What is Art Party Central's Mission?

Our mission at Art Party Central is to translate the fun and interaction of in-person art fairs and craft shows into a new festive, fun, and curated online format by throwing “Art Parties”. Our goal is to connect dynamic, independent designer and lifestyle brands with the curious, discerning and fun-loving shoppers who previously came to in person shopping events. We want to share our inspiration, show off our latest handmade objects and introduce customers to the joy of our creations in an intimate and interesting gathering unlike any held before. Most of all, we want to cultivate and celebrate the fellowship of like-minded human beings and send our work into the world to be cherished. Life is so much better when we’re surrounded by things we love, made by people we care about.

Why was Art Party Central Started?

Do you miss going to art shows as much as we do? As makers we love the creative process and making beautiful things feeds our souls, but the pandemic has forced show cancellations and hindered our ability to connect. Interacting with our customers is central to our well-being and creativity and that’s why we founded Art Party Central. We miss our customers, especially hearing their stories and watching their joy as they find the perfect product. We want to make them feel special and inspired, whether it’s by finding a painting that makes them smile down to their toes or a hat that shows them to their best advantage. Art Party Central also allows us to connect with you, our community of fellow artists in a fun interactive platform.

Who is Behind Art Party Central?

Karla Gudeon of Karla Gudeon Art & Design, Meghan Patrice Riley of MPR Jewelry, Samantha Stone and Nora Swan of Swan&Stone Millinery, and Kathleen Tesnakis of Ekologic Clothing & Accessories. We are a close-knit group of women artists/designers with a combined 65 years of experience at prestigious craft shows and art fairs around the country, who are striving to create a new and exciting business model for makers and collectors. We have banded together to forge new ways to share our passion with other art-loving folks. Art Party Central is supported by the input and expertise of Laura Kandel, a former Director at Artrider Productions and Connie Breslin, Consultant at the Grand Central Holiday Market, who have 30 combined years of experience producing fine contemporary craft and art shows. These two dynamic individuals have joined with Art Party Central to create a professional and cutting edge experience. Laura Kandel is taking care of the day to day operations giving us the foundation to grow Art Party Central in a professional manner without compromising our individual businesses and hosts many of our parties. Connie Breslin will drop in periodically to moderate and advise our Art Parties giving us an edge in our engagement. We are all working together to create this vital virtual experience.

Why Become an Art Party Central Collaborator?

As the world is changing, we have to find new ways of maintaining connections in an environment that can feel limiting and anonymous. We may be physically distanced but through social media and video platforms we have the opportunity for a new, wonderful way to connect and tell our stories. During our Art Parties you will connect your brand and art stories in an intimate setting where you have immediate feedback and engagement from clients. It’s a gateway to creating stronger relationships with your previous customers as well as gaining new ones. This is a chance to pivot to a new sales style and to e-support each other while we grow in this new world, and to have a lot of fun in the process.

What is an Art Party Like?

Art Party Central events are festive and engaging. Customers and collaborators are encouraged to dress up in their favorite artistic finery, grab themselves a drink and come ready to enjoy an intimate hour-long event presented by 6 artist/designers showcasing their newest pieces and sharing the love of their work. Each collaborator will give a 4-5 minute presentation sharing your current inspirations, displaying your latest work, giving a peek at your techniques and sharing a bit of your origin story as a creative. Collaborators will then be asked 1-2 previously submitted questions providing more insight about each artist and making the event feel conversational and less constant presentation. Customers are given the opportunity to discover and engage with both new and well-loved artists in a format that fosters their excitement to purchase goods they know a little bit about, from people they have met. Instead of a traditional high-pressure sales model we forge longer term relationships with our customers based on mutual esteem and appreciation of our unique skills. Participants will be given shoppable links to websites during and after the party to be able to explore and shop at their own pace. We wrap up each Art Party with a raffle drawing, a posted discount code, and a freestyle chat where clients that already own your work can wear or display your products, showing off your work in context and giving new clients the opportunity to see how they have incorporated your items into their world. After each event we will follow up with the attendees with a survey and links to all Collaborator’s websites.

What Makes an Art Party Central Event Different?

Art parties are different from every other art show that has recently gone virtual in that we appeal not only to previous art show patrons but new customers that might never find themselves going to a physical art or craft show. We promote your personal website through advertising on social media and extensive email marketing before and after the event to broaden your individual customer base virtually and create a newly engaged audience, all while reinforcing the investment in your own website and growing your clientele long term. No three-day travel and time commitment. No party-goer admission fee.

What Will I Get Out Of Participating in an Art Party?

Collaborators will get the opportunity to refine their virtual presence, meet new customers, expand customer email lists and sell work directly from their website, in a fun supportive online space at hosted events with a proven track record of sales and engagement.

Each collaborator will receive:

• 1 afternoon Art Party and 1 evening Art Party, both on the same day

What are the Requirements for Participation in an Art Party?

• Have a shoppable website

What are the Standards for Participation in an Art Party?

• Standards for Participation: (Compliance will be required in order to participate)

What Are the Costs Associated with Participating in an Art Party?

• Collaborators will pay a $150 participation fee (one fee covers 2 art parties)

How Do I Sign Up to be a Collaborator of an Art Party?

If you are interested in becoming a Collaborator, CLICK HERE to fill out a Collaborator Form and an Art Party Central team member will get back to you. The deadline to apply for the remaining parties in 2020 is October 31, 2020.

• On the Collaborator Form you will let us know what date(s) you may be interested in as well as provide us with your details
• The form will take around 10 minutes and will need to be completed in one sitting
• We suggest having your calendar and images at the ready
• We will be filling parties for the remainder of 2020 at the end of October. If you miss the October 31st deadline, feel free to reach out and we will let you know what date(s) are still available.