Let us count the ways...

You can support DiverseWorks! We need your help!

* Donate to the DiverseWorks Annual Fund
It has been a year to remember for DiverseWorks and all our friends and supporters. In 2009, attendance at exhibitions, performing events and co-sponsored programs reached an all-time high; new co-commissioned works went on to New York with critical acclaim; Houston Press recognized Understanding Poverty as “the Best Exhibit” of 2009; and to top it all off, we were voted the Reader’s Choice for best Art Gallery. None of this could have happened without the help and commitment of friends such as you!
Houston continues to support DiverseWorks because it means supporting artists, the creative process and artistic risk-taking. What brings people back is that, guaranteed, each trip to DiverseWorks leaves you with an experience that’s provoking and memorable. But as a non-collecting institution that presents time-based art, all those experiences are ephemeral.
This year, we invite you to claim your space and say, “I was there.” For donations small and large, we’d like to acknowledge how our supporters are part of the very foundation of what we do, and of course, we’d like everyone to have some fun doing it.
Click HERE to donate to the DiverseWorks Annual Fund!

* Volunteer at DiverseWorks
As 2009 comes to a close and we head into another year, I'm sure you're already thinking about what your New Year's resolutions will be for 2010. Well, here at DiverseWorks we just want to remind you that if are planning to give back to community, DW is a great place to fulfill your resolution. Volunteers are the lifeblood of DiverseWorks, and we need your help to make sure we can provide the best programming in Houston. Volunteers help with installing exhibitions, taking tickets at performances, serving drinks, talking to patron about membership, etc.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, please contact Tracey Morton at tracey@diverseworks.org or 713-223-8346.

Volunteer Opportunities in January
Friday, Jan. 15, 2010: The New Normal opening reception
Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 21-23, 2010: The Voyeur

*Purchase or Renew your DiverseWorks Membership
Are you thinking there needs to be something in it for me? Well, a DiverseWorks membership is exactly what that can do for you. Help support DiverseWorks with a membership! Available at different levels and different perks, we have something for everybody. From students to underwriters, we want you to be involved! Discounts to merchandise, invitations to exclusive events, free tickets and much much more are available to you with just a click. Okay. clicky clicky away. If your membership needs to be renewed or you have questions about membership, Tracey Morton can take care of all your needs and concerns, just email tracey@diverseworks.org or give us a call at 713.223.8346.

*Purchase a table or tickets and/or sponsor
the DiverseWorks Gala- Debutantes Run Wild!
What would happened if you took high-society debutant protocol, dashed with Cinderella dreams, and turned it on its big Texas hairdo? A debutant ball done up DiverseWorks style, that's what! Darling debs feel free to abandon those pearls and white dresses (cause prim and proper won't fly here); and join the DW crew as we flaunt our wild side at the greatest fundraising bash of the year -Debutantes Run Wild! (And gents, come in tux and tails, or a gown, because anything goes at a DW Gala). From introductions down a staircase a Southern Belle would fawn over, through the closing drink at the bar, the dancing and partying won't stop until the clock strikes midnight. So practice your bow, text your fairy godmother, and get ready to have a ball and help DiverseWorks raise funds for its programming season! Interested in purchasing a table or sponsoring the event, email Margaret Bott at mdbott@diverseworks.org or Tracey Morton at tracey@diverseworks.org or give us a call at 713.223.8346

*Purchase tickets to some of our upcoming performances!
Are you a performing arts lover? Need to get your love on? DiverseWorks has 2 great performances coming up in January and February! Get ready for the world premiere of Company Clare Dyson's The Voyeur! DiverseWorks is the only location in the entire country presenting this incredible installation/ dance performance by Australian choreographer of the year, Clare Dyson. Click HERE to learn more about The Voyeur as well as purchase tickets.

Purchase tickets to catch one of the country's most innovative musical groups, So Percussion. Collaborating with filmmaker Jennise Treuting, Brooklyn's So Percussion comes to Houston with Imaginary City, a music performance that captures the sounds and images of several cities emphasizing the uniqueness and commonalities between the various cities- from Treuting's home in Tokyo to the vast skies of Helena, MT; to the mountains of Denver, CO; through the heartland of Cleveland, OH and the New England landscape of Burlington, VT and to the urban jungle of Houston. Click HERE for more information or to purchase tickets to Imaginary City.

*Lend us your props for our next exhibition and performance!
Working for a non-profit, we often face challenges from time to time. Well...our latest challenge is furniture. Our upcoming exhibition The New Normal, requires furniture props as part of the installation. Plus, our performance The Voyeur requires props too!

The New Normal Exhibition Needs
January 4- February 23, 2010 (the length of time we will need these items)
Queen-size bed
desk with chair
some lamps
microwave

The Voyeur Performance Needs
January 15-January 26, 2010 (the length of time we will need these items)
Lounge chair
low stool
tall floor lamp
small desk lamp
small coffee table

If you can lend us these items, please email Jon Read at jread@diverseworks.org or call us 713.223.8346

The Wave of Activity is on the up and up

The Season is underway and now the wave of activity rises to fundraising and development. We are working day and night and would love to share this experience with one or two interns/students who are just dying to learn more about this most exciting and expanding professional field. CALL ME!! We’ll get you busy right away.

First on our agenda is the Annual Giving Fund that every non-profit organization wants and needs. This year, DW is offering a special gift to those who contribute. Just imagine walking into our facility and being able to see your name on one of the doors or windows or other place you select with the level of your donation! What is even more fun is to watch your friends grow green with envy when they see your name and know their name is not there. Oh, My! Send in your check – let us place your name for all to see.

Next, mark your calendars for the incomparable art gala – Debutantes Run Wild! What could be more fun than abandoning those pearls and white gowns to flaunt your wild side on Friday, Feb. 19th at The Bell Tower on 34th Street. Woo Hoo!

Get your table of friends together, come on down to DW one evening in January to learn to do the Texas Deep Bow from real debutantes. Then swing out at the gala and show your wild side. Could it be any more fun?! Oh yes, guess it can – artists we are honoring or no other than those wildly talented artist guys Dean Ruck and Dan Havel and one of our fav party girls Artist Molly Gochman!

If you want to know more about DiverseWorks fundraising events, just drop us a message on this blog or call me at (713) 223-8346, ext. 14.

Margaret (DeeDee) Bott
Development Director

It's about time...

Kerry the Intern Evans and Caren Shoup

It's about time...

For more to graduate! Woo-Hoo! And sometimes it felt like this day would never come.

I was actually supposed to graduate this past Spring, but just a few weeks before the end of the semester, I realized that I only needed 3 more classes to get my minor in Psychology. Being so close, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make it happen. And well, things worked out wonderfully, because had I not stayed an extra semester, I would not have interned at DiverseWorks!

Through my internship here, I discovered that PR is something I'd really like to pursue. I learned that whether I like it or not, social media (I'm talking to you, Twitter!) is a key player in ensuring you get the press and coverage so vital to your organization's success. I've still got a lot to learn, but I know what skills I need to attain or enhance in order to make it in the PR biz.

I'd like to say thank you to Shawna for taking me under her wing and for just being a really funny and cool lady. And of course thank you to the entire DiverseWorks staff ---this is truly a wonderful organization, and my experience here was both educational and rewarding!

-Kerry the Intern

Things that we are thankful for....

All of us at DiverseWorks would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you have a wonderful day with lots of good food, family and friends.

Here are the things that we are thankful for...

Diane Barber
I'm thankful to be living my life doing what I love surrounded by people that I love.
Oh, and I'm very thankful for Diet Coke.

DeeDee Bott
I am thankful for the many friends of DW who give us gifts even during this weakened economy.
I am thankful for the many friends of DW who place art at the top of their priority list.

Shawna Forney
I'm thankful for my friends, family, co-workers, and the people who enjoy DiverseWorks as much as I do.
I am thankful for my kick ass job at DiverseWorks and the people who make my work visible. All of the editors, art writers, bloggers and sponsors who continue to support DiverseWorks and feel that what we do is significant.

Tracey Morton
I’m thankful to be surrounded by so many awesome and caring people (from my co-workers who keep me sane in insane times, to my friends and family who love me and my craziness)
All the individuals who continue to support DiverseWorks as members

Jon Read
I am thankful that my arm is getting better and that I work with Shawna

Sixto Wagan
Thankful for: being part of artist’s creative process, and giving opportunities for them to dream big
The support we continue to earn by doing what we do best, and not asking us to be something else

Julia Wallace
I am thankful for space heaters and for the yes men.
and for dr. pepper.
and for paychecks and family/friends , i guess.
and i am super grateful for the missionary position.

Stephanie Atwood
I am hoping to be thankful for a gold star audit I am grateful for the hard work of the board and staff

Also, as a reminder, we are closed tomorrow, Friday, November 27th and our gallery will be open Saturday, November 28th from noon to 6pm! Make sure to stop by and check out our current exhibitions- Tierney Malone's Third Ward is My Harlem and flickerlounge - Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR.

As a Thanksgiving treat, enjoy this short video from last week's ArtCrawl performance of Third Ward is My Harlem in the Sankofa Theater.

The Idea Fund: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Proposals

Note: The injuries in this blog are fictitious, however if you want to help ease the recovery, please become a member or donate to DiverseWorks!

I thought all the injuries had healed since the cancellation of the 1-ish K, but one trip on a couple of The Idea Fund packets brought the old pain back and it was just more than I could handle. The applications, oh the applications! How they came one by one, flooding my e-mail…but it a good way.

I’m glad to report that The Idea Fund (TIF) has received more than 160 applications for the second round; and as you can see that’s a lot (the photo above shows me being attacked by work samples, which were not harmed during the altercation. Me, I'll get over my fear of large envelopes some day). But I’m working away (with the help of DW Intern Rachel Toombs) and will definitely have everything ready for the panelist who will meet on December 7 to choose the awardees.

Here’s a little background on the three panelist:

Franklin Sirmans: Served as the modern and contemporary art curator for the Menil Collection for the past three year. Sirmans is leaving the arts organization to become department head and curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Ron Berry: Founder and Artistic Director of the Fusebox Festival in Austin. Fuse Box is an idea engine. A space where artists and audiences can take risks, ask questions and explore ideas together, break rules, and blur boundaries. It is a platform for visionary works, unabashed play, and new ways of engaging with our world.

Courtney Fink: Executive director of Southern Exposure, a 30 year old non-profit arts organization that supports emerging artists, arts educators, and youth artists through exhibitions, education programs, and events in San Francisco. Southern Exposure runs a re-granting program called Alternative Exposure, which The Idea Fund was base on.

TIF will announce awardees in mid-December (please do not call to check the status of your application, you will be notified of the outcome as soon as it is determined), so keep your fingers crossed.

--Tracey

Please send Del's Lemonade...

Just the other weekend, I went to beautiful Providence, Rhode Island to attend the National Arts Marketing Project Conference! DiverseWorks was the featured organization for a marketing session called Quick, Cheap and Dirty: Developing an Inexpensive Marketing Plan. I was completely nervous as it was really my first time to present in front of my peers. Sara Kellner, the former Executive Director of DiverseWorks, and myself presented ways for other organizations to maximize their marketing dollars and existing staff to develop a down and dirty marketing plan. We used our marketing plan and marketing roundtable as examples to help others. We got a lot of fantastic feedback and a chance to let others know about the amazing people and community that have assisted DiverseWorks in making our marketing more effective. H-town Represent! Anyway, I wanted to share some of the highlights and adventures from my trip with you….

OMG! Google Ad Words. That's all I'm sayin... If you aren't familiar with Google Ad Words, you must learn about it NOW.

The plenary Luncheon with Rich Mintz was truly inspiring. He works for Blue State Digital and they did online pitches and marketing for Obama for America. He really touched upon fundraising for the campaign and some of the tactics to connect with your audience. Keeping promises and following through. Moments make your programs. Test Everything you can. Build Relationships. Online is everybody's job, even yours!

Nancy Hytone Leb. She was the fantastic moderator of my session and very supportive. I hope to remain in contact with her down the road. She is a marketing specialist, strategic consultant, development advisor and meeting facilitator and most excellent person.

Printing Money: Stretching your Collateral Budget. Wendy Hower Livingston (aka @Nashergirl) from the Nasher Museum of Art and Dewey Mooring discussed the ways that they slashed $80,000 from their marketing budget. Although I couldn't identify with that type of marketing budget ( I wish!), it was very interesting on how they refigured the marketing for a Museum. From what I learned in their session - cut down on the quantity of gallery guides, revise your marketing pieces, make sure you have a good printer, spend your money on the website. I also heard about their show: Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool going to the Contemporary Arts Museum and the importance of Dario Robleto's work to the Nasher. So cool!

Check out Dewey's blog. He does marketing for various arts organizations and you might find it helpful.

PROJECT AUDIENCE-
a pilot program that can develop and change the way we engage with audiences. Compared to sites such as Amazon and Yelp, audiences can recommend performances and exhibitions to others and review the show. Check out the site. http://www.projectaudience.org/

Also, I went to a roundtable discussion called the Ipatron: Audience Mobile Phone Trends and Study Results moderated by Ron Evans. WOW! I recently bought a smart phone and it's changed my life. This session was very cool. The results and the future of mobile phones are just crazy. Only a few arts organizations have taken the leap to creating an app for your phone or creating a website that is for mobile phone users. I think we will be seeing more and more of these things in the future. They have a great site too with lots of information. http://groupofminds.com/arts-marketing-articles

Last but not least, this isn't marketing related but if you get the opportunity to visit Providence, make sure you do 3 things.

1. Visit the RISD museum. A beautiful space and the coolest conference room EVER!

2. Eat dinner at Al Forno. Best meal of my life. Hands down! O-M-G!

3. Visit Waterfire. A tradition of the town and come on, THEY LIGHT THE RIVER ON FIRE!

Check out some of the pics from my trip.

Also, I want to make mention of these people. All of them in a big part (besides the staff of DiverseWorks) have shaped my marketing practices and were mentioned in our presentation. People like Lendre Kearns and Keith Gulla took the DiverseWorks staff on a marketing retreat to help us really evaluate what we were doing and we have since carried on that tradition. I'm so grateful to the participants of the 25th Anniversary Marketing Roundtable - Lindsay Kayser, Monica Danna, Matthew Wettergreen, Philip Beck, Kellye Sanford, Phillip Marshall, Tom So, David Cobb, Sarah Schellenberg, Tracey Morton and Jason McElwheenie. Thanks Everybody and Special Thanks to Sixto Wagan and Diane Barber for being so supportive, being free thinkers and not being afraid of change.

Shawna Forney
Public Relations & Marketing Manager
DiverseWorks

P.S. Please send me Del's Lemonade. I miss you sweet little delicious, natural, tasty lemonade from Rhode Island.

Mark your calendars!

Here's what's on my plate right now---I have started working with Shawna on a marketing plan for So Percussion's performance at DiverseWorks next year. I am very excited to be entrusted with such a project, which I know will double as a great opportunity to learn more about the world of PR.

I had never heard of So Percussion until a few weeks ago, but after reading up on them via their website, I must say I am quite intrigued. Below I posted a video from a past performance to give everyone an idea of what the So Percussion experience is all about.

-Kerry the intern