Information for Craftspeople

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Village Arts is dedicated to the promotion of fine quality craft, following in the tradition of European guilds. The organiztion is made up of Canadian craftspeople; members' work covers the spectrum from cottage industry to one-of-a-kind artisan. Craft encompasses traditional and contemporary design, and covers a wide range of media including - but not limited to - textiles and fabric, glass and metalwork, pottery and woodcraft. The store prioritizes the profiling of local and regional artisans’ work. Additionally, outreach to other artisans in Canada takes place as required to ‘recruit’ specific media so as to ensure a balanced and representative array of products in the store.

Village Arts is incorporated as a non profit society and operates as a collective of artists: all income generated by the store is shared between the artisan members and the organization; the store's share of income is applied directly to the store’s operating costs. Village Arts is financially supported by memberships and commissions on sales. It is managed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership at an Annual General Meeting. Working members run the gallery shop and any special events; employees are hired as required to staff the store and assist with managerial duties.

In July 2006, the Village Arts Society incorporated as a non-profit society around the following objectives:

To operate, on a not-for-profit basis, a retail shop of high quality standard in Invermere, British Columbia. The store sells fine craft products, thereby providing artisans with a professional venue to sell their handcrafted work.

To support artisans’ ability to earn a livelihood from their craft by providing a professional showcase for their work and by promoting the store so that it is well known.

To educate the public about fine craft; to provide an opportunity for the public to view and purchase handcrafted work and interact with working artisans.

To support opportunities for artisans’ advancement including professional development opportunities, gallery exhibits, education and training.

To encourage community economic development by creating work for artisans and creating local jobs.

Membership has its privileges!

You must be a member of the organization in order to sell or display work in the Village Arts store.

Members are also entitled to:

• vote at the Annual General Meeting
• stand for election to the Board of Directors
• receive a Members’ Newsletter
• a presence on the Village Arts web site www.villagearts.ca

Village Arts is dedicated to progressive marketing and active promotion of fine craft, and to the education of members and the public.

In order to maintain Membership , you must:

1. be a resident of Canada;
2. have your work reviewed by the Selections Committee twice each calendar year;
3. pay annual dues of $75.00 which includes GST, by March 1 each year.
   

Selection Process:

Village Arts is looking for artisans whose work has a personal direction, is unique and of consistently superior craftsmanship.

At the present time, Village Arts does not ‘generally’ accept the following:

• hobby crafts
• flower arrangements, pressed flowers or potpourri
• plants
• decorated stones, sea shells or other found objects
• transfers, decals, decoupage
• liquid embroidery
• work made from kits, commercial patterns
  (as from pattern books or magazines)
• work made with a commercial product as the focal point
• work made with commercial moulds
• prints, paintings, graphics
• tolework

The Director’s elects a Selections Committee which juries new work. Applicants are required to pay a jurying fee $25.00 which includes GST. This non-refundable payment is due with the jurying application one week prior to the Selections Committee meeting. Please see our “contact us” page and email us for a Jury Application and the date of the next Selection Committee meeting.
Four to five samples of your work are required for jurying. Digital photos emailed as JPEG files are acceptable as a portion of the applicant’s submission and are often submitted as a ‘preview’ prior to sending actual pieces for jurying; a minimum of three actual pieces are required. Please enclose funds or return postage. A resume, retail pricing and technical description is required along with the Jury Application Form.

The Selection Committee awards points on a seven point scale in the following categories:

• Aesthetics and design
• Technical competence
• Originality
• Presentation
• Retail potential

Once the work has passed through the Selection process, the craftsperson is informed in writing as to whether or not the work has been accepted for sale in the store.

We ask that craftspeople contact the store to arrange delivery and pick up of their work in recognition of our very limited storage space.

Please note that no critique is given of work submitted for jury. Only work of the same type and quality as that passed by the Selections Committee can be sold in the shop. Members submitting new work must go through the Selections process, although current members are not required to pay jurying fees for new items.

Once an artisan’s work has passed Selection and membership dues are paid, the work should be brought into the store as soon as possible. There is a six month probation period for new members. All members’ work is subject to a six month review process by the Selection Committee in order to ensure that the display space allotted an item is justified by sales volume.

Village Arts’ commission is currently 40% for non working members and 15% for working members. Cheques and sales records are mailed to members by the 20th of the following month. More detailed information is given to new members at the time of joining Village Arts.