Press Materials
Artists Develop Business Skills, Explore Wholesale Marketplace
Visiting Artist Program returns to the Philadelphia Buyers Market,
February 15-18, 2008
Baltimore, Md. (October 25, 2007)—Artists seeking to build their business skills will flock to Philadelphia this February for the Visiting Artist Program at the Buyers Market of American Craft, the nation’s largest wholesale craft show.
The Visiting Artist Program will run February 15-18 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Sponsored by the Arts Business Institute (ABI), a national non-profit that provides business education to artists, the Visiting Artist Program provides artists with the opportunity to explore the wholesale marketplace before making the commitment to exhibit.
The program features educational seminars designed to help artists grow their business skills, guided tours of the Buyers Market, individual and group mentoring sessions with gallery professionals, a Q & A session with Buyers Market staff, a panel discussion with Buyers Market artists, and numerous opportunities to ask questions and network with all Buyers Market participants.
“Marketing and selling art doesn’t always come easy to many artists,” says ABI executive director Meghan Bunnell. “The Visiting Artist Program gives them the insight and inspiration they need to take their arts business to the next level.”
The Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft features more than 1,300 exhibiting artists in all mediums. Held semi-annually at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa., the Buyers Market attracts more than 9,000 buyers representing more than 3,000 companies from across the U.S. and Canada.
“The Visiting Artist Program is essential for any artist that is thinking about entering the wholesale marketplace,” says former Visiting Artist Cheryl McNeill of Rabbit Canyon Designs in Queen Creek, Ariz. “I attended the program in 2005, and am now selling my work to galleries across the country.”
Artists interested in attending the Visiting Artist Program can register online at www.ArtsBusinessInstitute.org, where they will find the full program schedule and seminar descriptions.
About the Arts Business Institute
Arts Business Institute was founded as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2002 to serve a crucial, common need in the art and craft making communities—practical business education for creative entrepreneurs. ABI originated through the seeds of the Craft Business Institute, an annual weekend education program for craft professionals in Baltimore, Maryland, managed by The Rosen Group.
In building a new educational model, the Arts Business Institute board of directors recognized the need to deliver support to a wider range of artistic media in underserved segments of North America. This has presented ABI with the opportunity to speak to artists as far as Toronto, Canada, and as small as Bristol, Virginia.
About the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft
The Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft is produced by The Rosen Group, a Baltimore-based arts marketing, publishing and advocacy firm. The Rosen Group also publishes NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for retailers of fine craft art, and AmericanStyle magazine, the arts lifestyle magazine for enthusiasts, collectors and travelers.
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Media interested in attending the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft should contact Jean Thompson, Communications Director, at 410.889.2933, ext. 218 or jeant@rosengrp.com. Discounted hotel and travel rates are available. More information about buyers and exhibitors, including color images for publication, can also be provided.
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