Wednesday, December 2/Friday December 4

DAY OF THE EVENT!

Project Winterfood Tonight! GDES Gallery 1509 W. Main from 7pm - 10pm.

What?

Tonight's the day of the show! Last minute things! Trying to get all the unexpected sorted out!

Things are always going to go wrong and things are going to happen unexpectedly. Despite my parts of the group being done for the show, some of the things that we were under the impression of being completed had snafu'd and needed additional attention. And since many group members had class between class and the show, I stuck around and did whatever tasks were necessary to get things working, regardless of what group they were "assigned".

So What?

When pulling together a show, things will happen, and teamwork is needed to make things function properly. AND THE RAIN! BLAH!

Now What?

At the moment, working on pulling it all together!

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ETA: Post-Show Entry

What, So What, and Now What?

I believe the show was a success! Since many students were occupied right before the show started, I filled in some other roles to get things going well. Met many of the community partners, tried to act as "good hostess" since many people approached me for information as to what was going on. (Which after welcoming and greeting them, I promptly turned them over to Christina G. since she had been in contact with them and had the actual information they needed, hah..)

I'm always a little surprised at being able to pull into a more leader-like role in situations like these, since I would not really classify myself as such. I ended up being in charge of selling art and raffle tickets as well -- despite the initial system of hour-long shifts, it eased more into me commandeering that ship and my co-group members assisting. I need to remember that I do in fact have skills in taking charge of things, leading, and getting things accomplished, since I tend to forget that and shy away from roles with those duties. But, when it comes down needing someone to fill that role, I am perfectly capable of doing it, and should give myself a little more credit.

Speaking of art, we sold a fair bit of art on opening night! This was a great part of Project Winterfood, since the project was to not only promote and raise awareness of the benefits of local food, but to also showcase art and creative work for the cause. All the art was donated to the show, which people viewed and purchased, with all the funds being donated to the Central Virginia Food Bank and Gallery 5.

I think that was one of the coolest parts of the projects -- everyone was able to do something the liked to do to help the cause and it was beneficial for everyone. All the donors/sponsors/partners were able to get promotion for helping us out. Some of the community partners were present at the show to educate and promote as well. Artists were able to donate art to a good cause, while being able to be featured in a show (without application fees or juried selection process). Our audience was able to enjoy a great evening of art, music, and sample food, learning more about local seasonal foods in the process. And patrons who purchase art not only got some great pieces, but those funds further went to help the cause.

We raised $235! (oh, and two of my own pieces sold! with a commission to make another apple-cozy for someone after finals week. and I won a book in the raffle! ....I'm not sure if I should have been disqualified due to being an event organizer, but... eh! I'm excited about the book, since it's a cookbook focusing on using foods that are in season, which is a perfect follow-up for this project.)

All in all, it was great to be able to participate in this project from start to finish, being able to see it form and take shape from the initial proposal to final event, and all the steps in between. Through work on the project, different steps in the process changed from how we initially anticipated, and learning how to adapt to changes became critical. Working on a real project with a real purpose was infinitely better than just creating theoretical pieces as class exercises. Sure, you can design a Call for Entries flyer or promo piece for class, but how effective will it be in the real world?? This whole experience of working on the project showed me what you can accomplish with a group of people passionate about a cause. I am much more likely to be active about a cause, since this project showed that small things can add up to big things, and look what we all pulled together in just under two months.

I think one of the most exciting parts of the evening for me was when I received a text message from an acquaintance, not knowing my involvement with the project, asking if I would be going to Project Winterfood. !! To me, that showed that we had reached people, the cause was important to people, and that they were promoting and spreading the word on their own. I remember feeling a sense of excitement seeing that text message, saying "hey! I'm totally part of that!!"

Monday, November 30

What?

Last class day before the event. We are not quite running around like chickens with our heads cut off, but the tension/stress level is definitely higher.

I've taken on the task of creating the tags for the artwork. Alyssa C. and I transported the pieces to 1509 and sorted them. There were some more submissions collected, which is very exciting -- including a range of work made by 3 to 5 year old students of the VCU Child Development Center. They are the Coolest. Pieces. Ever. Alyssa C. had promoted this event to the VCUCDC, and the children made art actually using apples and potatoes. I was thinking that it was pretty neat, since while that's a project that many children did at school, this time there might have been more discussion about the foods they were using and information from our project. And I'm pretty excited about posting them alongside pieces by other artists -- I hope that some of the children are able to come (not sure, since it's later in the evening), since I think they would be pretty thrilled to see their work up in the show.

So What?

We met as a group and discussed what was happening with all the groups; lots of publicity, we've been published in a number of blogs, online magazines, and newspapers around Richmond. It's neat since it feels more real when people outside our class talk about it, like it will actually have an impact and influence people more than just our group members.

However, it still feels a little uncertain since while we've done a lot to publicize and promote the event, and people are talking about it... it is talk. Hopefully enough people will actually show up and follow through!

Now What?

It's become more evident with this project the need for people focusing on the promotional side of projects. Luckily we've had a great team working on that, getting the word out on the internet and blogs, promoting through interviews and press releases to magazines, newspapers, radios, etc.. and everyone spreading information about it via word-of-mouth. But, without so much effort from the promo team, there would not necessarily be as many people interested in showing up. Its crucial to promote as much as possible, so your message can be heard by more than just people in your own network.

Monday, November 25

What?

The Recipe book layout is completed, proofread, edited, and the artwork, etc added to it, and then rushed over to Uptown Color in order to make deadlines for submitting it to get printed. Members of our group were requested to go proof the print yesterday; apparently it ended up that at different times, 3 different members of our group (including me) went to go proof the pages. oops? Apparently we need better communication.

Art submissions! YaY! Got most of the art from people in the class, as well as a handful of submissions from outside sources. The art group decided to extend the deadline til the Monday after Thanksgiving, in case anyone wanted to make work during Turkey-break. In the meantime, Alyssa C. is holding onto the work in the trunk of her car for us. We will be tagging and pricing art when we come back from break.

So What?

It was a bit discouraging when even the class members were a little lax about turning stuff in! Many people didn't bring their work on the day that group members' art was due. It was hard even just getting information about the pieces planned (the exhibit group will be really pulling some things together at the last minute, since they won't really get access to the pieces til they've been priced and labeled with exhibition tags). We extended the deadline, since many people wait until the last minute to turn things in, and there might be more submissions after the small break, when people might have some time to do art.

Now What?

There have been some setbacks and complications in almost all the parts of the project, but this has led to figuring out how to adapt and make things work. The ArtSquad is facing the dilemma of pricing the art -- the money is going to raise funds for Gallery 5 and the Central Virginia Food Bank. We want to consider the value of the art submitted, but we also want to make it affordable for people to purchase, donate, and contribute. There is also a bit of a range of the quality of the work, so that affects how to price it. We also want to consider factors like what our target audience can likely afford when pricing the art, but also that it is for charity.

Monday, November 23

What?

Again reminding students to submit art, as there are still no entries in the submission box. Particularly trying to convince people that since we are accepting ALL work, to just take a liiiiiittle bit of time to create something for Project Winterfood -- it is helpful for the show, promoting the cause, and the students as well, since they can add it to their list of show credits.

However, on the flip side of that coin, we have been asked to submit photo documentation of our art pieces for the promotional pieces in RVA news and magazine articles. I find myself echoing similar sentiments listed above (not too much effort to snap a photo, would be great exposure, promotion, and being able to list my work as being featured in the article/write-up), I was unable to complete my art pieces in time to submit the photo documentation. Alas.

So What?

Even if people know something is for a good cause (external), can benefit themselves, and doesn't need to take too much effort, it can still be difficult to get people to act. This is definitely a challenge that activist group organizers probably encounter quite often. They have to try to catch people's attention (among the millions of other messages people are bombarded with constantly), inform people in a way they will understand, and try to prompt them to action. Being on the both sides of trying to get people to do something that is for a good cause and will benefit them, I realize how difficult it can be.

Now What?

I guess the main thing I'm taking away from this is to try to reach as many people as possible. That way out of the large group of people interested, there will be a higher percentage of people who are actually moved to act. The more people acting, the larger the movement gets, and then the more people to learn about a cause and join. Even if people aren't able to submit work at this time, most people do intend to come check out the show. Of course, we will have to continually remind them, since... that's what you have to do, hah.

Monday, November 16

What?

Multiple reminders are being sent around regarding the call for entries. We set up a box in the GDES office for collecting art (as a rolling drop-off deadline) and so far there are no entries. However, I think (hope) that more art will show up when the deadline gets closer. I have talked with various classmates about submitting work, and people are excited about it.

So What?

It has become readily apparent that people need multiple reminders to submit things, especially when they are not mandatory. Everyone is really busy, and even though a number of people have expressed interest in the project, it can be hard to carve out time to work on optional projects. I try to remind people that we are accepting all types of art (photos, sketches, etc) so it could be a smaller, not too time intensive project, which then they can list as being a participant in a show, and having their work featured without the pressure or cost of a juried exhibition.

Now What?

I have become more inclined to talk to people about the project -- not just spouting off quick dates and soundbites. People are generally interested and want to do things for it, but many that I have talked to have expressed a complete time deficit. I know that oftentimes I have this problem personally when wanting to contribute to causes, but not having enough time. Working on re-evaluating personal priorities and time management for other reasons, but thinking about ways to incorporate causes I care about into my time and life is important. Since, there's only so long you can keep saying that you'll do something for it when you're less busy, cuz face it... I'm always going to be busy. So, taking my own advice, something small and done is better than good intentions and no actual effort taken. When you put a lot of little small-somethings together, they do add up to big changes.

Wednesday, November 11

What?

We focused today on trying to figure out the layouts and content for the recipe book. We broke the recipe book down into smaller projects and tasks for individuals to tackle. I will be working on the layout of the book; unfortunately this means that I somewhat have to wait on the others to supply the recipes, information, sponsors, website addresses, and images/art.

The press release is being circulated throughout Richmond. Live entertainment (fiddle music!) has been obtained for the opening event; the Project Winterfood is definitely growing from more than just an art showing with some information to more of a gathering, celebration and EVENT.

So What?

Getting the press release out to all our contacts is important so that people will actually hear about the event and actually know what it's about. The promotional aspect of this feels like something that's neverending, and that's essentially true. You have to get the initial word out there, then keep reminding people, since people will likely forget, and resending out information as we make new contacts. Sometimes feels like we're nagging or bugging with the constant reminders, but.. it's important to make sure people will remember! (and show up.) As a result, Project Winterfood is starting to be posted on blogs and online magazines.

Now What?

I've never been very good at promoting myself in terms of art, design, skills, etc. It is definitely a good experience to work hard at promoting a good cause, since learning how to make contacts, working within one's network, and expanding your network will be extremely useful skills when I want to promote either myself or causes I am passionate about. There is a somewhat fine line between being helpfully remindful and annoying, so this is where we're feeling out that distinction.

Monday, November 9

What?

Fundraiser = great success!

All of the crochet bracelets I made sold; I believe all of Kristine A.'s did as well. Actually, I believe most items made or baked were sold. Altogether we raised $199.75 for Project Winterfood. (Which is pretty awesome considering that all items were priced at just one dollar!) This will be extraordinarily useful for working with our budget, and having immediate access to funds.

Today in class, there was a guest speaker on the topic of "real world" working. I jotted down some brief notes about some points he mentioned; have a PDF download of your file of work/portfolio available online, make the résumé on your website all text so that search engines can find you, etc. Good tips to plan to incorporate in the future.

We posted up more Call for Entries everywhere. Found guys to put them up in the males bathroom (since the ArtSquad is all girls). Started work on the recipe book -- a bit of an issue due to group miscommunication regarding expectations of the recipe book. We are still trying to sort out the details to make it a memorable, yet cost effective piece.

So What?

While we do want to make it a great recipe book, we also have to consider practicality issues and cost factors (as these will function as a take-away piece with information, a couple recipes, and websites for local food resources and our sponsors). A group member had very high hopes for the recipe book (all hand-done letterpressed with stitched binding), but for an item being given away freely with a fair bit of text, it would be a disproportionate amount of work. Part of why letterpressing and screenprinting were brought up as options for creating the recipe books was to save on printing costs. However, the time intensive nature of such projects would negate any savings. Plus, with the paper hopefully being donated, and the funds we raised, it will probably be more cost effective to get them printed, but we still want to incorporate some sort of hand-done element.

Now What?

The guest speaker of today brought up good points about ways to find work in the real world; definitely feeling like I need to get my personal-professional website up and running. Project related, today was definitely a learning experience in trying to compromise between what you really want to do versus time allotment, skills and deadlines. Also, trying to make sure that everyone's opinions are heard and taken into consideration when making group decisions, but also that time isn't wasted rehashing options... but also making sure not to step on others' toes. Definitely a useful skill for the future.

Wednesday, November 4

What?

Today we worked on last minute fundraiser stuff, as the fundraising event is at the end of the week for First Fridays. Attempting to get enough items to sell at the fundraiser. Luckily the official date and location of the Project Winterfood event have been ironed out and finalized so we can also promote the actual event we are raising funds for. It is a little early to expect people to remember an event that is a month away, but exposing people to the event is a start -- they will need to be reminded many times in the future to actually get people to come out.

We also posted more Call for Entries post and more partners joined in for support of the event. We also generated a list of information to help convince the audience the reasons to buy local produce:

• Buying local gives you freedom of choice for your family's health and nutrition.
• Buying local protects the environment.
• Locally grown food is fresh and delicious!
• Buying local supports endangered family farms and strengthens the local economy.
• Buying local protects open space and farmland.

So What?

Promotional apple cubes with the event date and time! People need something to catch their eye in order to remember it. Since people are so bombarded with so many images and information daily, it is crucial to do something that stands out, in both presentation (intriguing apple promo boxes) and in meaning (for a good cause, Project Winterfood).

It's very important to have an easily understandable list of reasons to back up your claims. The public wants to know WHY you are telling them to do something different, in specific terms (not just that it's better to do it that way or that it is "good" to do). If the points are quick, clear, concise, logical, and reasonable, you are much more likely to convince someone interested and inclined to change.

Now What?

Being able to quickly and effectively communicate ideas and concepts is a necessary skill when working on a variety of projects. Through this experience, I am able to work on honing my communication skills. Also, working to come up with ways to catch people's eyes and their attention is important! People can't hear your message if they aren't aware or not listening/paying attention, so finding a unique way to grab people's interest or pique their curiosity will open them up to learning more about your cause or project.

Monday, November 2

What?

Today was the day for the group photo -- being able to put a human face with a project can positively affect people's attitudes towards a project, if considering donating, partnering, supporting, etc. The photo will be posted on the website/blog.... which after some delays, is finally up and running! It's at winterfood.org ! We updated our Call for Entries online to include this information.

The fundraiser is coming up soon, so the budgeteers are trying to sort out all the details. We landed a location in front of Quirk Gallery to set up our tables. Working on the crochet bracelets for fundraiser -- seems like a lot of effort for items that will sell for $1 (as we decided that's an amount that people will likely be willing to donate without too much hassle). It is much easier to convince people to give money when it is a nominal amount and for a good cause.

So What?

It is crucial to have a web presence these days, as the web is where people turn to for information. Its great since in order to make the Call for Art posters not too cluttered with information, we directed people to get more information at the website. We can also continually update the website with more information, details, and links, unlike a print piece. However, there still need to be print pieces in circulation in order to direct people to see the site.

Now What?

Working on the Call for Entries, we planned to have further information accessible online. However, due to various factors, the website wasn't ready until now. Obviously, this was a bit of a learning experience, as we made references to a site that wasn't live, and likely lost some interest who tried to visit a dead-end 404 error. Dealing with the unexpected allows us to figure out ways to adapt to problems and potential setbacks.

Wednesday, October 28

What?

Today we spent some time re-evaluating the calendar and planning. It seems like the deadlines are continuously changing and it is somewhat hard to hold people accountable to do things by the specific dates assigned. This then leads to needing to adjust the rest of the dates, as at this point, most of the deadlines are specifically dependent on each other.

Logos were presented to the group and the logo by Zane B. was selected. I think that having a logo for the project is helping motivate the various groups -- it's almost like the project has a face now; like it's more legitimate with a logo, instead of just some class assignment. The logo was distributed to groups so they can start using it.

The Call for Art group met in order to figure out what exactly are the requirements for art submissions. We decided that we would accept pieces of any medium as long as they featured or related to the apple, spinach, or sweet potato. We also began drafting the needs for the call for entries posts and where we can promote it.

So What?

We decided to create a poster/flyer to enlist artists not in the class. We needed to find a way to convince people to not only stop and read the poster, but to actually understand the project quickly and be excited about participating. Getting visibility is the key -- by simple math, the more people aware of the event/call for entries, the theoretically higher percentage of people going to submit work. We have posted about the call for entries on Facebook, Craigslist, Prudence Knows, Ester Knows, VCUarts, as well as making posters for hanging around the art buildings & campus.

We examined other call for entries posters to determine what elements are most effective to incorporate. We designed the poster to have pulltabs with the planned website and contact email so that people would be able to look up more information online, without needing to try to remember the info or finding a pen and something to write it down with. We need to get the website up and running for when the posters go live.

Now What?

Getting information out is very important in this stage of the process -- information to generate interest in the project altogether, as well as getting art donated and finding sponsors, donors, and partners. At this time, it's also very important to look into what options regarding promotions and press releases are available so that we can spread the word about Project Winterfood. Figuring out the best ways to get the word out about the project and the cause are useful skills for future projects and causes.

Monday, October 26

What?

Today we clarified more about the calendar and group tasks. The focus was on group-work -- everyone is divided into multiple different groups, each being a part of phase one (needing to be completed first) and phase two (can be put aside until more of phase one is completed). I am part of the Budgeteers (the budget and fundraising group), the Art Squad (call for entries and collecting art), and the Recipe Crew (in charge of the free recipe take-away).

The Venue/Date group secured and finalized the date/venue: Project Winterfood event will be held at 1509 W. Main from 7pm-10pm on Wed. Dec 2nd, then will move to be on display at Gallery 5 for the remainder of December.

We have a small budget of $100 from VCU, so the Budgeteers decided it would be a great idea to supplement these funds with a fundraiser. We hope to be able to have most of the supplies for this project either donated or at a discount, but it will be useful to have a bit of a cushion, especially since getting the VCU money might be a bit complex and having pocket money is good. We will be holding a fundraiser on First Friday, November 6th. Kristine A. and I are crocheting bracelets, some other team members are making baked goods, and other students are still deciding what they can contribute to the effort.

So What?

It is a bit frustrating (but understandable) that none of the groups know what supplies they will require or how much of the budget they will need for their group yet. It makes it somewhat difficult for the budgeting group. However, additional funds from the fundraiser may alleviate some of this stress.

Now What?

It is a very different experience working with so many people on one project, since most teamwork is teams of 2-4. This is a good exercise since in the "real world," many projects are group efforts and not everyone will really know what is happening; sometimes you do have to badger people to figure out their in order to do your own job. Since the total budget is a bit unknown, we are going to try our best to use our contacts to get donated or discounted materials -- it's good to network!! We will also expand our own networks, working to find sponsors, donors, and partners, as well as becoming more familiar with the activist groups in the local Richmond area. Hopefully the fundraiser will help raise some funds, as well as being a great opportunity for initial promotion of the event.

Wednesday, October 21

What?

Today's focus was mainly on clarifying the objectives of the project -- discussing exactly what we were trying to say and what we want to accomplish through this project, and how we plan to accomplish these goals laid out in the proposal. Another task we attempted to sort out was the schedule for the rest of the semester. We attempted to break down the rest of the remaining time into group deadlines (for the whole class) as well as attempting to divvy up tasks for everything into smaller groups with their own deadlines. At this point, everything feels somewhat intangible -- we all recognize the project as a good idea, and vaguely what we want to accomplish, but don't have enough of a concrete vision. We set up a very rough (and likely to change) schedule, since the deadline is only about a month away and things need to get started, and start getting done.

So What?

Since the project was somewhat unfocused, it became crucial to boil down the big picture into a more graspable message of what we want to say with this project: "It is easy, accessible, inexpensive, practical, beneficial, and fun to utilize local food options." We also set forth to narrow our target audience, deciding to focus on "those who may have heard about the terms, ideas, or options of eating local, but are not quite sure what it is all about or why it is worth practicing/exploring." It is necessary to be able to sum up the message or point you want to make with your project in one or two sentences, in order to be able to quickly communicate the ideas to individual/groups you want to become partners, sponsors, donors, publishers, promoters, or simply to just come to your event. Being able to precisely pinpoint your target audience allows you to plan how to present your message -- you would plan differently if you were presenting to a group of uninitiated newbies versus experienced experts.

Even if uncertain about all the facets this project will entail, it is imperative to create a schedule first thing. This way, no deadlines will unknowingly get missed and you can plan for how long things will take (such as when things need to get to the printers, or by when you need to submit press releases in order to get them published in magazines/newspapers/online). By dividing into groups, we are able to split up tasks into more manageable chunks then everyone trying to accomplish everything at once (not possible) or some individuals becoming overwhelmed with responsibilities and others slacking or having nothing to do. As smaller groups, we were able to focus on individual tasks and deadlines of the group and be able to work on the tasks more efficiently.

Now What?

Breaking the tasks among different groups is very applicable to future processes. Since many collaborative efforts in the future will involve different people with different skills and backgrounds, it is most likely that tasks will be distributed according to skillsets and interests, in order to get things done efficiently and well. This gave us a chance to learn to work collaboratively in both a smaller group and a larger encompassing group, similar to how might happen in a working environment.

Noah also showed us a way of working with a schedule, especially if you don't know all the tasks that need to be planned out. Working backwards from the hard-fast dates (in our case, the date of the show), and judging the times things will take at the printers, or need to be submitted for press release publications, we were able to estimate how much time we would be able to work on things. This will obviously be a useful skill in the future; it can be difficult to organize and schedule deadlines -- this method lets us know which deadlines are immoveable, and which ones we can rearrange as needed. We can divide our time and attention to projects that will be the most complex or time-intensive or have solid deadlines, while still being aware of all other deadlines.

Monday, October 19

First Journal Entry: Design Rebels Class Expectations

For the rest of the class, I expect to gain experience in collaborating with others, working for a cause, seeing a project through from start to final deadline, participating in an art show, learning how to approach groups for donations/partnering/sponsorship/funding, and becoming more familiar with the Richmond community and activist groups. This will be a great experience in learning how I can actually make differences (even small ones) about causes I am passionate about.

What?

Today in class was the presentation of proposals for the project we will be working on as a class for the remainder of the semester. After hearing from all the students with their proposals and visual aids, voting commenced. From the start it was mainly split between 2 choices (rebranding identities for local Richmond non-profit organizations and a project incorporating an educational art show to raise awareness of local seasonal foods); after discussing the possibility of doing both topics as two teams, the class ultimately decided to select Christina's "Project Winterfood" proposal.

So What?

It became clear that many of the people in the class gravitated to this project, describing it as "different." Instead of involving just rebranding non-profits or giving speeches/classes/workshops, Project Winterfood incorporates an art show as well as informational pieces and interaction with the community. (There may be some rebranding identity projects as well to help raise funds.) I think that people were drawn to this project due to it not being just another brochure or flyer or talk, but a genuine attempt to create change through art and design.

Now What?

As we discuss the details of the project and divvy up tasks, it will be a very different experience. Typically when working in groups for classes, group sizes only range between 2 to 5 people, so a large full-scale project with many students involved is great experience in project organizations and deadlines, which will be useful when collaborating on larger projects in the future. Actually using design and art for a good purpose while working as a group is a great way to learn important skills for doing what I like doing to collaborate for a cause.

Now that we have a topic, we can begin focusing our efforts to complete this project.