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Arts & Entertainment

mPower! Series: The Art of Business for Artists in Business

The mPower! Series is a new program developed by Arts Guild New Jersey to serve the needs of artists in the state of New Jersey, by providing information on business topics that will help them develop their career. The mPower! Series is comprised of three sessions that will take place on Sundays at Arts Guild New Jersey, located at 1670 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ in fall 2012. Each session will present three to four 20 minute presentations, followed by a question and answer session. The first session is September 23, the second October 7 and the third session is on November 11, 2012 at 1:00 PM.  The fee for all three sessions is $35, two sessions is $25 or one session is $15. The sessions can be mixed and matched. Visit our Special Events page at www.agnj.org to register and read full descriptions of each session.

The AGNJ mPower! Business Workshops have been developed to help artists and creative professionals learn key business skills that will provide them with the knowledge and resources to help promote their work and increase their financial independence. The cluster-counseling sessions are devoted to the “business of art” and are instructed by business leaders with experience in both corporate and non-profit entities. Attendees will learn the concepts involved in strategic planning, marketing and self-promotion, money management, legal issues and project financing.

The mPower! Series includes presentations from Jacqueline Duboys, a consummate graphic design professional with over 20 years of experience in the New York City Metro area, the co-founder of Wizdom Media, a full-service design studio in its 12th year of business, as well as having been an instructor for Long Island University's Continuing Education Program in Computer Graphics. Sheryl Rosenstock-Marcus has made her home within the arts / media realm for the past 25 years and has embraced a multitude of design disciplines including digital illustration and large format environmental design. As an instructor for Long Island University's Continuing Education Program in Computer Graphics—and a fine artist—she has bridged many gaps between traditional and computer design. She is a creative leader and partner at Wizdom Media, a full-service graphic design and multimedia firm, while still passionately pursuing and experimenting with non-conventional forms of media. Kattina Barsik ESG, LLM is a lawyer based in Morristown NJ, whose practice focuses in part on Intellectual Property (trademark, copyright, contracts etc.) which are of particular concern for creative people in regards to the ownership of their work and images. She is registered with the New Jersey Bar, Registered Patent Attorney before the USPTO, Member, American Bar Association (ABA), Member, New Jersey State Bar Association, Member, Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, Member, New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Walter Macharucha has been running the Rahway Branch of Edward Jones since 2009. His practice caters to investors across all spectrums from Ultra High Net Worth, High Net Worth, and Mass Affluent. Today he has approximately $50 Million in Assets under Care for 300 households in 20 states. He specializes in asset accumulation for retirement and asset de-accumulation in retirement. Ennis Carter is the Founder and Director of Social Impact Studios, a Philadelphia-based design and communications firm that work exclusively with organizations dedicated to serving the public interest. Since 1995, Social Impact Studios has combined Artistry and Activism to call attention to important social issues at the local, regional and national levels. In addition, there will be presentations from Northfield Bank and RSI Bank representatives.

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Arts Guild New Jersey will begin the mPower! Series on September 23, 2012. Session one will include, Brand Yourself! What is Your Identity in the Marketplace?, this topic covers the importance of creating an identity for yourself and how to distinguish yourself from other artists on the web, From Canvas and Clay to the Internet: Intro to Blogs and Websites, a key discussion for any artist or crafter that wants to learn the basics for creating an online presence, The Importance of Getting it in Writing: Reading and Writing Effective Contracts, this topic will cover different scenarios and examples of when artists will need to ensure they have a contract or written agreement in place.

Session two will be held on October 7, 2012 and will discuss the following topics, Translating your Work to Digital Formats: Conversion Techniques for Fine Art, this discussion covers the basic tools and steps to convert traditional art to digital formats, as well as a description of file formats most widely used for print and digital media, Do you Tweet? Self-Promotion through Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), a discussion focused on the technique of using social media tools and networks, Broad View of Intellectual Property Rights- Protecting Artistic Works, a very general overview of the different types of intellectual property protection available for artists and Money Matters, a presentation about investment opportunities for younger and older artists and long and short-term financial goals.

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The third and last session of the mPower! Series will be November 11, 2012 with the following presentations, Spread the Word! Email Marketing Campaigns for Artists, this discussion will provide an overview of email marketing software, templates, and email address management, Beyond Watermarks: Copyright Protection for Photographers, this discussion will present site specific examples relating to photographers and explain what a copyright is and how they can attain one and Money Management,  Northfield Bank and RSI Bank representatives will make presentations about accounts and investment opportunities which could help artists at different career stages plan for short and long term financial goals.

To view full descriptions of each of the three sessions, visit the Special Events page at, www.agnj.org and register/pay with a credit/debit card through PayPal.

For more information on the mPower! Series call (732) 381-7511, Monday- Thursday from 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM or Fridays 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, contact us by e-mail at info@agnj.org or visit our website www.agnj.org.

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