Clarification and explanation, part 1

It seems that some further explanation is warranted in regards to this project, and I wanted to take some time to tell those of you reading this a little bit more about The Tower, and a little bit more about myself.

What is The Tower?

The Tower is the name I chose to describe an idea. Jason Van Hoose had posted a series of articles here describing the former art community in Youngstown, along with some very valid input about what the art community in Youngstown has become. He described a distancing taking place between local artists. He described the effect this has on the artists as a whole. He described the lack of an online presence collectively as well as individually in the Mahoning Valley. And he proposed a collective online presence to raise awareness, nationally as well as globally, of the professional artists living in our part of Ohio. This was not dissimilar to an idea I had begun several years ago to bring together some other artists in a central location on the web, only more focused and refined,  along with opportunities for actual shows.

I sent him an e-mail and told him we should start working on this. I told him that I can host the site for free on the server that hosts my website, until a time comes when it becomes prohibitive to the functionality of my website. I named this project "The Tower", I felt it was a good analogy to my personal views on what a productive art community should consist of. We have a vast melee of talented professional artists regionally, some have a strong marketing presence, online and off. Some have websites. Some do not. Some do not even have e-mail. The idea is that through a more unified community, all of the professional artists in the area will benefit from a stronger presence. In this model, each artist is important, because as business is drawn to one artist, business also comes to others. This does not mean that an artist's market share becomes redistributed, rather that the market grows larger, financially and geographically.

The Tower is this idea. A place to collect and display professional work in the most professional ways feasible. A place for artists to meet each other and discuss techniques and strategies; stories and creativity.

The web portion is The Tower Gallery. The Tower Gallery is not a physical gallery. At the moment it is the central key to this whole project; everyone in the group is inside. There is no commission to display your works on our website; there is no cost to have your page designed and posted. You even get your own address on my server. There is no request for exclusivity to join, nor are there any contracts. You may be asked to sign a standard release. This has nothing to do with who owns the copyright to your images, but rather who is allowed to display them. The release is for the protection of all parties, it means I can't steal or sell your work, and that I'm allowed to display it on my site as long as proper credit goes to you.

Other people cannot steal your work from our site either. Whenever possible, images are displayed in such a fashion that is very difficult if not impossible for another person to be able to save your image and claim credit for it.

There will be opportunities to display your work at local events organized by The Tower. These events are only associated with our website by name. Participation in any event is voluntary, and terms of participation for any event are separate from website terms. They may even vary from event to event.

At some point there may be a Tower publication. There may be other opportunities as well depending upon who becomes involved with the project.

This website has the potential to become a very powerful marketing tool. A tool for the community as well as a tool for YOU. I encourage you to get involved, it's success depends upon the number of people working as a group to promote themselves as well as each other. The site is available globally so that anyone, anywhere, can see your images at any time. If you have any questions at all about this project, you can e-mail us at thetowergallery@gmail.com.

In my next post, you'll learn more about me, and why I started all of this.

Online

The Tower Gallery is online.

The site is up and fully functional. Galleries will be added as frequently as possible.

This project, in its current incarnation, is not a for profit venture. Those involved saw a need for artists in the Mahoning Valley who have limited technical knowledge/resources to be able to have a strong online presence in addition to their efforts in the real world.

At present there is absolutely no charge for gallery design and gallery space on this site. This may change over time depending upon interest and volume. If it becomes too large to continue hosting as an offshoot of my own website, I may need to set it up as its own site. If this happens, I will ask for a minimal amount of money to offset hosting costs, but costs will be kept as low as possible to preserve the original intent.

We are an online only gallery; we have no physical location. However, as opportunities permit, (and from what I understand, there will be many opportunities for this) physical gallery show and sale opportunities will be announced to artists featured.

Artists who are interested in participating in this project should inquire via e-mail to:
thetowergallery@gmail.com
Be sure to enclose your name, some background information about who you are and what you  do, and a way to contact you.

There is a wealth of talent in this area; dozens upon dozens of artists producing fresh material that needs to be seen. The Tower hopes to play a major role in the development of the Mahoning Valley art community, as well as the Youngstown renaissance.

Keep checking back for updates.

Regards,
atrijata

http://www.atrijata.com
atrijata@gmail.com

http://thetower.atrijata.com
thetowergallery@gmail.com