My Journey with TAG

      By Frank W. Hantschel  (01-15-03)

Having been raised in a artistic environment, I often thought that art would become an Important aspect of my life. It did!

While I was a student at Arapahoe Community College taking numerous art courses, along with all of the other required courses, I found that being with other artistic minded people seemed normal. It was during this time (in the fall of 1998) that I came across a call for entries in a local news paper, seeking local artists to form a club. This club would be known as TAG (The Art Guild). I attended the first meeting. Andre Mouton was the organizer of this new club. About 20 artists were at this meeting, and we discussed what this club should be about. It was decided that we would focus on the marketing and business of art. As an organization we would also seek out various venues to exhibit our art as a group.

As TAG grew and became more viable, I also grew as an artist. Working with other artists and having the opportunity to learn the various aspects of the art business, I became more in tuned with what the art world was about and the demands involved. The guest speakers with their insight and information, along with the other members of TAG and their experiences, were and are beneficial. Learning all of the various aspects of the art business, including art presentation, copyright, portfolios, business card design, resumes, artist statements and the details for a superb art exhibit, to name a few, gave me the tools necessary to fine tune my skills as an artist. It is an on going learning experience.

I had the opportunity to be the Vice President of TAG (2000), and the President in 2001. These positions further helped me gain the experience and confidence I needed in order to pursue other artistic endeavors, such as helping TAGallery get off the ground, and setting up Lizard Gallery with Andre.

As a Black & White fine art photographer, I find that working with other artists in other mediums has its own rewards. For instance, painting with acrylics and oils, I have been immersed in B&W for so long: it is refreshing to work with color.

The most important and valuable knowledge that I have gained from being a member of TAG is the confidence it has built within myself. During my year as President, I undertook the task of organizing our annual Emerging Artists Exhibit (among other items). This involved numerous details which all had to be coordinated, distributed and set in motion. The support and enthusiasm of the other TAG members involved made this exhibit a smooth success. This again helped to further my confidence within myself.

In 2001 Swallow Hill Music Association (the second largest folk institute in the U.S. where I am the maintenance person) refurbished the basement café/kitchen area to include an art gallery. The ceiling and walls were repainted and they obtained new furniture, track lighting was installed along with a hanging system to display art. The folks at Swallow Hill approached me to become the gallery director. Without much hesitation, I accepted.

I firmly believe that if I had not joined such a great organization as TAG, I would not have had the tools and knowledge, nor the confidence to accept such a responsibility.