November 2000, ArtsOhio Page 2

State Representative James Earl Trakas

State Representative James Earl Trakas
Republican

Office
Ohio House of Representatives, 15th District, Independence

Legislative Committees
Vice Chairman, Commerce & Labor; Public Utilities; State Government, Local Government & Townships; Financial Institutions

Years in Office
One term

Personal
35; hometown, Independence; BA, Ohio State University, 1987; single

Arts Support
Young Friends of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Playhouse CREW member, Western Reserve Historical Society member

Favorite Cultural Pastime
Attending live performances of theatre and symphony orchestras

Favorite Artists
Frank Sinatra and John Wayne

Donn Vickers, executive director of the Thurber House since 1979, will leave the organization in May 2001. Vickers will remain executive director of the Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts, a group of 21 not-for-profit organizations. He will head a new division of the center called the Academy of Leadership and Governance, whose mission is to enhance leadership in not-for-profit organizations.

	Art to Go, a new outreach program of the Cleveland Museum of Art, allows trained teachers to take original works of art from the museum into Cleveland-area classrooms. The program is open to any school within a 30-minute commute of the museum. Under supervision, students examine art works to make a connection with past times and foreign cultures. For more information call 216/421-7340, extension 160. SummitCARES, a coalition of organizations working to enhance culture, arts, recreation, education and sports programs throughout Summit County, hopes to gain voter approval of a three-year half-percent sales tax on the November ballot. The temporary sales tax increment will create an estimated $90 million endowment. Interest generated by the fund, about $4.5 to $5 million a year, will be distributed to non-profit groups in the county that apply for funding.

	CRAFT SALES ON INTERNET HAVE GROWN IN TWO YEARS
	Within the last two years, the crafts industry has experienced remarkable growth on the Internet. According to The Crafts Report's recent survey, Are Craftspeople Making Money on the Internet?, 84 percent of craft artists selling online started within the last two years. Thirty percent of respondents who reported an annual online income of $8,000 or more said they have been online for more than five years. Only two percent of them have had an online presence for less than one year. "This study shows the crafts industry is poised for enormous growth over the next few years," said Bernadette Finnerty, editor of The Crafts Report. "As craft artists, buyers and consumers are becoming more comfortable about buying and selling handcrafted items online, craft artists are developing their online business skills and learning to use the Internet to effectively broaden their exposure." The survey indicates that the more craft artists invest in their online presence, the more likely they are to get a return on their investment. All of the respondents who spent more than $8,000 on Internet promotion reported at least $8,000 in annual online income. Fifty percent of them brought in at least $15,000. Complete survey results will be published in the January 2001 issue of The Crafts Report available on newsstands or by calling 800/777-7098.