Working

Artists
Network

“Woman with Opium Poppy” by Sam Roloff

MEMBERSHIP.registration

Access to:
Professional Development Training
designed for artists and creative
pros (some FREE, some discounted)
Microloan programs through our
strategic partners

Discounts on:
Professional Services
Office & Art Supplies
Health Care Programs, including
Alternative Health Care
Industry & Business Books
and more...
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NOTES

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Welcome to the Working Artists Network [WAN]
Thank you for choosing to join with the only association of independent artists
in Portland. Please take a few moments to read through this membership guide
to learn how you can maximize your membership. The main purpose of WAN
is to build community and meet the needs of our members so if you've got
questions, suggestions, concerns, ideas for workshops or events, please let us
know by email wan@workingartistsonline.com. “Heron Moon” painting by
Rebecca L. Shapiro

Who is WAN?
The Working Artists Network are artists - aspiring, emerging, mid-career, ma-
ture career - in the fine arts in the greater Portland metro area. Visual artists,
choreographers, playwrights, singer/songwriters, indie musicians, art photog-
raphers, filmmakers, sound artists, fashion designers, craftspeople - anyone who
creates their own original art in their art form and intends to derive income
from that art.

WAN is designed to foster camaraderie and support for this diverse group
through networking opportunities, business development events and workshops.
We also work to educate the community in appreciation and use of the arts in
their daily lives - at work, play, in community and in our personal lives. “Glow” painting by
Rebecca L. Shapiro
WAN also has a special partnership with several local and national organiza-
tions who serve indie business owners like artists and creatives. Among those
partners are the Self-Employed Creative Professionals [SECP], whose members
are the strategic planners, writers, photographers and designers who create ad-
vertising and marketing buzz, plan and design websites, and develop content
and images for effective communications. Other partners include the Software
Association of Oregon, Fractured Atlas out of New York, and MercyCorps NW.

WAN and our partners co-sponsor events and classes designed to forward any
artists or creative independent's business, as well as continuously working for
discounts and special deals for both organizations' members.

What WAN Does

WAN has a three-part mission.
One: to provide a Safety Net for Artists and thier familes. This includes the
areas of health care, jobs and housing;

Two: to provide tools and resources to develop a solid foundation for the
artist-entrepreneur. This includes business training, financial planning,
opprotnites for collaboration and partnership in the community; and

Three: Make members' work more visible to the Portland-metro commu-

nity to increase the attendance at events and enable sales (artwork, tickets,
CD's, clothing, etc.).
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 What WAN Offers
WAN's events revolve around topics such as business building, raising aware-
ness and making sales, creating passive income, using the internet powerfull yot
promote and sell your work, and more. These events are open to anyone. There
are two monthly e-newsletters with news on events, workshops, calls for art/
submissions/auditions, tips and art industry news.

Members have access to select individuals in related professions specializing in

law, business planning, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and other key areas. WAN
maintains a directory of members describing services offered, links to Websites,
and email. We're dedicated to ongoing marketing and PR strategies to make
WAN members even more visible to the business community in Portland and
“Pamela Slass” painting by
Sam Roloff beyond. Additionally, WAN [in conjunction with SECP] has an annual
tradeshow and periodic workshops covering topics ranging from business prac-
tices to new ways to take advantage of technology.

WAN Fast Facts

Working Artists LLC, the mother company of WAN, was founded in 2005
with the simple idea of creating a social entrepreneurial arts organization to
promote creative collaboration, to operate with indie business principles and
practices, and to do both with an eye to contributing to our communities while
improving our ability to create a sustainable living from our art forms.

Working Artists Studios house 12 artists in a variety of disciplines, and the

Working Artists Gallery exhibits work of studio tenants, WAN members, Port-
land-area artists, and an occasional out-of-towner's work, on a rotating basis.

In 2007, Working Artists was part of the group of artists and arts organizations
that lobbied in Salem in 2007 to encourage the passage of the C.H.A.M.P.S.
bills, a $10.9 million re-investment in the arts, film and culture in Oregon. The
bills were signed by Governor Kulongoski and passed by the Oregon legisla-
ture, giving the arts and culture programming in Oregon its first significant
public investment in over 20 years!

WAN was launched in late 2007 with the intention of building both a safety
net, and a launch pad, for artists committed to creating a sustainable living
from their art. It's a new endeavor for artists in the Portland area, so it's a "learn
as you go and grow" philosophy.

WAN's monthly email newsletters

WAN's newsletters, "Art Matters" and "Guerilla Exhibitor Insights" are avail-
able free to anyone who subscribes to them.

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"Art Matters" is geared toward the community at large, and contains articles on
upcoming exhibits, classes offered by working artists throughout the commu-
nity, columns on collecting art.

"Guerilla Exhibitor Insights" focuses on the working artists and contains ar-
ticles on business building, marketing and sales, resources, classes, calls/audi-
tions/submissions, and more relation to the business of being an artist.

WAN members are encouraged to submit article ideas, event news, etc. to both
publications.

WAN monthly events

WAN & SECP monthly events are only $10 for our members. Nonmembers
pay $25 to attend an event.

Email opportunity alerts.

Occasionally, WAN gets time-sensitive opportunities. We immediately send
these alerts out to our members so they can respond as quickly as possible.

Business service support

WAN has rounded up some of the best business consultants who specialize in
working with indie artists and self-employed creatives. Each has offered to work
with our members at a discount or with expanded services. To read more, visit
http://workingartistsonline.com/wan.

Strategic Business Support Workshops

Quarterly workshops by our business support providers. Our team of preferred
providers have agreed to do special quarterly workshops just for our members
to get their businesses on track and to keep them growing. These quarterly
events are free to WAN members, and $125 for non-members..

Expanded group visibility.

WAN is committed to raising the visibility and promoting its members to the
private and business communities through strategic public relations, and vari-
ous awareness raising campaigns.

Event discounts
Members receive various discounts on special workshops, seminars, and busi-
ness building events produced by WAN, SECP and our strategic partners.

“Okinawa” assemblage by
Adrienne Fritze
[photo courtesy Richard L.
Young photography]
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 Discounts at local and national merchants. Through our efforts and those of
our strategic partners, we continue to work to find great discounts on all kinds
of products and services artists need in their art making and business manage-
ment. Discounts can be as dramatic as 70% off office supplies to a 50% dis-
count on office furniture!

Some examples:
~ Office Depot (up to 70% off supplies!)
~ Art Media (Frequent Buyer program and Teaching Artists Discounts)
~ Enterprise Rent-a-Car (10% off any regular car rental)
~ Allworth Press (15% off online book purchases)

Insurance - Assistance in Understanding Health Insurance in Oregon, and Com-

mercial Policies Available through our Strategic Partners. Health care insur-
“Back Doors to Winchester
Cathedral” photograph by ance. Obtaining it and paying for it is a critical challenge for many in the arts
Adrienne Fritze
community. We are working with our partner companies to find a way through
the health care maze in Oregon, and hope to one day be able to offer group
options for our members. In the meantime we've developed an eBook on un-
derstanding the insurance options in Oregon, with some tools to help you iden-
tify affordable health insurance options for your individual situation. We've
found this to be the hardest nut to crack, and welcome any questions or con-
cerns you may have re: health care insurance options.

Liability insurance. WAN Members have access to reasonable rates for annual
general liability insurance for performing arts companies, studio rental liability
insurance for visual artists, event liability insurance (a requirement for many
artistic events), film & equipment liability insurance (for small, independent
film shoots), public art liability insurance (covering both fabrication and instal-
lation, as well as providing coverage for the artwork itself ), annual teaching
artist liability insurance, director's and officer's insurance (which can also in-
clude employment practices insurance), and worker's comp insurance.

Advocacy & lobbying for indie artists and self-employed creative issues. Con-
sistent representation on a City and State level. WAN promotes the advance-
ment of the importance of the arts and creative services for the future economic
health of Oregon. WAN is dedicated to promoting the arts and independent
creative industries to state and local policy makers as well as universities and
colleges related to that industry.

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Maximize your Membership
Membership in WAN is valuable. You can make it even more valuable by
taking a few steps to maximize whatever membership level you choose. Here
are some ideas:

Submit articles to the newsletters:

This will help your name in front of readers and other members. It will get
you noticed. By establishing yourself as a go-to person in your field, you
develop credibility and help others gain confidence in you to give referrals.

Identify Topics Importnat to Growing Your Arts Business:

Attending the events is a great way to build your network. Each month, there
is an opportunity to connect with your peers and collaboration partners.
Establish friendships, swap stories and tips, or just mingle.

Download your free bonus:

Top Ten Tips from Our Preferred Provider Network. Even if you're a basic
member, you can make use of these incredible tips from our hand-picked
preferred providers.

Email Newsletters
Our email newsletters are free for everyone, filled with coming attractions,
events around town, member news, tips, opportunities and leads. There are
links to help you connect for more information or if you've got a question or
suggestion. WAN is for its members so get involved and let us know what
you want.

Events, Seminars & Workshops

Stay connected and up-to-date with programs designed to help your business
thrive while your creativity soars.

WAN/SECP Special Events

Annual Tradeshow & Biz Jam
October 2008. This event takes SECP's traditional annual tradeshow and
expands it to include members of WAN, to share what we do, plus find new
ways to build our businesses. As we develop the programming and activities
we'll keep you posted.

“Under the Street Lamp”

pencil by Adrienne Fritze
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 Guerilla Exhibitor Business Program

This course was developed

for folks who are naturally
“Autumn” painting by prone to doing, who have a
Rebecca L. Shapiro
highly developed creative
nature, and who are ready
to move beyond the mental
and emotional barriers that
can severely hinder any
forward motion in pursuing
a creative profession. Learn
to plan and grow your
business. This program is
presented to WAN mem-
bers with a $95 discount.

Confidence The course for

Artists and
Portland Oregon 97209 | 503.349.6075

"I love the way this

2211 NW Front Avenue Suite 302-G

http://www.workingartistsonline.com

Creative Pros
WORKING ARTISTS LLC

workshop stimulates,
clarifies and motivates. It
isn't a 'how-to' workshop who mean business
that spoon feeds informa- A professional development program offered
tion to the participants. It by Working Artists LLC, an arts & creativity
creates a framework that incubator headquartered in Portland Oregon.
enables an artist to find
the information they need,
find within themselves the
confidence to move
forward, and a support
system that creates
accountability. "
WORKING ARTISTS LLC
CONTACT Leslie Peterson, Artist

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 Date:
Registration Form
Your Name:

Address:
PAYMENT OPTIONS City, State ZIP
$55 Quarterly1 e-mail: phone:
2
$189 Annual
website:
By signing this form to
the right, you are agree- Your Signature
ing to participate in this
membership program for
“Water” painting by
12 months from the date Your art or creative profession: Rebecca L. Shapiro
of your application's ap-
proval. You further agree
that if you are choosing
to pay for your annual
membership on a quar- Retailers, Companies, Organizations from which you'd like to receive discounts
terly basis that you will (please keep the list to those entities that primarily serve your business needs)
make your payments by
the due dates as deter-
mined below.
1
Quarterly payments are
due on the same day as
the date on the applica-
tion form, in three month
increments. For example,
if the Application Form is
dated 11/15/2007, then
your due dates for the
next 3 payments are Other programs you'd like to see offered:
02/15/08, 05/15/08 and
08/15/08.
2
When you pay a full year
in advance, you receive a
$31 discount versus
making quraterly pay-
ments.

PLEASE NOTE
This order form is for
payments made by check,
cash, money order, or Other information you'd like to share/comments:
cashier check only. We
take credit card and
PayPal payments on our
website.To register online
go to http://
www.workingartists
online.com/wan.html