Speedball Art Products Company Speedball is pleased to announce that Ben Lapin has been promoted to President of Speedball Art Products Company. Ben started with Speedball in 1997 as Chief Financial Officer and handled all financial matters during the start-up years. He later took on responsibility for Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service and proved that he was much more than a bean counter. In October 2006, Ben became Chief Operating Officer responsible for all day-to-day activities of Speedball. In the past 12 years Ben has led the integration of several acquisitions while strengthening Speedball’s core business. “Good is never good enough” with Ben; he pushes himself and all…
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Celebrations At The Atlanta Distribution Center
Our Distribution Center in Atlanta had a lot to celebrate this month. The AM shift and PM shift overlapped for a special Thanksgiving dinner: The team also threw a baby shower for Selam Mamo, a Shift Order Selector. She is due on December 27th!
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Riley Street San Rafael Celebrates 11 Years
Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter Riley Street Art Supply has locations in San Rafael and Santa Rosa, CA; this month they celebrated 50 years of being in business, with the San Rafael store turning 11 this past June. Both stores celebrated with a two day sale where everything was at least 30% off, and the San Rafael store partnered with vendors to set up outdoor booths with various Make-and-Take activities and demonstrations. Vendor partners included Daniel Smith, Golden, Strathmore, Jacquard, Savoir-Faire, Liquitex and Marabu. The event was a great opportunity to engage with repeat customers as well as passersby who had never even been in the store. Outdoor Booths + Downtown Foot…
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Artisan Expo: The Positive Impact of Workshops
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s In September, Account Manager Mia Fesmire and Brand Marketing Manager Ariana Faustini represented MacPherson’s exclusive brands at a three-day art supply extravaganza in Santa Fe known as Artisan Expo. The bi-yearly consumer show is sponsored by Artisan Santa Fe, a retailer with locations in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Artisan Santa Fe founded Artisan Expo in 2000, and the event has grown over the years to become the largest art materials and instructional event in the world! They host over 100 half-day and full-day workshops led by expert instructors, as well as a vendor trade show where over 80 vendors cater to artists who travel from…
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Happy Halloween from MacPherson’s!
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherosn’s If MacPherson’s has a favorite holiday, it may or may not be the one that involves dressing up, decorating, turning the world upside down and tapping into our imaginative, artsy sides. While delivering creativity is what we do on the clock, we embrace (and express) creativity outside of work too—in fact, for many of us it is the fuel that keeps us going! Halloween is a chance for us to show off this creative spark. Costume Contests We kicked off the day of Halloween with a costume contest. The winners in Emeryville: Jeanine Davids as The Butcher, Ariana Faustini as an American Eagle and Christine Sanchez…
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MacPherson’s Organizational Updates
We are excited to announce a few organizational updates! Please visit our announcements page to read the full letter from our CEO & President, Dave Schofield. John Stephens has transitioned to Director of Marketing, focusing on brand management, category management, creative services and digital experience teams. Neil McIntyre has been promoted to Director of Account Management and he’ll be joining our Senior Leadership Team. He will continue his management of the national field and inside sales teams, in addition to assuming leadership of our customer service team. Jeff Scholz, MacPherson’s Director of IT, will now serve as a member of our Senior Leadership Team. Jessica Krainert, our EDI Specialist, will…
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Community Events: Camp Flax Kidsfest
Every year Flax Art & Design in Oakland, California celebrates summer, art and kids with Kidsfest: a free, fun day of family-friendly arts and crafts. This year’s Kidsfest theme was Camp Flax, which celebrates the great outdoors and the California camping experience: think redwoods, wildlife and scouts. The event features various vendors and community organizations such as The Musem of Children’s Arts and the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design. Staff dress up and the store is transformed into redwood forest where kids and their families can enjoy face painting, a sing-along and dozens of craft activities. Getting The Word Out While people in the community simply know to…
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Who’s Who: Preston Arts Center
Who’s Who celebrates a member of our industry community. If you would like to nominate someone, please email us at artdogblog (@) macphersonart.com with their name, position, company and a short description. Kathy Brennan and Don Preston, the owners of Preston Arts Center in Louisville, KY, celebrate owning their family business for 40 years this month. They are major players in the independent world, and they have been able to thrive in a city with major competition. This month, Andrew Preston, Kathy and Don’s son, will be hosting a two hour reception for vendors and their best customers, some of whom have been shopping with them since they opened their…
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Ann Walsh: Colors Exhibition Opening Reception
GOLDEN Artist Colors, Inc. Ann Walsh: Colors opened last week at The Sam & Adele Golden Gallery (THE SAGG) at Golden Artist Colors. This survey of abstract paintings and sculptures by artist Ann Walsh underscores her commitment to the expressive possibilities of color and her investigations of the use of new materials for making art. Walsh has lived in New York City and maintained a studio there since 1980. An illustrated catalog with an essay by artist and critic Franklin Einspruch entitled, “Ann Walsh’s Mechanics of Color” will be available as well.To learn more about Walsh and her artwork, visit http://www.ann-walsh.com/index.htm. Visit The Sam & Adele Golden Gallery website, www.thesagg.org…
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Our New WMS is Going Live Oct. 8
WMS goes live in Reno as of October 8th, 2018! We are excited for this new chapter and technological milestone in our company’s history. As you may know, last year we made the decision to upgrade our Warehouse Management System (WMS). This is the largest technology investment in MacPherson’s history. WMS is the “brains” of our distribution centers that tracks inventory locations and determines how orders are processed and how freight is shipped. We are working with the leader in warehouse software platforms, Manhattan Associates, and our team has devoted hundreds of hours to configuring and testing the system to ensure successful implementation. This innovation strengthens our commitment to service…
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Calling All Staff
You may have noticed an uptick in posts these last few weeks. With support from your Account Managers and Category Managers, our Creative Services team is revamping and revitalizing Art Dog Blog! In addition to industry news and resources you’ve come to expect, some of the features we are introducing include Who’s Who, an opportunity to feature a member of your staff who is doing an incredible job, Best Practices, where we explore trends, merchandising hacks, demo ideas, and other in-store strategies and of course the Art Dog of the Month. Make sure to share Art Dog with all members of your team, because there is something for everyone. Have…
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A Letter From Opus Art Supplies
David van Berckel, Opus Art Supplies Opus is an independently-owned local business, supplying the visual arts community with art materials, digital printing, picture frames, art education, community support, and more. Founded in 1974, they have grown from a single location framing company to seven stores throughout BC and a Canada-wide mail order service for online & phone orders. To our valued vendors, I have known so many of you for decades while I managed to turn a small framing production workshop in Vancouver into a sizeable and important art supply business over the past 50 years or so. But time continues taking a toll on my body and mind and…
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All Hands On Deck: Floods in Madison, WI Impact Wisconsin Craft Market
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s Last month devastating floods in Madison, WI impacted Wisconsin Craft Market – employees walked in to discover several feet of water in the store and an overwhelming amount of damaged product. Their staff banded together for several days of drudgery, with family members and loved ones pitching in. Recapping the experience on their Facebook page, owner Paul Zarnikow expressed his gratitude for the team of friends and family who made reopening possible. “Not only did no one complain, the loud laughing and chattering usually heard went on like any other day. I’m lucky to have had these ladies as employees for so many years, luckier still…
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Ben Franklin Bonney Lake & Montana Cans
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s Ben Franklin Crafts & Frame Shop Bonney Lake, Washington, collaborated with Montana Artist Devin Finley to transform the formerly drab graffiti walls of the local Skate Park in town into an outdoor gallery of street art! In collaboration with the community of Tehaleh and Montana Artist Devin Finley, Ben Franklin Bonney Lake’s goal was to get more people aware of the Montana spray paint in the community while improving a community space with art. Staff member Colleen coordinated the event with the community director of a local skate park. Over 50 people attended the event, which featured live painting by Devin, music, snacks and of course…
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LenzArts’ 50th Anniversary, a.k.a. “Lenz Arts Week” As Pronounced By Santa Cruz Mayor
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s LenzArts went all out for their 50th Anniversary August 4th. Their family business has survived and thrived despite fire, flood and earthquake. Over the decades they have become embedded in the community. Three generations of the Lenz family participated in the event, which included a Vendor’s Fair and a storewide sale. They set up twelve interactive stations of different make and takes as well as demos with reps and artists. People enjoyed free face painting, raffles, a homemade fishing booth and a Wheel of Fortune. They also invited Santa Cruz Art League rep to talk to community members; the current generation’s great-grandmother, Leonora Naylor Penniman, was…
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Chameleon Rebranded
Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter & Chameleon Art Products Chameleon shared a recent press release with us announcing the rebranding of their products and their website – aiming for a fresh look and user-friendly design. Read on for highlights about these changes: “We strive to keep pushing the boundaries so you can develop your talents even further. We want to help you unlock all the colors hidden inside your art tools. And that’s what our rebranding and “Changing Color” is all about.” Chameleon changed the website’s look based on the creative community’s feedback. “Chameleon should be a place for like-minded individuals to share ideas, brainstorm and be inspired by each other.…
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GOLDEN Educator Residents & Top Finalists Announced!
Golden Artist Colors Golden Artist Colors and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018 GOLDEN Educators Residency! Three educators will be invited to participate in a two-week artists’ residency through the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation in a sylvan setting in upstate New York. They will also each receive a gift certificate for $1,000 for GOLDEN paints. Geeta Dave from Prairieville, Louisiana Glasgow Middle School Kevin Kelly from Wichita, Kansas Wichita West High School Brian Payne from Yukon, Oklahoma Yukon High School Collectively, these three educators have been teaching for close to 60 years. Learn more about their work…
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Golden Welcomes New Education Director Stacy Rosende
Golden Artist Colors Golden welcomes Stacy Rosende as its new Education Director, who oversees all Golden Artist Colors education programs as well as the development of new strategies and platforms. Kevin Greeland will continue to lead the Working Artist and Artist Educator programs and serve as the key contact for lecture demo activities. Stacy Rosende is a visual artist and educator from Florida where she ran an award-winning art program in a public high school, maintained her personal studio practice and exhibited works internationally. She discovered her interest in education while working towards her Masters in Fine Arts degree at Boston University. Stacy has taught students in the visual arts…
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Lasting Impact: Make It A 2-Day Event – Community Engagement at Dots ‘N Doodles
Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter Dots ‘N Doodles Art Supply in Astoria, Oregon recently hosted a two part event honoring the work of Vincent Van Gogh and encouraging modern day oil painters! Staff kicked off the event by showing the movie Loving Vincent on Friday night, with a workshop led by artists Charlene Mosely and Tiffanie Mang, who worked on the set of the movie. The event sold out, and there was so much interest that they added an additional workshop later in the weekend. With an Art Alternatives canvas roll, Rembrandt oil paints and effusive enthusiasm, artists created a large scale painting in the iconic style of Van Gogh. Dennis…
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Jerry’s Artarama of Hartford, CT Turns 25
Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter Jerry’s Artarama of Hartford, CT celebrates its 25th anniversary! Owners Jeff and Susan Shoham were featured in the Hartford Courant in an article that details their incredible journey, from building their business from the ground up to becoming a community staple as the go-to art supply store for creative endeavors in Elmwood. They celebrated the big 25 with a 25% off sale over the weekend, door prizes and of course, cake. When thinking back on the the years of hard work that brought the business to where it is today, Jeff reflected on the rewarding moments that make everything worth it. “Talking with customers. My time…