June 25th: The Business of Fine Art
When: Wednesday, June 25th, 7:30pm
Where: Boston Cyberarts Gallery, 141 Green St., Jamaica Plain, MA
Moderator: Howard Yezerski
Panelists: Margo Chevers, Stacey Friends, Ray Graber
Free event
RSVP to info@atne.org. Space is limited.
It’s no secret that the arts are not a bastion of business acumen. That is precisely why business must be the first order of the day. In order to survive and thrive in the fine arts, a market-driven environment, we need an understanding of market forces and how to work with them, not against them. This panel of art and business experts spans a gamut of key disciplines: art dealership, goal-setting, time management, marketing, and law. Join us in a discussion of:
- promotion and sale of artwork
- communicating with the media
- how to set goals and meet them
- legal considerations
- establishing a reputation
Moderator
Howard Yezerski has been a gallery owner since 1968 with the opening of his first space in Andover, MA. With an understanding of the shifting industry, he relocated to Boston in 1988 and has been operating from the South End since 2008. Miller Yezerski Gallery, a joint venture of longtime gallerist Ellen Miller and Mr. Yezerski, is one of the most highly respected contemporary art galleries in Boston with decades of experience in the art market. The gallery is located in a premier space in the SoWA section of the South End. Their combined stable of artists includes such notable figures as Laylah Ali, Rona Pondick, Lalla Essaydi and John O’Reilly whose photography, painting, sculpture, installations, and multimedia work have been widely exhibited including the Whitney Biennial, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, The Venice Biennale, MoMA, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Panelists
Margo Chevers specializes in presenting keynote speeches to companies and associations. She speaks at conventions and annual meetings around the country. Her clients include International Customer Service Association, Department of Defense, Ford Motors, EDS, Financial Women International, Shell Oil Co, South Shore Savings Bank, Ross Roy Communications, Sales and Marketing Executives, Chrysler Corporation, and many more. Ms. Chevers is a past president of the New England Chapter of the National Speakers Association, she chaired many committees for the National Speakers Association, is the past president of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce, past president of her Toastmasters Club and served for eight years on the board of directors of New Hope, three of those on the executive committee. As an author, her books include: “What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?”, “STOP The BS” (bad service) and “How to Get Up on a down Day”. She is currently working on a daily journal called the Daily Success system – to help the user achieve their goals. Through her consulting firm, Northeast Leadership Enterprise, she provides guidance and coaching to creatives and entrepreneurs working to make their dreams a reality.
Stacey Friends is a shareholder of Ruberto, Israel & Weiner, P.C. Her practice is focused on trademark and copyright law, licensing, corporate and business matters, and entertainment. She is also a member of the Technology Group at RIW, which represents clients in the software, mobile, digital media and other technology fields. Stacey is a summa cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School, where she has also taught Copyright Law. Stacey is the co-chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Art, Entertainment and Sports Law Committee and a Panel Attorney for the VLA. She is also a frequent speaker on trademark and copyright law, most recently for MCLE, Suffolk Law, the BBA and MITX. Before becoming an attorney, Stacey was a teacher and director, and holds a Master’s degree in ECE from B.U. Before becoming a teacher, she was a Fine Art major, studying at SUNY Potsdam and the Scuola de Lorenzo de Medici in Florence. Photography is her favorite hobby (tied with singing!), and she never goes anywhere without a camera. Sometimes two.
Ray Graber has a deep and thorough understanding of business and marketing. His experience includes banking technology research and consulting at TowerGroup, and marketing worldwide financial software applications for Digital Equipment Corporation. Ray was an adjunct professor at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College where he taught two graduate-level courses: E-Banking and the MBA Leadership Workshop. Previously, he taught the Financial Management of Commercial Banks in the Boston College Carroll School of Management Masters of Finance Program and Working Capital Management and Cash Management at the Bentley College Graduate Business Program. Ray holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and an MBA in Finance and MIS, both from Boston College. Mr. Graber founded Graber Associates LLC in 2002 to bring expertise in banking and technology to businesses. Their team consists of former bankers, technicians, reporters, analysts, and professors. Since then they have expanded their scope to encompass the closely complementary disciplines of public relations, marketing, and research. They have created, managed, and guided small businesses through good times and bad.