Learn | Keith Haring

Description

Create and run a store to sell prints, pictures, tee shirts created in Pop Shop Lessons 1 - 3.

Objective

Students will learn about managing profit, analyzing sales, and target marketing.
Students will research local institutions to determine competition, strategy, and fund relief efforts.
Students will experience the feeling of payoff and rewards for performing various services to the community.

Resources

See .pdf file in Visual Resources. Click link on right.

Materials

Small bills and change to cash customers larger bills and a box to hold it in.
Tablecloths
Tissue paper (to be used for wrapping)
Printed craft roll paper (to be used for wrapping)
Balloons and any other decorations to draw attention

Procedure

Share Keith's idea behind the Pop Shop. The New York City store he founded to create affordable, wearable art for everyday people, the proceeds benefiting good causes in his community.
Discuss how he made his Shop an "attraction"; did he advertise?
Were there things to see when visitors got there?
Was it publicized that customers' money went to good causes?
Was Keith being kind and generous, or was he capitalizing on a profit-making arena?
Was he both doing both of these things?
How can business create a balance of profit and ethics?
Can you think of any other well-known companies that combine these two qualities? Use these ideas as a springboard to get students thinking about how they could run a business with a social conscience.

The students will be selling their T-shirts to the community, but first must come up with a strategy. Break the class up into groups.
A group that studies competitors or companies having similar goals.
A group that studies free or donated advertising possibilities.
A group that designs the advertisements and flyers.
A group that determines overhead, cost requirements, and yielded profits.
A group that compiles this information and makes it digestible and attractive to customers and press (A Public Relations Group)
A group that photographs the items to include in the ads and flyers for promotion and PR
A group that will record information about each customer upon their purchase
A group that will determine the product design and marketing

After sharing all of the research, students can vote and determine a universal plan. Where and when the sale will take place, and various other topics.

After the sale of all the T-shirts, information on the customers, profits, and sales of shirts will be recorded and analyzed.

Students will then independently research various institutions they would like to donate the profits to. They will present their research and argument to the class and the class can vote on the causes that resonate the most to them.

Extensions

As the instructor becomes more comfortable with this lesson, and familiar with the tools and media, they may like to try introducing a subtractive Linoleum Block print. This method of printing is sequential and requires intermittent cutting followed by printing. The purpose of this technique is to allow the artist to include more than one color in their print. This effect creates flat bold color that focuses more on shapes and color, and less on line and space. The directions to this method are included below:
Design the symbol
Break it up into colors. Try to limit it to less than 5 colors.
Draw the symbol on to a Linoleum Block (this process can only be done on linoleum)
Carve out ONLY the areas that will have NO COLOR AT ALL.
Make all registry marks on paper and/or T-shirts so that block can be lined up properly (this is vital for color registration)
Using the lightest color you have chosen for you symbol, ink up the block and print it. This will be your last and only chance to print this layer, so if intending to print on a T-shirt as well, that must be done now.
When block dries, carve the section out that you want to remain the color you just printed. By carving that specific section out, you are preventing any new colors from replacing it. Using the next lightest color you have chosen for your symbol, ink up the block and print it. This will be your last and only chance to print this layer.
When block dries, carve the section out that you want to remain the color you just printed. By carving that specific section out, you are preventing any new colors from replacing it.
Using the next lightest color you have chosen for your symbol, ink up the block and print it. This will be your last and only chance to print this layer.
Keep on following this method until you have completed all your color choices.
The registrations must line up perfectly before laying down the print otherwise, image will look fuzzy and out of focus.