Contents

1)   QUICK NOTES
2)   PRESS RELEASE LINKS
3)   CO-OPERATIVE TOPICS - Democracy or Dictatorship?
      Topics for Discussion
5)   VOLUNTEER FUN
7)   BACKGROUND
8)   ARTISTS - Sell Your Art


QUICK NOTES
Sizzle  pop  sputter ... I flyered at St. Michael's "Best Summer Fest" Friday, 6/10 
and then sold at the American Indian Center's FleaMarket (every 2nd Saturday). St. 
Michaels' party was a dead that night. Bad choice. I would have been rocking at the 
Blues Fest if I had given any of you a chance to advise me. Advise me! I need 
suggestions from you where we should go to flyer on Friday nights and select 
Saturdays. Not this Saturday. We have our "Volunteer Saturday" every 4th 
Saturday, this Saturday from 12:00-5:00.

I flyered - er - presented the T-shirt Art Flyer Exhibit at the Allied Media 
Conference this past weekend (6/17-20). Already we have a bite from Tint 
Magazine ( http://www.tintmag.com ). Tint magazine is by and for women of 
color. They wrote saying they like our work and what we were doing referring 
to the T-shirt Art Flyer Exhibits. By doing the T-shirt Art Flyer Exhibit 
regularly we will earn regular opportunities for the artists who help us. 

I will be calling on Wednesday night each week for at least one volunteer 
to help me pass flyers at the venue of the week on Friday or Saturday. 
This week's venue is the Taste of Chicago and we will meet at Jackson and 
Michigan at 6:00 and flyer until about 8:00-8:30.

Our west-coast T-shirt Art Flyer Exhibit" coordinator, artist - Kamilenana 
Cheatem, says the folks there are surprised the T-shirt Art Flyer Exhibit is 
coming out of the Midwest - haha. Guess they think we are not as bold as 
they - hey! How would you interpret that? This is why we exhibit - to get 
reactions. To learn. 

Do we have a volunteer who would like to develop a PDF version of our 
flyers so that anyone could print them from our website?

PRESS RELEASE LINKS
(send the links to your media friends)
The press release below - on our letterhead - may be requested at 
umcac@art-teez.org . Distribute to all you know in the media and beyond.

ART EVERYWEAR - EVERYWHERE!  - http://www.art-teez.org/pr/cab_rel

Flyers Give T-shirt Art Wings Online - http://www.art-teez.org/pr/050601_fly-art.htm


LETTER FROM THE FIELD
(COMING AGAIN SOON)

Co-operative Topics - Democracy or Dictatorship?

Overview

We have a lot of work to do to make this workshop activity a "co-operative." 
Some expect the rules to be already written. But then - that would not be a 
co-operative. An artist said our workshop is not a democracy. They claimed 
our rules were arbitrary. Without citizens willing to meet to workout the 
issues and take responsibility to manage it how could it be a true democracy. 
It is likely I will drag my feet on many issues until you (plural) make me 
move by your involvement. Blame not I - look at yourselves for our democracy. 
If you want to own it - purchase it with your support. I do not own anything. 
This is 501(c)(3) non-profit. Those who do the work - make the decisions - for 
a change. Those who talk cheap in their sleep, I won’t wake. We need aware 
artists, artist-supporters to build this creditable arts direction. Slackers 
and jaw-crackers need not apply - haha!


TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
(At a Sunday workshop soon)
Sweat Equity - Policy discussions in the past have set the sweat equity 
arrangement for artists at $8 per hour. The only value this figure has at 
present is to allow artists to pay for the screens they use for their art 
by volunteering. I argue this figure should be $5 per hour and that a certain 
amount of uncompensated volunteering should be required to be a member with 
lab rights. This should be a perk – not a wage. Once we have formed an 
incorporated co-operative and real funds are being made we can consider 
seriously tracking workers time for purposes of stock or pay. We should 
find other benefits these volunteer earnings can support so they make 
more sense. 

b) Gail advanced the idea that the excess volunteer credits could be 
used by the artist to share with a friend. Are there other benefits 
we can find to apply this to? What kind of screens are allowed to be 
made? Can people come in and make screen for commercial jobs? Can 
artists make screens for friends with a commercial business? My claim 
is we should limit screens to art by our artists. Artists must argue 
for the UM-CAC’s interest if it is to grow? 

Who is thinking about how we can pay for the ideas that come out of 
this group? Who is ready to commit to work to raise funds? Who really 
wants to own a piece of UM-CAC

What is a member. We have still not defined this. The other week, I 
stated that a member should have a work of art licensed to us. Then 
Gail asked if a person could be a member and not have a piece of art 
licensed to us. Carlos Cortez urged us to make room for those who 
are willing to help us out who are not artists. The answer is yes 
not every member needs to license art to UM-CAC but it depends on 
the different levels of membership we establish. 

Suggested membership levels 

Only contact is a licensed design 

Volunteer - Teacher/Office supporter 

Lab Privileges (requires proper level of volunteer support 
for practical operation - stress home work until part-time 
lab assistant or other paid support staff) 

Lab Privileges with jobbing rights (requires paid staff 
before possible)

Present policy until revised by the group follows. What can people make 
screens of in our Screen Print Workshop for Artists. You may make screens 
of your art. You may not make screens of copyrighted art from album covers 
or other sources. Non-artists may attend our workshop if they come as a guest 
of another artist. They can not make screens for commercial jobs or other 
artist’s work without their permission. Non-artists should make a screen 
from the artist’s work who is sponsoring them. 

Resources: All who want to use the printer must sign-up for it when they arrive. 
Artists who are members who attend on Sundays must be willing to teach beginners 
if needed. Teaching or equivalent volunteer activity should be a requirement of 
lab privileged membership. 

Computer – Some want to use the scanner, others the printer and still others the 
Internet. We need to expand our computer resources so all these functions are 
not on the same computer. Who can help work this out. 

Photoshop and computer training is not yet available on a program basis. We must 
focus on our screen print purpose. We are still stressing that black and white 
line-art is our focus. Halftones can be supported for artists that are willing 
to be patient until someone with those skills are able and willing to help 
them - otherwise they should accept the loss of detail in their image for 
choosing an out-of-media work. Teaching you how to design for easy screen 
printing is part of our program.

Thank you to Karen Lewis who suggested a New Comers packet to help introduce 
artists to our ways. Items suggested for this packet are 

Rules/Regs 
License Agreement 
Benefits 
Levels of Participation 
Other (suggestions)
Other Suggested Topics
VOLUNTEER FUN

Volunteer to distribute the T-SHIRT ART FLYER EXHIBIT at the Taste of Chicago. 
We will be at Michigan and Jackson street intersection from 6:00-8:30 Friday. 
Every Wednesday evening meet at the American Indian Center in our Screen Print 
Workshop to inventory t-shirts and other desperately need tasks around the 
workshop. 

Help build and maintain the Screen Print Workshop every 4th Saturday, 6/25/05, 
of the month. 

Co-op policy meeting the first 20 minutes for workshop time every Sunday we meet

BACKGROUND

We are building our organization slowly to be able to sell art 
on t-shirts to help fund an inner-city arts agency that hosts 
art classes for youth and other community residents. We have 
dedicated ourselves to this task without pay for 15 years because 
we know it is needed and that government and civic leaders have 
ignored our needs. We ask artists to respect this mission. 

ARTISTS - Sell Your Art
 
You receive $2.00 per t-shirt sold retail. We will be promoting 
the art we have licensed with increasing intensity in the coming 
months and years. Who is "we". We is any of you(pl.) who help.

Our license agreement is "artist friendly" in that is pays an above 
industry standard and is not an exclusive contract. The artist is free 
to market their designs anywhere else including on their own website. 
We want to link your pages on our site to your site. How can you 
participate? Come to our Screen Print Workshop for Artists on Sundays 
from 3-6pm and learn how to print your art. Already know how to screen 
print? Come and show us your work. Your pens can change our world!

Visit our Screen Print Workshop for Artists to find out more.

; >"

C. Drew
umcac@art-teez.org
http://www.art-teez.org
We dress Chicago and the Internet in Progressive T-shirt Art