Artists talk business in Silver & Ink panel discussions
Image: District staff illustration
Written by Liz Knueven
Amongst the array of other activities during the course of parents and alumni weekend was an annual exhibition and series of lectures organized by the photography department. Silver & Ink brings many professional artists and photographers to Savannah each spring quarter, and this year was no exception. Six of them gathered at the SCAD Museum of Art theater on Friday, April 24 for two panel discussions.
The first, entitled “Navigating the Art World,” took a diverse approach on building a business around art and gave general advice that could be applied to any creative career. Discussing everything from how to target a specific audience, get the support of galleries and the importance of networking. The three panelists gave their responses out of a collective 100 years of experience.
“We are running a small business as visual artists,” said artist and alumni Brenton Hamilton. Christine Kirouac ‒another established artist and panelist‒ when asked about supporting herself solely on art said that “it’s like playing the lottery for your living.” Despite the challenges they discussed, all three of the panelists attested to the rewards of pursuing their artistic passions in a professional and competitive marketplace.
In a more specific second panel, “The Business of Photography” tied more concentrated principals from the first workshop into the way that commercial photography has changed over the years. Touching on everything from iPhone photograph to image rights, food photographer Bryan Gardener stressed that even though we “live in a world of Instagram superstars,” there is and will be “a need for the super high-end artist.” Although the processes and technology might be different from the past, the principals and needs of photography as an art form will remain consistent.
Despite all the changes, panelist Gary Hurewitz picked out the potential of starting out in such a dynamic industry, saying that today specifically “it’s an amazing time to have a vision and a point of view.”
Silver & Ink wrapped up the weekend of events with a keynote lecture by Maggie Taylor on Saturday, April 25, followed by an exhibition reception at the Gutstein Gallery.
