Notes On Teaching Workshops Claudine Hellmuth
Uploaded by
VinaNotes On Teaching Workshops Claudine Hellmuth
Uploaded by
VinaNotes on Teaching Workshops
© CLAUDINE HELLMUTH
WWW.COLLAGEARTIST.COM
WORKSHOPS
Teaching workshops are a great way to make income and get your name out there
all at the same time! I have taught over 4,000 students in my workshops and classes!
Here’s how you can too!
Various places to teach - conventions/ art centers/ craft stores/ set up your own
In my experience there are a few different types of venues to teach your workshops at,
The first is the artist convention: There are quite a few of these around the country and
usually the artist type convention is held at a hotel and there are a few teachers all giving
classes at the same time. This venue can be a lot of fun to teach at because you get to
meet other teachers and also you aren’t the only one teaching and carrying the whole
weight of the experience for each student. You can find artist conventions on the
internet.
Jerry’s Artaramma gives a workshop convention each year in Raleigh NC that caters to a
variety of artists, Landscape, watercolor to mixed media:
http://www.jerrysartevents.com/artofca20.html
Other events include: Art and Soul – www.artandsoulretreat.com, Art Unraveled –
www.artunraveled.com
The Second venue to teach at is the art center: Just about every city has some sort of
art center, a place where classes and workshops are held for adults. If you have one if
your city it would be a great place to begin teaching workshops. Most art centers that you
travel to may require at least a 3 day workshop for a visiting artist. Each art center varies
in what they will pay for, some pay for lodging and travel, some expect you to pay for
this so you will need to adjust your fees accordingly. (More and Pricing below)
Some art centers simply give you a room and don’t have any interaction with the
students. Others are more proactive and would like to give a little introduction to your
students to educate them about their art center.
The third option is to set up your own workshop: There is the option of setting up
your own workshop, renting out a space and doing it all yourself. This is a great way to
make extra money because you don’t have to give a cut to an art center or convention.
The trade off is that you have to do all the administrative work yourself, taking the
money, checking the space and making sure everything is all set up.
Find locations by looking at other artists’ web sites to see where they are teaching then
apply to those locations. Most locations book more than a year out. Also look at various
artist magazines to find locations and online try www.shawguides.com
Develop your curriculum – do what you know best. Don’t try to imitate what another
artist is teaching, put your own twist on it and make it yours. Try to come up with a one
day, two day and three day option. Most art centers like 3 day options.
Learn from others - Take workshops from other artists! Not to gather ideas for what to
teach, but to learn about the teaching process. Make notes on what you like or do not like
about their style of teaching. This is a great way to figure out what will work when you
teach.
Practice – before teaching your first workshop for “real paying customers” I highly
recommend practicing with a few friends. Gather together at least 5 friends and go
through your whole workshop as if you’ve never met these people before. At the end of
the day ask them what they thought worked and what didn’t, etc. This way when you get
ready to do the real thing you won’t be as nervous because you already had a dry run.
Pricing – some places like a per-head fee and some like a flat fee. If I go to a place that is
paying my expenses I charge less than I do if I have to pay all my expenses. I charge $65
a head if they are paying my expenses with a 15 student min. I charge $85 a head if I am
paying my own expenses.
Supply list – have a supply list, don’t try to bring all the supplies yourself. That said
students get really mad if they are asked to bring something and then don’t use it so make
sure you only have necessary supplies on your list.
Atmosphere - Teaching a workshop is a lot like hosting a party, you want a light and fun
atmosphere this is not a college-level class that they have signed up for – they want a day
to be creative and have fun. It should go without saying, don’t be bossy or belittle your
students. But you’d be surprised how many artists treat the workshop experience like a
college level class. In my view workshops are for fun learning, not graded type learning.
Handouts – make sure to have some sort of handout, when the student arrives they are a
little nervous, is this class going to be worth their time and money? Make sure to hand it
to them with a smile as soon as they sit down and are comfortable. Having a handout to
greet them on the desk relaxes them, they can see you are organized and they can read it
while they wait for class to get started.
Setting up the classroom – if you are teaching at conventions often times you will end
up in some sort of hotel ballroom and the staff will probably have lined up all the tables
in long rows. I prefer to move the tables around a bit to make for a more engaging
atmosphere. My favorite arrangement is to put two table back to back and seat people in
pods of four. This creates little groups and then they can socialize with each other, get
ideas and share supplies if needed. I like to have all these pods around the room and then
one table up front with enough space in front of it for everyone to gather around for the
demo. When people arrive in class I always let them know that all demos will be up front
with a “gather round” so they don’t have to worry about missing anything.
Beginning the class -
Get started on time! Your students are antsy to get started as soon as it is time. I always
look to see how many others are still to arrive, if you have more than 10 late people, wait
an extra 5 minutes max.
Make sure to introduce yourself at the beginning of class. Even though they signed up for
your workshop, they may not be familiar with your work, come up with a brief 1-2
minute intro so that you aren’t too long winded. Then take this time to let everyone know
the structure for the day. Are you going to only have one demo then the rest of the day
will be one on one working time with you? Or will you have a series of demos? Make
sure to let everyone know what time lunch will be and what time class ends. Also let
them know where the restrooms are and all of that housekeeping information. I find it’s
best to get all this information out of the way at the beginning. Everyone will be
wondering what time lunch is etc, so if you address it, it frees up their brains to
concentrate on you!
Everyone will worry if they brought the right “stuff” and depending on personality some
will be able to roll with it if they show up with the wrong paint and some might be scared
or worried if they didn’t bring the “right” materials. So I always bring back up paints and
supplies incase someone forgets something or comes with the wrong item.
When you do a demo at the beginning of class, try to make it no longer than 30-45
minutes and tell them approx how long it will be. Their hands are itchy and they can’t
wait to get started, if you let them know how long it will be, they will be able to relax. I
wouldn’t recommend a demo longer than 45 minutes at the beginning before getting time
to work otherwise they will start getting restless. Even better if you can get them to do a
little something before coming up to the table like tearing down their paper or gessoing a
canvas, then they feel like they got started and will be better able to relax while you
demo.
It should go without saying to stay on topic while you are demoing. Don’t start talking
about your day at the beach while everyone is sitting around waiting for you to show
them how to paint. I keep personal chit chat only to one on one at the time with the
students and then I keep it very begin subject matter, my pets, weather, local things to do.
Never bring up politics or religion. Keep in mind that a lot people sign up for workshops
because that is the only “art time” they get. Don’t take up a lot of their time with lengthy
explanations or off topic discussions.
Pacing your class – always keep a few extra techniques or extra things for them to work
on up your sleeve. Some students work at an alarming rate and you want them to have
enough to do so they don’t get bored. That way if everyone is wrapping up earlier than
you thought they would, you don’t have to panic. It takes me about 3 times of teaching a
class to get the pacing down right. I am always tweaking the classes to make sure they
have the best flow.
Look and listen to your students while they are working. If they gravitate more to one
subject or technique then play that up. Don’t stick to a rigid guideline for the day and
force people do work on something that they aren’t excited about simply because you
have that planned as your next step. Allow your workshop day to be flexible. You are
there to make sure your students have a good time, not to make sure they complete all the
tasks on your list.
During class – I feel it is very important that during student working time the instructor
is walking the class and making themselves available to each student. I circle the
classroom endlessly while people are working, sometimes just looking or nodding if it
looks like they are working hard and don’t want to be bothered other times stopping to
consult. Many instructors like to sit up at the front of class while everyone is working on
their projects. I don’t think this is the best way. If you have a shy student they are not
likely to approach you and then they might leave the workshop feeling like you made
yourself unavailable. Try to make yourself very available to each and every student, that
is why you are there.
Selling your art in class – I think it’s perfectly acceptable to sell your art or books etc in
a workshop. But there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Don’t spend the first 5
minutes of class telling everyone what you have for sale etc. Don’t make an overly salesy
pitch about your stuff. What I do is have a little table in the back of the room and then
just mention it by saying “I have some of my work and books in the back of the room if
you want to take a look.” Reserve a time at the end of class to take money, never make
students feel that you are concentrating more on taking their money than teaching them.
Publicizing your workshops – make sure you have a web site! My web site is the
number one way I fill my workshops and classes. You can link to your web site for free
on www.shawguides.com. And http://www.artshow.com charges only a small fee.
There aren’t any books I have found about specifically teaching artist workshops, I
recommend “How to run Seminars and Workshops by Robert Jolles” he writes a lot about
information delivery, student personalities, and about working with adult audiences. I
found his information to be invaluable.
WHAT MAKES A WORKSHOP GREAT?
Below is a short list about what makes a workshop great (or not) from Susan Falter
Barnes of www.howmuchjoy.com
WHAT MAKES A WORKSHOP NOT GREAT:
Static
Passive
Confusing
Timid
Not much fun/tedious
Tense space
WHAT MAKES ANY WORKSHOP GREAT:
Truly safe space
Improvisation
Spirit/Flow
Total knowledge of material
Authenticity
Necessary bravery
Organization/clarity
Focus
CONTRACT
Have a contract for your workshops. I think it is very important. Some art centers might
provide you with their own agreement that you can use, but if you are teaching at a store
or at another event that doesn’t offer a contract, I have a blank one below for you to use.
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT, entered into on the ________ day of _____________________, between
____________________(hereinafter referred to as the “Artist”), located at
_________________________________________________________________. , and
____________________________________ (hereinafter referred to as the “Sponsor”),
located at: _____________________________________________________________.
WHEREAS, the Sponsor is familiar with and admires the work of the Artist; the Sponsor
wishes the Artist to visit the Sponsor to enhance the opportunities for its students by
having contact with working a professional Artist. The Artist wishes to instruct with
respect to her work and perform such other services as this contract may call for.
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT ARE SPECIFIED HEREIN:
The Artist hereby agrees to come to the Sponsor on the following date(s):
_______________________ and instruct the following classes:
1)
2)
3)
The Artist shall use best efforts to make her services as productive as possible to the
Sponsor. The Artist may bring examples of her work for display and may offer such work
for sale during the workshop with no financial consideration to the Sponsor.
1. Payment. The Sponsor agrees to pay the following as full compensation for the
Artist's services: _____ US dollars per student - per 6 hour teaching day. These sums
plus expenses shall be payable to the Artist on completion of the last day of the
Artist’s residence with the Sponsor.
a. Minimum payment: The artist has a $________ per day (10 student) minimum rate for
her services. The Sponsor shall notify the artist (no later than 12 weeks prior) of the
workshop student count. At that time if the workshops haven’t met the minimum, one
of two options could be chosen. 1). New classes could be selected and rescheduled to
another date in the future. 2) The Sponsor could move ahead with the workshop and
agrees to pay the difference to equal the $________ per day minimum rate.
2. Expenses. In addition to the payments provided under Paragraph 2, the Sponsor
agrees to reimburse the Artist for the following expenses:
a. Travel: To locations where driving is an option: $0.35 per mile, roundtrip from
Artist’s home to the teaching destination. Driving distance not to exceed 6 hours one
way. Then air travel will be necessary. To locations where air travel is necessary:
Roundtrip coach-class airline tickets, as well as any shuttle or rental car costs incurred.
Artist will book her airfare early and will do everything within reason to get the lowest
fare possible.
b. Meals: Dinner the night before the first day of teaching, three meals per day when
teaching, and breakfast the morning of Artist’s departure.
c. Lodging: Private accommodations in a motel or hotel.
The reimbursement for food, lodging, travel and other expenses shall be made on
completion of the last day of the Artist’s residence with the Sponsor.
3. Inability to Perform. If the Artist is unable to appear on the dates scheduled due to
illness, the Sponsor shall have no obligation to make any payments under Paragraphs
1 and 2, but shall attempt to reschedule the Artist's appearance at a mutually
acceptable future date. If the Sponsor is prevented from having the Artist appear by
acts of God, hurricane, flood, governmental order, or other cause beyond its control,
the Sponsor shall be responsible only for the payment of such expenses under
Paragraph 2 as the Artist shall have actually incurred. The Sponsor agrees in such a
case to attempt to reschedule the Artist’s appearance at a mutually acceptable future
date.
4. Late Payment. The Sponsor agrees that in the event it is late in making payment of
amounts due to the Artist under Paragraph 1 or 2, it will pay as additional liquidated
damages 15% percent in interest on the amounts it is owing to the Artist, said interest
to run from the date stipulated for payment in Paragraph 1 or 2 until such time as
payment is made.
5. Copyrights and Recordings. Both parties agree that the Artist shall retain all rights,
including copyrights, in relation to recordings of any kind made of the appearance or
any works shown in the course thereof. The term “recording” as used herein shall
include any recording made by electronic transcription, tape recording, wire recording,
film, videotape, or other similar or dissimilar methods of recording, whether now
known or hereinafter developed. No use of any such recording shall be made by the
Sponsor without the written consent of the Artist and, if stipulated therein, additional
compensation for such use.
6. Modification. This contract contains the full understanding between the parties
hereto and may only be modified in a written instrument signed by both parties.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have signed this Agreement as of the date
first set forth below.