GREEN HOUSE GRAPHICS

HANDBOOK 2013

Green House Graphics
c/o Tempo Young Adult Resource Center
68 Henry Street
Framingham, MA 01701

Tempo is a program of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, in collaboration with community agencies.

INTRODUCTION
We have prepared this Handbook for Tempo’s Green House Graphics, so that everyone will know the project’s purpose and the expectations that we have of every member of our community at the Tempo Young Adult Resource Center, 68 Henry Street, Framingham. The Green House Graphics (GHG) experience is new. We want to be sure that we are all on the same page about it. The rules and expectations that are included here were developed by the Young Adult Advisory Council as part of the Council’s continuing oversight of Tempo. Any young adult who is interested in joining the Young Adult Advisory Council and having a voice in decisions about GHG and Tempo should see a Tempo Peer Mentor for more information.

OUR HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY
Green House Graphics is a project-based learning experience, set up as a series of participatory workshops. (We refer to GHG as a “workshop” in this handbook.) The workshop is the cornerstone of an art-making enterprise that will produce quality works of art in a variety of media that express the personal creativity of the artists, contribute to the community, and allow young artists to develop skills and abilities that can lead to future career opportunities.
The GHG workshop is led by a team of a Mentoring Artist and Peer Mentor Assistants. Each young adult in GHG is matched with a Transition Facilitator for help with concerns outside the workshop, including help with finding and applying for further education or employment in art fields. Young adult participants are paid for their training time in the workshop and, as the micro-enterprise develops, will have opportunities to produce art work for sale.
Green House Graphics is founded on a few simple beliefs:
All young people have creative talent;
The creative talent of young people, when combined with diligence and hard work, has value that people will pay attention to and pay money for;
Developing talent is a way of building self-confidence, motivation, healthy life choices, and strong foundations for adulthood.
The vision for GHG is the same as Tempo. Our vision is that all young people will have strong, resilient foundations for adulthood. Tempo helps young people with extra challenges become healthy, productive adults. We focus on achievement, employment, schooling, healthy relationships, and practical skills to reach future goals. Young adults learn to be leaders, learners, workers, and role models.
Because many young people need employment and job skills, we have spent over three years researching ways to help young adults find meaningful work. We were happy to join with Artists for Humanity (www.afhboston.org), a Boston arts organization with similar hopes and dreams for young people, and to figure out how to replicate here in Framingham some of what Artists For Humanity does in Boston.
Tempo is part of a larger, non-profit organization (Wayside Youth & Family Support Network), and so it is governed by some rules that come from laws and regulations for non-profit and human service organizations.
GHG is different from a school-type course. There are no grades or homework; the artists and mentor work collaboratively; and artists are paid for their work. GHG is not a “service” or mandatory requirement for anything. It is a completely voluntary learning/work opportunity. Each participant is respected as an individual artist, and we work and learn together with guidance from mentors with art-making experience. We all respect each other, each others’ work and ideas, our materials and workspaces, and the purpose of the GHG enterprise.
GHG started with support from Artists for Humanity, The Sudbury Foundation, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, and Wayside Youth & Family Support Network.

GREEN HOUSE GRAPHICS PARTICIPATION

OVERVIEW: UNPAID APPRENTICESHIPS and PAID YOUNG ADULT ARTISTS
Young adult artists will earn a starting wage of $8.00 per hour for up to 16 hours per week during the workshop, after an initial trial period (apprenticeship) which is NOT paid. As the micro-enterprise develops, paid artists may earn wages for time spent in the learning workshops and for producing and selling work to business clients.
In order to join and stay in Green House Graphics, each young adult must:
Be 18 years of age or older.
Be enrolled in an educational program which will support gaining a high school diploma or GED, OR (if you already have a high school diploma or GED) be working part-time at a paid job or equivalent volunteer effort.
Be able to attend during the workshop’s regular hours (15 hours per week for 12 weeks, days and times TBD).
Complete the full application and interview process at the start of the workshop and after the first two weeks.
Complete an unpaid apprenticeship period of 2 weeks for new participants. Requirement may be waived for artists who are repeating the GHG workshop. Receive a positive evaluation at the end of the two-week unpaid period.
Attend every course session without fail, except in case of an emergency or prior excused absence.
Live up to behavior expectations throughout the workshop course.

APPLICATION PROCESS
There are two parts to the application process – one part before the GHG workshop begins to apply for an unpaid apprenticeship, and a second part at the end of 2 weeks to graduate to a young adult artist position.
Part 1: Applications to start the unpaid trial apprenticeship are available through any Tempo receptionist or staff member. There are two questions to answer, and applicants need evidence of work and education status. Experience with art is not required. The most important factor in joining GHG is character, as determined by what each young adult is doing to show willingness to work toward a goal, be part of a team, express him or herself in healthy ways, and improve skills. Everyone who turns in an application for GHG will have a chance to talk with the Mentoring Artist to learn more about the course and why the applicant would be a good contributor. The next step is the unpaid apprenticeship for basic training, which is explained below in Section III.
Part 2: The second part of the application process occurs by the end of the two-week apprenticeship. Each young adult who wants to continue as a young adult artist must do the following by the end of the first two weeks:
Review the entire handbook with the Program Director (or designee) during the first workshop session, and sign to show that he or she received a copy.
Have one meeting with assigned Transition Facilitator.
Attend every workshop session in the first two weeks, except in case of extreme emergency (signed off by Mentoring Artist, assigned Transition Facilitator, and Program Director).
Meet with the FSI Career Specialist to prepare an updated resume that includes the unpaid apprenticeship. Resume required by end of two weeks. No apprentice will be paid without a resume on file.
Have a second interview with Mentoring Artist, Peer Mentor, and one other young adult from GHG or YAAC.

UNPAID APPRENTICESHIP
The trial period/unpaid apprenticeship is 30 hours of basic training to help each young adult decide if GHG is right for them; it also helps the GHG team decide if young adults are showing the character that makes a good match for the workshop. During the trial period, participants will be learning basic skills, getting acquainted with GHG expectations, and developing teamwork with colleagues. Apprentices are expected to arrive on time, work hard during the workshop’s regular hours, and make a positive contribution to the studio and Tempo.
By the end of the two weeks, apprentices will complete the required application for a paid position, as listed above in Part 2 of the Application Process. Each applicant’s resume, progress, and commitment will be evaluated. Those who receive a positive evaluation will be offered regular stipends as young adult artists to complete the workshop. For those who do not receive a positive evaluation, the Mentoring Artist, Program Director, and/or Transition Facilitator will help the young adult to focus on areas for improvement. Young adults may be invited to reapply for another GHG workshop in future.
Positive evaluation is not dependent on skills as an artist. Any committed young person can develop the necessary skills. The most important criteria are arriving every day on time, working with effort, and showing a desire to learn and contribute.

PAID YOUNG ADULT ARTISTS
Upon completion of the apprenticeship, successful applicants become young adult artists and are paid stipends for their time working in the GHG workshop and for other work specifically authorized by the Mentoring Artist, with approval of the Program Director.
The GHG workshop will consist of half computer graphics training and practice, and half studio “fine” art. Young adult artists participate in BOTH studio art (painting and drawing in a variety of media) AND computer graphics. Artists may prefer one type of creative activity over another, but all young adult artists are required to participate equally in both as part of the GHG curriculum. Failure to participate fully in both areas will result in reconsideration as a match for GHG.
Painting and drawing (studio art) teach the basics needed for all the other arts. Studio sessions alternate with computer graphics. Computer graphics are essential for contemporary design work. Graphics instruction will focus on using the Adobe suite of programs – including PhotoShop, Illustrator, and others – to create designs that express creative ideas and use the technical skills required for future design commissions or employment in graphic arts.

RULES & PROCEDURES
All participants are required to abide by the following rules and procedures.

HOURS & SIGN-IN SHEETS
The Green House Graphics course:
Starts on (date)_________________________________
Meets on (days) ________________________________
From (start time) ___________________________
To (end time)_______________________________.
You must be here for each session of the course in order to be in good standing and to be paid. If you require special consideration for a good reason, you need permission to miss a session granted to you by the Tempo Program Director AND the Mentoring Artist.
The sign in sheets are in the studio at 15 minutes before the course starts, and they must be filled out completely when you arrive and when you leave. If you do not sign in and sign out properly, you will be considered absent. You will not get credit toward your apprenticeship, and you will not get paid for that day.

ABSENCES & TARDINESS
All participants in Green House Graphics need to follow the guidelines that are expected at all typical adult jobs. This is good practice for your career!
If you have a good reason for not coming to work (e.g., illness or mandatory appointment), you must call Tempo before the start of the art session and inform the Mentoring Artist or designated assistant that you will be absent. The phone number at Tempo is 508-879-1424. You will not be paid for any day that you miss. If you do not call on the day you miss work, you receive a formal warning. A second warning for absence without calling in will result in reconsidering whether you are a good match for a paid apprenticeship at GHG.
If you are going to be late for any reason, you must call the Mentoring Artist before the start of the art session and inform him/her that you will be late. Failure to call and inform us that you will be late will be treated as an unexcused absence, and you will not be paid for any partial hours. For example, if you are 15 minutes late, you will not be paid for the whole hour. Chronic absences or tardiness, even if you call in, are grounds for dismissal from GHG or a change in your position to an unpaid position.
If you know in advance that you will miss a day because of other plans or schoolwork, you must let the Mentoring Artist know in advance.
There will be brief breaks scheduled during any workday which is longer than three hours. Break times will be clearly announced and posted. Everyone must return from break on time and ready to resume work, or you will receive an unexcused absence for the remainder of the day.
PAYCHECKS
You will be informed by the Program Director about the schedule on which time sheets are submitted to Wayside’s Finance Department. GHG artists must check their time sheets at the end of each week with the Mentoring Artist in order to correct any possible mistakes. Failure to correct mistakes will mean that your pay will not be what you expected, and corrections will need to be made later.
Checks are ready on the schedule arranged by the Program Director. Artists can pick up checks at Tempo on pay day, or from the Program Director (or other designated staff) on other days (although staff may not be available every day).
You may not leave the workshop to cash your checks during work hours.

VISITORS
To help you to practice work place skills, GHG limits the number and frequency of guests in the studio and computer areas during workshop sessions. Visitors may ONLY enter the work spaces with advance permission from the Mentoring Artist. Visits are limited to no more than ONE hour. Visitors must be either: 1) young adults who are learning about GHG to help them decide about applying, or 2) parents of participating artists – parents are welcome to visit!

MATERIALS
Materials will be made available for all artistic purposes. Materials must be used in the studio unless special permission is given. If materials that are taken out of the studio are lost or stolen, the person who took them out will be held responsible. Everyone must clean up and put away the materials they used at the end of the day.

LABELING ARTWORK
Every work of art produced in GHG must be catalogued. When you finish a work of art, you will need to write on the back of your work in large, legible letters the following information:
Your name Title of your piece
Date it was completed Mentoring Artist

This information will help us catalog your work, print up labels for it when it is at an exhibit, and provide information to people interested in buying it. The Mentoring Artist/ Assistant staff team photographs every finished piece and catalogs them for use in exhibitions and for clients interested in showing, renting or purchasing art. A website showing these photographs helps us to get people excited about the work you do here. You may also use these photos of your work when you want to apply for college, an art-related job, scholarship, grant etc.

EXHIBITIONS AND SELLING WORK
GHG will hold different exhibitions throughout the year at various public and corporate spaces in Metrowest. Artwork (paintings, graphic design work etc) may be for sale at all of these exhibitions. The terms and conditions of the sale of artwork are set by GHG.

In most cases, the artist will receive 50% commission of the sale price. The other 50% will be returned to GHG to pay for the cost of supplies and other program costs.
However, if you sell a piece of artwork by talking to a perspective buyer yourself, and bringing the buyer to Tempo, you will receive 70% of the sale price. By taking the initiative to attend exhibitions and seek design clients, you learn valuable communication skills as well as increasing your share of the sale.

Any artwork created as part of Green House Graphics, during the time that an artist is being paid as an intern using materials or equipment supplied by the GHG project, is considered property of Tempo Young Adult Resource Center/ Wayside. Materials and equipment include computer software, paints, brushes, surfaces to paint on, easels, and so on. We may choose to exhibit the work you created at public and private spaces, such as offices, galleries, and government buildings. We may sell, reproduce, or use the artwork for promotion of our project. You are not allowed to remove any artwork from the studio without explicit permission from your Mentoring Artist. If a piece of artwork is not suitable for exhibition or inclusion in the GHG portfolio, we may choose to return it to you at the end of the workshop or at a later date, provided you give us your contact information. If we cannot contact you, we may choose to recycle any work left at Tempo for more than one year. Artwork suitable for sale or lease must remain at GHG for one year from the date on the label.
If you wish to buy any artwork that you created, you may purchase it from GHG at 30% of its retail cost. For example, you could buy a painting priced at $200 for $60. This covers the cost of studio materials and wages you received while creating the work.

STUDIO/ COMPUTER CENTER BEHAVIOR – ONE LAST REMINDER!

While in the workshop, all participants are expected to behave according to generally accepted work place rules. This is good practice for future employment. Everyone must:
Focus on creating art
Refrain from eating in the studio or computer center
Turn off all cell phones and other devices, and refrain from texting during course hours
Stay in the workspace that is provided for painting and computer graphics
Respect and learn from the artist mentors
Clean up your materials and space at the end of each day
Abuse of studio or computer time will result in one verbal redirection. If participants break rules after the warning, they will be considered absent and will not be paid for the remainder of the day.

Actions that result in an automatic suspension or termination are:
Maliciously destroying artwork or property
Fighting (physical violence)
Harassment of any kind, including unwanted sexual advances
Slurs or insults based on a person’s race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability
Stealing
Use or selling of drugs or alcohol or possessing any illegal drugs at Tempo
Smoking in the Tempo building (Smoking is prohibited anywhere in the Tempo building. Smoking is allowed only in designated areas outside the building.)
Setting fires
Carrying weapons or firearms
Vandalism to any part of the Tempo property

Everyone is also expected to demonstrate courtesy, respect and common sense at all times to everybody.