Artelier Studios by the Paint Spot - 2018. Duties: marketing, data analysis, inventory, break-even analysis, community engagement.
Whyte Avenue Art Walk - 2017-2022 - Event Manager, Volunteers. Responsibilities: Recruitment, engagement, management, relationship-building and communication with volunteer base; Old Strathcona business engagement. Accomplishments: Increased volunteer base by 20% from 2017 to 2018, and a further 40% in 2019. Helped reconfigure the event to suit pandemic conditions during 2020/2021 seasons, and was a key figure in its relaunch for 2022.
Art Walk is a 3-day event in July that features more than 400 artists working, displaying and selling visual art. The event encompasses an 8-block section of Whyte Ave., three side streets and a park in Old Strathcona. 2022 is its 27th year.
MacEwan University research project - 2018. Grant writing and research. Accomplishments: Wrote and received three highly competitive grants to complete research field study in Iceland. Grants: (USRI) Undergrad Student Research Initiative, $2,000; Study Abroad Award, $1,000; (SURF) Student Undergrad Research Fund, $1,000. Received a grade of 100% on the research paper and will disseminate findings in the future.
City of St. Albert Cultural Services - 2017/2018. Audience Development: With a team of three, analysis of current departmental practices, recommendations to future audience retention and development. Major Findings: Cultural Services is a well organized and proactive organization. Its shortcomings in regards to engaging new audiences centers on effectively communicating with ages 18-40 and the amount of staff time required to effectively engage with social media. Recommendations focused on an app that encompassed each of its audience delivery departments.
Bent River Records - 2016/2018 - Research Assistant. Functions: Research and data collection, media relations, event management, front of house coordination, artist support, and inventory control. Successes: As a small team of students and staff mentors, we launched the label at an April 6, 2017 event with great success. Through 2017 and into 2018, we continued to develop the brand, organized and curated a province-wide songwriting competition and successfully organized a second annual event at the new arts campus.
Bent River Records is a recording label that functions under the auspices of MacEwan University. Bent River is an inter-faculty, staff and student collaboration.
Art Canada 150 Project - 2017/2018 - Manager. Successes: Connected with several artists from across Canada and encouraged them to participate in depicting each of the regions in Canada, using their chosen visual medium. Built and maintained website to showcase the works, managed FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Over the course of a year, the site amassed 90 separate works of art by 10 artists.
My primary objective with Art Canada 150 was to encourage viewers and artists alike, to appreciate and discover the beauty of Canada, and to embrace both, our regional differences and commonalities in a period of socially and political tensions. The artcanada150.ca domain expired in January 2018 - the FaceBook group is still accessible at: https://www.facebook.com/Art-Canada-150-Project-416235282053861/
Above image is Nunavut © Terry Smith 2017
LitFest 2017. Audience & Resource Development Plan. With a team of five, attended select events and live-surveyed participants, followed by data analysis and recommendations. Major Findings: Rather than one major gap, there were small gaps identified in the areas of demographic and genre. Recommendations were tailored to address the gaps. The major obstacle for LitFest is staff resources.
Wild Oats 'N Notes Music Festival - 2016. Grain Room (hospitality) volunteer coordinator. Responsibilities: Recruit, manage and schedule volunteers who would deliver safe and timely food service, clearly communicate job descriptions and responsibilities, respond to special requests and dietary needs, ensure cleanliness and ambience to ensure the musical acts feel welcome and cared for. Art installation by Amy Sallenbach. Successes: The Grain Room was a welcoming and safe respite for musicians and organizers, volunteers were responsive and responsible, and in a the tricky environment of a quonset, food service was safe.
St. John's Farmers' Market - 2010/2011. Market Manager. Responsibilities: Efficiently operate the weekly event between the first weekend in June, through to mid-December; communications between seasons; attend board meetings; marketing; schedule a a roster of crowd favourite vendors and with a long wait list of hopeful vendors, rotate fairly; weekly set-up and tear-down; volunteer management and recruitment; replentish supplies; extensive liaison with Service NL regarding food safety; maintain strong relationship with vendors and patrons; organize special events; and banking. Successes: Effectively accomplished all objectives.
Break the Cycle, Across Canada Cycle for the Awareness of Child Sexual Abuse - 1991/1992. Successes: Registered as a non-profit and recruited effective board members; Developed relationships and alliances with federal penitentiaries across Canada, Indigenous groups, political figures, Kiwanis Canada, community groups and sexual assault centres; developed and implemented a marketing and media relations plan; helped engage the business community by soliciting donations required for the tour, including two support vehicles, motels, food and marketing materials; cycled 8,300 km from May 14, 1992 - Sept. 11, 1992; attended events and spoke daily, engaged with media daily. The most important accomplishment of the awareness campaign was the awareness itself and if there is a legacy, it is that this continues to grow.
Whyte Avenue Art Walk 2021 - In a pandemic reality, our team of four successfully transformed Art Walk from a 450-artist, one-weekend outdoor festival, to eight Covid-safe weekends of indoor art, hosting an average of 50 artists per weekend. I designed all marketing materials, including window displays.
