SPGA/Seattle Chapter - Graphic Artists Guild - Whitespace eNewsletter 2007 JULY - Text Only Version July 9, 2007 ARTICLES: >>> July Event: Annual Summer Picnic July 28 - Saturday >>> Upcoming Events Board Retreat in August >>> Guild Teleclass Series >>> Modern Dog @ Graphic Artist Guild Meeting in June >>> Advocacy Alert: Bad Contract Terms >>> SCCC s Art Gallery Announcement: Latino Life in the Northwest >>> WA Lawyers for the Arts Brown Bag Seminar for July >>> Classifieds (none this month) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July Event: SPGA/Guild Annual Summer Picnic Date: Saturday, July 28th, 2007, noon to 4pm Location: Carkeek Park, Seattle, Washington Join other creatives and their families and friends at the Annual Guild Picnic and Barbeque, held this year at beautiful Carkeek Park, at tables 35 and 36, near Piper's Creek. http://www.seattle.gov/parks/_images/maps/picnics/Carkeek.jpg Everyone is invited: Guild member and non-members alike! We ll have barbequed yummy food including vegetarian options, side dishes, beverages, games, prizes, and a chance to relax with others in the group. Just bring yourself and your family and come prepared to have a good time. Cost: Only $10 if RSVP'ed before Tuesday, July 24 Students : only $5 if RSVP'ed before Tuesday, July 24 (bring student ID to show at event check-in) Day of event: $12 Day of event, students: $7 (bring your student ID!) Children under 12 attend free! Sorry, no credit card payments at event. Parking will be challenging that Saturday, but not impossible. Carpooling will make parking easier. Driving directions: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/CarkeekPark/directions.htm To RSVP in advance and take advantage of the early registration price, please mail your check payment before July 20th to: SPGA/Guild Chapter Summer Picnic 2007 P.O. Box 4306 Seattle, WA 98104-0306 See you there! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Board Year-Planning Retreat in August There will be no general meeting in August, but your hardworking Board of Directors is planning a combination meeting and retreat to plan and recharge, either August 14 or August 15, exact time and day to be determined. If you ve ever thought about getting involved with the Guild, this would be a great time to get to know how things work and have a good time as well. Please contact president@seattleguild.org for more information. Look for upcoming event info for September next month. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guild Teleclass Series The Graphic Artists Guild has a new professional education series using teleclasses! These classes are easy to attend and are designed to help you learn more about your industry and how to promote and protect your economic interests. Each class takes place over the phone on the last Thursday of the month at 2:00pm EST, so you can attend in the comfort of your own home or studio. The fee is $15 for Guild members and $25 for non-members. When you register you will be sent information about how to dial in, as well as any applicable handouts from our speakers. And, as a special bonus, all registrants will receive an audio file of the class. For those unable to attend and who want to learn what was covered, classes will be available as downloadable audio files for the same price. More information on these files will be posted on the Guild s web site as the files become available. Class topics range from marketing and licensing to contracts and special teleclasses for graduating students. Registration forms will be posted monthly for each upcoming class at www.gag.org/teleclasses.php. For more information about our teleclass series please contact the Guild office at 212.791.3400 x 15, or email admin@gag.org. Don t forget, your paid registration includes a copy of the audio file, so register today to secure your place on the call! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modern Dog @ Graphic Artist Guild Wednesday, June 25, 2007 A Few Notes from the June Meeting By Mark Monlux Recently five Modern Dog posters were requested by the Louve in Paris after a representative saw them at the Warsaw Exhibit. So it was no wonder that attendance at the luncheon was high, with so many walk-ins that there was some concerns of all the meals being sold out. Those attending got to hear not only sage wisdom, but also walked away with a bunch of Modern Dog swag. When asked about their outlandish style and concerns about going too far on a topic or with the use of their media Modern Dog said, When we started we were so poor we didn t care if we got sued. Adding a comment about their early days Modern Dog said, There wasn t any business plan, or idea of what we were doing. Our approach is intuitive. But, we don t tell the client that. Any concerns Modern Dog might have held about getting sued have long since been shelved as their mantra of creative freedom had guided the course of their business successfully. When asked how others could follow in their footsteps their response was, You need to practice being loose and free& be comfortable with what you put down. And while Modern Dog has been very successful in saying No. to clients who try to clamp restrictions down upon them, they have also been very mindful to protect their clients. If we screw up a brochure, we eat it. I hope the guild does not wait another ten years to have Modern Dog back again. And for those of you who missed the event, keep an eye on the Modern Dog website for the release date of their poster book, being published by Chronicle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advocacy Alert: Bad Contract Terms We have been alerted by the Authors Guild of new copyright terms in Simon & Schuster s publishing contracts. Agents and authors have recently been given print-on-demand contracts with a transfer of all rights in perpetuity to the publisher. The publisher has refused to negotiate the transfer of all rights in perpetuity term. Traditionally, publishing contracts provided for a reversion of rights to the author after some milestone, such as quantity of books printed, a specific number of printed editions, after annual sales fell below a specific number, or a number of years. This allowed the author to take their work to another publisher for a better deal, self-publish, or repurpose their work some time after the work s popularity had waned. The Authors Guild and the Graphic Artists Guild supports print-on-demand technology. Now that works may be stored and printed digitally, the old printing process of producing a huge print run of books in order to keep costs down, plus the cost of storing stock, is not the most economical method to produce books. Print-on-demand allows small print orders, providing additional sales and royalties for publishers and authors/artists. However, a transfer of all rights forever to the publisher means that the author/artists and their families will never, ever regain the rights to their works, even after demand has waned and the publisher is no longer marketing or promoting the work. The Authors Guild and the Graphic Artists Guild urges you NOT TO SIGN all rights in perpetuity contracts. If you have been offered a print-on-demand contract with a transfer of all rights in perpetuity to the publisher, by Simon & Schuster or any other publisher, and have been unable to negotiate a reversion of rights at a milestone, please contact Lisa Shaftel National Advocacy Committee Chairperson Graphic Artists Guild advocacy@gag.org ADVOCACY NEWS UPDATE The U.S. Senate voted June 25, 2007 on S. 1041, "The Employee Free Choice Act." The Bill failed to pass the Senate by 9 votes. American Rights At Work has a breakdown of how your Senators voted: http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/takeaction/efca/ This Bill [H.R. 800] passed in the House of Representatives in March 2007. Hopefully, this issue will continue to be discussed in Congress. Thank you to all the Guild members and other artists who contacted your Senators and urged them to vote for this legislation. Lisa Shaftel National Advocacy Committee Chairperson Graphic Artists Guild advocacy@gag.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCCC s Art Gallery Announcement: Latino Life in the Northwest M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery presents---- Latino Life in the Northwest - June 25 to July 31, 2007 Artist Reception Thursday, June 28, 5:30 to 7:30 pm M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery is pleased to present Latino Life in the Northwest, a solo exhibition by local photographer Hugo Ludeña. Latino Life in the Northwest challenges simple assumptions about Latino culture in Seattle. Ludeña deftly illustrates the vibrant cultural support system that sustains Seattle Latinos living far from their homelands. To see more of Ludeña's work, go to http://www.hugoludena.com/ M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery is located at the north end of Seattle Central Community College s Atrium Cafeteria, ground floor of the main building on Broadway and Pine. Summer gallery hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This exhibit will close at noon on July 31. Admission is free. Funding assistance for M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery is provided by the Associated Student Council. For more information, contact Debbie Louie, Interim Curator, at (206) 344-4379, dlouie@sccd.ctc.edu, or visit online: www.seattlecentral.edu/artgallery -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington Lawyer for the Arts Brown Bag Seminar for July COPYRIGHT LAWSUITS: When Someone Copies Your Art, Music, or Writing . . . Or They Think You've Copied Theirs Thursday, July 12, 2007, 11:45 am 1:30 pm No one expects to be involved in a lawsuit. Most people would rather not even think about the possibility of litigation. But what if you find that a song or story you ve written, or a print you created, has been copied without your permission? You might be upset enough to want to sue. Would you know how to begin? Or suppose you suddenly found yourself being sued. Would you know what steps to take to protect yourself? Join attorney David Byers for a discussion of copyright lawsuits, including how to start one and what steps to take if you re threatened with a suit. And maybe most useful of all, what you can do to avoid litigation altogether. David M. Byers leads Graham & Dunn's Hospitality, Beverage & Franchise Team, with a practice emphasis in franchise law. David has experience in a variety of corporate and transactional matters involving the team's core industries, including drafting UFOC s, assisting clients with franchise registration, and buying and selling franchises. David also advises the team s clients on general corporate matters, including distribution agreements, vendor agreements, financing, and compliance with dealer and distribution regulations. In addition, David has a variety of experience in litigation matters, including termination disputes with franchisees, copyright litigation, claims under the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act, the Washington Franchise Investment Protection Act, and the Oregon Motor Fuel Franchises Act, actions involving beverage distribution rights, claims concerning the unintentional formation of franchises, and the defense of product liability actions. DATE: Thursday, July 12, 2007 TIME: 11:45 am 1:30 pm (program begins at noon, lunches welcome) LOCATION: 911 Media Arts Centerx402 9th Avenue NxSeattle, Washington 98109 FEE: In advance: $25 Attorneys and Paralegals; $10 Artists and Students At the door; $30 Attorneys and Paralegals; $15 Artists and Students 1.5 CLE Credits pending REGISTRATION: To register, visit Brown Paper Tickets, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/3042, or phone 24/7 at (800) 838-3006. To pay at the door, RSVP to Washington Lawyers for the Arts at (206) 328-7053. Please note that the event is subject to cancellation; call for more information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The SPGA/Seattle Guild Vision Statement To advance our industry by focusing on and extending membership to all content creators in the communication arts community by conducting inspiring, creative and nurturing events, with a focus on business education, ethics, advocacy and making connections. Subscribing to The White Space eNewsletter Anyone can subscribe to The White Space by going to the chapter's website homepage and adding in their email address. Updates and deletions can be made by scrolling to the bottom of this email and looking for the eRoi box. http://www.seattleguild.org Chapter Contacts president@seattleguild.org info@seattleguild.org reserve@seattleguild.org http://seattleguild.org/pages/members.html The SPGA/Seattle Guild Chapter Address Graphic Artists Guild PO Box 4306 Seattle, WA 98104-0306 Luncheon Dates Guild Luncheons are on the last Wednesday of most months. Picnic! Saturday, July 28 Wed. September 26 Wed. October 31 Board Meetings Chapter Board meetings are generally held the first Wednesday of the Month and all members are welcomed to participate. Time and location change, so inquire with the president. president@seattleguild.org Thank You to our Chapter Sponsors Olympus Press, Inc. Full-service, quality printing 2300 South 150th Street, Seattle, Washington 98199 (206) 242-2700 http://www.olypress.com eRoi, Inc. Email marking / Lead Generation (503) 221-6200 http://www.eroi.com Peachpit User Group Program Essential books for the creative community http://www.peachpit.com Other Organizations Learn about other organizations, their local chapters and events. http://seattleguild.org/resources.html eNewsletter Ad Rates Ads are available to members and non-members (upon review of content). Rates are: $20 for 50 words. Placement is for three weeks. The ad should contain Header, Body and Contact information. Members can have 2 free 50 word ads a year. For longer ads, or ads with graphics, check out the advertising sponsorship page at our website or contact info@seattleguild.org Disclaimer Subscriptions to this eNewsletter are only used for events and announcements by the SPGA/Seattle Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild and are NOT used for any other list. This eNewsletter is a compilation of postings received often second, and even third hand. Thus, the provided information is bound to be fuzzy at times, as postings are not painfully researched for their accuracy. Also, postings are bound to be full of grammatical and spelling errors as this is a completely voluntary service done by overworked, tired and often confused artists who are trying to pound this thing out before their favorite television show airs. Feel free to leave postings, comments, questions and requests for removal. info@seattleguild.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classifieds Your Ad Goes Here A 50-word ad for $20 is a sweet deal. Members get 2 free ads a year. Check out ad and sponsorship rates. Go to our Sponsorship Opportunities Page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2007 SPGA/Seattle Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild