Franklin Beecham, Visual Artist » Arts

Who gives a darn? Is there anybody out there?

Franklin Beecham, Visual Artist, Markham, Canada — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:12:09 +0000

ap·a·thy

[ap-uh-thee]
1. absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
2. lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.

Gripes I hear over and over include, “…too many art shows and festivals”, “how can we get government support?”, “no one buys at art shows?”, “no one cares!”

Everyone has a choice: do something about it, or just sit back and wait for it to happen. It takes more than just the community to be involved – it also takes great motivation from the artists and their representatives. Artists must learn to be assertive in their marketing. If you can’t do it yourself because of the lack of expertise, then invest in some help. The key is to keep the momentum going.

The starting point will always be with friends and family. Encourage them to support you and help spread the word of your existence. Join an arts group, but don’t just leave it at that. Get involved! Volunteer at your group’s events and activities. Expand the awareness of your talents to your fellow members. Learn from seminars and workshops. Help your group become a louder voice so that the greater community and its leaders become more aware.

Our society suffers greatly from apathy, relying on others to do our bidding. The problem is that those singular advocates sound off to deaf and ignorant ears. Fund managers have different priorities and urgencies. That is to be expected, but the arts have a place in the future and past of every community on this planet.

It all starts with you. You are the voice that will be heard. You can make a difference! In the age of free communications, you can reach many more audiences that you could 20 years ago. Embrace this technology. React to this blog or the blogs on yorkscene.com, use tools like Twitter or Facebook. Talk to your peers, talk to your community. Join a community arts group like the Markham Arts Council and volunteer. Your involvement is important to the support of your art.

It all begins with you!

Rhiana sells another

Franklin Beecham, Visual Artist, Markham, Canada — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:13:17 +0000

Congratulations to Rhiana on the sale of her monoprint, “Portrayal” to entertainer, Justin Hines at last night’s, Chairman’s Dinner for the Arts in York Region celebration. Justin was one of the performers at the event which raised funds for the York Region Arts Council and a special endowment fund for the arts.

The event featured performing artists and visual artists, including yours truly.

I’ll see if I can get some photos here…

November Art Show

Franklin Beecham, Visual Artist, Markham, Canada — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:13:29 +0000

Looking forward to the upcoming November Markham Art Show, which runs from November 28 to December 6, 2009 at 74 Main Street in Markham. I’ll be painting some new artworks.

Keep watching this blog as more info will be coming.

Life is buzzing behind-the-scenes at the Markham Arts Council

Franklin Beecham, Visual Artist, Markham, Canada — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:32:13 +0000

First off, congratulations to Robyn on attaining her position of Marketing Coordinator at the Markham Arts Council. I know Judi will benefit greatly from your many talents. Already, you have made an impression with your creativity at the Markham Arts Council booth, bringing more members to the Arts Council. The way the booth is set up was very inviting to visitors, as was the sketch easel. The teen volunteers were also a great help. Well done!

at the Thornhill Village Festival

at Applefest in the Markham Museum

Other things in the works are the upcoming events with the Markham Teen Arts Council. They have a new executive that is as creative and energetic as the last. They garnered funding from the Trillium Foundation and are having t-shirts made up showing their new logo. A new event to be held in October is the literary showcase, WordUp! Check out their website for more info. Also watch for the 24-Hour Video Challenge and the Music & Lyrics Contest (now named “Xpression”).

The Markham Arts Council has been holding seminars lately to enhance knowledge of the business part of being an artist. An interesting session was led by members of the Ontario Arts Council, explaining grants for artists. We have a couple of contests for Photography and Poetry; and two upcoming events, the November Art Show and the 2010 Mackie Awards. Also our big fundraiser, Arts & Tarts – a Royal Tea. I’ll explain later.

Our art-loving friends Ric and Catherine are now the owners of another abstract painting of mine, “Yellow & Red” and also one of Rhiana’s oil paintings, “Locomotion“. Nicky too, sold one of his photos recently to an avid buyer. Way to go Nicky! I also have a mixed-media painting (The Pond) that’s been chosen for the Chairman’s Dinner for the Arts, a benefit for the York Region Arts Council. Rhiana has two pieces in the same event.

Its been a busy month or so lately and it doesn’t look like its going to let up.