Next week, Rob, Matt, Anda, and Julie will be traveling down to Richmond, Virginia to participate in a specialized symposium at Virginia Commonwealth University in conjunction with the American Craft Council, VCU, and Quirk Gallery.  If you are in or near the area, we would be thrilled for you to come to the symposium.

Here is the Press Release from the American Craft Council:

Making Meaning and the Marketplace: Craft and the Next Generation of Thought
A three-part symposia of the American Craft Council

The American Craft Council is pleased to announce the debut of a traveling program series, dedicated to exploring the next generation of craft artists and their burgeoning influence in the market and culture.  The symposia will engage students, faculty, alumni and the public at three of the nation’s leading schools for craft media, and seeks to motivate curricular innovation, reveal student/alumni hopes and needs, and develop a future audience for the craft field.

The April 3rd event, developed in partnership with VCU’s Craft/Material Studies department, will feature Rob Kalin, president and founder of Etsy, your place for buying and selling all things handmade, in conversation with Sonya Clark, chair of the Craft/Material Studies department at VCU. They will be discussing the impact of the internet on the craft market and the role of the craft gallery in a booming art market.

The symposium will kick off with a lunch-time program designed for the Senior Seminar class, giving practical information for professional artists who want to “make a living making things.”  Etsy will stream the program in an Online Workshop.  

Please join us for the evening portion: 

Thursday, April 3, 2008
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Virginia Commonwealth University
The Grace Street Theater
930 West Grace Street
Richmond, Virginia
Reception to follow.

For further information, please contact Monica Hampton, Director of Education, at the American Craft Council, 212.274.0630 x272 or mhampton@craftcouncil.org

About the American Craft Council
The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit public educational organization founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb. The mission of the Council is to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft.  Programs include the bimonthly magazine AMERICAN CRAFT, annual juried shows presenting artists and their work, a leadership conference, the Aileen Osborn Webb Awards honoring excellence, workshops, seminars and a research library.  For additional information about the American Craft Council, call 1-800-836-3470 or visit: www.craftcouncil.org.  

Please help us by spreading the word about this event to everyone you know that might be interested or might learn something new from attending!

xoxo,

Etsy