Deep into the second year of battling the pandemic, it’s evident we’ve seen a seismic shift to online shopping as public-space access ebbs and flows, and businesses shutter retail spaces to double down on e-commerce alternatives.
Indeed, Covid restrictions have thwarted recent editions of the SKETCH Marketplace: our annual December open-house event that welcomes hundreds of people eager to buy paintings, fashions, music and artful knickknacks. For many artist-vendors, sales from the SKETCH Marketplace earned them revenue just in time for their own holiday shopping.
So this holiday season, some SKETCH artist-vendors are making the transition to online.
Artist Samay Arcentales Cajas at a past Marketplace
Since last September, SKETCH Opportunities Specialist Sarah Couture McPhail has been working with some special partners to support 10 artist-vendors in developing and launching their own online branded platforms to sell their art to the public.
According to Sarah, the partnerships evolved organically, “The Education Collective Impact Initiative is a group of Toronto-based organizations–which includes SKETCH– that came together to address education disparities and lack of access among young people navigating systemic oppression. The ECII selected SKETCH as the pilot site to test and develop a program framework that would increase pathways to education for young people. With the artist entrepreneurs I work with in mind, ECII and SKETCH coordinated financial and case-management support to artists-vendors with the goal that each one could create online shops and increase their entrepreneurial and e-commerce skills.”
Sarah then needed an e-commerce partner to provide both the online shopping platforms and relevant technical skills. “I contacted Shopify and they very quickly jumped on board. Soon everything was in place to run an intensive four-week program that would usher ten emerging artists through setting up an online store and workshopping bespoke marketing and branding strategies!”
Therese Kirrane is the Senior Social Impact Lead of “Open Learning” a social impact initiative at Shopify, the Canadian multinational e-commerce company.
Says Therese, “‘Open Learning’ works with hundreds of learning organizations, reaching roughly 15,000 students around the world, to provide free access to Shopify for learners who need it, and support for educators who want to to leverage the Shopify platform for their own teaching objectives.”
SKETCH Opportunities Specialist, Sarah Couture McPhail
Open Learning also supports young people with developing nuanced skills crucial to succeeding in e-commerce. For SKETCH artists, the training included how to translate why they create into a cohesive brand story; how to focus on learning one e-commerce skill at a time through trial and error; as well as printing on demand; dropshipping; and how to create one key income earner product.
The Ten SKETCH artist-vendors now participating in Open Learning have been given not only a year’s access to Shopify’s e-commerce platform to build their online store, but one-on-one access to support. Leah Dagg, an “Open Learning” Specialist, connected with each artist to offer guidance on how to navigate the extensive resources Shopify includes in their vending platform. This made creating a unique platform less daunting for some.
Therese Kirrane says one of Shopify’s Open Learning end goals is empowerment for learners, “We’ve found that many artists don’t set out to run a business, they just want to live independent lives so that they can focus on what matters to them. Our hope is that the Open Learning program gives SKETCH merchants confidence in using our platform, so that they create their own independence and tell their story on their own terms.”
Sarah says all partners played such key parts in making this pilot initiative a success. Hazel Ottley of ECII helped manage artists inquiries and needs; and Community Artist Pree Rehal directed participants through expert marketing mentorship.
Ashley Beerdat, an artist-vendor, is set to launch their e-commerce site soon, “I’m most excited about building an online presence authentic to me, and to offer my artwork online to Canadian and international customers where I can feel confident about the way I am presenting my brand and feel supported along the way.”
For now, Sarah, Pree and Hazel are supporting the ten artists as they add the finishing touches to their Shopify sites in time for peak holiday season buying.
Says Sarah, “The workshops have been a bit of a dream having facilitated many residencies at SKETCH for over four years now. We’re so looking forward to sharing these unique products and services with a wider audience and customers. Everything from books, jewelry, queer affirmation pins, beautiful ethical zero-waste fashion, totes bags, DJ services and merchandise, paintings and prints–and so much more–will be available come the end of November.”
Ready for some holiday shopping? Check out these new e-shops from SKETCH Artist Vendors at www.sketch.ca/holidaygiftguide
And meet two of the Artist Vendors: Nyda Kwasowsky and Ashley Beerdat!
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