Back, left to right: Lisi DeSwart, Leslie Mariah Andrews, Kathy, Monique and Eben Front left to right: LaWanda, Shari and Ken
Official "Art Not Walmart" Page
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March 16, 2013. Thanks so much for stopping by to visit the Art Not Walmart gallery page! For years I have had this idea that it would be fun to help other people do what I have done with my art career and in a similar way. I was making my art and selling it at the flea markets of Los Angeles as I transitioned from my sewing business into full-time maker of art. I decided to price my art at my hourly sewing rate, which, when I started selling my art in 1993, was $20 an hour. Over the years and according to the demand, I have given myself raises. The current rate I price my art at is $100 an hour. Maybe this is comfortable for me to be sort of a blue-collar artist working for an hourly rate, whatever the case, it is how I have priced my art from the start, unless I really liked a piece, I'd charge more for it and if I want to sell it and it has been around awhile, I'll reduce the price. I would see people working at jobs, like at Walmart and other minimum wage not fun jobs and I'd think, what if they were willing to make their art and sell it for minimum wage? I bet they could also do what I have done. Three months ago I started approaching people and inviting them to join my little experimental art-making group. There are 8 in our core group right now and we sometimes have visitors. We meet and make art together every Tuesday at Art Queen in Joshua Tree, California, from 3-5 PM. The artists price their work at a rate of $10 an hour. If it took an hour, the piece is $10. The artist makes all the money from the sales of their own art. If they really like a piece, of course they can keep it (and sometimes charge a little more, but my mentor, Jack Pierson, encourages us to keep with my original vision. Hopefully the artist's work will gain popularity and they'll gradually raise their prices according to the demand, go off on their own and make room for a new beginning artist in the group). We do group collaborations and sales of these helps us buy our favorite Nova Color paints (we've made 2 orders for paint so far and love painting with our Nova Colors) and other supplies. Local Joshua Tree writer/musician/activist/filmmaker Ted Quinn wrote a story about me and my group. Here is that story and the video made by KCET TV's Arbound crew when the story got the most votes that week: Shari Elf: Maximum Creativity at Minimum Wage. It will air in Southern California on KCET in early November. You can also watch the video on youtube.
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Here are the artists in our Art Not Walmart group
