St. Augustine Artists are getting Down to Business

Successful Business & Accounting Basics Workshop offered by SJCC

St. Augustine, Florida – The Business and Accounting Basics workshop for artists and art organizations on July 21^st was a great success. Back by popular demand, this workshop was organized by the St. Johns Cultural Council and offered for free to anybody in the art world looking to launch or improve the organization of their business. As before, Ms. Louise Anderson gave a comprehensible overview of the subject that many artists avoid or approach with reluctance.

Ms. Anderson is a CPA with Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC, an accounting and business advising firm with offices in St. Augustine and Gainesville. She provides consulting and tax services to small businesses and individual clients in the Northeast Florida area. She has a formidable list of credentials and her clients benefit from her educational approach to accounting and consulting. 

Ms. Anderson told her audience that she “could talk forever because I find the subject fascinating,” which showed, as she answered all in-depth art questions from individual artists with ease, pre-empting a few with “I am not an artist, I so wish I was.” 

She mostly explained the differences between the various business models to choose from and kept the information concise. She gave short definitions of Sole Proprietorships, Single-Member and Multi-Member LLCs, C-Corporations versus S-Corporations, how to establish each of them, and what the advantages and disadvantages are for artists. She briefly touched on the taxation regulations for each model and gave some helpful tips and links for recordkeeping and accounting. The most important take-away for the audience was to “Keep track! Documentation is critical. Keep all receipts!”

One of the many attendees, Ms. Sally Paulson, was very pleased with the information she received in the workshop. She wrote to Ms. Hala Laquidara, the Business Development Coordinator for the SJCC and diligent organizer of the workshops, “I certainly appreciate the workshops you have been putting together for artists. Today was the third one I was able to attend. I always go away from the sessions rejuvenated and full of ideas from what the speakers have addressed.” She said she is looking forward to the next workshop offered by SJCC.

Stunning Completion of Courtyard Beautification Project

Volunteers - Karen Coker third from right

July 2018

 

Stunning Completion of Courtyard Beautification Project

The Cultural Arts Center at Saint Augustine Beach.

St. Augustine Beach, FL - The St Johns Cultural Council (SJCC) did a phenomenal job transforming the front area at the Cultural Arts Center at Saint Augustine Beach (CAC@StAB) to an inviting courtyard. The recent upgrades and enhancements were a great success. The bold initiative of the “Courtyard Beautification Project” was enthusiastically headed by Karen Coker, a board director with the SJCC. Funds for this commendable endeavor were raised by the SJCC through fundraising events, donors, and private donations.

 

Sally Ann Freeman, an award-winning Master Gardener with the University of Florida and Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), suggested the seaside friendly plants. The landscaping compliments the commemorative bricks that were used ten years ago as the initial fundraiser for the first renovation of the building in 2001. St. Johns County UF/IFAS Master Gardeners is a volunteer-driven program that benefits the citizens of Florida. Among the many excited volunteers from the community were eight students from The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Garden Center, headed by teacher, Jenny Henningsen Palmer, who eagerly helped with digging, planting, mulching, edging, carting materials around, and driving to and from supply stores.

 

The St. Johns Cultural Council assumed the building in 2000 from the City of St. Augustine Beach as a project to restore the building for use as a non-profit arts center. Beginning in 2001, funded by grants from the Florida Division of Historical Resources and individual and corporate donors of over $800,000, extensive restoration and rehabilitation of the exterior and 5,000 sq ft of the interior was accomplished. In 2007, The Dance Company, a local non-profit dance school, became the first anchor tenant, and The Art Studio joined tenancy in 2015.  Further renovations will provide space for more local arts and events for the community as well as visitors.

Come visit this beautiful and inviting art haven to enjoy the arts and the beauty of the building, or you can breathe in the salty ocean air while contemplating its history in the delightfully relaxing, new courtyard: you won‘t want to leave.

The St. Johns Cultural Council began renovations in 2001 with the help of these sponsors, donors, and volunteers:

St. Johns Cultural Council, sponsor and member volunteers

Karen Coker, St. Johns Cultural Council

Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Garden Center, volunteers

Southern Horticulture, plants and trellises

Philip McDaniel, CEO St. Augustine Distillery Company, sponsor

The Division of Historic Resources, sponsor

Craig Thompson, architect

Len Weeks, contractor

Michael and Teresa Radzinski, sponsor donors

St. Augustine Beach Public Works, sprinklers

Sally Ann Freeman, Master Gardner

Home Depot

And the many volunteers who spent hours planting, watering, and beautifying!

About St. Johns Cultural Council

The St. Johns Cultural Council is a 501 © (3) not-for-profit agency. The mission of the council is to promote St. Johns County as a premiere arts destination where the lives of both residents and visitors are enriched through arts and culture.

For additional information call (904) 808-7330 or visit www.stjohnsculture.com. St. Johns Cultural Council is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/St-Johns-Cultural-Council/

Business & Accounting Basics for Artists

Louise Anderson, CPA

Lecture by Louise H. Anderson, CPA

Back by popular demand, this workshop is geared toward artists and art organizations looking to launch or organize their art business. Louise Anderson, a certified public accountant, will present this lecture and will address how to choose the right business structure for your art company, creative partnership, or cooperative. She will speak about tax returns, tax on sales, and tax deductions. Louise will also provide information on handy, online accounting tools and tips for your art business.

Louise is a CPA with Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC, an accounting and business advising firm with offices in St. Augustine and Gainesville, and she provides consulting and tax services to small business and individual clients in the Northeast Florida area. She writes articles for various publications and is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA). Louise is also active in her service and leadership in the community. Not only was she the past President of the Rotary Club of St. Augustine, but she is also a board member of the Betty Griffin House, Flagler Hospital Health Service Board, and First Coast Technical College Education Foundation.

Louise has the heart of a teacher, and her clients benefit from her educational approach to accounting and consulting. She will be an extremely valuable source for all your practical business information. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge about business, taxes, and accounting to improve your art business. We highly encourage all artists and art organizations to attend this exceptionally effective workshop!

For more information:

www.stjohnsculture.com/news-announcements/business-accounting-basics-artists

For more Business & Accounting information:

904-471-3445 
www.cricpa.com

How To Get Your Art Into a Gallery

Ron Velluci | Karen Sheridan | Sylvia Gortz

Lecture by Ron Velluci, Karen Sheridan, and Sylvia Gortz

This workshop is for artists who are looking for representation of their work in a gallery. For many artists, emerging or experienced, it can be confusing on how to be accepted in a gallery and the application process can be frustrating when not clearly explained. Galleries are businesses like any other, and art is the trade. Gallerists often get too many unstructured applications from enthusiastic, but uninformed artists and have to decline many hopeful requests.  To improve the interaction between the gallerist and the artist for a smoother art collaboration, we will have a panel of three speakers representing local art galleries to talk about the most important requirements an artist needs to know to find that perfect gallery.

Ron Velluci will be representing Butterfield Garage Gallery, located on King Street and run as an artist cooperation. Ron is not only co-director of the gallery, he is also a sculptor of wood and metal relief structures, as well as newspaper publisher of Coffee News. Butterfield Garage Gallery has been open since 1999 and is the brainchild of artist Jan Miller. The gallery aims to present the art-lover with traditional and contemporary visual arts and fine craft.

Karen Sheridan is the single owner of PLUM Gallery, located on Aviles Street. Karen is an acrylic painter of Key West and Beach styles. She was an artist in Boston and owned a gallery in Key West.  PLUM stands for Perfect Life yoU Make and the gallery focuses on local and regional, contemporary art. Plum Art Gallery has a cool vibe and exhibits exquisite sculpture, fine art, and intricate handcrafted jewelry.

Sylvia Gortz will be representing The Gallery Group, located on Anastasia Blvd. She co-owns the gallery with fiancé Tom Tilley. Sylvia is a mixed media artist and curates exceptional local art for the gallery. The styles vary from traditional to contemporary and often include exciting art from local Middle and High Schools. Sylvia is also president of Art Galleries of St. Augustine (AGOSA) which is partnering with the St. Johns Cultural Council to promote local art and artists.

All three speakers have extensive experience, both as artists as well as sorting and curating art for galleries. Each of their galleries has particular application processes and guidelines to choose their next featured artist. Ron, Karen, and Sylvia will address questions concerning the best way to approach a gallery and who to contact, what the gallery submission policies are and how to find them, and what an artist can expect in the form of compensations. They will elaborate on how an artist knows if the gallery is the right fit, how to prepare for the meeting, and what the next steps are when an agreement is reached. Bring your questions and get ready to become the professional artist you always wanted to be!

Day: Saturday, June 23, 2018

Time: 10:30am - 12:30
Location: The Gallery Group
Address: 303C Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine, FL, 32080

For more information: 

http://www.stjohnsculture.com/news-announcements/how-get-your-art-gallery-0

Courtyard Beautification Project

The Cultural Arts Center of St. Augustine Beach

The Cultural Arts Center at St. Augustine Beach

Renovated and maintained by the St. Johns Cultural Council, the Cultural Arts Center of St. Augustine Beach has provided space for business, tourism, housing, entertainment, and government over the years. The building has been used, abandoned, neglected, renovated, and is now going through a major three-phase revival. The beautification of the courtyard is just a small, but nevertheless important, aspect of the long-term project to rehabilitate this historically and culturally significant building. 

One of two mirroring Oceanfron hotels - the building on the left was destroyed

Built in the late 1930s, this 10,500 square-foot structure was one of two mirroring oceanfront hotels, flanking the Saint Augustine Pier. The southern building survived demolition and was used as an apartment complex and housed a skating rink at one point. The building served as City Hall for the City of Saint Augustine Beach from the 1960s through the 1990s. After the City moved its municipal offices to a new location, the building stood empty and neglected and was again in danger of destruction.

Anchor tenants The Art Studio and The Dance Company

The City of Saint Augustine Beach agreed to lease the facilities free of charge to the newly formed Cultural Council, who in return agreed to raise funds for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the building. Grants through the Cultural Council, together with individual and corporate donors, made renovation possible and have been ongoing since 2001. Revenue from permanent tenants fund maintenance and replacement of fixtures and appliances. 

Phase I and II of the long-term renovation of the Cultural Arts Center plans have been completed. The Cultural Council partnered up with The Dance Company in 2005 and based the reconstruction on danceable studio space. The Dance Company has been an anchor tenant since 2007. In 2014, renovation of an additional 1000 square foot was completed and The Art Studio joined anchor tenancy in 2015.

Brick Pattern Designed by Sally Ann Freeman

The St. Johns Cultural Council recently instituted a committee for the beautification of the courtyard, headed by Karen Coker, board director. Funds for this endeavor were raised through fundraising events, donors, and private donations. Bricks inscribed with sponsor names were paved in a pleasing pattern designed by Sally Ann Freeman, Master Gardner with Southern Horticulture. The “Courtyard Beautification Project” launched in February of this year. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds helped with digging, planting, mulching, edging, carting materials around, and driving to and from supply stores. Many of the volunteers were from The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Garden Center. By all means, visit this deceivingly contemporary facility to enjoy the arts and the beauty of the building, or you can breathe in the salty ocean air while contemplating its history in the delightfully relaxing, new courtyard: it’s there for you.

Sponsors, donors, and volunteers:

St. Johns Cultural Council, sponsor and member volunteers

Karen Coker, St. Johns Cultural Council

Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Garden Center, volunteers

Southern Horticulture, plants and trellises

Philip McDaniel, CEO St. Augustine Distillery Company, sponsor

The Division of Cultural Resources, sponsor

Craig Thompson, architect

Len Weeks, contractor

Michael and Teresa Radzinski, sponsor donors

St. Augustine Beach Public Works, sprinklers

Sally Ann Freeman, Master Gardner

The Business of Art and The Art of Business

Gloria Danvers

Lecture by Gloria Danvers

This workshop is mainly geared toward artists and people wanting to sell their product. Gallery owners and associates, however, in addition to small business owners and people in other areas of sales and marketing would benefit from this fascinating lecture by Gloria Danvers as well. Get ready to become extremely motivated through self-awareness and understanding of the market.

Gloria is a hypnotherapist, motivational speaker, business owner, and artist. She has “been there done that” and is driven to pass her extensive knowledge and experience along to others. In her life, she has owned and managed several businesses and sold her art in galleries, museums, and on major art markets along the east coast of the US. As a compassionate hypnotherapist, Gloria makes it her mission to help people free themselves from self-limiting beliefs and empowers them to make fundamental changes to be able to move into a positive, enriching, and successful direction in life.

Gloria has taught this workshop for quite a few years and loves seeing the aha-moment in faces of attendees. Each seminar is slightly different than the previous one, as she adds and revises things according to current trends. Through guidance toward a greater understanding of the Self, she brings advice on how to sell art, which sales venues and markets to approach, how to price work, and how to find the perfect client. She will also impart valuable expertise on how to shape your own image and teach skills in marketing yourself. 

Apart from showing how to reach a greater self-awareness, her most important message is that selling art comes down to the “intimate relationship between the artist and the buyer” … and common sense “business stuff.” Plenty of quality work, market research, and old-fashioned leg-work will eventually create a tipping point and your art business will take off. We highly encourage all to attend this exceptionally inspirational and life-changing workshop! Get ready to create your own world and start writing your own script.

Free Workshop- Sponsored by the St. Johns Cultural Council
Date: Saturday, May 26th, 2018
TIME: 10:30am-12:30
Location: The Gallery Group
Address: 303C Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine, FL, 32080