From the organizers:

Have you heard about the upcoming Empty Bowls event at Lillstreet?  It’s an amazing fundraising event to fight hunger.  Last year over $18,000 was raised.  You too can be involved.  Lillstreet is looking for donations of handmade bowls to serve soup on the day of the event.  Crafters making other items are welcome to donate to the silent auction.

I went last year and have to say it was one of the best fundraising events I’ve ever attended.   I paid $25, chose one of the donated bowls, and then selected which bowl of soup to be served.  Did I mention that I got to keep the bowl? There was music too and then, of course, there was the delight in hanging out and meeting new folks.

You  can bet that I’ll be donating an item for the silent auction… and returning for another bowl of soup.

EMPTY BOWLS
Friday, March 25, 2011, 5-9pm

Learn more here.

According to blogger and creative business woman Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl “Spacious goals are the kind that push you to act.”  She has a made a FREE workbook to help all of us in need of setting big but realistic goals that we can actually follow through with.  I skimmed through it yesterday and plan on sitting down later today to re-read it and set some great big manageable goals for Moira K. Lime Jewelry!  Get your free copy here.

So this is a different one, but certainly sounds fun…. food inspired art entries!  Here is the info from the sponsor:

In March, 2010, the Harrison Center for the Arts hosted the first Food Con, an unconventional convention that brought together representatives from local farmer’s markets, urban gardens, neighborhood supper clubs and more to celebrate the local food movement. The excitement this event generated (2000 attendees!) has prompted us to create Food Con II.

The Harrison Center for the Arts is seeking submissions for Food Con II, to take place September 2, 2011 from 5 to 9pm. We are seeking art to correspond with a foodscape theme where different environmental systems or biomes would be artistically reinterpreted within the context of food. We are seeking submissions relating to the following 5 foodscapes which will be represented in different areas within the Harrison Center for the event:

The Forest – a food forest represents the abundance and diversity of food as represented by our restaurant and farming vendors.

The Prairie – Prairies are known for keeping an amazing amount of their ecological function hidden from view, namely underground. The hidden elements of the food system (good, bad or indifferent) could be explored here.

The Wetland – Wetlands are often called the kidneys of nature because of their cleaning functions. They are highly functioning, underappreciated, and increasingly threatened.

The Tundra – Tundra is an extreme environment where only a few species which are highly adapted can survive. This creates species that are often unique, unusual, and specialized.

The Desert – Deserts are often considered barren landscapes and “food deserts” are commonly known to be areas where people don’t have access to healthy food.

We are considering pieces for a group show and/or concepts for solo shows.

-We are accepting all media.
-If you are submitting video, you will need to supply your own video equipment.
-Pieces that are not easily hung should be installed by the artist.
-Artwork must be presented in a professional manner and delivered ready to hang. If an accepted entry is delivered in a format that is not ready to hang, it may not be exhibited.
-Harrison Center retains the right to decline artwork based on appropriateness for family audiences and will have final approval of the content of work hung.
-Submissions are due by 5pm on Friday, March 25th.
-Artists who are selected to participate in the show will be notified by April 8th.
-Harrison Center takes a 30% commission on sales.

For More Information Contact: pam@harrisoncenter.org (put “FoodCon II” in the subject line)

Check out these great informational videos from the Rosen Group http://vimeo.com/rosengrp/videos/sort:date

Now that there’s a new mayor in town, let’s make sure he knows how important a strong arts community is to all of us. The Arts Alliance Illinois is encouraging everyone to send the new mayor a short note asking him to keep a strong arts policy agenda and encourage the hiring of arts leaders on his transition team.

You can send a pre-scripted note or write your own at the Arts Alliance website, and choose to send it email or snail mail. Either way, let’s reinforce the idea that Chicago has a vital, vibrant arts community that needs his support.

From the organizers:

Craft-O-Matic is a department store style, indie craft event featuring over sixty local artists, fun and funky live entertainment, and crafty make and takes from MADE Collective!  This St. Louis Craft Mafia production will happen on Saturday June 4, from 11am to 11pm at the Regional Arts Center in the Loop.

APPLY for free online starting March 1.

Check out our website for details -

www.craftomaticstl.com and http://www.facebook.com/craftomaticstl

“Craft-O-Matic is guaranteed to reduce stress, increase happiness, and fulfill all your handmade desires!”

If you’ve done your share of craft shows you know that accepting credit cards is a must.  People forget to bring enough cash for all your awesomeness and its so much more convenient to take a credit card then send them looking for an ATM.  There are several companies out there catering to mobile transactions like these but many are very expensive and some you don’t actually find out if you have the money until you get home and can officially process the transaction online.

That’s why I’m in love with Square.  Its this handy little, well, square that plugs into the headphone jack on your smartphone.  You download the app and sign up for the service all on your phone.  Then you just swipe the card!  The customer even can use their finger or stylus to sign for the transaction on the screen of your phone, can enter an email address to get a receipt sent to them.  And if you use an iPad rather than a phone you can create a database of your stock and actually add create an itemized receipt.  Best part is that within second you get an confirmation that the transaction went through!  No guesswork, no stress, no finding out later you didn’t get crucial information.  And if there ever is a charge-back you have their signature captured electronically and that can go a long way.

But the reason I’m writing about Square today of all days, they just announced that they are lowering their transaction rates!  No more swipe fees!  Now its just 2.75% per transaction and really you can’t beat that when you consider there are no monthly or annual fees.  And the little gadget for swiping the cards is FREE (I will say, it takes seemingly forever to get your free square gadget, so sign up well in advance of your first show to make sure you get it in time.)  You only pay to use it, which in my opinion is perfect for crafters who might only do one show a month.  Or hey, even if you only do one a year you have nothing to lose!

The folks at Chicago Artists Resource / Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Special Events are looking for volunteers to help out for the 8th Annual Creative Chicago Expo on Saturday March 12, 2011 at the Chicago Cultural Center.  The Expo will run from 10 am – 5 pm.

The Creative Chicago Expo is a free, day-long event that connects Chicago’s arts community – individual artists, businesses and organizations working in dance, music, film, fashion, theater, visual arts, literary arts and design – with services, spaces, information and networks. Between 4-5,000 members of Chicago’s arts community connect with 100+ vendors – including arts services, community organizations, arts educators, space and housing providers, health care and financial consultants.

Volunteers are needed to help with set-up, with check-in and registration, act as greeters, wayfinders and assist with workshops.   Shifts run between 8am and 6pm, and range from 2 hours, 4 hours, or a full day.

A Mandatory Volunteer Training will take place on Thursday, March 3, 2011 from 4-6p.m.

If you are interested, please contact Katie Law about available slots at 312.742.1284 or klaw@cityofchicago.org.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Maureen Burns at maureen.burns@cityofchicago.org or at 312.742.1761.

With the snow having melted, I’m beginning to think spring, in particular spring cleaning.  Yesterday I walked into my supply storage area to get some buttons and a bag of yarn fell on my head.  I took it as a clear sign that it’s time to sort, purge, organize and clean my studio.

Wendy Smedley wrote some great tips for getting started and staying motivated.  Here are a few extra of my own:

1)  As you purge, put your items in a box, tape it and once full, immediately remove the box from your studio.  This will keep you from having second thoughts and returning all the contents back to your shelves.  I take my boxes to my garage.  If you don’t have a garage, store them by your front door so they are super ugly and annoying.  This will motivate you further in removing them permanently.

2) Don’t throw away what you’ve purged!  I like to have garage sales, so as I purge I price the items as they go into the box.  When it’s time to have the garage sale, everything is ready to go.  Too much bother?  Think of local schools and art centers.  These places are always in need of supplies.

3) Last but not least, crank the tunes and bring out the chocolate.  Spring cleaning need not be a dreaded chore.

The above image is from Ali Edward’s website.