5/26/05

Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists Fellowship

Contents

 

1. Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists Fellowship. 2
2. Contents. 2
3. The Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists' Fellowship. 3
4. The Organizational Meeting Minutes. 3
5. Manifesto: 4
6. Mission Statement 4
7. Organization Objectives. 4
8. Strategies. 4
9. Membership Levels. 5
10. Proposed Who-Ha Activities. 6
11. Appendix. 7
12. Who-Ha Background. 7
13. The Beginnings: Howard Finster 7
14. Who-Ha Da-Da - What is in a name?. 7
15. What makes Who-Ha different?. 8
16. History of Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists' Fellowship. 9
17. The Who-Ha Web Site and Activities To-Date. 9
18. Who-Fest [04] 10
19. The Who-Ha Da-Da Opportunity. 11
20. Who-Ha Da-Da Artists. 12
21. Membership Criteria. 14

 

 

The Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists' Fellowship

 

Who-Ha is pursuing the opportunity to become a legal entity.  Our goals are to; formalize our accounting procedures, elect officers, prepare membership criteria, explore 501 (C)(3) status and attract grant funding as well as sponsorship and donations.  The funding we attract will be used to fund the expansion of the Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists Fellowship influence and effectiveness.

 

The Organizational Meeting Minutes

 

A meeting was held on May 13 in Atlanta during Who-Fest [05].  Officers were elected by the quorum that attended the results were:

• Paul Flack, Pres.
• Dr. Bob, Vice President
• Chris Hubbard, Secretary/Treasurer. 

A draft of this document was presented and it was decided that the organization should go forth and pursue non-profit legal status. 

Donations of $ 1,250 dollars were raised to seed the effort.

  

Manifesto:

Mission Statement

 "To promote and sustain the vernacular Southern visual art culture."

Organization Objectives 

• Increase public awareness and appreciation of Folk, Outsider, Self-taught and Primitive art forms to domestic and international audiences including; general public, students, children. 
• Promote new generation of genre's artists to collectors.
• Support member artists, providing access to benefits attainable through the Fellowship's resources and activities.
• Facilitate communication/collaboration between member artists.
• Encourage artistic expression among non-member children and adults.
• Provide a "one-stop" resource for outside groups including gallery and museum, owners/directors, publicity and promotion vehicles and sales channels (i.e. interior designers).

 Strategies

 

Membership Levels

Artists

 

Honorary Member

            Criteria - To be determined

 

• Founding Members           
• General Membership 
• Associate Members

    

 

Proposed Who-Ha Activities

 

·        Appointment of board of directors for the purpose of raising operating funds.

·        Grant "professional" to indentify and obtain grant money for workshops, shows, etc.

·        Increase scope of activity. 

·        Hire professional organizer(s). 

·        Secure sponsorship money. 

·        Expand event to new markets

·        Hire professional team to increase capabilities of web site and web site marketing.

·        A permanent facility that will serve as a Folk Art Gallery where founding members can show/sell work. 

·        The Gallery will also provide an area for demonstrations/workshops for school children by founding members.

·        Gallery could also serve as a central storage facility.

·        Professional group participation in E-Bay auctions.

A traveling folk art exhibit displaying work that can create a presence at art shows, special events and gatherings.  The Who-bus, with its appropriately painted exterior, will employ a permanent/volunteer staff and drivers.  Demonstrations will also be included.

Hire professional to create and execute public relations strategy.

Create and place strategic advertising in key trade and industry publications.

Description: Attain group health insurance and benefits for full-time practicing artists.

 

Appendix

 

Who-Ha Background

The Beginnings: Howard Finster

 

As part of his legacy, Howard created Finster Fest, a two-day art festival for folk artists which was later moved to grounds of his Paradise Gardens.  There, in this unique environment, artists of like-mind shared, celebrated and bonded.  It was also in this environment that the idea for Who-Ha Da-Da was born.

 

In 2001, Howard died and Who-Ha was born.  A final Finster Fest was held in 2002 and Paradise Gardens were closed to the public shortly thereafter.

 Who-Ha Da-Da - What is in a name?

Who? = A group of contemporary artists associated with primitive, outsider, self-taught and folk art

 Ha? = The true spirit of visual art. Witty, spiritual, iconographic, affordable, collectable, self-effacing expression - something you've got to see it to appreciate.

 Da-Da? = From the nontraditional Dada artist movement of 1920's - anything goes.

What makes Who-Ha different?

 The difference between "fine", traditional or scholastic art and Who-Ha art is most evident in the artists, the people who make the works.  Part renegade, part rebel (in both senses) the tie that binds is love.  Who-Ha's truly love making art for people - that is why the art is so affordable!

 Recycled and found objects are very much part of the art form.  Oftentimes, the work space, is one of the most interesting aspects of the meeting the artists.  Who-Ha's roots are in folk art, an art form found in the Southeast.

 Who-Ha's are also approachable yet sometimes difficult to access.  Folk art collectors travel throughout the South purchasing art directly from the source. The Who-Ha web site is an effort to bring enthusiasts closer to the artists.

 In addition to traditional two- and three-dimensional art, multi-media, music, art cars, performance art, demonstrations and workshops are all important points of differentiation for artists of the genre.   Generally, enthusiasts are attracted to the showmanship qualities displayed by the Who-artists.

 Accessibility to the artists is not the only draw for enthusiasts; the artwork is priced considerably lower than comparable fine art.  Therefore, it is easier for someone to become a "collector" than other art forms.

History of Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists' Fellowship

 

Oddly enough, there is a video tape documentation of the earliest beginnings of the Fellowship.  Produced by Steve Baird, the video is entitled Who-Ha.  In the film is an interview with Willie/Willie, the person responsible for coining the name.

 Paul Flack teamed with Willie/Willie and the two recruited the founding members of the organization.  Flack constructed a web site and the idea became a reality.  Three of the most significant phenomena associated with the web site were its popularity, garnering 150 individual "hits" per day, its legitimacy regarding the general public and its intra-group communications facilitation.

 The Who-Ha Web Site and Activities To-Date

 The web site was intended to pool the resources of the artists so that they might have bargaining power among festival/show organizers, gallery owners as well as to provide the public with more well-informed buying choices when purchasing art.  It was the intention of the group to by-pass normal application processes and be instantly accepted to existing shows with feature "folk art."

 The first significant event was an invitation of several Who-Artists to participate in a city-wide folk art show staged in November 2002 in Pittsburgh, PA.  The second was an invitation to participate in Cow Parade Atlanta, where 16 artists collaborated on cow.  The Who-Ha group also invited in 2003 to participate in a gallery show in Geneva, Switzerland.

 Some invitations didn't work out.  It was the groups intention to be represented as a separate "block" or freestanding entity within established shows.   This still remains as a major focus for our activities.

Who-Fest [04]

 

In the wake of the demise of Finster Fest, Karin Lefler approached the Who-Ha's and asked that they provide the primary support for launching a new two-day, outdoor, spring art event now known as Who-Fest.  In addition to leveraging the name and reputation of the group, members were asked to provide grass-roots publicity support by supplying names and/or directly contacting their patrons.  The Who-Ha name was also used to attract sponsorship support and Coca-Cola, Moon Pie rose to the occasion in addition to several smaller sponsors.  Moon Pie chose the occasion to create "The world's largest Moon Pie" during the event.

 More than 90 artists participated in the event. It was a success with more than 5,000 people attending and more than $ 250,000 of art sold.  A second show, Who-Fest [05] will take place in May of this year.

  

The Who-Ha Da-Da Opportunity

 

Accessibility, fun, variety, uniqueness and family-orientation are key points of differentiation between Who-Ha's and other contemporary art forms.  Festivals or art shows are our primary distribution channel along with galleries and individual sales. 

 "Folk Art" has been appreciating in favor in academic curricula.  Some universities have recently introduced course offerings as part of their Masters Programs. Recognition and appreciation has global seeds, however, the primary geographic area of awareness remains in the Southeastern United States.

 Currently there are four major "folk art" events in the US. In January, there is the Folk Art show in NYC, Folk Fest, in Gwinnet County held in August and Kentuck held near Tuscaloosa in November.  Who-Fest is the fourth.  

 The concept of Who-Fest as a portable entity that can be staged across the Southern geographic region is viable.  Its "flavor" as an interactive, fun, family-oriented art show and sale is unique among art festivals.  In addition to featuring extremely affordable art directly from the source, the event also includes art cars, music using home-made instruments, children's workshops and performance art.

 Who-Ha is poised and ready to stretch the limits of the art forms influence.

Who-Ha Da-Da Artists

Currently, Who-Ha Da-Da is composed of thirty founding members, they are:

1. Ab the Flagman
2. Allen Pruitt
3. Andrew Lewandowski
4. BeBo
5. Brian Dowdall
6. Benny Carter
7. Danny "Bucket Man" Hoskinson
8. Danny Doughty
9. Casey McGlynn
10. Chris Clark
11. Chris Hubbard
12. Mike and Grace Laster
13. Dr. Bob
14. Eric Legge
15. Joe Legge
16. Harry Teague
17. j.d. Sipe
18. Jeff Dahlgren
19. John Sperry
20. Karl Mullen
21. Kim Clayton
22. Madison “Chicken Lady” Latimer
23. Mark Adams
24. Mary Proctor
25. Mary Zeman
26. Michael Banks
27. Mike Segal
28. Miz Thang
29. Mr. Imagination
30. Myrtice West
31. Ned Berry
32. Pat Juneau
33. Paul Flack
34. Penny Dobson
35. Peter Loose
36. Eric “Preacherman” Pace
37. Ramona Hotel
38. Richard Sinclair
39. Robert Seven
40. Susan Sorrell
41. Terry Cannon
42. Tom Blunt
43. Tre’s Taylor
44. Wendy Worsham
45. Willard J
46. Willie/Willie
47. Will Luck

 

We also have 17 associate members.

1.      Crossgirl

2.      Marcus Martenson

3.      Tom Cassidy

4.      Jim Shores

5.      Lizzy Williams

6.      Jon Widdon

7.      Danette Sperry

8.      Ann Finley

9.      Claire Vohman

10.  Erica Dewey

11.  Wendy Presseisen

12.  Dan and Sisi Folk Art

13.  Joe McCuaig

14.  Deborah McCloud

15.  Blacktop

16.  murob

17.  W.D. Hardin

Membership Criteria

 

Who-Ha Da-Da Outsider Artists' Fellowship is open to any one.  Currently, members who have a web presence can elect to have a link to their pages. 

Founding members were instated from among the following criteria:

Being known by participating in regular "folk art" festivals and shows.

Founding Membership has been restricted to artists only.