Friday's Finds:

I found this bumper sticker in Preston Arts Center in Louisville, and thought it was a good reminder to support our local economies. The sticker is part of the Louisville Independent Business Alliance's campaign to "preserve the unique community character of the Metro Louisville area by promoting locally owned businesses and to educate citizens on the value of shopping locally." For every $100 spent at a local business, $45 stays in the community, according to LIBA's Web site, whereas, only $15 of every $100 spent at a national chain remains.

Check out http://www.artshow.com. In an e-mail exchange about juried shows, Deborah Rush recommended the site, and I second her opinion. It lists hundreds of art shows, juried exhibits and competitions for artists in chronological order of application deadlines. Links are often provided for prospectuses, and the site allows viewers to search for shows within a geographic region. Plus, this section offers a link to Tips for Entering Competitions . In short, you can get tons of info in one place!

While you're at www.artshow.com, look at the tabs for "art workshops and classes" and "tips, tutorials & resources for artists." The workshop/classes listings are searchable by medium, theme and location, and the tips section offers so much I'm almost hoping for a snow day so I can explore it.

That's it for this Friday, the final one before the semester starts. I'd like to enjoy one last day before the hectic schedule starts, but already the "To Do" list beckons.