ARTiculate: The Artists' Speaker's Bureau

The Speaker's Bureau for the Business of Art

You can host high caliber, OVAC-certified speakers who will share first-hand their expertise in areas of sales, marketing, business and other art-related topics.

ARTiculate speakers are happy to tailor their presentations to suit the needs of your audience. In many cases, speaking fees are negotiable. Mileage fees and room/board may apply for speaking engagements that require travel.

Need more information? Need help choosing the right speaker for your audience? Ready to book a speaker for your group? Please contact OVAC at 405-879-2400 or publications@ovac-ok.org.

Click the workshop titles for more details.

How To Be Amazing Online
Speaker: Patrick Allmond
Length: 1, 2 or 4 hours
This workshop will show you several different ways to use internet tools and social media to promote your artistic passion and artwork.

Tax Tips for Small Business and Self Employed
Speaker: Larry K Anderson, CPA
Length: 1 to 2 hours
Tax and record keeping information for small business owners and self-employed.

Impressionist Oil Painter Shares Her Work
Speaker: Margaret Aycock
Length: 45 mins - 1.5 hours
Margaret Aycock has been painting for over 30 years. She will share her Impressionist oil paintings with your group and is prepared to do a painting demonstration.

Selling Your Art Online
Speaker: Margaret Aycock
Length: 1 to 2 hours
“After having 6 paintings stolen by an east coast gallery 11 years ago, I decided to bring all of my work home and open an online gallery. For me, it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” Margaret can give your audience some guidance on setting up their own online gallery on ebay, etsy and more. If done in a classroom setting with computers, Margaret can help you set up your gallery and be up and running within an hour.

Nature Photography with Kim Baker
Title: Kim Baker
Length: 1 hour
Join Oklahoma nature photographer Kim Baker’s workshop as she presents a photographic tour of the rich and diverse landscape of Oklahoma with an in-depth analysis of locations and techniques.

Techniques for Writing an Effective Artist’s Statement
Speaker: David Holland
Length: 1 or 2 hours
Getting started writing your artist statement is the most important step. This workshop will teach methods for developing your statement or improving an existing one. Also includes explanation of how different statements are needed for different purposes and what a good one can do for you.

Making Your Portfolio Work For You
Speaker: David Holland
Length: 1, 2 or 4 hours
This workshop will teach what goes in an artist’s portfolio as well as the different types of portfolios, such as physical or digital and what you need in each. Also learn how making a good portfolio can benefit you as an artist.

Artistic Pumpkin Carving for Fun and Profit
Speaker: David Holland
Length: 1.5 hours for a talk with demonstration or 3 hours for hands on carving workshop
Steps for carving a pumpkin including picking out a pumpkin, preparing it for carving, scooping and carving tools and how to use them, making and applying patterns, carving, prolonging the life of the pumpkin and lighting options. Also includes tips for promoting your skills for profitable carving. For $10 per participant, speaker will provide ready-to-carve pumpkins. For audiences 18 years or older.

Business of Art 101
Speaker: Julia Kirt or Kelsey Karper
Length: Varies
This workshop can be structured to suit the needs of your audience and can be focused to address various areas of the business of art. Focus topics include finding opportunities as an artist, marketing, portfolio development, etc.

OVAC: Helping Artists Thrive in Oklahoma
Speaker: Julia Kirt or Kelsey Karper
Length: Varies
An introduction to OVAC’s programs and services for artists, including grants, exhibition opportunities, skill-building workshops, resources and more.

Critiquing Art Using the Critical Response Method
Speaker: Stephen Kovash
Length: Varies from 1.5 to 3 hours
The purpose of the Critical Response process is to create a critical dialogue between an artist and responders that is non-threatening and positive. Nothing is set in stone. This is a working method that can be adapted to fit needs as they arise.

Creative Block Busters
Speaker: Romney Nesbitt
Length: 45 min to 1 hour. Can be lengthened.
Take charge of your creative life by mastering your thinking. In this workshop you’ll identify negative thinking patterns that derail your productivity, discover your best time of day to create, learn how to use your intuition in decision making and master skills to remove mental distractions in 60 seconds.

The Four C’s of the Creative Life: Clarity, Critique, Creativity and Confidence
Speaker: Romney Nesbitt
Length: 2 hours
Your creative work matters enough for you to make the time to work. Negative self-talk, fear, and doubt will derail your creativity and productivity. Learn to take control over the anti-creating forces in your life such as procrastination and perfectionism and discover your most powerfully productive times during the day to work.

Six Steps to Overcome Procrastination and Perfectionism
Speaker: Romney Nesbitt
Length: 30-45 minutes. Can be lengthened.
Procrastination and perfectionism are the two thieves of your time and energy. Daily life is full of interruptions, distractions and limited time. Learn how to create “in the middle of things” by following six easy steps.

Say “No” to Others and Say “Yes” to your Dreams
Speaker: Romney Nesbitt
Length: 1 hour
Do you spend time fulfilling urgent requests from others rather than working systematically toward your own goals? You may have a problem saying “no.” Without a goal and a plan to make that goal a reality, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Learn the 8 questions to ask yourself before you agree to request for your time.

Artist Marketing Boot Camp
Speaker: Adrienne Nobles
Length: Varies
This workshop can be tailored to the needs or your audience to be a basic presentation on press releases and media relations and/or marketing and branding oneself as an artist, to a more in-depth “boot camp” where participants will get their feet wet writing a press release or a brand positioning statement and run through mock interview scenarios throughout the workshop.

Creating Successful Artist Proposals
Speaker: Liz Roth
Length: 1 to 3 hours
Opportunities abound for artists who can describe their artistic ideas, and pitch them effectively to the right audience. Speaking and writing about your work with confidence can provide you with exhibition opportunities, and financial assistance in the form of grants and other contributions. Liz Roth will explain and demonstrate the talking and writing techniques necessary for you to present your ideas with self-assurance and clarity.

Create Your Work in an Inspiring Place: All About Artist Residencies
Speaker: Liz Roth
Length: 1 to 3 hours
Artist Residencies are opportunities for artists to create work in a different environment from two weeks to one year. They range from sophisticated multimedia labs to shacks in national parks to international collaborative opportunities. They exist all around the United States and internationally, and await your application. Many of them are free, and all are invigorating. Liz Roth has been awarded six residencies both in the United States and Japan, and will explain what residencies are, how to find them, and how to create a winning application for them.

Oklahoma Art in Public Places
Speaker: Debby Williams
Length: Varies
This workshop will give a brief overview of the Oklahoma Art in Public Places program and how Oklahoma artists can participate in public art projects. It can be tailored to meet specific needs of the audience, such as a workshop for a community or town would focus on how to create a public art program there.

Taking the Leap: My Journey So Far
Speaker: Eric Wright
Length: 20 to 45 minutes
This is a short talk about my journey as an artist who walked away from a good paying job to pursue a passion of fine art.

Would you like to be an ARTiculate speaker?
OVAC will accept applications for the ARTiculate Speaker’s Bureau once per year. Potential speakers are required to give a 10 minute introductory presentation to a selection committee for certification. The next application deadline will be in spring 2011.