Part of First Fridays in the Exchange

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Social media can be a great tool for artists. It can broaden your audience, introduce you to new customers, and help you make sales. But, it is also a time-waster and somewhat of a nuisance when all you want to do is make art.

In this panel, we will discuss the pros and cons of social media for artists. Is promoting your work online a new version of “selling out”? What kind of obstacles do you need to confront when putting yourself out there and being vulnerable? How can you use social media in the most strategic way to avoid draining all of your energy? We will answer all of these questions – and more!

This panel will be live-streamed to Creative Manitoba’s Facebook page.

Moderator: Frances Koncan (she/her) is a writer, theatre director, and arts journalist of mixed Anishinaabe and Slovene descent. She is an enthusiastic user of social media and is regionally known for her hot takes on Twitter and brutally honest but aesthetically pleasing Instagram photos. Find her writing at Winnipeg Free Press, on TV (That’s AWSM), and on stage at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Women of the Fur Trade). Twitter: @franceskoncan

Joy K. Balmana is the Opportunities Coordinator with Synonym Art Consultation and the Account Manager with Winnipeg-based social media company Starling Social. At Synonym, Joy dips her toes into media relations, marketing, social media planning, event coordination, sponsorships with a bit of mural facilitation on the side. Throughout her working and educational career, Joy has always found excitement in uplifting those around her and providing opportunties to artists with incredible talent. Joy has a Bachelor of fine arts from the University of Manitoba and graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program and has worked on a number of art-focused festivals in Manitoba including Nuit Blanche, Culture Days, and Holiday Alley.

Larysa Musick is a spoken word poet and illustrator who has performed across Canada. In 2018, Larysa studied Creative Communications at Red River College, majoring in Advertising and Marketing Communications. During her two years at college, she volunteered as the Artistic Director Winnipeg Poetry Slam, wrote a blog about hacking creativity, taught poetry in schools, self-published a poetry colouring book and started freelancing as a marketing communications specialist.

Franklin Fernando is a musician and visual artist. He was born in 1991 in Winnipeg; however, he was raised for most of his youth in Sri Lanka. He returned to Winnipeg in 2007 because of longstanding civil war between two Sri Lankan ethnic groups, the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Vivid landscapes, portraits of emotions, and his use of bold and bright colours have drawn the attention of the community, locally and internationally. Gaining a fast reputation as a visual artist, Franklin released his first reggae album, “Its a dream’ under the group RasTamils in 2010. New music is on the way; he will be releasing singles under his own label, Stereo Tabu. His work is currently showcasing at Cafe Carlo and Frescolio.