Craft In America - JEWELRY Episode - Streaming Now!

Craft in America JEWELRY episode is streaming. You can watch the entire episode .

Would you like to see a preview or trailer as well?            
                   Here is a preview of the JEWELRY episode:

 JEWELRY is streaming online now, or watch on PBS broadcast TV on Friday, December 10, 2021* 
*Check the time for your local television listing. 

The 56-minute video highlights a variety of artists and their perspectives about jewelry and materials.  Tom Herman uses precious materials, which is a phenomenal contrast to my use of recycled materials of tin cans and post-consumer plastic; Gabrielle Gould is inspired by nature, Jesse Monongya is a Navajo/Hopi jeweler, and Art Smith reflects an innovative mid-20^th century aesthetic. This program also includes commentary by the co-editors of Ornament Magazine.

The range and diversity of aesthetics and materials should provide thought-provoking scenarios for a great conversation.  I look forward to hearing what people have to say.

Be honest. 

Harriete

Previous Posts in the "Craft In America" in my studio series.

"Craft In America" Day 1 - Fabrication in Video Time vs Real Craft

A Gigantic Wish Come True...."Craft In America" Visits My Studio

Perspiration in Preparation & Planning for "Craft In America"

An Optivisor for a Crown - Two Vans Arrive with the "Craft In America" video team

"They Whispered Names to Me - I am a channel"

"They Whispered Names to Me - I am a channel"

Do you BELIEVE the arts have a voice in education?

I just heard the author Jonah Lehrer on n.p.r. radio last night. I hung onto every word. His book titled Imagine: How Creativity Works speaks to the messages in my installation Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin

 

 

 

 

The arts and crafts do have a value in education beyond just an art lesson, but the arts and hands-on learning can not be accessed with a number. There is no standardized test for teaching creativity and problem solving  - the very skills that Imagine: How Creativity Works is addressing. 

We live in a time where every class and subject is accessed for its contribution to the curriculum. The arts teach:

• creativity,
• problem-solving,
• open-ended thinking,
• skills of observation,
• integration of left and right brain thinking,
• visualizing three-dimensional construction,
• and so much more.

What is the impact of standardized testing on the school curriculum when everything must be tested and measured? What happens when the arts are squeezed into a one-hour slot, rushed, overscheduled, when there is no time to breathe or think? Think and advocate for the arts and creativity in education.

 

My objective with my installation Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin is to reach out to a larger audience about the value of the arts in education.

 

 

Do you know of an exhibition location in your school, university gallery, or local museum?

• Dimensions of installation 15' height x 28' width.
• Installation ships in five boxes.
• Each box is small enough to be carried by one person. 
• Boxes weigh approximately 32-35 lbs each.
• Installation takes fours hours.
• Hydraulic lift or scissors lift is necessary for installation.
• Installation is possible with 3-4 people.
• Exhibition rental $300. plus shipping and insurance.

Contact me Harriete Estel Berman

This post was updated on March 12, 2022, to provide current links.
          

Reevaluating Life - Get $h!+ Done

My March 2012 experiment with Kickstarter was a real awakening, a roller coaster ride on the learning curves of two new worlds -- entering an unfamiliar social networking domain of the internet's long tail, and the world of documentary video production.

Combined with the unfolding exhibition of Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin, these events and revelations have caught me up in a whirlwind of thoughts and impressions.  After a 4+ year odyssey of fabrication, I am reflecting on a post from Chase Jarvis titled "Hit List: 13 Things Crucial For Your Success [In Any Field]".  I recommend reading every word.

Chase's #1 tip is "Get Shit Done".

For four years, I felt like I was limping along on the pencils. I couldn't work on it every day.  Shows came up that needed new works to be made.  Making work to sell gets in the way. Life gets in the way.  But I'd force myself to work on it every chance I could.

And I would torture myself as well.  Making a sculpture 28 feet wide and 15 feet tall from pencils is ridiculous! How will it look? Will it hang as planned? Will it ever get done? A combination of the simplest of art media - a pencil, a little thoughtful engineering, and tedious hours of assembly.  But the vision of a hand-crafted work to carry a message that the arts have a value and place in education AND that standardized testing has become overemphasized in education kept me going.

I naively started the Kickstarter project and already learned an enormous amount.  Each media and every social network has its own learning curve...so does Kickstarter. Reading the HELP menu doesn't adequately prepare you for what it takes to run a successful project on Kickstarter.

Before you start a Kickstarter project be prepared with a lot of research, in advance. During the project, it requires a huge investment in developing momentum and visibility.

Harriete Estel Berman

PS.  I hired a video editor yesterday! More information about making a documentary video in another post. 

This post was updated on March 12, 2022.

Posted Job Opening - What a Successful Response looks like!

Interviewing for a video editor position has been an eye-opening experience. Looking at 20+ resumes in less than 24 hours from one job posting has given me a real insight into a successful reply for an opportunity.

After an afternoon of interviewing editors for a "phase one" video, these are my observations for what a great reply looks like (perhaps for any opportunity).

1. Personalize the reply. Briefly make a case about why you want to work on the job, be in the show, or why this opportunity resonates with you.

2. Describe the job skills you have that fit the job.

3. Respond immediately. Don't wait. There may be so many other applicants for the opportunity that the requestor may stop looking.

4. If a phone number is included in the opportunity, call immediately.

5. If the email is included, email immediately.

6. If the phone and email are included, do both. It shows you are really interested.

7. Include links to previous projects, artwork, or other information that is relevant. An online presence including a website is essential. Include multiple links if you want, but if you don't include this information right from the beginning your introduction seems incomplete.

8. Include your resume either in the email or as an attachment (even if they didn't ask for it).

9. Include your email address and phone number in the body or signature of the email. Yes, I know the email is at the top, but if a person is overwhelmed by the responses, it is very hard to keep track of everything. By including your email and phone number, it will be easy to contact you during the decision-making process.

Harriete Estel Berman

P.S. This is a super amazing antique pencil I found. The top has an enamel clip that says," Use the Atherton Coaster Brake for Bicycles." Pencils have a lot to say.

This post was updated on March 12, 2022.

Wearing Rhinoceros Hide is the New Black

If you read the previous post on ASK Harriete, you know that I was working on making a video titled, Pencils Make a Point.

A KICKSTARTER project was launched to raise the $10,000 needed to cover the video production expenses. I already had 10 hours of raw video footage, and only need 5 hours more, to prepare for the editing, color correction, custom music, and seemingly endless other technical details.  Making a video is a gigantic amount of work and a whole new skill set.

This KICKSTARTER project is very scary.  All or nothing is the structure on KICKSTARTER. If the funding goal is not reached no money changes hands and the pledges are never called.  I need some thick Rhino skin to withstand the tension.

25 days left to raise the money for the video!  In the meantime, each day (if I can) I will share professional obstacles, issues, and observations about 1) producing a video and 2) working with KICKSTARTER.

Recommendation to All Artists and Makers:
KICKSTARTER is not for the thin-skinned or faint of heart. Wearing rhinoceros hide is definitely the new black!

Harriete

This post was updated on  February 27, 2023

What Will Happen Depends on You

My KICKSTARTER Project is LIVE and your help can make a difference!!!

Yes, your help can advocate for arts in education at any time.

This KICKSTARTER project was perhaps the most uncertain thing that I have ever done, but crowdsource funding is dependent on everyone helping a little to bring a big project to fruition. In this case, I was asking the arts community to support the making of a video.

The video Pencils Make a Point is about the impact of standardized testing on education and raises a voice for the arts in education.

Every contribution to this KICKSTARTER project will receive a reward. There were 11 different REWARDS for various levels from $10 to $2,500.

The goal was to raise $10,000 to cover the production of the 8-10 minute video. 

I also created more personal Rewards for larger contributions.  Descriptions of the rewards are also on KICKSTARTER.

If the $10,000 goal is not achieved on KICKSTARTER, no one is charged for their contribution. I also don't get any of the money. Poof! The project disappears. There were 26 days to bring this project to the goal.

During the 30 day campaign on KICKSTARTER, I learned more through the experience of making a documentary video, working with online sites, and tips you can use yourself in professional development for your own work.

All of the donations go to funding the expenses. Producing a professional quality video such as camera operators, audio recording, video footage, editing, and music. Video is a very expensive medium usually costing $3,000 to $5,000 per minute. It is a team effort. No wonder Hollywood budgets are so huge!.

If you are interested in more information about the four-year project in creating the installation Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin, the documentation is available on my website.
We're getting great support!!!!!!!!!.......

So far the project has had great success with a two-page article in American Craft and a grant for $5,000 from Applied Materials Foundation for the Arts Council of Silicon Valley. (More information about this in another post.)

Please become part of the success with your donation.

For twelve years I have shared my "lessons learned through experience" in the Professional Guidelines, the Professional Development Seminar, and ASK Harriete. My goal is to help others succeed in their professional careers bringing their work to a larger audience.

Can I ask for your help to give a voice to arts in education?

Harriete

This post was update February 27, 2023 

Art Documentaries Beyond Average, Be Inspired

I'm documenting a major new work using video . . . and hope to complete the making of a short video documentary during the coming year.  More on this later.

I am also taking a class on making Documentary Videos.  My mid-term exam is tomorrow. 

With full submersion into documentary video, I have watched quite a variety recently, and have gained new insight into the difficulty and demands of this medium.

Here are two suggestions for inspiring and insightful videos about the arts.

Pina
This film may still be at your local art-house film theater as it was nominated for an Academy Award. See it on the big screen in 3D. Go to be inspired by one person's vision of artistic expression captured in an extraordinary dance documentary directed by Wim Wenders. If you love modern dance, you'll like it even more. Be prepared for seeing something you have never seen before far beyond average or predictable.   I could watch this film again years later. It is one of the most memorable documentaries I have every watched.   

Herb and Dorothy
This unassuming film proves you don't have to have big bucks to support the arts. A postal clerk and a librarian, devoted to the arts and to one another, acquire art from emerging artists before they become famous.  Piece by piece, year after year, they assemble a world-class contemporary art collection that overflows their small rent-controlled apartment.  Eventually, the collection outgrows their modest home, and they share their collection across America. They gave their collection away even though it was worth millions because the value of their art collection was not about money. They did not want to sell their soul.

Much to my surprise, the film was funded through KICKSTARTER.

Both of these films show that art can be about inspiration, insight, sincerity, and soul.

Harriete

This post was updated on February 27,2023 to provide current links.