Dear Art-Care members,

In order to make this a quick read, I am using links and highlights.
We have a lot of news!

1) Art-Care Traffic
Art-Care is receiving between 200 and 300 distinct visitors a day! Please email me letting me know the work you are getting to that I can gauge the volume. My goal is to have 1000 distinct visitors a day and I am working with a technician who has promised a Brilliant  plan to achieve this. Here is the link for the site's traffic facts:
http://www.art-care.com/members/aic/traffic_facts.pdf.

2)AIC-Art-Care Artifact Recovery Program Disaster Relief Plan
An opportunity for all conservators to assist Katrina Damaged art and artifacts from the comfort of your own lab. This proposal subtitled: " A National Program to Save Collectibles" was written by Sue Blakney, Senior Conservator West Lake Conservation and AIC-IIC Fellow and myself. Art-Care offered to enter into a collaborate effort with the AIC to save items owned by private individuals. Please read the cover letter it will explain our intentions succinctly. The  program will be built on to the existing Art-Care site and All members fees and client fees for this program are free. The proposal offered to the AIC was delievered to everymember of the AIC Board of Directors March 1, 2006 giving them 3 weeks to absorb and consider the proposal before their annual Board meeting. They received a hardcopy, Power Pointe CD and Flow Chart showing  how
the program would work.

Here are the links:
http://www.art-care.com/members/aiproposal_cover_letter.doc
http://www.art-care.com/members/aic/final_proposal.doc
http://www.art-care.com/members/aic/demo.ppt
http://www.art-care.com/members/aic/flowchart.doc

The AIC declined this proposal because:
1) "Managing, staffing and raising money for the Preservation Fund would be difficult and could adversely effect other fundraising initiatives already in place and being planned."

2) The Preservation Fund "would involve setting up a granting structure that we (AIC) could not staff appropriately.

3) "While plans are being made to upgrade the AIC's current Guide to Conservation Services, no consideration has been given to opening it to all member categories. If this action were to be approved with the mentoring program(our proposal suggested)included, it would necessitate setting up a way to monitor these referrals, The issues involved are problematic".

4) They asked: "What system would be set up to transfer updated information from the AIC to Art-Care on a regular schedule and how would it be maintained?

The AIC continued: " We greatly appreciate that you wish to enter into a collaborative project with the AIC. Art-Care has an excellent website and offers a great deal. Your desire to help those in need and collections in need is indeed worthy".

Susan and I will continue to present this proposal to other associations represented on the site and to associations and foundations that share our common intentions.

This summer I will discover whether the Artifact Disaster Recovery Program  can be registered as a  non-profit and still share a site with Art-Care,  an LLC.

We will build this program and raise the money, and find a charitable organization who will manage the funds so that we can provide our services to the people who represent our primary income. We will get paid for the services we provide because none of us, no matter how generous, can afford to provide free services over a  long period of time. If any of you have contacts and ideas please let us know.

3) April AAM Annual Convention Art-Care Sponsored the Curators Committee Reception
Your Membership Dues paid for this- $3000

I spoke at  their business meeting and was very well received. When I asked if there were questions one curator said, " I don't have a question but I do have a statement. We have to spend so much of our time dealing with public inquiries and Art-Care is the
perfect referral destination." John Alviti, Senior Curator at The Franklin Science Institute is going to write an article about us in their CurCom newsletter.

We have a market in the Museum World absolutely and without doubt. And this is exactly what we want!

I will go to the  Insurance companies carrying Fine Art Policies next.

4) Client services are Finished! and are free until we find that we are attracting non serious browsers Clients have three options:

-open access to members listings contact information-art-care brochure
-Submit an item to Examination Room and select 2 professionals from
the three categories represented
-or both
members have 48 hours to respond- if no response the client can choose another professional.

5) Membership
Please tell your Colleagues who Qualify and Art Professionals with
whom you work about Art-Care. We have a market but we need the "market" to be satisfied with our membership. We now have 85 members and we need more.

Important:
*Remember: our only REAL selling point is the Professional Status of our Memebers.All our members are Designated  by the AIC as professionals, PA's or Fellows and are certified by the Appraisal Associations represented on the site.

***Please, if you do not qualify, Please avoid being embarrassed and
drop out of Art-Care now, get your qualifications and reapply. I hate
the idea of policing but our listings are being checked so we need to
be vigilant about this. ****

6)Membership Dues
I have to change the monthly membership dues $12 to a one time annual due of $144 starting August 1. I am willing to consider a semi-annual membership payment.

The change has to be made - the monthly billing doesn't work. Monthly payments are labor intensive and more importantly, the cost to re- program a defaulted credit card exceeds the monthly fee.

All of the membership fees are re-invested into the site. I use the membership fees to pay for marketing. If you contribute to the web site, essays, photos,  you may gain
credits toward your annual fee. And to everyone receiving this email who pays the annual fee, I promise that your membership dues will never increase the ($12
monthly or) $144 annual Fee. My word.

7) New Ideas for the Home page
On-Line Illustrated Glossary with contributor acknowledgment. Examples of a variety of Photos and Essays to Educate and Entice the Visitor  Enlargable –

Thumb nail photos before and after treatment- conservators

Educational Essays and Fabulous and  exciting Short stories, photos - appraisers
Why art specialists ensure care - Art Related Professionals.

8)  Web Advertising
Preservation  Suppliers for Clients to purchase archival storage, packing and framing and for Members to purchase supplies I am considering this, if we can afford to build it, it will give us more revenue that we can use for marketing. It will be done in a price graduating system tastefully along the side bars of the pages.

9) Art-Care as a cooperative effort.
Please join with others and send me your thoughts, suggestions, likes and dislikes. This is really important!

10) Have a Safe and Happy Summer.

Judith

Please continue to let me know your thoughts and ideas