speaker terms
MATERIAL SALON SPEAKER AGREEMENT Folk Lounge, a DBA of Venus Vale Design Studio LLC, Los Angeles, California. By submitting this form you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to the following terms. This agreement governs your participation as a guest speaker in the Material Salon series.
What to prepare for your application
Before submitting please have the following ready:
A short bio of approximately 500 characters (3–4 sentences).
Four images of your artwork.
One portrait photo.
Links to your website, portfolio, or social channels.
Your timezone.
Your session
As a Material Salon speaker you will present your work in a virtual live session hosted by Folk Lounge. Your presentation should focus on ornament, pattern, craft, or related visual traditions and must be submitted for curatorial review before scheduling. Finished work should lead your presentation with a minimum of 20 slides recommended. Sessions are presented in English. If English is not your primary language you are welcome to bring a bilingual friend or colleague to assist you — translation arrangements are your own responsibility. Content must be respectful and culturally grounded. Because our audience comes from many backgrounds and cultures, hate speech, discrimination, or content that demeans any person or community is strictly prohibited. The platform may not be used for political statements unrelated to your practice.
Before you go live
Once your application is reviewed and approved, you will be asked to submit your presentation deck through a separate upload form. After your deck is approved, we will schedule a 30-minute introductory call to meet you, discuss your work, and confirm your English comfort level for presenting. This call also serves as a technical check — we will verify your equipment, connection, and setup together so you feel confident going live.
We ask for your honesty here. If your current equipment or connection isn't quite ready, it is always better to wait until it is. Our goal is to help build your name and reputation — and that means making sure your audience has a great experience. A strong session at the right moment is worth more than a rushed one.
Scheduling
Speakers are scheduled based on curatorial fit and pipeline availability. You will be assigned as a backup for one session and the lead for the following session, with a backup assigned to yours as well. Once your session is confirmed, we will share your Luma event link so you can promote it to your own community. You will also receive a unique URL for your five complimentary seats to share however you like.
Compensation
You will receive 50% of net collected live session revenue. Payment is issued after your session is completed. Transfer fees associated with payment processing are absorbed by the speaker and calculated from net collected revenue. Folk Lounge handles all ticketing, promotion, and event logistics.
Recording and content ownership
Sessions are recorded. Folk Lounge retains full rights to all session recordings. You retain full ownership of your original artwork, images, and underlying creative work. Folk Lounge does not claim rights to your practice, your body of work, or any content outside of the recorded session itself.
Marketing assets and likeness
By participating in Material Salon you grant Folk Lounge a non-exclusive license to use your name, likeness, biography, submitted images, and any derivative content from your recording for promotional purposes across digital mediums including but not limited to social media, email, and website. This license is scoped to your participation in Material Salon and related Folk Lounge programming.
Cancellation
We allow one reschedule with at least 48 hours notice. A second cancellation or no-show without prior notice removes you from the series — out of respect for our audience and the speakers waiting to participate.
Your representations
You confirm that you have the right to present all work included in your session and that it does not infringe on the intellectual property of any third party. You agree to indemnify and hold Folk Lounge harmless from any claims arising from content you present. Folk Lounge does not claim exclusivity over your practice and does not restrict you from presenting your work elsewhere.
Community values
You agree to uphold Folk Lounge's community values of belonging, cross-cultural respect, and the universal beauty of the human experience in all interactions connected to your participation.
Governing law
This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California. Any disputes arising from this agreement shall be resolved in Los Angeles County, California.
Modifications
Folk Lounge reserves the right to update these terms with reasonable notice. Continued participation in the series constitutes acceptance of updated terms.
What happens next
We review applications on a rolling basis — so don't be shy, throw your name in. If now isn't the right moment we'll keep you on our waitlist and reach out when the timing is right. Every application is read with care.
“Material Salon exists because we believe artists deserve a real platform for their knowledge and a community that takes their work seriously. We’re honored you’re considering sharing your practice with us. These terms exist to protect both of us — but what we’re really building here is something much warmer than a contract. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the forum.”
application
Submitting this form does not guarantee selection. We review applications on a rolling basis and maintain a waitlist for future cycles. If you are not selected for the current cycle you will be notified and kept on file. Look forward to learning more about your work!
next steps
Here's what to expect after you hit submit:
We review your application and assets. We read every submission with care — this is a rolling process so timing depends on our current pipeline.
If your application is a good fit, we'll reach out to schedule a 30-minute introductory call. This is a chance to meet, talk about your work, and make sure we're a good match. We'll also do a quick technical check so you feel confident going live.
Once we give you the green light, you'll receive a link to upload your presentation deck for curatorial review. We'll give you feedback if anything needs adjusting.
When your deck is approved you'll be scheduled — as a backup for one session and the lead for the following one, with a backup assigned to yours.
Before your session goes live you'll receive your Luma event link to share with your community and a unique URL for your five complimentary seats.
You present, your audience shows up, and we handle everything else. Payment is issued after your session.