To: Arts and Crafts Promoters
Event Organizers
Artists and Crafters
Topic: An understanding of the NAAC aims and objectives
Date: February 17, 2004
As members of the arts and crafts community, promoters and event organizers play a vital and most important role, in the life of artists and crafters. Promoters and organizers take financial risks without knowning for sure whether their business ventures will be successful or not. NAAC recognizes that effort and understands the business aspect of the industry, and for many promoters we work extremely hard to support your efforts by participating, in your events and shows, as part of our own businesses.
Over the last decade our industry has changed dramatically and faced many challenges from within and without. There has been no single voice to promote the goals and objectives of artisans and protect the work that we do and provide to the public. Much of our work is copied as infringements on our copyrights or simply stolen and produced commercially and resold to the public as authentic art and crafts. Over the last decade this activity has continued to increase with no end in sight and no viable means to put a stop to these "unethical and illegal" practices.
This is one of the reasons this organization has been started and must succeed.
Another reason for the establishment of NAAC or National Association of Artists and Crafters is to protect our work, our creativity, livelihood and marketing rights in total. Artisans believe that our work is unique, hand crafted by skilled "technicians" producing in many cases one of a kind creative products and our work is in its own right special. This work should be marketed as special and represented honestly as such and promoted as such.
NAAC does not, nor will not deliberately defame or slander any promoter or event organizer about their policies or procedures but we will inform the community if a business; a promoter or organizer publishes set statements that are not factual by the terms written in contracts or marketing materials and policies and practices exhibited within their shows and events. We do this to protect the community of artists and crafters and the general public.
Some promoters have become hostile towards the actions of NAAC perhaps because there is a lack of communication and understand between the aims and objectives of NAAC and the promoter and event organizer. The National Association of Artists and Crafters wants and is always willing to work with promoters and organizers to establish standards and industry ethics that can be accepted by both groups to preserve and promote the industry in a healthy manner.
The NAAC asks for the opportunity to work with promoters and organizers nationwide in open dialogue. We open the channels to discuss methods for the establishment of standards and ethics that artists and promoters/organizers can work towards to protect our industry and work.
We welcome the opportunity for contact with any promoter or organizer to establish communication with us on issues of their concerns. As an industry confrontation can only be detrimental to our success as artisans and the industry as a whole.
Please join with us today in a dialogue to better serve the arts and crafts community and the public that supports both sides of this industry.
Sincerely
National Association of Artists and Crafters
