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A New Curriculum Resource for Educators, Arts Organizations, Extension Agents, and Individual Artists
CraftNet is pleased to announce the public beta release of Ecommerce for Artists, a fully integrated, modular curriculum that introduces artists to the fundamentals of using the Internet to strengthen their arts-related businesses. It primarily is a tool to help teachers working with artists who want to develop their business skills, but it also seeks to support individual artists who want to explore these strategies on their own. Ecommerce for Artists debuted publicly for the first time in late April at the annual conference of the Craft Organization Development Association (CODA) in St. Paul, Minnesota. Targeted chiefly at assisting educators, arts organizations, and cooperative extension agents, the curriculum is now available for online viewing or as a free PDF download at CraftNet’s newly launched website: Download the Ecommerce for Artists Curriculum. Ecommerce increasingly has become a valuable tool for craftspeople working in rural areas. It helps them to stay in touch with existing customers and to draw new visitors to their geographically isolated studios. It can even help generate online sales, especially among customers who already know the artist’s work. CraftNet designed the new course of study around 100 fundamental questions that community-based artists likely would ask as they pursue the goal of creating a strong entrepreneurial presence on the Web. The curriculum also provides structured activities that guide these artists to create some of the materials they will need for their initial foray into ecommerce. CraftNet is an international learning and innovation network of post-secondary colleges—community colleges, technical schools, and four-year schools—and selected other arts organizations that are dedicated to the teaching of fine handcraft and the business of fine handcraft. It is sponsored and facilitated by Regional Technology Strategies, Inc. (RTS). The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) provided financial support for the overall project. Accordingly, CraftNet member colleges located in Appalachia took the lead in developing the curriculum modules, chiefly through small working group meetings in Asheville, NC, Louisville, KY, and Sheridan, WY. The group also held regular conference call discussions. A small number of other CraftNet member organizations located outside the ARC service area also contributed their efforts to the project. The complete list of CraftNet member organizations that collaborated to create the new curriculum and website includes: · Arkansas State College-Beebe, Arkansas The ARC grant also has enabled CraftNet to develop and launch its new collaborative website that showcases the new curriculum as well as the programs and products of all of its member schools. While the lead schools for the project are all from Appalachia, nearly all of the other CraftNet member schools also are participating.
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