A reminder that the One Of A Kind Spring Show returns to Toronto on Wednesday 30 March and runs to Sunday 3 April.
The Toronto show is the only spring show on the OOAK calendar, so be sure to check it out and support our wonderful Aura Collective artists.
One Of A Kind Spring Show - Toronto
Wednesday, 30 March - Sunday, 3 April
Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place
100 Princes' Blvd., Toronto ON M6K 3C3 Canada
Tickets: $12 at the door
Friday, March 4, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Store Plug: "Whatever Lola Wants" in Toronto
Every once in a while, I stumble into an "artist-related" store and admire the place. Yesterday, I met Kimberley Price in a little shop on Bayview Avenue in Toronto called "Whatever Lola Wants (WLW)". Kim was working in the shop at the time, and she gave me some merch for Aura Collective.
From the outside, I found it hard to grasp what the shop sells because the sign says simply "WLW". As it turns out, the store carries mostly Canadian made jewellery, accessories, and quirky bits geared to the female market. There is a nice window display that changes often, but some information on the sign would be helpful to the passer-by. But I digress.
Rhonda, the shop's owner, is a lovely woman who has been hard at it for over 2 years now with WLW. It is never easy opening a stand alone store, and downright impossible to make a go of it selling Canadian art and craft. But Rhonda's determination and keen eye for interesting pieces and new artists is paying dividends.
The store carries artists such as Amber Higgins (beautiful glass heart necklaces), Kim Price (gorgeous fine beaded jewellery), dconstruct (eco-resin jewellery), Matteo Mio (leather handbags at sensational prices), and Alicia Niles (glass jewelley) - to mention a few. My wife picked up a great leather baggage tag, and a provocatively funny birthday card during our short visit. But I will be back soon.
Long story short, you should drop in to WLW (1625 Bayview, 647-350-1833) next time you're in the area . You won't be disappointed. Good on ya, Rhonda!
From the outside, I found it hard to grasp what the shop sells because the sign says simply "WLW". As it turns out, the store carries mostly Canadian made jewellery, accessories, and quirky bits geared to the female market. There is a nice window display that changes often, but some information on the sign would be helpful to the passer-by. But I digress.
Rhonda, the shop's owner, is a lovely woman who has been hard at it for over 2 years now with WLW. It is never easy opening a stand alone store, and downright impossible to make a go of it selling Canadian art and craft. But Rhonda's determination and keen eye for interesting pieces and new artists is paying dividends.
The store carries artists such as Amber Higgins (beautiful glass heart necklaces), Kim Price (gorgeous fine beaded jewellery), dconstruct (eco-resin jewellery), Matteo Mio (leather handbags at sensational prices), and Alicia Niles (glass jewelley) - to mention a few. My wife picked up a great leather baggage tag, and a provocatively funny birthday card during our short visit. But I will be back soon.
Long story short, you should drop in to WLW (1625 Bayview, 647-350-1833) next time you're in the area . You won't be disappointed. Good on ya, Rhonda!
UPDATE: Rhonda has launched a new website for the store for Whatever Lola Wants (WLW) called wlwonbayview.com.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
VIP Art Fair - Disaster Strikes!
A good idea that many of us were keen to see in action has fallen flat in its debut today.
The VIP (Viewing In Private) Art Fair is an exclusive international art fair conducted entirely online during the week of January 22-30, 2011. Today was day one. As the website states:
"An unprecedented event, VIP Art Fair gives contemporary art collectors access to artworks by critically acclaimed artists and the ability to connect one-on-one with internationally renowned dealers—from anywhere in the world and without leaving home."
The event has attracted significant media interest, including publications like BusinessWeek and the Economist. According to the Economist, 138 galleries from 30 countries had signed up to display and sell works to registered users and collectors.
While a very interesting concept to those of us who sell art online, the website had its share of troubles on day one. Technical issues plagued the first day due to excessive website hits, with errors encountered every time a gallery or artwork is selected for view. The technical issues appear to have been resolved at the end of day one. When the event lasts only a week, and there is only one chance to impress your audience, a lost first day is a major annoyance for organizers and the public.
According to the website, the VIP Art Fair heralds a new online approach to marketing artwork:
"VIP Art Fair’s innovative technology presents artworks in relation to other works of art and in relative scale to the human figure. Inquisitive visitors can zoom in to examine details of a painting’s surface, get multiple views of a three-dimensional work, and watch videos of a multimedia piece. Galleries will provide comprehensive details on artworks and artists, including biographies, catalogue essays, artist films and interviews, and in-depth information that will empower collectors"
As someone who has developed an art-based website devoted to the public, execution is everything. Aura Collective does not yet display or sell wall art (paintings, murals, fabrics, etc) because showcasing the pieces online in an effective way is difficult and expensive. We were (and are) very keen to see the technology in action here.
As for the technical issues, you test, test, and test again before going live. It is surprising that excessive website hits would crash a website devoted to a global audience. Perhaps the organizers were pushed on their timelines and rushed the execution, only time will tell. It is easy to sympathize with the organizers (gallery owners apparently), who perhaps miscalculated the complexity of going live in such a public way.
Great idea, poor execution. One has to wonder how much was invested in this venture.
It is disappointing to see the site face troubles on the first day, because it gives ammunition to the cynics who say art cannot (or should not) be sold over the internet. It will be interesting to hear of the success or otherwise of the participating galleries. Fingers crossed the Fair achieves success across all metrics.
Despite the troubles of the VIP Art Fair, the concept is sensational even if the execution is underwhelming. I look forward to seeing this and other events bring art to the global masses via the online channel.
Is there such a thing as bad publicity? Maybe not.
The VIP (Viewing In Private) Art Fair is an exclusive international art fair conducted entirely online during the week of January 22-30, 2011. Today was day one. As the website states:
"An unprecedented event, VIP Art Fair gives contemporary art collectors access to artworks by critically acclaimed artists and the ability to connect one-on-one with internationally renowned dealers—from anywhere in the world and without leaving home."
The event has attracted significant media interest, including publications like BusinessWeek and the Economist. According to the Economist, 138 galleries from 30 countries had signed up to display and sell works to registered users and collectors.
While a very interesting concept to those of us who sell art online, the website had its share of troubles on day one. Technical issues plagued the first day due to excessive website hits, with errors encountered every time a gallery or artwork is selected for view. The technical issues appear to have been resolved at the end of day one. When the event lasts only a week, and there is only one chance to impress your audience, a lost first day is a major annoyance for organizers and the public.
According to the website, the VIP Art Fair heralds a new online approach to marketing artwork:
"VIP Art Fair’s innovative technology presents artworks in relation to other works of art and in relative scale to the human figure. Inquisitive visitors can zoom in to examine details of a painting’s surface, get multiple views of a three-dimensional work, and watch videos of a multimedia piece. Galleries will provide comprehensive details on artworks and artists, including biographies, catalogue essays, artist films and interviews, and in-depth information that will empower collectors"
As someone who has developed an art-based website devoted to the public, execution is everything. Aura Collective does not yet display or sell wall art (paintings, murals, fabrics, etc) because showcasing the pieces online in an effective way is difficult and expensive. We were (and are) very keen to see the technology in action here.
As for the technical issues, you test, test, and test again before going live. It is surprising that excessive website hits would crash a website devoted to a global audience. Perhaps the organizers were pushed on their timelines and rushed the execution, only time will tell. It is easy to sympathize with the organizers (gallery owners apparently), who perhaps miscalculated the complexity of going live in such a public way.
Great idea, poor execution. One has to wonder how much was invested in this venture.
It is disappointing to see the site face troubles on the first day, because it gives ammunition to the cynics who say art cannot (or should not) be sold over the internet. It will be interesting to hear of the success or otherwise of the participating galleries. Fingers crossed the Fair achieves success across all metrics.
Despite the troubles of the VIP Art Fair, the concept is sensational even if the execution is underwhelming. I look forward to seeing this and other events bring art to the global masses via the online channel.
Is there such a thing as bad publicity? Maybe not.
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