Save the Date | #ArtistHotline Returns to Twitter on October 18

Get the recap for September’s #ArtistHotline. Then, mark your calendar for the next #ArtistHotline, coming to the Twittersphere on October 18 at a new time: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST!

Have arts career questions that you need answered, or tips for other artists who may be in need of some good advice for bringing their career to the next level? Join us for #ArtistHotline, NYFA’s monthly Artist Professional Development Day on Twitter, on Wednesday, October 18 for a new time this month: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST. 

#ArtistHotline takes place on the third Wednesday of the month, and is a way for artists and arts professionals to create more fulfilling and sustainable arts careers. To participate, you’ll need a Twitter account and to use the hashtag #ArtistHotline in each tweet throughout the day. Read more about joining the conversation in our Participate in #ArtistHotline blog post.

September Topics

During September’s #ArtistHotline, we covered several subjects, including:

• Grants for emerging visual artists;
• Options for finding affordable studio space;
• International collaborations;
• Alternative ways of building a sustainable art business;
• Artist opportunities and art-centric events

Key Takeaways from the “Archiving and Protecting Your Work” Guest Chat

Each #ArtistHotline, we focus on one special topic during a two-hour window. In September, we heard from Guest Tweeters Ashley Blewer, audiovisual archivist; Dr. Eric Colleary, Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center, and Margaret Holben Ellis, President of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), about archiving and protecting works of art. Here are some of the key takeaways from this Guest Chat:

• Get time on your side, especially for time-based work, and for digital work that could become inaccessible as technology changes and becomes obsolete;
• Aim to preserve the process, as well as the work;
• Don’t try to create an archive all at once: take the process step-by-step, starting by noting what you have, and think like an archivist as you create, documenting as you go along;
• Keep a variety of audiences in mind as you create your archive: aim for objectivity by including information about materials and methods;
• Find your own archive style by creating a “mission statement” that addresses why documentation is important for your practice;
• Diversify your storage strategies: create multiple copies in multiple locations, and back up your content often via multiple hard drives and cloud-based storage;
• Prevent and prepare: have a plan in place in case of an emergency;
• Consider working with a conservator for advice on storage and treatment of damaged materials;
• Use social media to connect with resources for recovery after a disaster

Read the full day’s conversation in our Wakelet recap, and don’t forget to join us for our next #ArtistHotline on October 18, 2017, from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST. As part of the day, we’ll host a “Fundraising Myth Busting” Guest Chat from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST. In the meantime, stay up-to-date with NYFA by following us at @nyfacurrent on Twitter. 

Inspired by the NYFA Source Hotline, #ArtistHotline is an initiative dedicated to creating an ongoing online conversation around the professional side of artistic practice. #ArtistHotline occurs on the third Wednesday of each month on Twitter. Our goal is to help artists discover the resources needed, online and off, to develop sustainable careers.

This initiative is supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

Image: Quinn Dombrowski