July News
Hi all.

As many are aware the brochures have been printed and distributed to each route for collection so you should be contacted with details of where and when to collect. If you do not receive a note by email please let us know.

We have also had A4 posters, postcards, POS Signs and the Evaluation forms printed and these will be collated ready for distribution this coming Friday and the plan is to get these all out to the same collection venues as the brochures asap.

Also the brochure is available as a pdf download from the main site at www.perthshireopenstudios.com. Our designer Rosy Naylor is busy getting the website ready with this years entries so more on this later. Note that we now have a good number of folk using the facebook page (link on main site) so is you havn't already dropped in please do so, this is proving to be a great way for us all to keep up with others events.


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Other events.

A reminder that the formal opening of the event will be at Lochleven Community Centre, Kinross, Wednesday 24th August 2011. Turquoise Route will host display of work so if you wish to exhibit please get in touch with Carole Drummond (carole@cleish.com)

There will also be a Taster Exhibition at The Barn Gallery at Blackruthen from Wed 31st Aug thru to Sun 11th Sept which has been organised by Tom Morrison (Venue 92) and George at The Bield (Venue 90 ). All POS artists are invited to submit works for the exhibition and works are to be delivered earlier in the week - please contact Tom for further details - TKphotographer@ymail.com

Charlotte Flower from Kenmore (venue 109) is involved in a card sale in October to support The Birks Cinema in Aberfeldy - full details at the foot of this email - or please contact info@birkscinemafriends.org,uk

We know many of you will be arranging events so please drop a line with the details for inclusion in the next newsletters.

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and finally ....

We appreciate that this is rather short notice but we have been given the opportunity for a Marketing Workshop evening for all of this years members to be arranged by the Cultural Enterprise Office.

This is planned for Aug 11th and is open to all paid members of POS 2011. This will require a minimum number and we need to accept this offer this coming Friday so a quick response is needed. We are hoping that there will free but depending on numbers there may be a small cover charge of approx £10. This is a wonderful opportunity for us all so if you are interested please let us know asap so we can accept or decline the workshop - full details below.

Having Conversations Beyond Your Studio

Commissioned by Perthshire Open Studios for members

Are you chatting with your customers? Are you talking about open studios? Open studios provide an ideal opportunity to converse directly with your customers in your creative space. But how do you start and continue conversations before and after the event?

This evening event will discuss ways of communicating with your customers using traditional and new media to engage them with your work, open studio and beyond. It will explore the type and quantity of stories and information you can share through your networks.

Chaired by Fiona Pilgrim, Cultural Enterprise Office’s Professional Development Manager, you’ll hear guest speakers talk about their experiences of promoting their work as part of events, the time and money resources they dedicate to this and the methods they use, including social media, and their experiences of this. You will also get a chance to examine your own communication and identify what you want to be talking about and who with; all in the company of fellow open studio participants.

Who’s Involved

Lovely Pigeon, the alter ego of designer-maker Kirsty Thomas, is a craft and design studio, producing print, jewellery, homewares and stationery. Established in 2009, Lovely Pigeon now works with an international portfolio of galleries and retailers including some of the uk's best design shops. Lovely Pigeon's current collection includes illustrated bird and bloom brooches, ceramics, teatowels and a circus playkit.

Kirsty will share her experiences of promoting her work and pop up shops (Pigeon Pop Ups) during events and East Neuk Open Studios in Fife.

Painter Hazel Campbell
Hazel will share her experiences as a participant and committee member of Spring Fling and her experiences of individually and collectively promoting the event.

What to Expect
Discussion, examples and exploration of ways to promote your work before, during and after open studios.

What You'll Get Out of It
Opportunity to hear from other artists and makers about how and why they use events, offline and online methods to profile their work and build relationships with their customers
Time to consider your story and identify the people you want to share it with
Where to go to get more information to assist you with your communications, managing contacts and taking your first steps into social media
Your own promotional to do list

Please express an interest by return...


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Birks Cinema Card Sale

ENTER OUR GREAT POSTCARD AUCTION to raise funds for the new BIRKS CINEMA, Aberfeldy

Whether you are amateur or professional, donate an A5 size picture in any medium for us to sell at a silent auction and help get the cinema built. The closing date is Friday Oct 7 (for auction on Friday October 28).

At the auction, donated works will be displayed anonymously, and people will put in silent, written bids for the pieces they like best.  Will they find they have acquired a valuable work by a professional, or one by a talented amateur? Either way, they’ve bought a work they like, and the money raised goes towards the rebuilding of the Birks Cinema in Aberfeldy’s central square - see www.birkscinemafriends.org.uk for more details of the cinema project

To enter, please contact info@birkscinemafriends.org,uk for an entry form, and more details will be available on our website soon.  We do have good quality watercolour paper available if you wish it - but of course you are free to e