Don’t Be Afraid of the Internet with Sian Robertson

In this era of wide internet access and social media it’s vital for artists to have a web presence. A good web site doesn’t have to be complicated, or hard to maintain, but it is an essential tool for an artist who wishes to be taken seriously by prospective gallery directors, potential buyers and art collectors, and those who write about art. Whether you’re looking to sell your art online, get into a gallery, or provide a place for someone who stumbles across your work to find out more about you, you will spend time during this workshop honing in on what is important to you and how best to go about achieving your website goals.

There isn’t time to create a site during the class, but participants will leave with an understanding of available tools, web site best practices, features (such as slideshows Vs image grids, or blogs, shopping carts, and contact pages) so that they can create and maintain a site that is right for them. The workshop is specifically designed with a week between the two classes so that participants can begin to work on their sites at home and can get opinions on layout, trouble shoot issues, etc. during the second class.

Sian Robertson is a self-taught artist originally from the UK, now living in North Truro. She hand cuts vintage maps, creating 3D sculptural forms from her 2D source materials. Robertson says “Maps are of particular interest to me – they are beautiful to look at, they represent areas lived in and places still to visit, and I have incredibly fond memories of learning to map read when I was very young. As a small child I loved spending time in the car, with me navigating our way home. I clearly remember being excited to predict that there would be a river, or a T-junction, or a hospital a mile ahead, and being thrilled when it was actually there. Now, as an adult, maps give me a physical and emotional connection to a time and place left behind, and the reassurance that it might be returned to in the future. I am driven almost entirely by the aesthetics of the colors and shapes within maps, and have been using them in different ways for some years now.”

Through her job as assistant director of a local art gallery Robertson has spent a good deal of time reviewing artists’ web sites. As an artist, she has created her own website. She has also developed web sites for other artists, as well as helping some to create their own. Through both her job and her experience as an artist she has developed a sense of what works, and doesn’t work, both visually and practically, as well as an understanding of how to create a site to further an artist’s individual goals. Robertson is an active member of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, and has participated in members’ exhibits since 2009, including having her work selected for several juried shows. Her ‘Postage Portrait’ collages were featured in the Summer 2015 edition of Uppercase Magazine, and her map work in Provincetown Magazine in 2016, and in the Provincetown Banner in 2018. She is represented by Adam Peck Gallery in Provincetown. www.sianrobertsonart.com