2016 Symposium Program: Saturday, September 24, 9am-1pm presented during our Annual Member Show and National Juried Exhibition, hosted this autumn at Vermont’s Bennington Center for the Arts.
The event is open and free to the public and will be held on Saturday, September 24, 9am- 1pm.
As part of American Women Artists’ mission, we are committed to bringing educational opportunities to our members and all artists that encourage and support growth both professionally and creatively. Our annual symposium is one such opportunity, and will be presented during our Annual Member Show and National Juried Exhibition, hosted this autumn at Vermont’s Bennington Center for the Arts. This years’ program will explore relevant topics from both an historical and contemporary perspective, while giving a glimpse of the future of women in art. AWA is honored to include such knowledgeable presenters, experts in their field. The symposium will conclude with a panel discussion highlighting the professional artists’ interaction with curators, media, gallery owners, collectors and each other.
The event is open and free to the public and will be held on Saturday, September 24, 9am- 1pm.
Our keynote speaker Erin Coe, Director of the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY, will present an illustrated lecture on Georgia O’Keeffe and her years on Lake George. As the curator of the critically-acclaimed 2013-2014 exhibition Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George, Erin will examine the seminal influence that Lake George had on the art and life of the pioneering modernist Georgia O’Keeffe. From 1918 to 1934, Lake George served as a rural retreat for the artist and provided the basic material for her art, while evoking the spirit of place that was essential to the development of O’Keeffe’s modern approach to the natural world.
Coe will explore the full range of work and the major themes that marked this formative and productive time in O’Keeffe’s career.
Artist Alia El Bermani, the Co-founder of the Women Painting Women blog, a contemporary exhibit that sparked a national trend. Alia El-Bermani will present a talk on the history of Women Painting Women from its inception as a humble online discussion between three artist friends, to the over one dozen gallery exhibitions that have followed, stirring a sort of movement within the art world. For the last several years, Alia has also been curating and coordinating a large traveling museum exhibition of stellar works by contemporary figurative artists which will premiere at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries, an incredible museum space at Texas A&M University, in January of 2017. Women Painting Women: In Earnest is an exhibition that honors the human spirit and shares the thoughtful and unique vision of 34 artists who explore the complexity of being a woman today. Symposium attendees will get a sneak peek at many of the paintings included in this exemplary exhibition as well as hear candid remarks on the adventures and foibles of coordinating a large traveling exhibition.
Rita Fucillo, publisher of Art New England, will discuss changes in the publishing and advertising industry brought about by the increased use of social media and web marketing, and how those can all dovetail for more effective publicity.
Rita will also join this years’ panel discussion featuring former gallery owner Robin Knowlton, Allan and Elaine Duerr, publishers of Art of the West, AWA Master Signature member and board member Leah Lopez, and Kate Austin-Avon, owner of Advokate, a company specializing in web design, print and social media marketing. Moderated by AWA Board President and Master Signature member Kathy Lemke Waste, this discussion will highlight recent changes in the art industry that allow artists to more effectively market their work.
