3rd Ward Summer Solo Show: A Search for the Next Great Artist

Just saw this online:
http://www.aweber.com/b/10Y.F




3rd Ward Summer Solo Show:  A Search for the Next Great Artist

The Summer Solo Show is a nationwide open call for dynamic, inventive and provocative work of all mediums - sculpture, photography, painting, printmaking, illustration, installation, graphic design, video, and more!

The selected artist will receive:

• $1,000 cash grant


• A solo exhibition in 3rd Ward's gallery, complete with a massive opening reception


• A 2-page spread in 3rd Ward's quarterly publication


• 1-month residency at 3rd Ward with FULL facility access


• NYC wide exposure - post cards, flyers, press!
  
  

For this call we are joined by judges: Katherine Brinson, Curator at the Guggenheim, Amy Kisch of Sotheby's and Jeremy Ortega, Art Director at Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine.

Submit your best work now!

http://www.3rdward.com/summersoloshow09/

All submissions must be received by Thursday, July 2, 2009, 11:59 p.

More Improvements @ BoundlessGallery.com

Orders & Offers Messaging -
Now customers and artists can communicate whenever placing an order, making a private offer, shipping a piece; pretty much at every interaction point our members can now pass along any questions, comments, or concerns.

Social Network & Book Marking Tools -
We've added some handy tools to both our artists' profiles and to our product pages. Any user can now share any page they like on Facebook, Twitter, and a whole lot more.
Look for these:


We've got some other top secret BIG projects in the works right now; stay tuned for some major announcements.

Memorial Day is a little extra special for BoundlessGallery.com

Our office happens to be located in Carbondale, IL, which happens to play a big part in the history of memorial day.

Way back in April of 1866 our fair city had the first observance of 'Decoration Day'. Here is a brief snippet from CNN:

"In the same month, up in Carbondale, Illinois, 219 Civil War veterans marched through town in memory of the fallen to Woodlawn Cemetery, where Union hero Maj. Gen. John A. Logan delivered the principal address. The ceremony gave Carbondale its claim to the first organized, community-wide Memorial Day observance."

So, every year our town takes the day a little more seriously than most...

Happy Memorial Day,

Another Priority Provider Alert

Here is the latest news and improvements to the best online gallery that all Boundless Providers should be aware of:

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Returns - New Deadlines:
As part of our ongoing project to send payments faster, we've shaved 3 days off all our returns periods. Starting with tomorrow's (May 19) orders, members will have 4 full days to request a return after an order is delivered.

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Returns - New Options:
Boundless providers can now choose your own returns policy.
NOTE: This only applies to domestic orders (US to US).

The three returns options are:
"Free Returns" -
Providers who choose Free Returns will have 'Free Returns' displayed on all their pieces. Should a customer receive a piece they wish to return, they simply visit Boundless within 4 days and request a prepaid shipping label. After FedEx tells us how much the label cost, we pay you, the artist, 115% of that amount.
*Pros: Customers are encouraged to buy because there is very little risk.
*Cons: Customers can return a piece for even the slightest of reasons.

"Normal Returns" -
Providers who choose Normal Returns will have 'Normal Returns' displayed on all their pieces. Should a customer wish to return they notify Boundless within four days and then send it back to the artist at their expense. We'll refund the item price to the customer, but still pay the original S&H to the artist.
*Pros: Customers are less likely to return. The artist will still receive their S&H charge.
*Cons: Customers are less likely to purchase.

"No Returns" -
Providers who choose No Returns will have 'No Returns' displayed on all their pieces. Customers have no option to return an order.
*Pros: Artist has almost no risk of losing funds.
*Cons: Customers are least likely to purchase.

You can set your policy here.

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Help - New Pages:
We've also got some new help pages to better explain things to both artists and customers.
New FAQ's Page.

New 'How It Works' Page.

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Contest - Deadline Reminder:
Just a quick reminder that the 'Art eMotions' contest ends midnight May 31st, so be sure to cast a vote for your favorite entry!
Contest Page


Sincerely,

Luke,
President, and the rest of your Boundless Team

Flooded basement :(

BG's office took a hit in the big storm as our basement was flooded with water for a few days. Since thousands of people were blasted by the storm, we couldn't find a service, so it was time for the team to get dirty:

Large carpeted kitchen room:


Large stairs we had to carry soaked carpet up:


1 room down...:


2nd LARGE carpeted room...(Adam):


Then came super bleach mopping...(Matt):


It took a long time, but we got it done!

Even mother nature can't stop Boundless..

Last Friday southern Illinois was devastated by a massive storm. Carbondale, our home, was among the hardest hit. We're just now (5-6 days later) getting power back. But we're here and working hard as always. You can read more and see photos and video at this Facebook Group

Here is just a taste:

Today's Provider Alert for Artist & Gallery Members

The weather is heating up and so is our office. Here are the latest things our members should be aware of:

-Order Processing
We've shaved some days from our automatic order updates which will immediately help get some of you paid faster. For security reasons we hold funds tightly, but we've updated the system to put more of an onus on the customer, and to get you paid as soon as possible.

We're also working on a new smarter returns system that will give you more control and also shave time off our current payment holding periods. Give our programmers some time and I think a lot of you will really enjoy the new system.

Finally, we're starting a project to improve the help files and pages on the site to better explain how everything including orders processing works, so that a lot of the uncertainty and lack of transparency can be corrected.

-New Partnership
We're always looking for ways to promote you and we're proud to announce our new partnership with YellowZip.com. They are a new national 'yellow pages' service that is preparing to launch in May. We'll be featuring you and your products there. Customers will be led back to your Boundless pages much like we do when featuring you with our Google Products' feed. If for some reason you don't want your pieces shown there you can opt-out on your preferences page:
http://www.boundlessgallery.com/provider/my_preferences.php

-'New' Plan Rates
The cost of membership has risen for New plans, and New plans only. (Meaning for new members or those who let their plan lapse)

Renewal Plans and all commission rates are still the same. (This means that all current members won't be affected at all as long you don't let your plan lapse.)

-More News
*New members now get a free 7-day trial without having to choose a plan upfront. We've heard from a lot of you that felt mislead by the old 'risk-free' system, so we changed it.

*This week we were conducting some analysis and discovered what we think are some encouraging numbers:
-36% of our current members have had at least one sale.
-That number jumps to 44.5% of members who have been on the site for at least 6 months.
-And, 67% of members who have been on the site for a full year.

It's not easy to sell original art online, but together we're proving it can be done!

*Finally, Boundless is in preliminary talks to acquire some more internet real estate which could equal some great new spaces and options for our members. Nothing to announce yet, but stay tuned.

Thank you for your membership and best of luck to all,

Luke,
President, and the rest of your Boundless Team
luket@boundlessgallery.com