A N.A.R.C. is coming to Northfield!
August 7, 2007
Ok, so, considering recent local news, perhaps N.A.R.C. is not the best name for a new Arts Guild program… Still, I’m hoping the title of this blog-entry may catch the attention of a few people who might not otherwise check on what’s going on at the Guild.
FYI: The N.A.R.C. = the N(orthfield Arts Guid’s) A(rtist) R(esource) C(enter)
In keeping with the Northfield Arts Guild’s dedication to providing artists with useful services that can help them grow their careers and make additional space in their lives for art-making, we at the Guild are working to create a vibrant and useful Resource Center for the use of our artist-members.
The basic idea of the Center is simple. By pooling our collective resources as artists and arts supporters, and by accepting donations from various artists and community members, we can collectively put together a significant and useful resource that benefits all. We are therefore seeking donations of all sorts of materials–books, magazines, catalogs, guides, etc–as well as suggestions about materials you, as an artist, might deem useful.
Since part of my background has been tied to researching the needs of artists around the country–especially as they age–the N.A.R.C. is an initiative I envisioned when I first started working at the Guild. Now, thanks to several recent key donations it looks like the Center will be a reality very soon.
Here’s what we have so far:
Back issues of Art Papers from 2002 to present (donated by the magazine’s publisher)
An ongoing subscription to Art Papers (donated by Michael Fallon)
Back issues of Art in America from 2003 to present (donated by the magazine’s publisher)
An ongoing subscription to Art in America (donated by Michael Fallon)
A copy of The Business of Being an Artist (donated by Jill Ewald)
Sundry books on nonprofit management, arts development, etc (collected over time by the Guild)
You’ll note that, thus far, we have mainly received donations for the visual arts. This is not by design–so far the visual arts are the only area that have responded to our requests. (We’d certainly welcome it if folks from other artistic areas stepped up and donated too!)
Here are some items we’re currently seeking with estimated costs (in case you dig this idea and want to become a, um, “special agent” of the N.A.R.C.) :
- Art News ($40/year)
- American Craft ($50/year)
- Dance ($35/year)
- Symphony ($25/year)
- Poets and Writers ($20/year)
- Playbill ($35/year)
- Fiberarts ($25/year)
- Ceramics Monthly ($30/year)
- Guide to Minnesota Grantmakers, 2007 edition ($70)
- Idiot’s Guide to Grantwriting ($17)
- Books on How to Write Grants (any amount)
- The Fine Artist’s Career Guide ($1
- Books on how to photograph your art (any amount)
- Books on regional art history (any amount)
- Back Stage Guide to Regional Theater ($16)
- Art Festival Guide ($25)
- Amazon gift certificate (any amount)
- Books on theater techniques(any amount)
- How-to-Audition books (any amount)
- Misc. stage scripts (any amount)
- Books on acting tips (any amount)
- Makeup and theater design books (any amount)
- Books on the business of being an artists–taxes, accounting, law, etc (any amount)
Thank you for considering donating to the N.A.R.C.!
If you have any suggestions about how to make this Resource Center as successful as possible, or if you’d like to suggest any additional materials for us to obtain, please let us know. (michael(at)northfieldartsguild(dot)org)
August 8, 2007 at 1:07 am
Nancy Halling, widow of Charles Halling, the legendary Northfield potter, is donating back issues of Ceramics Monthly and Studio Potter. I plan to go to Charles’ stdio this week to pick them up. Two questions:
1. Where should they ngo?
2. Will somebody be cataloguing the collection so user know what’s available?
Jim Haas
August 8, 2007 at 1:39 pm
That’s great news, Jim. Thank you Nancy!
Right now the nascent Resource Center resides in my office–so you can bring the magazines to me at the Guild.
I have magazine shelving boxes and will be labeling our collection very soon.
In answer to your second question, we will put in place at some point some sort of catalogue. I spoke briefly with Lynne Young at the NF Library about this, and she’s going to get back to me–at the very least I’ll keep a spreadsheet list that people can refer to.
August 8, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Michael:
OK. And I apologize for the typographical errors in my comment above. I am not good at copyediting my own stuff.
August 10, 2007 at 12:54 am
This is a fine idea, Michael. Might we include a list of great art websites, as well? It would save some time at the very least, especially if there were a few guidelines
to keep the quality of offerings to a high standard.
Thanks!
Bright
August 10, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Thanks for your suggestion, Bright.
I’ve thought about web resources, and do plan in time to create a list of comprehensive resources–printed, online, organizations, and so on–that artists can use and refer to. My next blog entry will list one such key resource for visual artists. Perhaps other artists in other forms can use this blog as a forum for sharing information about resources. Artists from all genres should send resources you find useful to me at: michael(at)northfieldartsguild(dot)org.
I’d like eventually to post the list(s) of resources, websites, and the like on the Guild’s website, and maybe even have a computer terminal dedicated at the Guild to artists for their research. All of this, however, depends on donation–as it costs money that the Guild doesn’t have at the moment. This is all about artists pooling their respective resources…
August 26, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Before we seek monetary donations for this resource center, the libraries at Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges plus the Northfield Library should be checked because they carry many of these publications. They can be read at the library or checked out by townspeople in Northfield. The three libraries are very accessible to Northfild citizens. Let’s not duplicate services.
Donation money is desperately needed for visual art equipment and studio spaces for classes.
January 10, 2008 at 4:58 pm
[...] The main initiative that I have started here at the Guild to address artists’ needs is the Artists Resource Center. In coming days, I’ll be writing about some of the recent developments with the A.R.C. and [...]