NET Nights at Moore: Interview with Joan Tarka, Esq.

NET Nights at Moore

A new program for students and graduates of local art and design colleges to network with peers and heads of area business associations and arts organizations as well as build relationships with other young professionals.

These lively evenings feature guest speakers, workshops and seminars designed to help Philadelphia artists and designers make creative contacts in our community.

Presented by The Galleries at Moore in cooperation with The Locks Career Center and Moore’s new Business Scholars in the Arts student leadership program.

2010-11 NET Nights at Moore are supported by Your Part-Time Controller and Moore College of Art & Design.

2009-10 NET Nights at Moore were supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Business Scholars in the Arts (BSA)

The Business Scholars in the Arts is a new program at Moore College of Art & Design that supports a select group of transfer students. The program supplements the students’ art and design training with business-related experiences outside of the classroom. Our group is particularly interested in entrepreneurship. We encompass a wide range of majors, from Graphic, Fashion, and Interior Design, to Illustration, Art History, and Art Education.

Our goal is to acquire the skills necessary to network within the professional art world, which will ultimately aid us in opening our own businesses or taking on leadership roles in a company or organization. The first year of the Business Scholars program stresses this networking process. To that end, we have established a collaborative relationship with the Galleries at Moore to provide support for NET Nights. These lively evenings feature guest speakers, workshops and seminars designed to help Philadelphia artists and designers make creative contacts in our community.

The purpose of this blog is to continue the conversations started at NET Nights and to provide resources that will enable emerging artists and designers to profit from the expertise of the speakers. Look to our blog for our interviews with speakers, our suggestions for interesting upcoming events and links to useful web-sites.

The BSA Students:

Laura Bonvini

Amber Callahan

Melissa Chancer

Amanda Corropolese

Samantha Edmonds

Christine Ferri

Chriztie Kaufmann

Sara Stanton

Haoren Yu

NET Nights Advisory Committee

The NET Nights Advisory Committee is comprised of local artists, designers, curators and arts administrators, business professionals, professors and students from various disciplines and backgrounds. NET Nights programs are the product of thoughtful discussions between these committee members, sharing ideas, insights and suggestions to stimulate new relationships and networking between emerging artists and designers and business and arts professionals in Philadelphia.

Click here for Advisory Committee Blog

Joan Tarka is a solo practitioner based just outside of Philadelphia. Joan volunteers her time to the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Joan was interviewed by recent Moore graduate in Fine Arts and emerging artist Lisa Haskell.

Can you give me a little bit of information on your background and what led you to be interested in volunteering for the arts?

I am a semi-retired contract attorney working from a home office and specialize in software licensing and related services for software companies. I have some expertise with intellectual property and copyright and contracts, all of which are important issues for artists to know about. I was looking for pro bono work in order to give back. I came across PVLA by checking the Pennsylvania Bar’s list of volunteer opportunities and thought working with artists would be quite simply, fun—I am a patron of the arts but not an artist myself, and I am the attorney for my daughter’s band so it seemed to be a good fit. I have to say it really is fun and I enjoy helping artists to spot issues, analyze, and reach conclusions.

Have you been a part of the group since its inception?

Basically yes. I started in mid-June of 2008. I will continue because it is important to continue to learn and gain valuable knowledge and of course PVLA is just a great organization to work with.

How much of your time do you give?

I am one of over 500 lawyers volunteering for PVLA. After PVLA does an initial screening [of a potential client] they will contact me if they think I might be helpful and available. If I am available, the person seeking services will contact me personally. I communicate with the client before our first meeting in order to eliminate any misunderstandings and I will typically engage with a client for one project.

I see that PVLA offers support with contracts, commissions, leases, and more. Is there something that you tend to deal with more frequently?

I specialize in reviewing and negotiating contract particularly in the music industry; clients seeking help of this nature are often referred to me. Most times I am just reviewing, advising, and providing information. Providing the client with more information saves time and gives a better explanation and reasoning for what needs to be done; this helps them to do some of the work on their own. For instance, I might have a client come to me with forms that they are proposing for contracts so I will some research of specifics, draft a contract relating to potential problems that might occur, and then revise based on the clients needs.

Do you personally work with small- and large-scale clients?

I am not a litigator, nor do I have the resources to take on large scale work. Through PVLA I am looking to help creative individuals who might not otherwise be able to afford such services.

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