Shumka Centre / Skill Up Workshops | 2019 – 2020

Skill Ups are weekly lunch hour sessions to help you boost a specific skill that will complement your practice.

Designed to answer questions such as File Size: What is Big and What is Normal? and How do I Price my Work? Skill-Up topics have been selected to introduce technical hands-on skills within an hour. Skill Up sessions will be delivered by Emily Carr faculty, staff, students, and industry experts.

Every Wednesday, 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Room A4010
Open to all!

Emily Carr Students!

Do you have a skill you’d like to share with your peers? E-mail one of the programming offices: shumka@ecuad.ca | coop@ecuad.ca   

Spring 2020 Schedule:

Wednesday, Jan 29: Summer Work Strategies

  • Basic research strategies
  • Job search strategies
  • Employment package tips to help you secure a job

Wednesday, Feb 5: Peer-led Open Session

Wednesday, Feb 12: How to Make a Simple Project Budget

  • What to include and what to leave out
  • Financial Conventions
  • File Shortcuts

Wednesday, Feb 26: How to Install Your Work

  • Dos and Don’ts of exhibition install

Wednesday, Mar 4: How to Document Your Work

  • Dos and Don’ts of documentation photography

Wednesday, Mar 11: Peer-led Open Session
How to Reach Out to Your Networks by Jonathan H Alfaro

  • Taking advantage of connections and support for artists
  • The benefit of small talk

ART student Jonathan H Alfaro will talk about his own experience of reaching out through personal networks 

Wednesday, Mar 18: How to Find the Right Studio Space *POSTPONED*

  • Do I need a devoted studio space?
  • How do you find space to rent
  • The normal things in a lease and what might come back to bite you
  • What is triple net and do I want it
  • Local Resources and Communities of Practice 
  • I Hate You But I Need You: Insurance

Wednesday, Mar 25: Peer-led Open Session *CANCELLED*

According to public health officials, there has been a notable transmission of COVID-19 at events and public gatherings. To encourage social distancing recommended by health officials, we are cancelling or postponing all scheduled programming in March and April 2020. We look forward to reconnecting with our community at future opportunities.

Fall 2019 Schedule:

Wednesday, Sep 18: Make Your Tech Look Effortless

  • File Size: What is Big and What is Normal
  • Getting your slides on the projector: media for presentations
  • How to change the size and type of your file
  • File storing and naming conventions

Wednesday, Sep 25: Community in Building Your Practice

  • Finding your people
  • Forming a collective
  • Cultivating a network

Wednesday, Oct 2: Peer-Led Open Session

*POSTPONED* Wednesday, Oct 9: How to Self-Publish

(Offered alongside the VABF)

  • What are catalogues, artist books, multiples?
  • When is it ok to self-publish?
  • Print-on-Demand and how it works

Wednesday, Oct 16: Peer-Led Open Session
How to Navigate Your First Ever Public Art Project (and flounder less than I did) by Shayla Giroux

  • Things I wish I had known sooner
  • How Emily Carr can help
  • How to project manage

Wednesday, Oct 23: How to Finish Fabrics to Display with your Work

  • No-sew methods for hemming fabrics
  • How and when to iron or steam
  • How to make a larger backdrop or curtain

Wednesday, Oct 30: Where to Find Materials for Free or Cheap

  • Local sources for discounted or free materials
  • What things to ask when sourcing materials
  • Things you need in order to take advantage of opportunities for free stuff

Wednesday, Nov 6: How to E-Mail People You Don’t Already Know

  • Best practices for reaching out for the first time
  • Tips for getting replies and keeping correspondence going
  • Patience and tenacity in developing professional networks

Wednesday, Nov 13: How to Price Your Work

  • Tips for calculating artist fees and pricing
  • How to appropriately price your work throughout your career

Wednesday, Nov 20: How to Apply to Grad School

  • Tools and strategies for researching and applying for different graduate programs
  • Introduction to Emily Carr’s graduate programs and admission requirements

Wednesday, Nov 27: Peer-Led Open Session

Wednesday, Dec 4: How to Frame Your Work

  • Framing techniques
  • Considerations for different types of work


Skill-Ups are co-hosted and co-produced by Career Development + Work Integrated Learning and the Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship. Fall 2019 programming was actualized with the generous support of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training 

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