Chatham Artists Guild’s Commitment to Education
Artist Reception, 1:00-3:00 PM, Sunday, Feb 4th
Pittsboro Gallery of Arts, 44-A Hillsboro St., Pittsboro, NC 27312
The CAG Emerging Artists Program works with promising visual arts students from high schools throughout Chatham County. It provides free workshops and practical experience in the business aspects of being a professional artist. Students are juried into the program and mentored by a professional artist for the entire school year. We’re extremely proud of the young artists and hope you’ll enjoy what you see.
Chatham Artists Guild‘s Art Activities Booth
– Calico Makers Market
The Guild is committed to providing educational activities and events that develop and enrich awareness and appreciation of the visual arts in Chatham County and beyond. We have a number of educational programs currently in progress. Please email us if you have questions about any of these programs.
Chatham County Student Art Show
Beginning in 1992, every year for the month of December the Guild collaborates with Chatham County Schools to put on the K-12 Student Art Exhibition. The exhibition showcases the work of student artists from K-12 programs across Chatham County. As the time approaches, information about the location and the dates of the exhibition and opening reception will appear in the Guild Newsletter, on social media, and on the Events page of the Guild website.
Nature Journaling Workshops
At its heart, nature journaling is simply the practice of becoming a good observer. Workshop participants practice perceptual skills and build confidence to diagram, draw, or describe what they see. During the workshop, participants have the opportunity to experiment with portable drawing and painting media, discuss strategies to organize their journals, and venture outside to record observations in their journals.
In 2022 and 2023 the Guild presented Nature Journaling workshops for 20 Extension Master Gardener Volunteers at the Chatham County Agriculture Center and for 12 students earning a certificate in Therapeutic Horticulture at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.
CAG Art Activities Booth
CAG presents a hands-on art activities booth at select local art fairs or other art events. Activities are open to people of all ages, all materials are provided, and art media changes with each event. The CAG Education Committee is investigating various art/cultural events in Chatham County as possible venues for the Art Activities Booth.
CAG Art Activities Booth – Fall, 2021
CAG Art Activities Booth – Fall 2021
CAG Art Activities Booth – Fall 2021
Making Clay Pinch Pots
Making Clay Pinch Pots
Making Clay Pinch Pots
Chatham Artists Guild – Emerging Artist Program
2023-2024 School Year
Program Description (Below under “Links” you can download a PDF of the Program Overview)
The Chatham Artists Guild “Emerging Artists Program” is a free, juried program open to all eligible visual arts high school students in Chatham County. The program gives aspiring young artists hands-on experience in marketing, displaying, and selling their artwork as professional artists do. It culminates with free display space in our Emerging Artists Booth at a local art fair or other art venues like galleries here in Chatham County.
Program Components
- Program runs throughout the school calendar year, August, 2023 – June, 2024
- Applicants must be juried in by the CAG Education Committee to participate in the program
- Mentoring by a Chatham Artists Guild professional artist in the student’s 2-D or 3-D area of interest
- 10-Hour participation requirement: 5 hours with a CAG mentor and 5 volunteer service hours at CAG events or exhibitions
- Free space in the CAG Emerging Artists Booth at a local art fair and other venues where CAG artists set-up, exhibit and sell their work
Student Application Requirements & Deadline
The EAP Application must be submitted by October 6, 2023. Applicants must download, complete, and submit the four forms listed below under “Links,’ plus four to five images of your artwork in JPEG format to Cally@CallyCurtis.com (CAG-EAP, chair) to be considered:
LINKS:
Below are the needed forms, plus PDFs of the information supplied on this webpage. Once you click on any of them, you may save them to your computer and print them out.
- 2023-24 CAG EAP Program Overview
- 2023-24 CAG EAP Key Dates, Contacts
- CAG Emerging Artists Program Application Form
- Visual Arts Teacher Recommendation Form
- CAG Consent & Release Agreement Form
- CAG -EAP Photo/Video Consent Release Form
PLEASE NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Key Dates
• October 6, 2023: EAP Participant Application Deadline
• October 12, 2023: EAP Meeting to jury in EAP Applicants
• October 28, 2023: CAG Art Activities Tent, Pittsboro Street Fair (Volunteer opportunity)
• Nov 17, 2023: 4:00 PM. “Welcome To The Program” meeting for participants and their mentors
• Dec 1, 2023: EAs work due for CAG Student Art Show (Chatham Mills)
• Dec 2-3, 2023: CAG Student Art Show (Chatham Mills)
• Dec 7, 2023: 6-8 PM. CAG Student Art Show Reception (Chatham Mills)
• March, 2024: EA Prep Workshop/Meeting for gallery and tent fair venues
• Spring, 2024: Gallery Exhibit at the Pittsboro Gallery of Art, date TBD
• Summer, 2024: Emerging Artists Tent to show/sell work, date and location TBD
How It Works
The program pairs each CAG mentor with an individual student artist. (NOTE: All in-person meetings with student must include more than one adult.) Once a member is designated a mentor and assigned a student artist, the mentor will:
- Contact his/her student artist to introduce themselves and attend our “Welcome to the CAG-EAP Program” meeting (November 17, 2023)
- Support students in the program from start to finish (5 hour minimum)
- Provide advice and guidance, particularly focused on preparation, display, pricing and marketing of the student’s artwork
- Advise student on works to submit for the Emerging Artists Booth
- Help student select work and submit forms to be entered in the annual December CAG Student Artists Exhibit
- Invite student to attend CAG events and participate in CAG’s Educational Outreach programs
- Provides student with access to links, services and educational workshops offered on the CAG website
Emerging Artists Service Hours Requirement
The 5 service hours requirement may also count towards the service hours needed for graduation in certain school districts and will be an asset on college applications and resumes. Service hours are recorded by members of the Education Committee.
- 5-hour minimum with CAG mentor and 5-hour minimum helping with any CAG event – including helping CAG vendors set up or take down their tents or working alongside Guild members in the Art Activities Tent.
Emerging Artists Booth & Gallery Venues
- To qualify for space in the Emerging Artists Booth student must complete the 10-hour participation requirement
- Student receives free space in the booth to display and sell their work and is outfitted with tables as needed
- Student receives free space in CAG-sponsored gallery venues for display and/or selling work
- All student work is sold through CAG unless otherwise specified. At the end of the venue, student sales are totaled and CAG issues individual checks to students, minus a 10% commission fee. Commissions are part of the “business” process of being a working artist, charged for work sold in almost all galleries, exhibitions, etc.