Aspiring artists to get tips from the pros at conference
Henry Stuttley - Staff WriterThe Daily Herald
Laura Kautza is an aspiring actress.
Already, she is involved locally in the Young Actors Ensemble and performs with a company, Kidz in the Biz, who travel to places such as area nursing homes to sing.
The Naperville North High School junior hopes to attend New York University after graduating and eventually wants to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.
To learn more about making a living in her career choice, Kautza joined more than 250 students this weekend to attend Self-Employment in the Arts, a two-day conference sponsored by North Central College's Center for Entrepreneurship.
Gary Ernst, North Central's Coleman Foundation Professor of Entrepreneurship for Small Business, developed the conference three years ago to "teach young artists the business savvy they need to succeed as they pursue their career dreams."
This year's conference brings together student artists with professionals who are self-employed in areas such as photography, painting, dancing, music and jewelry design.
"As the conference goes on, I encourage students to come up and interact with artists," Ernst said. "We encourage them to have and ongoing dialogue."
According to Ernst, the idea of teaching business aspects to artist is "cutting-edge stuff." A lot of artists don't know much about marketing, self-promoting or even what to charge people for their artwork or services, he said.
Throughout the conference, students learn to talk about themselves and network with others from different colleges. This year, students and faculty from high schools and colleges in Illiniois and four surrounding states attended the event.
Jessica Gorse, a junior at Lisle Senior High School, attended the event at prompting of Erica Garza, an art education major at North Central College who attended last year's conference and served as a student teacher at Gorse's school.
"I wanted to come network with other artists and meet people from different colleges," Gorse said. "I also like the fact that I'm getting my portfolio reviewed to see what people think of it."
While she found it a little "nerv wracking" to see how her art stands up to others, Gorse said the feedback would be worth it.
Other artists, such as Joanne Spyridakos of Bolingbrook, also attended the event ot network and get a portfolio review. At 31, Spyridakos is attending College of DuPage parttime to pursue a career in photography.
"I work full time, so I'm doing photography on the side," Spyridakos said, adding that she eventually wants to work for a newspaper or ad agency.
Each year, the conference has grown and Ernst said people are really interested in meeting other artists who make a living at what they do.
It's one thing to read about such people, Ernst said, and another to actually meet them. It's one thing to read about such people, Ernst said, and another to actually meet them.
"When you talk to people, it changes the whole dimension of learning," he said.
The Self-Employment in the Arts conference came to fruition after Ernst posed the idea to Michael Hennessy of Downers Grove, president of the Coleman Foundation, a group that supports entrepreneurship and education.
According to Hennessy, the Colemans were the founders of the Fannie Mae candy company and the foundation came through legacy of philanthropy. In the early 1990's, the foundation endowed five chairs at colleges in Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.
"We went from endowments to professors and now have 11 Coleman professors," Hennessy said. "We've annually funded and supported programs such as this."
The idea of suffering for one's art is an overrated concept, Hennessy said, and the Self-Employment in the Arts conference is about the art for artists, but it also talks about business.
"It's a way to take what you do, what you love and learn how to make a living," he said.
Hennessy's wife, Carole, is a living example of someone who found a way to make a living as an artist. Carole was an art teacher who painted on the side. Instead of giving up her art, she expanded on the idea and went on to start her own framing business.
"Instead of giving up the art, she expanded on the idea," Hennessy said.
Both Hennessy and Ernst hope this conference will serve as a model for others who want to start regional conferences in their areas. Ernst said he thinks this concept will eventually result in similiar conferences in the Southwest and on the East and West coasts.
"We help artists think about doing things in different ways," Hennessy said. "And help teach them the most cost-effective ways of doing things."