Art Containing Social Issues

How Artists Communicate their Social Messages 
through Partnership and Publicity

By Renée Phillips, The Artrepreneur Coach

I wrote this article for Professional Artist magazine. A similar version will appear in the December 2011 issue. You can read the complete unabridged version of this article at http://www.manhattanarts.com

Amy Guidry: "In Our Veins"

Amy Guidry, The Wild West, acrylic on canvas, 30" x 24".

Many artists are extremely successful at expressing their beliefs about social issues through their art. You may recall my article in the April 2011 issue of Professional Artist magazine “When Creative Impulse Meets Social Consciousness.” However, many artists fall behind when it comes to getting the well-deserved attention for their art however socially valuable it may be.

As you will observe in this article, among the most successful artists are those who know how to communicate their messages through public relations efforts as well as partnerships with other individuals and organizations.

Amy Guidry www.amyguidry.com is an artist from Louisiana, who works in series, all of which deal with a range of social issues. She states, “I rely on my work to bring up issues, get people talking, questioning, and (hopefully) taking action. Currently my series ‘In Our Veins’ deals with environmental concerns through an almost apocalyptic narrative. This series explores the connections between all life forms and the cycle of life.”

First of all, Amy’s website is among the best artists’ sites I have seen, which is an integral component to communicating the significance of your art. It is clear she has concentrated on building an online presence. She also credits her exhibitions that have lead to getting her message out.

About Amy Guidry's work Deborah Norsworthy, Curator of the Heymann Historic Ceiling Tile Art Exhibit for the Children's Museum of Acadiana stated: "I felt, when I walked into that room that I was back at the Hirshhorn in Washington, D.C., or at the Museum of Modern Art. Her technical rendering, of course, is superb. But it's her vision, her conceptualization, that catapults her above the rest."

Read this article at http://www.manhattanarts.com/readingroom/ezine/CareerBusiness/Renee_Social-Issues.htm

The Healing Power of Camaraderie

An Artist Needs Strong Allies
By Renee Phillips, The Artrepreneur Coach

Camaraderie: Mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.

We know that Mary Cassatt spent most of her life in France and allied herself with the Impressionists Manet and Degas early in her career. Jean Arp could not have prospered without his connection with the Blaue Reiter in Munich and various avant-garde groups in Paris, including the surrealists, and the Dadaists in Zürich.

Where would a military group be without a sense of camaraderie? I can assure you the death toll would be much higher. Can you imagine a house being built without the camaraderie among the builders and carpenters? Have you ever wondered why congress fails to get more accomplished? Their sense of camaraderie may be lacking or clouded by an ambitious “me” attitude.

Becoming a successful, prosperous and fulfilled creative individual is a rewarding journey when you have either another person or a group in which each one helps the others. Whether your collaboration with others is one other person or in a group the benefits are tremendous.

Read this article "The Power of People: Hunt, Farm and Feed Your Relationships" http://www.manhattanarts.com/readingroom/ezine/CareerBusiness/Renee_Relationships.htm