Foreword: A lot of folks have come to me offering their help in getting donors to open up to our worthwhile project. But in order to help them help us, they ask me to prepare a portfolio and presentation so the donors may know what the heck they donating to :-) . I thought I'd do the
write up in a question and answer format. Then again I thought I could share the same article for folks who may want to help the cause by purchasing one or more of our Iris Mosaics.
If you've read "Our Aspirations and Goals" this is pretty much the same thing maybe written alightly differently. That wass after all another day. Feel free to skip. :-)
To a Potential Big Donor:
June 25, 2017
What is the goal of this project?
We have following goals:
To develop a craft that provides a lot of rewarding work
for the people in Cebu. To make artwork that is
accessible to our middle class. To create an
indigenous but contemporary art genre which can be
enjoyed by the people of Cebu. To encourage Cebuanos to
keep their recyclable trash and have them transformed
into beautiful artwork.
How do you intend to achieve the goal?
By growing our organization of 10 to as big as we can
get while doing our best to teach and persuade everyone
in our sphere of influence to join us formally or
informally by creating their own organizations.
How will we launch our business and introduce ourselves
to the public.
To begin with we have at the moment a collection of around 100 artworks that are
of a new genre; each one beautiful, new and unique. our Iris Mosaic
line. We hope to display this collection in a "shock and awe" kind of exhibition
designed to have a mesmerizing and lasting impression in the minds of those who
see it. It is after all, all new and it will be a broad collection. We hope the So great is
the impact that aside from word of mouth will even get a free press and then
everyone will want to come and see it. After all - even if you're not
planning to buy, you probably would want to see a dazzling and one of a kind
exhibition of new Cebuano art and craft..
We are targeting either the mall at SM or Ayala for
this. We hope to get either corporation to donate
to the cause by providing a space pro bono. We expect
they will be rewarded should they help with the greater
than regular influx of customer who would come to see
us.
Isn't it illegal to simply copy
off the internet?
It depends. Some images have clear cut copyright labels
on them and of course we avoid those. Most of internet
images aren't copy righted and we feel free to use them
even without the acknowledgement for now. But when we
are able to with additional resources we would like to
contact the original artist and photographer to request
permission and acknowlede his contribution by posting
his name as the sourcce of inspiration. We may
even go so far as offering them a royalty.
How will the business make money and grow?
First off the collection of our first 100 pieces has been paid for and made
possible with a donation from me and my nephews Jaime and Junjun - who are
incedentally part of the tyeam of 10 artists. They love thir work and love
the tram they're working with. Initially, selling those paintings at prices that
are just a little above our cost of production will allow our team to just go on
as is. In order for this business or the movement to grow - we may need to ask
the well to do among the Cebuanos to pitch in either by donating cash, lease on
suitable real estate or even simply bidding for exceptional artwork at much
higher prices. Cooperatives among folks who can donate some money or more
significantly their own time doing artwork is also a strong possibility.
Using the exhibit, we shall tap intrior designers to
get custom designed orders for murals or large paintings
from well to do homeowners, hotel chains and other
buildings.
Note the designing process will be helped a lot by the internet. All you need is to
know how to search. There is also a lot of interior designers whose tasks will
be expanded but made easier by our service.
We can also explore the the export market. We used to
do a lot of components for the jewelry market. I think
the there is strong possibility that we may be able to
sell in larger volumes our iris mosaic inlaid structure
to wholesalers who can then sell them as components to
artist to augment their painting - should the trend
catch upabroad.
Who will want to come and see our opening launch?
obviously Cebuanos who love art -and want to buy for their
own collection or to use
unemplyed and eager artists will find a lot of
opportunities to work with us or learn from what we do
those with entrepreneural instincts may want to supply parts
or subcontract mosaic inlay work.
artists and lovers of crafts will come just for the sheer pleasure
of admiring.
finally - you don't have to be an artist to want to come and enjoy
beautiful things.
How is Iris Mosaic work different from the regular painting that the US has
popularized?
Where are you located?
www.fcq.com/location
What have you produced so far and what are your production
cost
Not much yet as of today, we have 60 finished paintings and about 60 work
in proocess. W started with our current crop of artists around March 2017.
It was slow at first but they now come up with around 10 finished artworks a
week at a cost of P25k weekly. That puts our average cost at about P2.5k
and to simply stay afloat we must sell all at an average of P4k, of which
a large percentage goes to the artist and artisan.
How many people do you maintain and at what salary?
We 2 artists who are graduates of art couses. Then we have artisans, 4 of who
are former drug addicts. They are art inclined and are talenteded with
their hamds. They are learning as they work, we teach them everything. we know
and we shall soon be recognizing as artists in their own right.
What are your products?
the artwork on framed canvas that we
call iris mosaic to be retailed at malls or a permanent store if funds allow.
the service of making customized artwork per the customers
specifications.
in the future the iris sculpture as components for possible export.
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