Nunavut artists will learn the business of art

MICHAELA RODRIGUE
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — Nunavut artists will dust off their calculators and balance sheets instead of their paint brushes and chisels at a business conference in Iqaluit this week.

At a gathering called the “Festival of Nunavut Artists,” about 30 sculptures, painters, jewellers and other artists from across the territory will gather to talk about ways of supporting the Inuit art business.

One of the festival event is a business conference aimed at helping artists start up and manage successful arts businesses, says Beth Beattie, the co-ordinator of the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association.

Beattie says Nunavut’s artists and crafts people now need more than just artistic talent to live off the proceeds of their work.

The conference is expected to address some of the day-to-day businesses issues, such as bookkeeping and marketing, that Nunavut artists must face every day, Beattie said.

For example, Beattie said artists need to know what sells and why it sells. Only then can an artist expect to maintain a constant cash flow.

“It’s getting artists to take care of their own needs as a business,” Beattie said. “They need to find out what actually sells. You can also make your own art because you love it, but when it comes to feeding your family you have to make something that actually sells,” she said.

Once an artist has hit upon the perfect product, issues such as pricing and assessing costs come into play.

“A lot of artists say ‘oh I think it’s $100.’ Well, how long did it take you to make? what tools did you use up? Make an estimate so that one week it’s not $100 and the next week $200,” Beattie said.

Tapping into galleries is also a good way to sell art work, Beattie said. Representatives from Canadian galleries will attend the conference to explain what they are looking for.

This year’s conference will include topics such as:

Using the Internet as a business tool;
accessing resources from a remote community;
marketing;
pricing;
funding sources;
copy right and insurance issues, and;
taxes and accounting.
The conference is part of the Nunavut Festival of the Arts. The festival includes an art exhibit and NACA’s annual general meeting.

The association is expected to form its new board of directors and set its agenda for the coming year.