It’s not easy making art for a living, but three self-taught creators in Somerville share their stories April 21 about how they bootstrapped their way to a breakthrough.
The free “Starting From Scratch: Self-Taught Artists Share Their Secrets” event features a panel discussion with talks by each artist, a Q&A and refreshments. Painter Liv Cappello moderates and serves as panelist with jewelry maker Hiroshi Minato and glitch media artist Allison Tanenhaus.
“None have formal art education, but have learned how to successfully navigate the art world,” event materials say, encouraging especially attendees who are relatively new to creating art and interested in showcasing work beyond their immediate circle.
Minato makes men’s contemporary aluminum jewelry sold through local retailers, including at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton and deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln. Some of his first pieces caught the eye of a professional who encouraged his official debut in 2014, he said.
Tanenhaus specializes in immersive op art and anachronistic tech mashups. Her work has been showcased in 26 countries in public art, galleries, dance parties, music videos, performances and guerrilla street art. Highlights include Boston Cyberarts, SaveArtSpace and her traveling shows “GlitchKraft” and “Haus Party,” according to event materials.
Cappello is a self-taught oil painter and silkscreen printmaker whose work draws from family photos and neighborhood scenes. “Starting From Scratch” is not the only way she’s sharing her experience in the arts: She’s also the entrepreneur behind Gesso, a subscription platform launching in May to handle the business of being an artist and supply a turnkey website solution to show a portfolio.
(Photo: Liv Cappello via social media)
The software, which has a free tier, has a spreadsheet system, calendar with reminders, contacts list, invoicing and expense tracker, analytics, a résumé and even an “inspiration library” for artists. “The work beneath the work – inventory, sales, portfolio updates, collector notes, commissions, open studio prep – was taking too much time away from actually painting,” Cappello said. Gesso, which costs $14 to $29 a month, is “designed so you can spend less time on admin and more time in the studio.”
The panelists are recent recipients of the Somerville Arts Council’s Visual Art Fellowship. The program is supported in part by the council.
“Starting From Scratch: Self-Taught Artists Share Their Secrets” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 21 at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but RSVPs are encouraged.
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