Painting is hard - particularly at the end of the process. Two steps forward, nine steps back. A great deal more time staring at the easel than actively painting.

artist insight, creativity, personal, tips, processJennifer DrinkwaterFebruary 26, 2023blog Comments

A Quick 48 Hours: Greenville, Mississippi

I asked William Coppage, my old friend and forner director of the Washington County Economic Alliance, to help flesh out a fun weekend in and around Greenville. Here are some of his suggestions, along with my comments.

A Quick 48, art collection, community, Mississippi, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterFebruary 19, 2023blog Comment

POW! A Plan of Work Template for Community Art Projects

We often don’t know what we don’t know, which can be paralyzing when starting something new. This POW will prompt you to have necessary conversations with yourself, your collaborators, and your community, such as: “What are we really trying to do here? Why does it matter? What is our timeline/budget/materials? Who’s doing what by when? How do we know if this has been a successful effort?”

community, artist insight, creativity, toolkit, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterFebruary 13, 2023blogComment

How To Speak Ioweigan

Last week, I invited folks to share how to speak Iowegian.

To be completely transparent, I was pleasantly surprised with the level of response, even the arguments between was what authentically Iowan versus Minnesotan. Enjoy.

community, Iowa, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterFebruary 6, 2023blog Comment

What I Read, Watched, Listened to in 2022

Wait. What day is it? I don't know about you, but this pops into my head everyday before New Year's Eve.

In the spirit of providing you with entertainment options while you too are wondering what day it is, I created a short list of things I enjoyed reading, watching, and listening to in 2022.

artist insight, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterDecember 20, 2022blogComment

A Primer on Artist Relocation Programs

Say what?

Artist who?

In a sentence, Artist Relocation Programs attempt to lure artists to live and work in their communities, knowing full well that artists can transform places.

ABCD, community, creativity, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterNovember 22, 2022blogComment

The Power of Artist-in-Residence Programs for Artists and Communities

If you’re a civic leader, or part of a community organization, you may consider the benefit of inviting a local artist to be a part of what you’re doing. Or you could invite a non-local artist to live in your community for bit. We creatives thrive on transforming a set of challenges into a new possibility. Our brains are wired to see potential, to see something better.

community, creativity, artist insight, tips, toolkit, AIRJennifer DrinkwaterNovember 12, 2022blog Comments

Road Trip Tips

I heart road trips times infinity. In the summer of ‘98, nineteen-year-old me drove from Mississippi to southwest Virginia. Hopping in a car for a dozen hours has been an impulse ever since. With road trips on my brain, I tapped my online community to see what sage wisdom they had. Gather round, folks.

artist insight, community, personal, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterNovember 9, 2022blogComment

How to Actually Hang Art on Your Walls

Greetings! In this final installation (see what I did there) of how to hang art on your walls, we’ll be going over the nuts and bolts (ha) of the hanging part, i.e. what tools you need, measuring formulas, and best practices for showcasing your work in the best light possible (it’s just too easy).

art collection, creativity, tips, artist insightJennifer DrinkwaterOctober 16, 2022blogComment

How to Curate a Space

Placing art within a space can be intimidating, particularly if you’re a newbie. Where should it go? How do you create a meaningful visual experience in your home? Do you need all new furniture to match new work? And finally, how do you hang art, particularly if you’re allergic to power tools?

Let’s walk through some of these questions one by one.

art collection, artist insight, creativity, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterOctober 4, 2022blogComment

7 Tips for Upcycling Frames for Your Art Collection

I am cheap. I come from a long line of proud cheapskates. My mother had us bring home Ziploc bags from our lunchboxes so she could wash and reuse them. I am incapable of throwing cardboard boxes away and I make my own damn chicken broth. I try to trick myself into believing I’m some kind of misplaced pioneer or a diehard environmentalist, but really, I am cheap. So no surprise that when I absolutely must frame something, you better believe I am going to find a “vintage” option. Here’s a list of tips that I use to find perfectly good frames to upcycle.

art collection, artist insight, tips, personalJennifer DrinkwaterSeptember 25, 2022blogComment

Alternatives to Traditional Framing

Last week, I wrote a little about discerning whether you need a frame or not.

And you may have thought “I just spent a bunch of money, so it’d be great NOT to frame” or decided “I want to display my cool postcard or print collection and I do NOT want to wait until I can afford frames for all 78 of them.”

Congrats! You’re not alone! And you have lots of options!

art collection, creativity, tips, artist insightJennifer DrinkwaterSeptember 18, 2022blogComment

Whether to Frame?

I once taught a class at Iowa State University on how to run a gallery and how to use the gallery to engage the local community. One of the first classes each semester was on how to install an art exhibition. This involved spreadsheets, cleaning supplies, post-it notes, levels, drills, and lots of math. I get a lot of questions from friends and family on the reg about where and how to frame and hang their art, so I thought I would share some insight.

art collection, creativity, artist insight, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterSeptember 11, 2022blogComment

Buying Art: (mostly) Do's and (a few) Don't's

Welcome back! For the past two weeks, we’ve discussed why you should begin an art collection, and how to start an art collection. This final segment is a best-practices-approach to buying art: connecting with artists, supporting their practice, and purchasing their work.

art collection, artist insight, creativity, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterSeptember 6, 2022blogComment

How to Start a Meaningful Art Collection

Maybe you definitely would like to support more artists and buy more art, and you have no idea where to begin. You’re in luck! Here are a couple steps to get you clear on the art and artists you’d like to support, plus a few ideas on how to find these wonderful folks.

art collection, artist insight, creativity, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterAugust 30, 2022blogComment

3 Reasons to Start an Art Collection Pronto

True confession: It took me 34 years to call myself an artist. I’m embarrassed to say that I associated that label with a whole mess of bad connotations that I mistakenly bought into and wanted to avoid. I also had major imposter syndrome, and being told by a former professor that I didn’t have any talent really didn’t help matters.

art collection, artist insight, creativity, tips, personalJennifer DrinkwaterAugust 24, 2022blogComment

A Quick 48 Hours: Rolling Fork, Mississippi

In early November 2019, I spent a lovely afternoon with Julia Rodgers Clark and Drick Rodgers on their family farm outside of Rolling Fork in Sharkey County, Mississippi. I loved on horses, rode in a cotton picker, peeked into Mont Helena, and listened to remarkable family stories and histories. At 15 people per square mile, Sharkey County is the second most rural county in Mississippi, and is the birthplace of both Muddy Waters and the teddy bear. Read on for a list of what to do, where to stay, what to eat, and where to visit.

A Quick 48, community, Mississippi, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterAugust 12, 2022blogComment

How Can Community Arts Help People Feel Like They Belong in Your Town?

Recently, I co-facilitated How Can Community Arts Help People Feel Like They Belong in Your Town?, a Small City Workshop for the Iowa League of Cities.

This workshop is part of the Rural Shrink Smart initiative, a interdisciplinary team funded by the National Science Foundation that's exploring how to increase the quality of life in rural communities with shrinking populations.

ABCD, artist insight, community, creativity, tips, toolkitJennifer DrinkwaterAugust 1, 2022blogComment

Gathering Spaces: The How Matters

Last month, I was invited to participate in the Placemaking in Small & Rural Communities Virtual Conference hosted by the amazing Arts Extension team at the University of Kentucky. (They are the OG of community arts extension and rural placemaking.)

I thought I’d share a few key points from that presentation over the next few weeks, including 4 common themes that I’ve noticed in effective and inclusive rural placemaking efforts.