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Transcript/ScriptCONNECT Artrepreneur (TV)
HEADLINE: The Making of an Artrepreneur
TEASER: New Orleans artist turns found objects into thriving business
PUBLISHED AT: 04/25/2022
BYLINE: Aaron Fedor, Kathleen McLaughlin
DATELINE: New Orleans, Louisiana
VIDEOGRAPHER: Aaron Fedor, L. Warren Thompson
PRODUCER: Aaron Fedor, Kathleen McLaughlin, Kyle Dubiel, Jack Lacy
COURTESIES:
SCRIPT EDITORS: EA
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __
TRT: 3:00
VID APPROVED BY: EA
TYPE: VPKGF
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((Eds: This is a self-narrated feature. There is an accompanying music track.))
((INTRO: )) [[It’s not always easy making a living as an artist. But as Aaron Fedor reports for VOA from New Orleans, Louisiana, one resident has successfully blended his flair for the creative with a keen business sense.]]
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Thomas Mann, Artrepreneur))
What is an artrepreneur? Well, an artrepreneur is basically the extrapolation of an artist into entrepreneurship. And it's my particular point of view that artists are, by their very nature, entrepreneurs.
((Thomas Mann, Artrepreneur))
Hi, my name is Thomas Mann. And I am a professional artist celebrating my 52nd year as a self-employed entrepreneurial artist. And I live and work here in New Orleans and I love what I do.
((NATS/MUSIC))
My artistic career really began as a child. My fabulous mom, Charlotte, recognized that I had some sort of talent because I was drawing all the time. And she enrolled me in Saturday art classes at the Baum School of Art in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where I had my first introduction to painting. In one of my high school art classes, I quickly
developed an interest in making jewelry because I discovered the connection between jewelry, money and girls.
((MUSIC))
((Thomas Mann, Artrepreneur))
I would say that the principle inspiration I've had throughout my career that I am known for, called Techno-Romantic jewelry objects. Basically our whole world, primitive culture, current cultures, iconography, history, all of those things combined into the development and the extrapolation of a personal design style. That's always in the background feeding what I do.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Randy Fertel, Author, Philanthropist))
The interesting thing about Tom, one of the principle threads in improvisation since antiquity, is that it takes valueless things and makes valuable.
((Gwen Thompkins, Reporter and Host, WWNO, New Orleans Public Radio))
I think the first piece I bought must have been a broach, actually. I really love Tom's broaches.
((Gwen Thompkins, Reporter and Host, WWNO, New Orleans Public Radio))
As you know, New Orleans is one of those cities that is living in lots of different centuries all at the same time. It's living the life that we see in front of us. There's the spiritual life of the city. The dead and the living live together. We coexist together. And for some reason I think that Tom's jewelry, in many ways, is an embodiment of that.
((Courtesy: Thomas Mann))
It's really, you know, just lovely to see the little surprises that are in each piece.
((Thomas Mann, Artrepreneur))
There's a belief system in our culture that you can't really make a living as an artist. So, I'm here to encourage people and to demonstrate and be an example for them that you can be successful, truly successful as an artist.
((MUSIC))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Embargo DateApril 25, 2022 16:11 EDT
Byline
Aaron Fedor, Kathleen McLaughlin
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
