back and supporting local organizations and ensuring each of our workers are given the support to work safely,” said Alan Joiner, the Tamms/Elco plant manager, in a news release.
“With the company’s support, our employees have done a fantastic job and these awards acknowledge their efforts.”
When he presented the awards, IAAP executive director Dan Eichholz said, “Unimin Specialty Minerals exemplifies the ideals necessary to empower its employees to be good citizens of the community by supporting and encouraging their outreach efforts and by incorporating community involvement and safety for miners into its company philosophy.”
Unimin employees participate in community events including the Bat Craft station at Critter Night in Jonesboro, where residents from surrounding communities have learned about bats and Unimin’s efforts to protect their habitat.
Unimin has donated rock to Alexander County public works projects.
Through monetary donations, the company supports the conservation and education efforts of Free Again working to rehabilitate injured wildlife and release them back into native habitat in Southern Illinois.
The Tamms and Elco plants sponsored Rebecca Daniels, a teacher at Egyptian Elementary School in Tamms, to attend the IAAP’s Rocks, Minerals, and Mining teacher workshop last year along with 32 other teachers from across Illinois to learn about Illinois geology, fossils and our mined natural resources.
Unimin also achieved two Rock Solid Safety Awards for setting high safety and health standards and employing recognized systems and methods to prevent injuries or illnesses in the conduct of your operations.
The IAAP’s safety committee devised a set of criteria they believe are the basis for a successful safety program. Based on these predefined criteria, a member company applying for the IAAP safety award is assigned points for documenting safety and health activities that meet the criteria.
A company’s point total determines the award level: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Rock Solid Excellence in Safety.
The Elco plant received a Gold Award, while the Tamms plant achieved the highest honor of Rock Solid Excellence in Safety for 2015. IAAP is the trade association serving the stone, sand, gravel and non-coal industrial mineral mining industry in Illinois. | http://www.annanews.com/news/unimin-plants-receive-recognition | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/a0d1eec643855f3669492865e78db3a4f51900dafccece0c9218cf8870d57731.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:46:56 | null | 2016-08-30T09:24:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2F2017-solar-eclipse-focus-workshops.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | 2017 solar eclipse focus of workshops | null | null | www.annanews.com | A 2017 event billed as The Great American Eclipse will be the focus of two upcoming informational planning workshops which are scheduled in Southern Illinois.
The Great American Eclipse will occur on Aug. 21, 2017. The Southernmost Illinois area is predicted to have the longest duration of totality, meaning the longest viewing time, for the total solar eclipse which will happen on that date.
The first workshop is planned from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 22 in room G210 at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg.
The second workshop is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 29 in the River Room at Shawnee Community College near Ullin.
Four sessions are planned at each workshop.
Session topics are scheduled to include:
•A general overview of the eclipse itself, education, business and tourism perspectives.
•Public safety, emergency, traffic and liability.
•Business opportunities, the need for additional operating hours, ideas for new business or expansion of existing businesses, liability insurance.
•An overview of tourism related websites including regional grant, various tourism planning committees, lodging, attractions, events, marketing and packaging.
The public is invited to come and go to both events.
Organizers encourage attendance for any and all of the sessions.
For more information about the workshops, contact Candy Eastwood at Shawnee Community College’s Center for Community and Economic Development at 618-634-3231 or candye@shawneecc.edu. | http://www.annanews.com/news/2017-solar-eclipse-focus-workshops | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/ee5b86a7714b79a87e1bef4e8965175e7439516ebe6fb1d2bb6f68e7f81b8702.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:46:47 | null | 2016-08-26T09:19:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fanna-police-department-responds-more-250-calls-during-july.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Anna Police Department responds to more than 250 calls during July | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Anna Police Department responded to more than 250 calls during July.
The statistic was shared in Anna Police Chief Mike Hunter’s monthly report for July.
Here’s a look at the July statistics:
Activities
Number of calls requiring response, 256. Number of walk in requests, 95.
Number of traffic stops, 70. Number of crashes handled, 13.
Number of vehicles impounded, 10. Number of motorists assisted, 18.
Number of criminal arrests, 23. Number of traffic citations, 42. Number of written warnings, 42. Number of code violations cited, 13.
Number of miles patrolled, 3,294. Hours worked, 750.
Investigative Case Report
Total cases approved, 42. Submitted for prosecution, 22. Pending investigations, 2. Cases closed, 18.
Assistant Chief of Police/Investigator’s Report
Assistant chief of police and investigator Bryan Watkins reported that he investigated seven criminal complaints during July. Of those, five incidents were submitted to the state’s attorney’s office for prosecution.
Eight interviews were conducted; multiple telephone calls with suspects and witnesses were made.
Two search warrants were granted and executed on a fraud case and a criminal damage to property case; charges were filed in connection with both incidents.
The evidence vault was organized and evidence was submitted into the vault. Work included maintaining proper evidence submission for criminal cases.
Watkins was called to testify in front of the Union County grand jury. He was asked to give testimony in four different cases. His testimony was used to obtain indictments on four suspects.
Two persons were arrested on criminal sexual assault charges as the result of investigations conducted by the Anna Police Department.
Watkins attended mandatory firearms requalification training. | http://www.annanews.com/news/anna-police-department-responds-more-250-calls-during-july | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/c23e624d3b4f9b185bef18833d7391229a3a077124544214dadcd5541301acc7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:49:16 | null | 2016-08-25T10:30:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fsports%2Funderclassmen-key-cobden-baseball-new-season-begins.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Underclassmen key for Cobden baseball as new season begins | null | null | www.annanews.com | The Cobden High School baseball team will rely on a strong contingent of underclassmen for success during the 2016 season.
“We’re really young,” first-year Cobden baseball coach Jared Clutts said. “But we’re very versatile and we have a lot of kids that can play a lot of different positions.”
The team will also bring experience to the field with its underclassmen who competed this past summer on Cobden’s Junior American Legion baseball team.
A trio of seniors return from last season, including center fielder Austin Lewey; infielder/catcher Dylan Duty and infielder/pitcher Trevor Middleton.
The lone junior is infielder/outfielder/pitcher John Russell.
Sophomores are catcher Bryce Reynolds; infielder Zane Nance, first baseman Brayden Clark; infielder/outfielder/pitcher Bayden Ditterline; outfielder/pitchers Cody Weiseman and Chandler West.
Freshmen hopefuls are outfielder Joe Brumleve; outfielder/infielder/pitchers Alex Remsey, Josh Burgess and Landon Britt; outfielder/pitcher Clayton Flamm; outfielder Dylan Lewey; first baseman/pitcher Carl Evans; second baseman/outfielder Ryan Barr; and outfielders Ariel Patino and Alex Kinsey.
Clutts said the squad will sport a lot of pitching depth behind Middleton, Russell, Ditterline, Weiseman, West, Remsey, Flamm, Britt, Evans and Burgess.
“They’re a good hard working bunch and they are eager to get going,” Clutts said.
Cobden is scheduled to open its fall season at Egyptian on Friday, Sept. 2. | http://www.annanews.com/sports/underclassmen-key-cobden-baseball-new-season-begins | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/931f76947b57777ebf7316e9ac2bd801832457f52e6b72b2e3d9c7a2821881aa.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:46:57 | null | 2016-08-30T09:41:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annanews.com%2Fnews%2Fcairo-schools-elect-beta-officers.json | http://www.annanews.com/sites/default/files/fav.jpg | en | null | Cairo schools elect Beta officers | null | null | www.annanews.com | Cairo Junior High and Cairo High School have recently elected new officers for the 2016-2017 school year. The new officers have plans for fundraisers and service projects to help the Cairo community again this year.
The officers are making plans for the 2017 Illinois Beta convention. The Junior High convention is scheduled for Feb. 27-28 in Springfield. The High School club will go to Springfield March 1-2. | http://www.annanews.com/news/cairo-schools-elect-beta-officers | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.annanews.com/743d126df43b61a62dc9b299019715e21da533460ba11bf2f898b15e0cd3bc6c.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel"
] | 2016-08-30T12:49:24 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Delivery of today's print edition of The Herald Gazette has been delayed by press problems.
Subscriber copies will be | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9510-Newspaper-delivery-delayed.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Newspaper delivery delayed | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9510-Newspaper-delivery-delayed.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/b01fdf3d001ba3584c3ef0969d29984ed381bf490671480f64b8196fa4390932.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name"
] | 2016-08-26T12:58:28 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Mr. Roland Harris Swanson, age 75, of Barnesville Ga. went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at his | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9500-Roland-Harris-Swanson.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Roland Harris Swanson | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9500-Roland-Harris-Swanson.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/9f662f0263e0ff7659f4f66fd6baf92413b4c2e113dabe0081ed0dba99b7d84e.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name"
] | 2016-08-26T12:54:18 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | Good news:
No surprises coming on 2016 property tax bills.
Louisiana flooding:
Lamar natives hit by high waters; lo | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9494-A-preview-of-the-8.23.16-edition-of-The-Herald-Gazette.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | A preview of the 8.23.16 edition of The Herald Gazette | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9494-A-preview-of-the-8.23.16-edition-of-The-Herald-Gazette.html | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/c73364831063f07cdb16f815503ab918beebef33128380cc1b7487e41e54ff69.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name",
"Updated",
"Days Ago"
] | 2016-08-26T12:53:50 | null | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | The Lamar County Trojans play host to the Monticello Hurricanes tonight at Trojan Field in their final tuneup scrimmage | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9488-Trojans-host-Canes-in-final-scrimmage-tonight.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Trojans host 'Canes in final scrimmage tonight | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9488-Trojans-host-Canes-in-final-scrimmage-tonight.html | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/e74cf91b3f33bb2dc6da17028aa9f8de7b2adbcc7282fccda31a6798e0398988.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name"
] | 2016-08-26T14:48:27 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Lamar County Trojans open the 2016 football season and the Bryan Love era tonight when they travel to Macon to take | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9504-Trojans-open-season-at-NE-Macon-tonight.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Trojans open season at NE Macon tonight | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9504-Trojans-open-season-at-NE-Macon-tonight.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/2dc6d1d471c52fc4c05ca4353c8b84d551c12e6169d1117f000e82868bd043f0.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel"
] | 2016-08-30T14:49:21 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9511-Public-Notices-08-30-16.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Public Notices 08-30-16 | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9511-Public-Notices-08-30-16.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/ad75c46235badb4a62e23c209ba12131306bfc2dda30ac5b558eb405f7306f76.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name"
] | 2016-08-26T12:59:15 | null | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | Ms. Barbara “Bobbie” Scarborough Hammond, 59, passed away on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. A memorial service will be h | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9487-Barbara-Bobbie-Scarborough-Hammond.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Barbara “Bobbie” Scarborough Hammond | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9487-Barbara-Bobbie-Scarborough-Hammond.html | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/c1b3a98c86af2b823414e35ac5ff6f62fb4059820c5f165dd7476547cd631dc2.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel"
] | 2016-08-30T10:49:18 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Between Friday, August 19 and Thursday, August 25 the following were processed through the Lamar County jail: | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9507-Sheriffs-report.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Sheriff's report | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9507-Sheriffs-report.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/d1b38c1a2d03fb8f43ea41061bd7412387f38070e918a2c2742844f0ac21ce64.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name"
] | 2016-08-26T12:53:22 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | A Barnesville man originally arrested over two years ago in connection with a string of equipment thefts was sentenced t | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9501-Williams-sentenced-in-thefts.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Williams sentenced in thefts | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9501-Williams-sentenced-in-thefts.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/3448faca7083584b0063673732cde4f13cfc16baf142244f7ccee3c037506537.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"Updated",
"Minutes Ago"
] | 2016-08-27T00:48:07 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Lamar County Trojans open the 2016 football season and the Bryan Love era tonight when they travel to Macon to take | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9504-Raiders-fighting-back.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Raiders fighting back | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9504-Raiders-fighting-back.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/e1f43bdc9fcd9f3146504f89858964c38aacaf85a627567c1f8114f325fa0b05.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"Updated",
"Minutes Ago"
] | 2016-08-27T02:48:07 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Lamar County Trojans opened the 2016 football season and the Bryan Love era Friday night with a 14-13 win over the N | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9504-Trojans-stage-narrow-escape-14-13.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Trojans stage narrow escape 14-13 | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9504-Trojans-stage-narrow-escape-14-13.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/a806f8e4d0c5c59488b3760fb6bc4157b648b49c58669c443d8ba44f5712a79a.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name"
] | 2016-08-26T12:51:48 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | Mr. Billy R. Morgan, age 81 of Milner, passed away on Friday, August 19, 2016 at Wellstar –Spalding Hospital. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9493-Billy-R.-Morgan.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | Billy R. Morgan | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9493-Billy-R.-Morgan.html | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/1e8f42adc01055de52c9d5353cd365ff72a10d3bed326bf1328412dab8d48c5c.json |
[
"No Thanks",
"Nora Daniel",
"No Name"
] | 2016-08-26T12:57:09 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | Forsyth . . . James “Jimmy” Bates passed away Saturday, August 20, 2016. A Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 p. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesville.com%2Farchives%2F9492-James-Jimmy-Bates.html.json | http://www.barnesville.com/favicon.ico | en | null | James “Jimmy” Bates | null | null | www.barnesville.com | null | http://www.barnesville.com/archives/9492-James-Jimmy-Bates.html | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.barnesville.com/fe1242b5f02bcb72fc3981e0037417a1e8c266603ba146326439455c15ba3823.json |
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