Our Nonprofit is Open: Podcast

Have you heard the saying that, if you want something done, assign it to a really busy person? I hope that’s true. In addition to all of our work with creating fine art, marketing, selling, keeping open studio hours, social media, vlogging, blog writing, podcasting, paperwork and keeping the government happy, we’ve decided that we should do more. What could go wrong?

So, we’ve opened a new nonprofit company called Aripa Arte.  The idea is that our NGO will help contemporary Romanian artists, as well as to promote Romanian art abroad. 

Doing my homework now becomes so important. No only do I want to have a clearer picture of how the art market works in Romania, but I also do not want to do anything to get in the way. If I swoop in, uninformed, and set up a competing gallery to represent contemporary artists, I could jeopardize complicating the current gallery structure already in place. If I start to compete for funding, that may mean that I hurt established institutions and galleries who depend upon that money. I believe that any NGO we create must augment and support the art establishment, while serving specific needs they leave unaddressed.

So our next plan was to actually create a nonprofit charitable organization that would attempt to expose contemporary Romanian artists to an international market, as well as to generally promote an understanding of Romanian art abroad. This would allow us to fundraise for specific programming for particular artists, as well as to bring attention to the rich artistic traditions of Romania. 

So the initial paperwork is complete, and we have established a nonprofit company here in Texas. We will need to meet this next week to approve the bylaws, apply for a tax ID number, open a bank account, and start the more complicated process of applying for 501(c)3 tax free status.  I cannot begin to imagine how I will be able to keep up with the administrative requirements for a nonprofit, in addition to that our our businesses in the USA and Romania, but I am a busy person… so apparently I’m just the guy we’re looking for.

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Season 3: Episode 3
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“Art Life  with John & Bogdan” is a weekly blog/vlog/podcast that creates a community, a conversation, between creatives in all sorts of fields at all sorts of levels.  We want to discuss what we’re learning, what we’ve experienced, and whom we’ve met in our journey of running a freelance creative business. John Bishop is a visual artist living in Houston, Texas. His work is largely abstract, and explores how to turn mythic, archetypal symbols into individual experiences allowing us to see them in a new way, with fresh eyes. Bogdan is a videographer and fine art photographer who constantly seeks to stretch the boundaries of traditional photographic work, with the added flare of his artistic eye.  Both artists’ work can be seen online, or at their studios at Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards Street, in Houston.

John Bishop: http://www.johnbishopfineart.com

Bogdan Mihai: http://www.bogdanfotoart.com

Bogdan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bogdanoninstagram/

John’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/johnbishopfineart/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnBishopart

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnbishopfineart

Buburuza Productions: http://www.Buburuzaproductions.com