• Industry News

    Industry News

    Stu and Louise Beattie are grandparents… again! Tyler Stuart Wilson joined the family on October 13th at 7 lbs., 11 oz. and 19.5″ long. Congrats to the proud parents, too, Anna and Todd Wilson! Germany-based Schwan-Stabilo has reported record sales in its latest full-year financial results. Kerry Kemp of Art Outfitters in Little Rock, AR is celebrating  her store’s 130th year as a retailer of art supplies.  The original store opened in 1881 under the name Jungkind. Kerry changed the store’s name to Art Outfitters when she bought it in 1997. Congratulations Kerry on this huge milestone. With great sadness we report the passing of Mike Gutjahr, Director of School Supplies Programs at Follett’s College Stores. Mike…

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    Strathmore’s New Online Workshop Series for 2012

    Strathmore Artist Papers™ is excited to announce its 2012 Online Workshop Series which will begin January 1, 2012.  This program reflects Strathmore’s commitment to offer consumer promotions that help drive retail sales by creating awareness of new products that inspire artists to create. The free workshop series will feature experienced instructors using a variety of media and materials to teach three different workshops topics: Mixed Media Art, Watercolor Sketching and Life Drawing.  Each workshop includes instructional videos, downloadable instruction sheets and inspirational tips from the instructor. Strathmore is collaborating with art instructors Traci Bautista, Cathy Johnson and Mike Mattesi and Stevens 470 Marketing & Creative to develop the online workshops. Last year, Strathmore’s 2011 Visual Journal Online Workshops attracted over 8,600 students and earned the NAMTA 2011 Business Innovation Award. Strathmore…

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    Urban Art Charity Auction for the Boys & Girls Club of America

    Did you know that millions of kids are in crisis? In America, 1 out of 4 kids drop out of high school and 20% of children are living in poverty. Aaron Brothers has partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help impact these youth that are most at risk. You can help.  Aaron Brothers is currently holding a charity art auction via eBay Giving Works, for some amazing pieces of art that were created by world famous artists including Risk, Revok and CES that will be auctioned off to support the mission of the Boys & Girls Club. Boys & Girls Clubs of America believe that every child can achieve…

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    MacPherson’s Celebrates Employee Ownership Month

    Founded in 1906, MacPherson’s has grown into the largest wholesale distributor of Fine Art Supplies to retail dealers in the United States and is proud to be 100% owned by its nearly 200 employees. Currently, there are over 11,500 ESOPs in place in the U.S. covering more than 10 million employee owners. Many companies opt to sell stock to an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) when the current owners are getting ready to retire. Although none of us wants Stu or Frank to leave, we realize that at some point they will want to spend more time at home, enjoying the lives they’ve worked so very hard to build. At…

  • Industry News

    Industry News

    After months of speculation, A.C. Moore, the east coast arts and crafts chain of 132 stores that started in Burlington County, N.J. 25 years ago, announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Sbar’s, one of the largest crafts distributors in the United States. According to Phillyburbs.com the deal is worth close to $41 million. Stockholders will get $1.60 per common stock share in cash. “Sbar’s is very excited about partnering with A.C. Moore to build the most dynamic and exciting retailer in the arts and crafts space,” Sbar’s CEO “Pepe” Piperno said in a news release. “We are confident that Sbar’s expertise and history of…

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    Retailer Spray Paint Events Keep the Outdoor Party Going!

    Although Summer is over and Fall has arrived, the outdoor retail spray painting events are still rolling!  Blaine’s Art of Anchorage, AK hosted a spray painting event that allowed artists to sign up for a “class” where the canvas was an actual truck.  Five women and two men spent the day working their magic with Montana Gold on Don Kolstad’s (a local art teacher) Nissan Truck.  The 50 spectators were so impressed with Don’s newly pimped out ride that many volunteered their cars, trucks, and even boats for the next event! Jerry’s Artarama of West Hartford, CT recently hosted a massive mural painting event that featured 3 local artists and 200 cans of Montana Black and Gold painting a 48’ x 17’…

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    Golden’s Primary Marketing Priorities: Williamsburg Oil Mediums & Merchandising

    One primary strategy that Golden Artist Colors will be targeting for 2011 is: Support of Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors 1. Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors Merchandising As mentioned earlier this year, in order to further support the Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors line, GOLDEN is introducing a number of new items and enhancements to the merchandising materials available, further warranting your interest in the brand. 2. Williamsburg Handmade Oil Mediums One of the recent improvements was the change in packaging for the Williamsburg Mediums. In order to better align the packaging for the Oil Mediums with the professionalism and prestige of the Williamsburg brand, these products will now be available in new square, glass containers for the 2 oz., 4 oz., 8…

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    Water-Soluble Graphite from Global Arts

    The folks at Global Arts have done it again! They have uncovered a hidden gem from the small town of Porto in Northern Portugal and are proud to introduce the ArtGraf product line to the U.S. These unique and proprietary blends of graphite, carbon and binders produced by the Viarco family are some of the highest quality sketching materials available to artists today. Features Available in three forms: tins (20g and 60g), sticks (3.5” x 0.5” x 0.5″), and 250g XL sticks (7″x 2″x 1″) Can be used wet like a watercolor or dry for drawing and sketching Added element of erasability when dry Attractive packaging Graphite sticks are available in a small, disposable POP countertop display of 10 Benefits Superior…

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    New Prismacolor Pencil Colors Conversion Kit

    Now is the time to upgrade your Prismacolor colored pencil offering by ordering a Conversion Kit from MacPherson’s, (order # SA1810934). This Conversion Kit incorporates Prismacolor’s newest 18 colors into your current full-line Pencil/Art Stix display. The kit includes a dozen each of the new 18 colors and the product labels for your display.  It was determined that the quickest and easiest way for the retailers to accomplish this conversion would entail removing 12 facings of the Art Stix and the graphic panel located on the lower left hand corner of the display to provide an additional 18 product slots in which to merchandise the new pencil colors. Detailed instructions concerning art stix and graphic panel removal are included in your Conversion…

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    Golden’s Just Paint #25 – Now Available

    In this issue: Differentiating GOLDEN Molding Pastes; There are many different effects and textures that can be achieved by using GOLDEN Molding Pastes. In the new video listed below, GOLDEN Working Artists Program Director, Patti Brady provides a brief overview to the properties of Molding Pastes and then focuses on five specific materials within the Pastes category, detailing properties and attributes of each in order to help the artist decide which product best meets their individual needs. Check out a link here to Patti’s video , Patti Brady This issue comes at a time when Golden is able to share many projects that have come to completion. They are delighted to announce the opening of the Golden Foundation Artist Residence space, which will serve as…