Creative Central

DMWM Portfolio Sessions at the Ikon

Exhibiting, marketing and selling your work

Thursday 24 June 2010

These friendly, informal sessions are for practising designer makers at any stage in their career who want to discuss on a one to one basis how to improve the exhibiting, marketing and selling of their work.

Each 45 minute session will give the individual maker the opportunity to discuss ideas, ask questions and get helpful information from three sector professionals:

Yvonna Demczynska – Director of Flow www.flowgallery.co.uk

Flow situated in the heart of Notting Hill, was established by Yvonna Demczynska in 1999 to showcase the best of international and British applied arts. The gallery features six exhibitions a year as well as having a permanent collection of contemporary crafts. Flow works both with collectors and corporate clients.

Margo Selby – Textile designer and design store owner www.margoselby.com

Margo Selby has rapidly become recognised as a pioneer within contemporary textiles, both producing small-scale products and designing for interiors. The success of the business has resulted in the opening of a design store in central London, where Margo’s woven products are designed and developed in the basement, and a showcase of British design and craft can be found in the gallery space of the showroom. Over the past 3 years, Margo has produced exclusive giftware collections for many of the London museums and galleries including Tate, The British Museum, The National Gallery and The Hayward Gallery. Most recently she took part in the BBC series of ‘Mastercrafts’ teaching three craft enthusiasts to learn to weave, highlighting both the challenges and the rewards associated with being a professional craftsperson in a modern society.

Tracey Burgoyne – Manager of the Craft Shop at New Brewery Arts www.newbreweryarts.org.uk

New Brewery Arts is Gloucestershire’s centre of visual and performing arts and crafts. Alongside the contemporary craft exhibitions and events programme, there is a large craft gallery shop selling an extensive range of British-made craft to suit all pockets, including jewellery, ceramics, wood, glass and metalwork. In addition the shop has a ‘Featured jeweller of the month’, offering the opportunity to showcase a larger range of work by one selected maker.

The sessions

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to ask questions about the areas you need help on. Topics could include, pricing your work, marketing new products and targeting the appropriate outlets for your work, as well as selling techniques and ways to approach buyers and retailers.

Makers attending previous portfolio sessions have really benefited from the expertise of the panel members:

“I found the portfolio session very helpful to my current development in my studio practice. It was good for me to just spend some quality time away from my usual surroundings and talk about my practice and where I am at in my career. I feel more focused and organised since the session and I have taken their advice and started to put what I can into practice.”

“The session helped me to feel more confident about making decisions.”

Places are limited, so to book a 45 minute session please complete the short booking form attached and send to Natalie Cole at: Natalie@designermakerwm.co.uk or visit our website for more information www.designermakerwm.co.uk

The sessions will take place on Thursday 24 June at the Ikon gallery in Birmingham: Ikon, 1 Oozells Square, Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2HS

DMWM Portfolio Sessions give personalised suggestions and guidance to designer makers around crucial areas of developing their work and business. The sessions are tailored to suit the attending maker and the experts are made up of a variety of professionals from the sector, including established makers, gallery owners and business advisors. Keep checking our website for future sessions; each one will focus on a different aspect of a designer makers practice.