CARFAC National Conference … I’m on the Road Again

Feeling a bit like I’m juggling, but also really happy with the way the summer is shaping up!

Final work and preparations for the exhibition of YORK are going really well; Marian picked up a big print order the other day, and we were both tremendously pleased with how everything looks! Also just about finished the last details on some casting I’ve been doing for the exhibition, and I picked up some shelves and brackets we had fabricated this morning – and they look great!

Thanks to Elite Lithographers and Allwest Plastics for coming through!

… I am hoping to create a bit more breathing space in my world to do some writing over on the York Project Blog soon … have a good many thoughts burbling about, waiting to see the light of day.  But for now …

I’m on the road again!

I am heading to the CARFAC National Conference early tomorrow morning – and really looking forward to it. It will be excellent to speak with my colleagues from other regions, and to be able to catch up on what’s going on right across the country.  I am also really pleased to be part of a fairly large contingent of artists coming from Alberta this year – there are some fabulous artists here, who are deeply dedicated to improving the position of artists here and elsewhere in Canada. It feels great to be a part of the renewal and growth of CARFAC’s presence in Alberta, and to work with these people. It’s a gift, and an honour.

For people who don’t know: Visual Arts Alberta is the home of CARFAC in Alberta, having just recently become a full affiliate of the national organization.

This means that we now have the benefit of being part of a national advocacy network that can provide Alberta artists with resources and tools to help them further their professional lives in all kinds of ways.

I am really excited by the prospect of learning with and from the other conference participants … and spending a weekend close to the ocean is ok too.

In the mean time – check out some recent developments in the economic world of artists that CARFAC is working on … bringing the Artist’s Resale Right to Canada, tax exemptions for artists, best practices for contracts and other professional relationships, and ongoing negotiations with the National Gallery regarding standards for minimum payments for artists.  These are issues  worth looking into and understanding for visual artists, and to me, it’s absolutely worth being part of CARFAC to support their efforts on behalf of all visual artist in the country.