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Craft Emergency Relief Fund Becomes CERF+
The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has changed its name to CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund+ Artists’ Emergency Resources) More
CERF+’s 25th anniversary
The CERF+ (CERF+) has changed its name to CERF++ (CERF+ + Artists’ Emergency Resources) to reflect the organization’s expanded and more proactive role in helping artists prepare for and respond to devastating emergencies such as natural disasters and fires.
The name change coincides with CERF++’s 25th anniversary, a year which is being marked at various events, reunions, arts conferences, and shows around the country. A new video about CERF++, produced by Carol Sauvion of Craft in America, traces the history of the organization, introduces some of the artists it has helped and provides a glimpse into the future of CERF++. The video may be viewed at www.craftemergency.org.
Name Change
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: April 29, 2010
Craft Emergency Relief Fund Becomes CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund+ Artists’ Emergency Resources)
The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has changed its name to CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund+ Artists’ Emergency Resources) to reflect the organization’s expanded and more proactive role in helping artists prepare for and respond to devastating emergencies such as natural disasters and fires.
As it has for the past 25 years, CERF+ will continue its core emergency relief programs that provide grants, loans and brokered assistance to craft artists suffering career-threatening emergencies. "CERF grew organically from the craft field, and it is still craft artists and enthusiasts who loyally support our emergency relief programs," said CERF+ Executive Director, Cornelia Carey. "Our efforts to create awareness and resources about emergency preparedness are relevant to artists working in any medium and, therefore, we are now able to serve more artists.”
Annually hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires and other disasters threaten the livelihoods of thousands of artists across the United States. “Time and again, we’ve seen artists suffer losses that could be prevented or impacts lessened," notes Cornelia Carey, "That’s why CERF+ is redoubling its emphasis on helping artists prepare before losses occur.”
To accomplish its preparedness agenda, CERF+ has joined forces with other arts organizations to form a national coalition aimed at improving the overall safety-net for artists in the U.S. In addition to spearheading this coalition, CERF++ has created the Studio Protector: The Artist’s Guide to Emergencies–a tangible expression of the "+" in CERF++’s new name. This artist-designed and artist-tested comprehensive guide and companion web site gives artists the tools artists need to safeguard their careers and lessen the impact of disasters.
The name change coincides with CERF+’s 25th anniversary, a year which is being marked at various events, reunions, arts conferences, and shows around the country. A new video about CERF+, produced by Carol Sauvion of Craft in America, traces the history of the organization, introduces some of the artists it has helped and provides a glimpse into the future of CERF+.
CERF+’s Latest Collectible Charm
Los Angeles jewelry maker Valerie Mitchell patterned CERF+s 2009 Charm after a Western red cedar seed because she says the organization plants a seed of hope for rebuilding and growth. The 1.5 by .5 charm is made…more
The Arts Stimulus Celebration and Holiday Bash!
Montpelier, VT
Friday, December 4th from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wood Art Gallery, Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College St, College Hall, Montpelier, VT map
It is a creatively, irreverent holiday event for artisans and lovers of art; for the self employed, the unemployed and the gainfully employed; for those without holiday office parties and those who’d rather go to one where they’d actually have a great time! You’ve heard of re-gifting? Now see what re-arting is like! And just in time for the holidays, too. Dress up, dress down, just come as you are.
Proceeds from the silent auction support the CERF+’s services to craft artists, nationwide, dealing with career threatening emergencies.
Be sure to join us for a wonderfully creative evening GUARANTEED to be one of Vermont’s most ARTFUL, FUN and MEMORABLE events of the year!
Eat, Bid and Be Merry and Make Art too! For more information, call 229-2306
e-news | Nov. 2009
News from the CERF+ | November 2009
news@craftemergency.org
(802) 229-2306
In this Issue
CERF+ Launches the Studio Protector
Twelve thousand copies of the long-anticipated emergency readiness tool, the Studio Protector: An Artist’s Guide to Emergencies, arrived at the CERF+ offices this month.
The fun-to-use, indispensable wall guide and companion web site, www.studioprotector.org, is for artists who want to cover their A’s (their art, assets and archives, that is) in the event of an emergency.
Nationally known paper engineer Carol Barton and a team of artists designed the pop-up style disaster readiness kit for creative types of all stripes craft and studio artists, photographers and media artists. It features two spinning wheel charts that explain how artists can plan ahead for emergencies and reduce the impact of a fire, flood, hurricane or tornado.In addition,five pocket protectors or pullout guides provide detailed information about what to do in the minutes before a disaster strikes, how to clean up after a calamitous event and how to salvage fire and water damaged items.
CERF+ staff worked with experts in art conservation, arts business management, and emergency relief services to develop easy-to-follow instructions and guidelines about how to prevent losses due to fires, floods, tornadoes and other disasters.
"When my whole town was evacuated because of fires I wasn’t thinking clearly. I would have loved the instant comfort about what to do, what to take, how to protect my studio and thus how to be calmer. The Studio Protector would have helped me prepare ahead of time and act decisively"
Lana Wilson, a ceramic artisit from Del Mar, California
The Studio Protector received major funding from JP Morgan Chase & Co., and the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and was sponsiored by Americans for the Arts, Craft in America, American Craft Council, ARTISIN LLC, New York International Gift Fair and Robert A. Katz Memorial Foundation.
The Studio Protector is available for $16, plus $4 shipping and handling from www.studioprotector.org. Proceeds from the sale of the Studio Protector support the production and distribution of artists emergency resources.
The Studio Protector Debuts in Washington, D.C.
Top officials from national arts service organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, along with federal agencies and NGOs active in disaster management, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross, participated in a ceremonial rollout of the Studio Protector at a special breakfast co-hosted by Americans for the Arts this month.
Craig Nutt and Carol Barton, the designers of the emergency preparedness toolkit, gave a presentation about the genesis of the project and Meg Ostrum, the project manager, outlined plans for its promotion and distribution. The participants were impressed by the engaging design and comprehensive information presented in the calendar size wall guide. Lawrence Reger, the executive director of Heritage Preservation, applauded the release of the Studio Protector and urged CERF+ to publicize it not only as a preparedness tool for catastrophic disasters but also for everyday unexpected problems from leaky pipes to electrical fires.
Patrice Walker Powell, deputy chair of states, regional and local arts agencies for the National Endowment for the Arts, praised CERF+’s visionary leadership in producing a much-needed emergency preparedness tool that has previously not existed for artists. Ms. Powell noted that the biggest job ahead is getting the Studio Protector into artists’ hands and encouraging them to put emergency preparedness plans into practice.
CERF+ Staff Participate in the Alliance of Artists’ Communities annual conference in New Orleans
Cornelia Carey and Craig Nutt returned to New Orleans last month for the Alliance of Artists’ Communities annual conference where they talked about how the devastation of artists’ studios, homes and artwork after Hurricane Katrina inspired them to create the Studio Protector, the first emergency preparedness and recovery toolkit for artists.
Cornelia and Craig also met with CERF+ beneficiaries, including Andy Brott, Gina Phillips, Kate Tonguis and Gerald Haessig, all of whom are contributing again to the vitality of their communities on the Gulf Coast. After Katrina, CERF+ provided direct loans, grants and brokered assistance to several hundred artists whose homes, equipment, studios and work were damaged by the hurricane.
One of the highlights of the three-day trip was the dedication of Rashida Ferdinand’s clay and steel sculpture, titled "Mandala", in the Lower 9th Ward. After the dedication, a 40-person high school marching band decked out in the New Orleans colors of purple and gold led the crowd in a parade down the street past Fats Domino’s renovated shotgun style house to a new marketplace nearby.
“The event was an amazing testament to the power that the arts can bring to a community, which is working valiantly to rebuild devastated neighborhoods and devastated spirits,” Cornelia said. “Being there was one of the many gifts I’ve received since I began my work at CERF+ almost 15 years ago.”
CERF+ and the Alliance of Artists’ Communities recognize Joan Mitchell Foundation With Creative Leadership Award
CERF+ and the Alliance of Artists’ Communities presented a 
Creative Leadership Award to the Joan Mitchell Foundation during the Alliance’s annual conference in New Orleans.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Joan Mitchell Foundation provided emergency grants to individual artists, totaling $500,000 over the first few years. The Foundation has also focused on long-term impact within the visual arts community, investing in infrastructure, opportunities for artists to exhibit their work, and collaborative arts initiatives (such as the CERF+-spearheaded Coalition for Artists’ Preparedness & Emergency Response) that have the ability to strengthen and shape the arts community as it continues to redefine itself.
The Creative Leadership Award was presented to Carolyn Somers, executive director of the Joan Mitchell Foundation (middle), by Cornelia Carey executive director of CERF+ (left), New Orleans artist Michel Varisco, and Caitlin Strokosch (right), executive director of the Alliance of Artists’ Communities. The award artwork was created by ceramics artist Andrea Christie, and was commissioned by CERF+ for this occasion.
Martha Giberson wins “footWork,” CERF+’s 2009 Collection of Miniatures
The winner of CERF+’s annual collection of miniatures is longtime CERF+, supporter Martha Giberson.
The collection, dubbed “footWork,” features 20 tiny fantasy shoes made by 21 artists from around the country who specialize in metalwork, clay, glass, fiber, mixed media and wood.
The Thumbelina-sized offerings included: Polly Adams Sutton’s pearly abalone shell slipper, Harriete Estel Berman’s Converse-style sneaker made from KIWI Shoe Polish cans, and Judy Onofrio’s high-heeled shoe fashioned from a canine jawbone.
“I am very excited because I never, ever expected to win and loved the collection from the first moment I saw it and was very envious of the lucky winner to be who I knew wasn’t going to me,”
Martha Giberson
The lucky ticket was drawn at SOFA in Chicago.
The Studio Protector has Arrived!
The Studio Protector is the one tool no studio artist should be without (if they want to cover their "A’s" that is their art, assets, and archives).
The complete, enjoyable-to-use disaster kit designed by artists for artists makes the dull details of emergency preparedness a little less tedious for creative types of all stripes – artisans, graphic designers and fine artists.
Studio Protector has Arrived!
The Studio Protector is now available! It is the one tool no studio artist should be without. It’s a calendar-sized wall chart with wheel charts and pull-out booklets that cover the essential points of preparing for and recovering from emergencies. Get your copy
Visit CERF+ on:
e-news | Oct. 2009
News from the CERF+ | October 2009
news@craftemergency.org
(802) 229-2306
In this Issue
CERF+ Staff Returns to New Orleans in November for National Release of the Studio Protector
CERF+ will celebrate the national release of the Studio Protector in New Orleans, Louisiana at the annual conference of the Alliance for Artists Communities in November. 
CERF+ staffers, Cornelia Carey and Craig Nutt, will lead a discussion on November 14 with artists about how their post-Katrina experiences helped to inspire the creation of the Studio Protector, the first-ever disaster readiness and survival kit for artists. Cornelia and Craig will be joined by artists from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region who will share how their experiences in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina informed their work and their lives. This event will celebrate the resiliency of the arts community on the Gulf Coast and the national release of the Studio Protector.
Paying it forward: CERF+in’ into the holiday season
In the last five years, CERF+ has come to the rescue of 209 craft artists nationwide with more than $880,000 in direct loans, grants and assistance.
And this holiday season, galleries and craft artists are returning the favor by supporting A Season for CERF+ 2009. Online and on the ground, artists and galleries are donating their time, energy and talents to raise money for CERF+, the nation’s only emergency relief and preparedness assistance program for craft artists.
More than 50 organizations and individuals are donating $100 or more in proceeds from a host of events to benefit CERF+’s support programs for artists whose careers have be
en put on hold because of a health emergency, fire or natural disaster.
Here are just a few of the happenings that will take place between now and the end of December.
Ephraim Faience Pottery in Wisconsin is donating a portion of the sales of their limited edition, Bloodroot Vases, especially made for A Season for CERF+ 2009. The arts and craft style pieces are so popular that Ephraim is hosting an online drawing for buyers who want an opportunity to purchase one of the 100 pieces available this fall. Entries to the drawing must be placed at http://www.ephraimpottery.com/cerf.htm no later than midnight October 20.
Glass artist Robert Cory of Cory Glass Works in Lawrence, Massachusetts, donated a percentage of his September craft show sales to CERF+; Gallery OKTO and Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade store, in St. Paul, Minnesota are participating in a mall-wide “Live Slow” event on behalf of CERF+; and Penland School of Crafts Gallery in North Carolina is hosting a sale of re-gifted handmade pieces this year to benefit the organization.
For information about participating artists and businesses and descriptions of the galleries on our Google Maps.
It’s not too late for you to join A Season for CERF+ 2009. Simply sign up online, or give us a call at 802-229-2306. We welcome your participation and thank you on behalf of all the artists we serve.
Artists break out high heels
Fancy “footWork” featured in CERF+’s 2009 Collection of Miniatures
CERF+’s annual collection of miniatures is in, and this year’s treasure trove of footwear is impressive enough to make Imelda Marcos, the patron saint of shoe collectors, envious.
The collection, dubbed “footWork,” features 20 tiny fantasy shoes made by 21 craft artists from around the country who specialize in metalwork, clay, glass, fiber and woodwork.
One can only imagine, however, donning these Thumbelina-sized offerings. Polly Adams Sutton’s abalone shell wrapped in woven sweet grass is a delicate, pearly slipper, while Harriete Estel Berman’s Converse-style sneaker (shown above) made from KIWI Shoe Polish cans is bold and sporty.
Forget about even fantasizing, however, about sticking your big toe in Judy Onofrio’s high-heeled number made from a toothy canine jawbone, appropriately titled “Ow!” Onofrio, who typically sports support shoes herself, dreams of wearing stilettos. But that’s about as far as she can go with heels. “Bottom line,” she says, “my feet are killing me.”
The diminutive heels in this fanciful collection won’t hurt your feet or displace a single pair of Blahnik’s or Vivier’s in your closet and that’s all the more reason to treat these feats of fancy as mini sculptures.
Click here to view the whole collection. Tickets for “footWork” miniatures are available on CERF+’s Web site for $50 each, or five for $200 through November 8. Tickets will be drawn at SOFA in Chicago, but you don’t need to be there to win a sculpture – you can virtually place the winning ticket from the comfort of your own home!
Beware of Show Directory Scams
We recently received a call from a craft artist who fell victim to a common trade show scam that now appears to be aimed at art fairs and craft shows.
The artist received an offer for a free listing in an online show directory. The name and address of a prominent national craft show in which he was participating were printed at the top of the page, and so he assumed (as the directory promoter hoped) that it was connected with the show in question.
Unfortunately, he signed up for the free listing without reading the fine print. It stated that unless he sent a registered letter opting out within 10 days, he was agreeing to pay $5,000 for a three-year listing with the online directory. Further, the contract automatically renews in 3-year increments.
Every craft artist is familiar with the rush to complete paperwork, pay bills, meet deadlines and try to have work ready for a show, and that’s what scammers rely on. Had the artist taken time to investigate, he would have found many warnings about the company on the web. More importantly, if he had read the fine print, he would have seen that he was not merely agreeing to the “free listing.”
While many complaints have been lodged against this scam operation for its questionable products and business practices, there are legitimate companies that offer free listings with bold type or additional advertising for a fee, such as the yellow pages or your craft media organization’s directory.
In every case, be sure to read the fine print before you sign anything and understand what you are agreeing to. If you think you may be interested in a paid listing, investigate the company and the product and make sure it will be beneficial to you. And watch out for copycat solicitations masquerading as offers from trusted sources, like reputable craft show organizers.
CERF+’s Collection of Miniatures
Since 1998, CERF+’s Collection of Miniatures has been an incredibly popular fundraising event. The eleven collections that CERF+ has assembled have been comprised of 14 – 25 miniature objects covering all media. The pieces are created and donated by top artists who agree to work within the size specifications and theme of the collection. Funds are raised through the sale of raffle tickets and the winning ticket is drawn at SOFA Chicago every fall.
Click on any collection thumbnail below to enlarge image and view a list of contributing artists to that particular collection.
Packs of all ten collection postcards are available on the CERF+ Store.
Do you have an idea for a collection theme? Tell us about it.
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