Felicia Follum WOW Update

Image from Make it Plain, my most recent body of work

Although I do not update this blog regularly (and it was created for a class), I would like to conclude with some of what I am currently doing for WOW (a project of WWBC). For more recent updates see my art blog or Facebook page. I am no longer the graphic designer for WOW, though I still do some design work when asked.

My main projects currently include creating, building, and expanding WOW’s online presence through social media, specifically the blog and Facebook. I am always researching new social media sites as well. In addition to managing the social media, I am excited to say that I have given a couple of Facebook lessons, on how to use Facebook as a marketing tool, for artists and would love to continue this.

Another major project that I am currently working on revolves around the gallery and exhibitions. I have been hanging shows, and even coordinating a couple. I hung the Fabulous Women show (I did have some help, especially with the larger pieces) and set up the Black Friday one day show.

There are other tasks and duties that I perform, but these are a couple of my favorite. I love being surrounded by artists and artwork and I look forward to see where my experience with WOW as an intern will help take me in my art career.

Image from the Black Friday sale marketing campaign for WOW on Facebook

Professional Development Workshops Poster

Poster for Professional Development Workshops coming up in May.

I designed this poster for the Professional Development Workshops we will be holding this summer. I searched and searched for curtains like this in Creative Commons, but couldn't find any. I finally just decided to draw them and am certainly happy I did. (The blue line should not be there, I may be retaking this photo.)

Ideas for Next Year

Brainstorm Session:

This internship has been a great opportunity to learn about graphic design, art, and my personal goals. I would like to continue working for the Works of Wyoming Gallery and The Business Center. Some of the projects that I would like to work on include working with a variety of organizations on behalf of WOW and leading art lessons (since the position is AmeriCorps, it is expected that I volunteer at places other than WOW and WWBC, so this is perfect), and helping generate show ideas that go along with the mission statement.


Here are some of the beginnings of those show ideas.

Gallery Show Ideas That I would like to work on (and would like to see happen)


Volunteerism and Civic Engagement


Everyone volunteers x number of hours (maybe 5) and the show will be composed of works inspired by or created from the experience. The work could include why volunteerism is important.


I also think that it would be great to include a list of organizations including but not limited to


The ARC
The Cathedral Home for Children
Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Various old folks homes
High school art students
Partners of the Americas
Soup Kitchen
Interfaith Good Samaritan


Golden Key and Special ED project.

Golden Key would like to work with some students from the ARC and/or the high school and have a formal reception with them and the community. The GK Presedent really wants to work with persons with disabilities and give them a chance to dress up and have fun and I thin that the this type of show at the WOW gallery would be a great opportunity. All work sold could go 50% to the ARC (or another program, like special Olympics), and 50% for WOW. Maybe GK could sell art from the workshop in the Union (we did this for Partners of the Americans and raised over $400 for the organization.)

More show/event ideas that relate back to our mission --- Mostly just for ideas of events that could relate back to social awareness and issues of those in Laramie. These could probably tie into one or two events as well, I just broke them down so that we could weed out the ones we don't want (and the ones we do).


Cultural shows/events

Dia de Los Muertos - we already talked about this some.

Black history Month (other months) - no specific ideas here either, but I will have a body of work that focuses on AA issues by November (for the UpGallery). Maybe ABSL (Association of Black Student Leaders) or WASA (Wyoming African Student Association) could work with us on this.

Hip hop culture (not to be confused with rap, hip hop is very social justice oriented and focuses on the oppressed of all races) - this could go with a Latino History month or Black History month. We could possibly round up enough street artists and work from WOW artists to pull this off. This could also go along with the mural and the idea of street art (one of the 4 aspects of hip hop culture). Hip hop is deeply connected to social justice issues...

Social Justice Issues (any issue that affects society, positively or negatively that can be related back to justice.)

A show dedicated to the education of social issues that affect individuals in this community. Can be personal or a friend. Everyone is or knows someone who is affected by some sort of social problem. (60% of Americans have struggled with depression and WY is one of the worst states for domestic violence and suicide. In this sense awareness about the stigmas toward depression or

ways to prevent domestic violence could be addressed.) Why not illustrate these problems beautifully and show that there is hope of some kinds especially through honesty.

Womanism (or something to do with gender studies) - no specific ideas here...Maybe we could break down the negative stereotypes about Laramie and Wyoming. This really could go along with the Fabulous Women show and simply be a deeper understanding, for us, about how it relates back to our mission.

Native American Day (many places/people call it Columbus day, but we could celebrate Native American Day along with South Dakota). I just talked to some girls in the American Indian Studies program at the University and the issue of the Arapaho language dying came up. There are less than 100 fluent speakers in the US and they are all over the age of 50. Maybe we could have an elder come teach a language workshop and an artist teach another workshop (using some more Arapaho terms and cultural explanations).

The Figure Show is arguably about social justice as well.

In additions to these ideas, I have also been working on some of my personal goals for WOW (how I want to help) and some ideas for what I want my job description to be...Maybe I will post them too. But for now check out my summer goals.

Elephanta

Here are some samples of possible image, logo and business card designs for Elephanta, a curriculum development company.  The story below was written by my client.  The story could be seen as an introduction to Elephanta's educational and company beliefs.

A long, long time ago, before i-phones and pay-at-the-pump gas stations, there lived an old man whose wisdom was greatly celebrated. Young people traveled long distances just to sit at his feet in hopes of absorbing his knowledge. The old man did not talk much, a tendency that came to frustrate one student in particular, who finally blurted out, "Tell us what the world is like, old man!" The old man only giggled, which further antagonized the fresh student.
Patient and loving as he was, the old man blind-folded the students and led them through the jungle until they came upon an elephant. "This the world is like, you tell me." Then, one by one, the students began to speak: A girl standing nearest the elephant's tusk said, "It is smooth and hard...it curves steadily into a dangerous point." A boy standing adjacent to one of the legs said, "No, it stands tall and inflexible, like an oak tree, but, of leather." Another boy, petite in stature, had somehow made his way under the elephant's belly, and not knowing the danger to which he was vulnerable said, "I believe there is nothing to it!" Then the sister of that girl who stood nearest the tusk (for those girls knew to stay close together) let fly an aching falsetto that made skip two beats every heart within each of the now-terrified, blind-folded students. The elephant had wound it's thick trunk around the girl's small frame making a seat for her in its coiling embrace, then lifted her up, up...up into the air. But in mid-ascent her scream began to descend into a deep baritone, for the journey had exhausted her fear, and her abdomen grew purposeful and began to squeeze the very core of her being until finally the only sound left was of butterflies fluttering from the basement of her belly and across her surprised lips.

Then, silence came to rein their jungle scene. A wide smile crossed the girl's face as she sat hovering graciously in mid-air. The other students, however, stood blind-folded with puzzled expressions on their faces: How would they ever deduce an answer from so many conflicting descriptions?

Blog Training

I have recently been training Denise on blogging. I just saw a couple of Denise’s posts for WOW and WWBC and figured I would share her blogs with you.  She is doing a great job and I am loving the teaching process.  The training process is also helping me to put some good blogging strategies into words. 

This internship has really helped me to solidify the idea that I want to do design work but what I am really passionate about is working with people.  In addition to graphic design, I would love to work one-on-one with artists and other small business to teach them about blogging, or how to use other social media tools to benefit their small business.

I think I will explain some of my more specific goals in another post. 

For example of what I can help people create, check out my other blogs/websites.  All of these examples help people find my artwork online.  Feel free to contact me or leave a message, even just to say "hi." 
my facebook page - Be sure to like my FB page if you visit!
my art and design blog - I am currently posting tutorials and photographs of projects.  I plan to do a series on art business tips in the near future.
my photography blog – I will be posting new photos again in the summer.
my website and portfolio
Sick Religion is my personal blog about Religion and sometimes art
Squidoo page for my salamander Sheri the Boy (This is really just a sample of a great Search Engine Optimization tool)

Feel free to let me know if there is something else.  Just because I didn't list it here doesn't mean that I don't still have an interest in that area.  And if I don't have an decent background in that are, I may know someone who could help you.

Alice Freeman Artist Promotional Video

Alice Freeman Video



Here is another video, I created for a WOW member.  Creating videos like this could be something that I enjoy doing in the future as well.

Figure Show