Wonderful.
And we're on.
Hi everyone. Thank you for attending our third future insights.
Talk on the creative economy.
I am. [unknown].
I'm Brad Smith.
And I serve as the director of community and creative work here at the
American craft council.
I'd like to thank everyone who made this top possible.
The guest presenters for today.
The American craft council staff has been amazing and supporting me
and getting these talks produced as well as marketed.
Charitable foundation.
And of course you all the attendees as this talk will also rely on
your input and conversations as well.
ECC recognizes and acknowledges the traumas of institutional and
structural racism and exclusionary practices in the craft sector.
And is committed to working toward a more inclusive,
just an equitable world.
ACC is committed to amplifying and telling more inclusive narratives
that reflect a diverse, cultural and social makeup of America.
Our headquarters are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Residing on the traditional ancestral and contemporary lands of the
Dakota people.
The land seated in the treaties of 1837 and 1851
in land partitioned by peer, but no,
the son of an Ojibwe woman and a French.
Voyager in the 19th century.
In Minneapolis St. Paul metropolitan.
The area is home to one of the largest and most tribally diverse urban
American Indian populations.
Numbering well, over 35,000.
The native community in Minneapolis is comprised of many nations.
The largest being the Dakota whose cultural history begins on the
confluence of the Minnesota in the Mississippi rivers, a sacred place.
They called the [unknown].
And the Ojibwe whose Homeland extend north from the city.
ACC resides in the land that was cared for and called home by the
Ojibwe people before then the Dakota and the Northern Cheyenne
people.
And other native peoples from time in Memorial.
This land folds, great historical,
spiritual and personal significance. Burt's original stewards,
the native nations and the people of this region.
We recognize and continually support and advocate for the sovereignty
of the native nations in this territory and beyond.
By offering this land acknowledgement.
We affirm tribal sovereignty and we'll work to hold the mirror.
And craft council accountable to American Indian peoples and its
nations.
The American craft council connects and galvanizes diverse craft
communities to advance craft's impact and contemporary American life.
ECCs initiatives have evolved over time and through the pandemic.
There are four pillars that frame or strategies.
Public voices for crap.
Where we serve as the nexus of information,
content producer and the national network building.
Broader audiences who participate in and support craft, stewardship,
and legacy,
where we document and preserve generational knowledge and support new
research and scholarship in the field.
Creative economies, where we invest in makers,
in their entrepreneurial efforts.
So they can fully live creative and sustainable lives.
And social impact and community investing in and supporting in the
diverse ways that craft impacts communities and culture to humanity.
It evokes.
And the future it is creating.
The exhibition, crafting America, curated by Jen Padgett,
associate curator at the crystal bridges museum of American art.
And Glenn Adamson, guest curator and scholar.
Defines on their walls.
What is craft?
The term is defined by them as craft is a
simple or complex as you want to make it.
And it's essence.
Craft is skilled making on a human scale.
For the sake of these conversations,
we will be discussing craft with this definition in mind.
Future insights or interactive talks with the audience and our to
initiate conversations around specific topics.
Allowing the craft community to both learn from others and ideate
ways, ECC and other craft focused organizations can support makers.
As we strive to understand a post pandemic world.
Create equity in the field and understand the new economy.
Feature insight talks allow us to listen to craft communities and
their needs.
Develop solutions and implement and innovate new ideas for support.
Three of these talks.
We hope to understand what a healthy craft ecology. It looks like.
And how this ecology can thrive.
Today's talk.
Is the future of creative economies.
We will feature a variety of individuals who are passionate about
empowering artists to thrive and build economies around creativity.
The creative economy,
fosters entrepreneurs and cultural industries that generate jobs and
income.
Spinoff new products and services and attract and retain unrelated
businesses and skilled workers.
Together creative Placemaking's livability and creative economic
development outcomes.
Have the potential to radically change the future.
Of Americans, towns and cities.
After 22 months of pandemic induced lockdowns,
there couldn't be a better time to appreciate the creative economy.
The United nations did just that as it marked the year 2021 as the
international year of the creative economy for sustainable
development.
Today's presenters.
Our Malaney Barnett from the black artists and designers Guild.
Leslie Roberts, the executive director of textile arts, Los Angeles.
Myself.
Caroline tit.
[Unknown] who is the director of economic opportunity at springboard
for the arts and Erik Takeshita,
who is Americans for the arts has worked with creative workers,
working creative placemaking and a creative economy consultants.
We will hear individually from each of these presenters and then
engage in a group informal conversation.
And after about 20 minutes of the group conversation,
we will then move into breakout rooms.
With each presenter leading the conversation.
And you, as the attendees can ask questions, make comments,
or share your thoughts with the presenter, leading your room.
Notes will be taken in each room and shared with.
With along with the recording after the conclusion of the talk.
So our first presenter is Malaney Burnett. So Malaney,
if you would please turn your camera on.
Hi everyone. Thanks Glenn.
For having me today.
You're welcome. It's nice to have you. Thank you for being here.
Malaney is an artist,
entrepreneur and authority on cultural traditions and practices of
art.
In the African diaspora and how it translates into her vision
of the modern black experience.
Farmers sculptural,
ceramic tiles and vessels to mix media paintings to handwoven rugs.
Malaney continues to evolve her craft and share her African heritage
with a global audience.
Using natural materials, like the finest wools, silks, pastels,
and clay. She uncovers a deeper language of her legacy and authentic
understanding of her cultural identity.
A passionate connector and an expert ambassador.
Her mission is to use art as a tool to create community impact and
open doors for the next generation of black artists and expand the
conversation around marginalization in the arts and create greater
opportunities for inclusion.
As the founder of the black artists and designers Guild,
a global platform and curated collective of independent black artists,
makers, and designers.
She is always seeking new ways to define the black narrative and
experience.
For a new generation while bringing awareness to any quality.
She also is on the board of surf plus an organization that provides
emergency loans to artisans and craftspeople during natural disasters.
Equal parts, artist, anthropologist and activists.
She hopes to bridge a function.
Of textiles and ceramics from the African region by exploring what it
means to be black in America today.
Her work has been praised in interior design magazine.
New York magazine,
traditional home LD core HTTV magazine, Lux,
and design magazine, and house. Beautiful.
She was also on the cover of Brownstoner magazine and Wendy Goldman's
designer lives, video series with New York. Magazine's the cut.
Her entrepreneurial spirit was captured in the New York times
bestselling book in the contempt,
in the company of lemon and home by Hickey and west.
She appeared as a guest speaker on morning, Joe.
MSNBC your business and TEDx.
Malaney his clients include Marriott, Viacom sacks.
We work,
Avalon communities and MetLife building in 2019.
She was awarded designer of the year by interiors and sources
magazine.
And the real estate architecture and design development award from
brownstoner.com.
She is a sought after speaker and has done engagements in keynotes for
KBA.
The D and D building United nations,
the affordable art fair and many others.
Malaney is based in Brooklyn,
New York and is available for collaboration's public speaking and
business leadership projects.
Well, Malaney, we are just so excited and fortunate to have you here.
So thank you for being here today.
Thanks again for having me.
I feel like I don't even need to do an introduction now.
Thanks everybody for joining us today.
I'll start with a.
A brief presentation.
About who I am.
A little bit about my work.
And the community work around.
The black artists and designers Guild.
The next slide.
So I just want to give you a little bit about my work. I am an artist.
I'm a multidisciplinary artist. These.
Tapestry weavings portraits of family members.
I've been really doing a lot of exploring about what does the
African-American experience look like through a Caribbean diaspora
lens?
I have a first generation born here in the us from.
From a mother from St. Vincent.
The Caribbean and a father from Jamaica.
And I've been really looking at different patterns of migration
memories.
And what does it feel like to be a person of the black diaspora?
Next slide, please.
My work also straddles between design and art.
And so I have a wallpaper collection.
The little in Georgia of all based on different practices,
black cultural prep practices,
specifically that are pertain to a pottery.
As well as different ceremonies.
Looking at.
The different black cultural traditions.
And how do we bring those elements of the home?
Next slide.
And so my work with the black artists and designers skills.
Has Gwen said, I'm the founder. And I started the Guild in 2018.
On a mission where we aim to advance a community of black makers.
We are also looking to create equitable and inclusive spaces and we
invest in our ancestral futures.
And we're a community of black artists and designers throughout the
diaspora.
And so that means that we're located all over the world.
Majority of our members are in the us,
but we also have members in the Caribbean, west Africa and Europe.
Next slide.
The purpose of the Guild was really about creating a liberatory space
so we could create our own projects.
Think about what does it mean to design around black life?
And this was one of our inaugural legacy Prague projects called
obsidian.
Well, we designed a virtual concept house, really catering to.
Black families and the wellness, looking at technology, looking.
At sustainability and 23 of our.
Creators.
From the Guild.
Design the space and it saw.
It's on a virtual website that you could go to our website and you
could experience what it, what.
This virtual concept health houses like.
Next slide.
In addition, we really look to create.
Experimental spaces.
In different settings. This was a recent project.
Called black.
At design Miami and partnership with AIG group.
Late in Lewis and Danielle Fennoy designed the space on behalf of
badge, really exploring what black identity,
creativity and expression can be.
So we created a space where once you walked in,
people would have to contemplate and think about what does that
actually mean?
And so this is one of the ways that we exercise our liberatory and
design and creating spaces for the communities to really think about.
Some of the things that we're thinking about when it comes to black
bodies in space and creativity.
Next slide.
In addition, we also exhibit at different shows.
Where we exhibit as a collective.
It's quite different than different exhibiting as an individual
artists,
but what the guilt is it then able to provide or opportunities for our
members to have exposure to audiences that they may
not have had before,
or weren't in a position where they felt that they could.
And this was a show called Texas contemporary.
This happened before COVID and,
but we exhibited at a group and pretty much our booth sold out,
which was a really wonderful experience for us.
Excellent.
And I'll end here.
And just to share, this is another whirlwind tapestry.
I have one of my works and then the contact information to learn more
about my work, as well as the guilt.
And I look forward to having a deeper conversation in our breakout
groups.
Thank you.
Thank you Malini. That was wonderful.
And you'll appear in my presentation as well.
Cause you've been doing some work with the American craft council on a
variety of projects. So thank you for that.
All right.
Yeah.
Next I would love to.
Ask Leslie to please turn on her camera.
Great.
So Leslie Roberts is the executive director.
And the co-founder of textile arts LA.
She is also the principal of ocean park studio,
a marketing and strategy firm that believes in the power of thoughtful
ideas, creative vision,
and clarity of purpose to achieve meaningful change and growth.
Leslie received a BFA in art history from UCLA and our certificate
from UCLA Anderson school, executive education program.
One of her earliest memories was seeing a Robert Rauschenberg,
Gemini G D G E L exhibition at the Smithsonian American art
museum.
She is a strategist, community builder and social entrepreneur.
Leslie is also the lead for the Southern California Fibershed and a
member of art table.
Textile society of America, American craft council, fiber art now,
and the surface design association. So, Leslie welcome.
Thank you for being here today.
When thank you very, very much for ha.
Having me, I'm absolutely thrilled.
To be here.
And I have a few slides. So first of all,
I'd like to say.
That I am.
I am speaking to you from the unseated,
ancestral and traditional lands of the Tongva and the Gabrielino
here in the Los Angeles basin.
And.
One of the other things that I've been thinking about is how I can
take.
That sort of land acknowledgement and transition it into something.
Not just performative, but action oriented.
And I've discovered this group called red bud resource.
And so I just wanted to give them a shout out.
Because maybe they can help all of us with how we,
how we continue to move that part of the story forward.
Gwen did a brilliant job of introducing me.
I think that having a sense of context on someone's background
and understanding their experience.
And their breath helps, you know, what perspective.
They take towards.
The work that they do. And for instance, for me,
I have a solid background in business,
but what I'm interested in is talking about.
Sort of the fact that what I'm working on with textile or Tila and
what our community is working on is very much a work in progress and
very much a way of, of.
Acting within this new economy as if it's a practice for ourselves
also.
So, what I thought I would do is walk through.
My background research application, and then outcomes.
And cover this ground around.
A new way of thinking about.
The way that we live in the world.
How we apply courage. Right?
What does it take to function in the world?
We find ourselves in.
Agency.
Our empowerment.
And then this idea of in Chapman,
which could also be considered a new creative economy.
And.
So specifically textile arts, Los Angeles,
the name can tell you a lot about what we do.
But I really wanted to draw attention.
To the inclusivity of the kinds of titles and the kinds of industry
that we incorporate, or we embrace.
In our organization, because I think that it says a lot.
Not just about our genre or our medium,
but also about how we embrace this
broader.
Community so that we can be vital and robust.
From an economic standpoint, right? How do we,
how do we enlarge in the tent?
And I'll come back to why we think this is relevant to our economy in
a moment.
And then here's a list of the programming that we do, right?
So we have a textile month. We do talks.
We do activities that are around inspiration and technique building.
And I think it's critical to know that we are just about
for.
Working on five years old, we have 200 members.
And I think again,
that that's really critical when you imagine that textile or.
Los Angeles is in a city of 17 million. Right.
So what does it mean to have 200.
People actively engaged with us so far.
So I want to talk a little bit about this idea of.
The moments in your life that become apocryphal right.
And this particular story that I'd like to share is a bit of
a, an existential touchstone.
So when I was in the second grade,
my mother came home from work and I handed her my report card.
And I said, Hey mom.
Jenny's parents give her a dollar for every AE she gets
and my mother doesn't even look up and she says, that's nice.
You get A's because you can.
And this story has stuck with me because it's not about,
it's not about me, right?
It's about how we determine our intrinsic versus our.
And extrinsic values. Right? Who are we?
What is it that we.
Want to bring into the world? Not because.
We're being externally rewarded,
but because it's part of our deep humanity, right? Who are we?
And what do we want our lives to feel like?
And so this particular story again, informs where I'm going. So,
number one,
I think that all of us are living within a world that
is fundamentally changing, right? The rules that we thought.
Determined.
Our economic environment or social environment.
The environment itself.
They're they're radically changing.
And.
In addition to that,
there's this idea of courage and the idea of sitting carefully within
this space.
Of the not knowing.
And I think that.
Being comfortable within that,
that not knowing and being comfortable in this moment of
transformative change.
And whether it's Malayna is work where she's
bringing.
You know, black artists and designers to the forefront or Caroline's,
or Eric's that we'll hear about next.
It's the idea that we're all living.
Living ourselves towards a new way of being.
And.
The.
Toni Morrison of course reminds us.
All of our, of our agency within this work. Right.
We in the choices that we make within our economic selves.
As well as social and whatnot.
We have to make choices that are worth the sacred.
The lives that we're leading.
And that crafted itself is really,
and a deep and inextricably,
like yummy place to explore that because it is.
Tied up with the Genesis of industrialization, capitalism,
labor, exploitation,
all of the things that inform the way that we function in the economy
at the moment.
And then just a bit, I'll tie this back in specifically to what texts.
He does, but.
I bring in this idea too, because again,
craft is a very particular space in which we can explore these
ideas.
Around what is actually critical to the way that we engage with the
world.
And of course the idea that money itself.
Is it's, it's a currency, right? It's a current,
it's the energy that makes things possible.
So it's not specifically money is the object that we're after it's
after what money can do for us. Right. Safety, shelter, food,
respect, power.
And so if we think about that as energy, rather than concreteness,
then we can think about what are all of the different ways in which we
can engage ourselves in the social and economic worlds that we live
in.
So that we can create what we want.
From different kinds of relationships.
And so one of the things that we play with in textile or it's LA is
this idea of the third thing. Right?
Who else can we bring into the room? What else can we do?
Where else can we do it?
All of these other things that enable us to expand the possibilities.
So there are a couple of other books in this background.
That influence our philosophy and how we want to be in the world.
Right. And I think many of you probably know about the gift.
But it's just this reminder, again,
that while we're talking about art or craft or the things that we're
making.
Their power and their value sort of transcends their
commoditization. Right? There's there's a magic.
Within that.
And then there's a wonderful book by Simon Sinek.
That just reminds us that what we're truly engaged in,
in our lives is this idea of the infinite game.
Okay. So it's,
it's not about the specificity of who's working with us at the moment
or what rules we're working under, right. Because COVID might hit.
It's in,
how do we keep adapting and changing and keeping this game alive?
And then of course, there's the fabulous Adrian Marie Brown.
Who emergent strategy really ties a lot of these sames
together. How do we think about.
The way that we see and feel the world and each other.
And then how can we think about our work as a practice ground for
transforming.
So.
To go back to the idea of you get A's because you can it's what
is, what is my purpose? What is my co-founder cherry Burkles purpose?
Right? What are we building with this organization that we have.
And so one of the things that we want to double down on is this
idea of a paradigm shift. What does the organization exist for?
And how is it?
How does it create movement?
And part of that is this idea that our economy,
our craft economy is like anything else with our citizenship,
our humanity, right. We have to put our own skin in the game.
There is no Zay out there.
That's making things happen.
And so a lot of that is a consciousness about where do I spend my
money? Where do I spend my time?
So we're four and a half years old.
Two of those years have been spent in a pandemic. Okay.
Our revenue is entirely membership-based and programming based.
So our membership has sliding scale.
Which means we don't ask questions.
We allow people to meet us where they are.
And then as you can imagine, in the last few years,
our programming has really taken a hit.
You know, not only do most people want to engage in in person,
but there's also this challenge of.
A lot of competition from other much larger and more established
organizations.
Doing programming for free as a way of keeping us all engaged.
Right. But,
but changing the game for those of us who are raising money.
Bye.
Earning money through programming.
So.
The first idea.
Of of our future is.
The idea of collective activism, right?
We are entirely funded and supported by our members,
whether they know this overtly,
they certainly know it through our efforts transparently.
We exist because of them. That is where all of our funding comes from.
It allows us to double down on this idea that we do have agency in the
world that what we do matters and that we are positively
affecting the quality of life of our members.
So not only through the programming that we do a workshop,
an opportunity for them to teach an opportunity for them to learn an
opportunity for them to exhibit.
But we create a platform in which they also have an opportunity to
meet each other. And we consistently hear anecdotes of them.
Partnering and creating further economic opportunity. Right?
So we become an engine or an organizing platform,
and then the system itself continues to generate opportunity.
It's also an idea of being comfortable with reinvention, right?
This entire thing is an improvisation.
We can have a business plan.
We can all think that we can see the future.
But what we fundamentally have to do is improvise within what's
offered to us.
Adapt to a pandemic.
Adapt to a new competitor.
And to continue to have the fortitude. Right.
So to go back to the infinite game,
Can we keep playing?
So again, we look for opportunity to share what we know.
And to give each other credit so that this organization is
truly a community.
So we think about where our worldview,
so our paradigm meets our courage and then.
Designs towards agency.
Our capacity for living well and doing well.
And I think that somewhere farther along as we keep talking.
Is where we can go deeply into sort of some of how this
manifests, but I hope that offers.
Background on who we are and the way that we think.
And I'm really excited to have this conversation. Thank you for.
Having me as a part.
Thank you lastly, really appreciate that.
And it's great to get to know a little bit more about that textile or
LA.
Looking forward to having further conversation with you a little bit
later today.
All right.
Well, this may be a little weird and awkward.
I would introduce myself.
As mentioned earlier.
I am going to work and Brad Smith and I specialize in craft,
entrepreneurship and creative economies working at the intersection of
craft and entrepreneurship.
I work with both world and urban communities,
teaching professional development and creative entrepreneurship
workshops across the country over the last 22 years.
I believe in helping artists and small business owners expand their
markets and create sustainable thriving businesses and in the power
of a strong craft economy.
I currently serve as the director of community and creative work at
the American craft council.
As a desired brand effect, coach for flourish and thrive academy.
And the craft, your commerce program, director and mountain biz works.
It's located in Asheville, North Carolina.
I'm also the board chair for the North Carolina glass center.
I live in North Carolina, Asheville, North Carolina,
with my jeweler husband and three dogs.
All right.
Thanks, Jason.
So I currently reside in Asheville, North Carolina,
and I want to recognize that it is on the unceded lands of the Eastern
band of the Cherokee nation.
Well, ACC offers a variety of marketplaces,
both in-person and digital,
along with some additional related programming that contributes to the
work we do around the creative economy.
Today,
I'm actually going to be focusing and presenting on projects that were
developed and launched in 2021 and focused around what we call are
they artists support initiative.
ECC was able to innovate in the face of uncertainty and respond to the
changing needs of our craft community.
And today's rapidly changing world.
We asked our community questions like how craft artists make a living
moving forward.
Well, the marketplace looked the same or change. Well,
academic educational programs, clothes.
How will craft artists survive in a post pandemic world?
And from these conversations,
the idea of the artist support initiative developed.
The ASI is a new initiative from the American craft council that will
work to expand craft economies, build communities,
and create a resilient craft ecology by addressing these questions in
more.
The artist support initiative is a place to study and to understand
how people and materials of craft relate to each other,
their environment, and with the goal of creating new,
innovative programs to support and serve craft artists and the
creative economy.
At the artist support initiative, we make space for experimentation.
Innovation and education.
Next slide.
Some of the new artist support initiative programs that we launched in
2021 that I'll be presenting on today.
Include the emerging artist cohort.
The object as, and future insight projects.
Next slide.
The emerging artists cohort.
It was a three month pilot program that cultivated the next step for
independent craft artists to advance their professional careers.
The program supports 13 innovative artists,
new to their careers who expand craft boundaries and challenge us to
new perspectives.
Through facilitated workshops, presentations and conversations,
participating artists.
We're able to gain a deeper understanding of their professional skills
and opportunities that will help them diversify their income streams
and thrive in their chosen career paths.
Participating artists were able to connect with established industry
leaders from a variety of craft sectors, including galleries,
curators, marketplace artists, exhibiting artists, social practice,
artists, designers, and more.
Next slide.
Some details of the current emerging artists cohort.
Is that there were 13 artists chosen for the pilot program.
86% Of them identify as BiPAP and or LGBTQ.
Plus,
they all just finished a 12 week intensive that went from July 9th
through September 28.
And they focused on pathways like exhibiting artists,
social impact and community engagement and studio and marketplace.
They also participated in workshops on intention telling their story.
Branding and marketing.
And then they spent the last three weeks of their intensive goal
setting and planning.
And after their intensive,
they received a thousand dollars incubator grant to help them propel
to the next level of their professional path.
Next side.
Some observations from the program is that this is the only program of
its kind offered specifically to the craft community in the
United States.
There are a lot of other programs throughout Europe.
That specifically also focus on craft artists and support craft
artists in that way.
Many more artists need support. Then we were able to provide,
we did have 185 applications for just 12 spots and we actually ended
up opening it up to 13 total spots.
Artist's also need more money from incubator grants to create greater
impact. So while the thousand dollar incubator grant was great,
we really felt like we needed to actually be able to offer artists
more money so that they could realize their projects.
And actually.
Bring them to completion.
And also that artists need continued entrepreneurship and professional
practice support.
So I am happy to announce today that the America craft council
received three more years of funding from the Wingate charitable
foundation for this program,
with the incubators accelerator grants being increased from $1,000 to
10 to $10,000 per artist.
So this program will continue to support our,
not only our current cohort of 13 with monthly check-ins quarterly
workshops and one-on-one coaching calls.
But as new cohorts will be launched each July,
these new cohorts and they, as they complete their 12 week intensive,
they will join the past cohorts to continue to receive this ongoing
support.
Next slide.
Another project that was funded by the.
NEA is object as it's a current project that is supporting craft
artists and creating conversation about critical issues.
The power of artistic objects can carry important.
Cultural ideas is what drives this project.
Objects can create new conversations, objects,
speak to our current cultural, political, societal, environmental,
and social climates and objects can serve as a form of resistance.
As commentary on today's world issues.
So we re re-imagined or refashioned objects as ID
idea carriers.
Has dialogue, rebellion, civic, disruption,
containers of truth and objects that speak to the future. Next slide.
So I worked with six curators to ask that each of them to nominate an
artist to make an object.
And the six curators that I worked with across the United States.
Our Sandra at Stephie from Minneapolis college of art and design
Andrew [unknown] from Cranbrook art museum.
Malanie Barnett from black artists and designers Guild,
Stuart Ashman from the international folk art market.
Suzanne ice skin from contemporary craft and Jennifer Nava Milligan
from the center for art in wood.
Next side.
The six curators chose the following six artist Leandra Gomez.
Conterra who's a mixed media artist.
Alex Anderson, who works in ceramics.
The Cola cookie who works in textiles.
Ed Barrow LA who works in sculpture.
Morel Doucet who works in mixed media and James Morrell who works in
wood video and sound.
This is a cutting edge group of craft artists that made amazing and
impactful objects that will create some very interesting,
critical discourse.
I'm not going to let you see the objects today,
but you can look for them in our spring 2022 issue on the
American craft magazine.
To not only see the final objects,
but to hear directly from the artist,
what their intention around the objects are.
Next slide.
Some important aspects of this project are that artists were paid to
create their objects and they get to do what they wish their objects.
The American craft council does not own these objects.
We do not own a collection.
And we were not interested in obtaining or possessing these objects.
So having the idea of artists getting paid to make an object for our
project.
It was really kind of unique and, and,
and not often done activity.
Artists.
Are also being paid to write about their work in an object story for
the spring 2022 issue of American craft magazine.
Curators were paid to write both an object story about their artists
object to be produced digitally in conjunction with this spring 2022
issue.
And then we will also be launching six American craft podcast.
That are being produced by Sarah Rachel Brown of perceived value.
These are the first podcast of its kind for the American craft
council.
And then American craft council partnered with new craft and art
organizations across the country,
creating new strategic partnerships because together we can truly
support the field.
And the way it needs to be.
Next side.
And future insight talks is the third project,
which of course we're in the middle of the last one,
but they are allowing us to listen to craft communities and their
needs,
develop solutions and innovate and implement new ideas for support.
Each talk is focused on one of HCCs four pillars,
the stewardship and legacy,
the creative economies and public voices for craft,
but the fourth pillar of social impact and community being woven
throughout each talk.
Next slide.
These talks are a place for me. Imagine the change or the future,
and re-imagine crafts artists, new normal.
They are interactive with the audience and initiate conversations
around specific topics,
allowing the craft community to both learn from others in Ida ways.
ECC and other craft focused organizations can support makers.
As we strive to understand the post pandemic world,
create equity in the field and understand the new craft economy.
Next side.
The artist support initiative will continue to strive to understand
the changing nature of craft culture.
Material practice evolving,
marketplaces and creative entrepreneurship.
Creating new programs to serve and support the craft community.
The artist's support initiative will apply new economic models,
catalyzed communities, and learn from each other and across sectors.
And increase the value of skills and labor in the new economy.
This initiative will pursue new models that value community support,
social and economic equity and drive creative economies.
We will invest in new forms of,
and pursue new models of sustainability.
Next slide, please.
So, what does this future support for artists look like?
And what does the future hold?
I'd like to share some observations that I've learned,
including my time working both at the American craft council and my
experience working with other craft organizations,
engaging in conversations with artists and makers and gaining an
understanding of the craft communities, current and future needs.
My first observation is that creative entrepreneurship is necessary
for the future of the craft economy.
Today more than ever.
Artists need to diversify the revenue streams in order to be resilient
and sustainable in making a living.
My second observation is that craft artists.
Need to be seen as more than just object makers,
but creative workers as well.
Recently stated in rolling stone magazine.
Artists cultural producers,
facilitators and entrepreneurs shared the bold courageous capacity to
navigate risk and to find an opportunity in the market and see the
world in different ways.
My next observation is that artists need more direct monetary support.
We know that the creative workforce was one of the hardest hit sectors
by the pandemic.
And the United nations said the impact investment was perhaps the best
way to support communities of cultural entrepreneurs.
Whose livelihoods have been jeopardized by the global health crisis.
Another observation is that strategic partnership.
It's are key to moving forward with greater impact and support.
No one organization can provide all that is needed to help craft
artists. Not only survive, but thrive,
but together we can create a wonderful holistic support system for
artists to, to.
Succeed.
Another observation is that marketplaces continue to evolve and
change, and that the digital is here to stay.
And that shows are more than just a retail place,
but they're also a social spaces.
That are very important for artists to thrive and survive.
And my last observation is that given the ability to experiment and
pilot new programs and having freedom to learn from them is really the
key to establishing great relevance and impact the field.
And also for the sustainability and the growth.
Next slide.
So.
My question, of course is always about,
can we have creatives say help,
rebuild and save the world?
Again, to quote from rolling stones, article, title, creative power,
how cultural entrepreneurship can shape a post COVID world.
As development goals and COVID-19 recovery goals, synergize creators,
artists,
design led organizations and cultural entrepreneurs should play a
leading role.
Visualizing planning and managing complex projects or things that
creatives do well.
It will take grit and originality to design projects that dovetail
with environmental developmental and social goals that can revitalize
devastated communities of creators and cultural institutions
worldwide.
As with this new challenges that have arisen creative solutions will
be required.
And the creative entrepreneur might actually hold an unexpected
answer.
Thank you.
All right. I would next like to invite Caroline
to start her camera, please.
Great.
So Caroline's.
Tau is the director of economic Nacona.
Economic opportunity at springboard for the arts in 2018, she piloted,
piloted a series of pop-up markets,
connecting creative entrepreneurs to new audiences.
Launched a panel and workshop series on access to capital for BiPAP
artists.
And in 2021 introduced ready-made a platform showcasing craft artists
and makers across the state of Minnesota.
Looking ahead to spring 2022.
Caroline is excited to pull many threads together by piloting a market
accelerator program, connecting artists, crafters, and makers,
to more of the capital tools and resources.
They need to make a living and a life.
Caroline's a creative writer in hand makers.
Hand makes body butters from home in her spare time.
So Caroline, welcome. And thank you for being here today.
Thank you.
Thanks for the introduction.
All of your planning and wrangling.
I center my flight deck.
Afternoon. So.
Thanks for your patience.
Thanks to the American craft council for creating this generative and
community space.
To learn and grow.
And build together.
I'm super excited to be here in the room with all of you sharing some
of the springboards work.
What we've been doing.
Over the last 18 months.
We've changed our work in these times.
And.
Honored to be amongst.
Picking lots of cube and notes from you all as you've been talking.
So can't wait to dig in more.
I'm going to put more of you during.
But with that said, I've got a bunch of slides.
So let's jump in.
So.
Springboard for the arts.
He's an artist run organization in Minnesota.
Our headquarters are in St. Paul.
Both of these locations are on land. That was,
and is the home of the Ojibwe and Dakota people.
It's been board to work.
Art as meaning making.
In everyday life.
And that demands a very broad definition of who artists are.
Next slide.
So our work specifically,
prioritizes artists in communities who have not been resourced by the
existing nonprofit arts system. So that's artists who are black,
indigenous immigrant and people of color.
That also means for us artists with disabilities.
LGBTQ.
A plus artists.
And artists in rural communities.
Springboard is an organization.
Characterized by things that other people see as contradictions,
but we see as assets.
So we are both urban and rural. We are intensely playfully.
Based and neighborhood focused.
And national inner aspirations.
And I work with both deeply practical.
And serves as a metaphor and vision for what's possible.
Our vision is for a future where artists are essential in creating
justice and equitable.
Locally economy.
And human centered systems.
Can we frame our work around the idea that creativity and creative
people are in national arms are a natural resource.
And a source of energy and power for communities.
Arctic artists exist.
On every block in every neighborhood and they can be a tremendous
source of power.
For addressing big challenges,
build the connections and reorganizing and reimagining community
expertise.
But just like any other natural, natural resource,
we need systems that help us plug into that power.
My EDU, or is able uses this analogy that I'll borrow,
because I think it's app and captures.
Our philosophy.
And that is.
If you live in a very funny place.
But don't have access to solar energy or you won't have access.
And energy.
I'm going to build the solar panels.
So springboard.
Algae is the solar panel.
The Fenn already exists, but.
We're just building the system to tend and connect.
And tap into that resource.
Next slide.
So, what does.
I'm actually look like.
What does it look like to fill up an ecosystem of support for artists
and creativity?
Well, the last year as.
Gwen mentioned.
Has proved that.
The need for the system and the lack of it in many places exist.
The last year showed us the fragility of artists wise and reveal too
many people in emergency of inequity as artists and their communities
were impacted by multiple crises.
Artists where I'm on the very first of Luther.
There are jobs.
And contracts with the bottom pullout.
At the beginning of the pandemic.
And then more than a year later.
The unemployment.
For artists.
We're still heartbreaking for some disciplines.
The an appointment rate is still over 50%.
If I've been close to 95% of artists report income loss.
So with that, we went to work.
We scaled our existing emergency relief fund.
Program.
From a fund that typically supports 20 artists a year.
With $10,000.
To raising over $1.5 million.
It's supporting over 2,500 artists and culture barriers in our region.
We wrote a guide and books and network eventually helping over a
hundred locally-based emergency relief funds.
Also get up and running.
To provide critical thought.
Help for artists.
Basic needs like.
Paying rent, buying groceries.
That's fine.
We focus first on direct resources. So our emergency relief.
Health and wellness support.
But also we help with navigating the unemployment in PPP systems that
were not built for people who were patching together.
The living.
Or cobbling together, their incomes.
Or I'm kind of putting together dozens of contracts.
We advocated for and connected artists with fitty.
County and state small business relief programs.
And we convened in coach and helped people move their work and
businesses online.
We published, we published two new free handbooks.
A new version of our long time.
Handbook.
And then a new handbook for artists working in community.
Next slide, please.
So, because we knew that the crises.
The competitive crises.
We're going on.
And that artists wanted and needed to go to work and helping their
communities and using their creative skills.
To process.
People's grief and rage.
And hope.
And connection.
So based on a previous work,
we created a new program called artists respond.
For supporting black artists in our neighborhood to paint murals and
work with community in the immediate days after the murder.
By the Minneapolis police.
Ben supporting a group of artists.
Statewide.
To design projects designed to combat social isolation.
Especially among our most vulnerable populations.
And most recently supporting a group of rural artists of color.
To do projects that challenge our ideas of what and who rule is
and who gets to tell the story of rural.
We also relaunched our popular community supported arts program.
That the liver's art instead of vegetables.
This year through the U S postal favorites.
So people could connect directly with our experiences at home.
All of these things are demonstrations,
resources and connection points.
But I'm really proud of.
That all that all are made possible.
Throughout the last year.
But then it would be, these are long-term.
Change. None of these are permanent solutions.
Next slide, please.
So we transitioned into imagining, well, what's next.
What's this exchange.
What's possible. How can we make our economy work for everyone,
including artists and what do artifactually need?
And we discovered.
What we always new artists do the same thing as everyone else.
Healthcare childcare.
Student loans.
Student loan help.
Renter protections, access to unrestricted capital.
Things that can only be accomplished.
And collaboration.
With other movements.
And advocacy for policy change.
Like five, please.
So last spring,
we announced a new guaranteed income for artists pilot.
This pilot is intentionally designed to align.
And partnering with a network of pilots that are rolling out across
the country.
Through a mayor through a gateway.
Income and other communities of practice.
Our goal with this work.
If the support artists, of course, but most importantly,
it's to ensure that.
We're included in the broader movement of economic justice.
That artists can bring their skills and creativity
to narrative change and visioning for the future for a better economy.
And that they've along with everyone else.
It's beneficiaries of any kind of public policy.
So looking Phil at our building support for local economies and
August.
We launched a ruler generator fellowship from our Fergus falls office.
We actually recently celebrated.
Any anniversary there.
And the root.
Regenerator fellowship expands that spring words work supporting and
connecting critter rule leaders.
In the upper Midwest who are committed to strengthening.
Their communities through art culture and creativity.
Through this fellowship.
We're able to award flexible funds to 11 folks who live and work in
communities of 50,000 people or less.
Across the upper Midwest. So that includes for us.
And soda.
Dakota with confident, Michigan, Iowa.
Illinois and the native nation.
I share these geographies.
The integral cohort is an exciting mix of individual artists.
Makers culture, bearers, grassroots organizers.
Community development workers, public sector folks.
And other rule Changemakers who will spend the next two years problem
solving together on specific rule issues.
And building community collective knowledge on equitable post pandemic
relief and recovery.
The last questions about community care.
But a third chip and credit people power.
So I'm super excited to amplify their work and to learn a long five
then.
What are the best ways to sustain and expand the impact of real
artists?
Next slide, please.
The slide or a picture of our current creative economy fellows,
which is a relaunch of a successful.
To your pilot program.
Previously called the 2020 artists fellowship.
For the program continues to provide under shifted award dollars.
And recognize and resource artists across the state.
Who identify as BiPAP.
And native working to build new models.
Systems.
Economic on-ramps and pathway separately.
In their community.
That'd be fellows really embody or belief system that artists are
essential in our communities.
And their work build and a more engaged, vibrant ingest economies.
Next slide, please.
And then also this year.
We want to be creative community leadership Institute calling.
If you feel life is short.
It's an intensive in-person cohort based training with real-world
practical. I'm sorry. Practice for artists.
Culture bears community organizers.
Development practitioners and other thought leaders seeking to deepen
their impact in the creative community.
Building.
Fo fashions center, native artists and communities.
And featured guest presenters and connection to local sites and
leaders.
You know, the threefold.
Focus.
Which is centering participants, individual passions and knowledge.
Sharing practical tools and techniques.
And inspiring cross-sector idea of in connection.
So in addition to learning together,
Participants will be supported in design and implementation of mini
pilot projects in their home base.
Next slide, please.
Our programs are new.
Some of them are new. Some of them are old.
And evolving, but we know that this work is not new for artists.
Artists and culture bearers have been working to make their
communities and neighborhoods and systems better,
more connected and more just for generations.
So just like other small business owners and independent workers.
Are often operate without a safety net.
And within systems that extract and the value of their labor.
With our eyes firmly on this.
And these systems and rebuilding something better.
We are trying to see locally rooted ecosystems.
That's support and 15 artists and culture bearers in their
communities.
So that they can work on imagining and building a future that values
individual community needs.
Not only for safety and security and health,
but also for meaning and connection and love.
So thank you to all the artists continuing to do this work.
That's fine.
Please move a photo of our space in St.
Paul.
Used to be.
Former youth.
Car dealership before.
And dealership for those who are familiar.
So we reimagined and are we using it as a hub at home for creativity
in community?
Next slide, please.
So this photo is there going to pre pandemic. And as soon as we could,
we begin animating the space and opening it up to artists to come and
try things.
And inform with the space could be.
One of the first things we tried was a series of pop-up markets.
This particular one was geared towards a holiday shoppers. So here.
Here you fear promo.
Our promo flyers for our very first series of in-person pop-up markets
to support.
Creative entrepreneurs, crafters and makers in our community.
I say.
Paul office is in a pedestrian transit restaurant, heavy corridor.
On university avenue on the border of Rondo. And Frogtown,
we really wanted to see if craft artists and makers could use our
space.
As far as retail and commerce traffic.
And create a market for locally made crafts and goods.
Next slide, please.
Amazing artists.
She makes these really beautiful wearable mittens,
and then kind of more practical art and as well as kind of home decor
and other kind of water based art.
So she was at R.
All of our pop-up markets and really taught us a lot about what it
means.
What craft artists needs.
This is also a vendor that we use a lot in our private markets.
Her brand has been paid Bata. She makes textiles clothing, jewelry,
home decor.
All inspired by derived from her west African culture.
Please.
And over the summer, the past summer.
As construction kind of halted and started and stopped due to COVID.
We've set it to still activate our space and host a series of events
called Saturdays at springboard.
And that included open air markets and partnership with neighborhood
artists.
And organizations.
Next slide, please.
Kind of a collage, but as you can feed there's some food truck,
a Penske or family friendly, our opinion events.
Vance reform and food.
We commissioned artists from hip hop space to attack.
Graffiti or community hall.
And then hope the theories of talk on hip hop influence.
On arts and culture.
All those are really fun.
Here we commissioned.
More artists that help you to find our building. Like I said,
it was an old used car dealership and we really wanted to transform
it.
Into a creative hub.
So here we want it to reflect on the outside.
What's real and important to our community and neighbors and artists.
Next slide, please.
And again, another Saturday and springboard event.
Bluffing bluffing and welcoming into our new home.
As we open our doors and welcome others into the space.
Next slide, please.
And then of course.
We're in, we're in a pandemic. So we're prioritizing.
And really digging into what it means to be stewards of community
wellness through our,
through a theories that we launched around health and wellness.
Hosted by artists practitioners.
Over the summer on our front lawn.
Next slide, please.
With images really special.
Some of you may recognize it and it may have been there because it's
from October grand opening.
Finally we did that.
So we're super grateful for all the love and support we received by
artists and community partners.
The neighbors and family and friends and funders and our community of
shareholders.
Top of good to this point.
It was really exciting day to see folks come in and kind of tourist
space and have physical people in it.
It's been a long preface.
Exacerbated or extended by COVID.
So you were happy to see the space users we attended.
Next slide, please.
And then she is,
if you remember the image before of the Ford dealership,
here's what it looks like today. A truly a creative can be hub.
From the outside in and it's right off of the green line.
So as soon as it's safe to do so,
as soon as our doors are fully wide open, which will be in February.
We do hope you come visit.
So because of COVID we couldn't launch into doing more of a pop-up
markets.
We dreamed of initially. So like everyone else, we pivoted.
And this is a new product that we just launched last
month called ready-made next slide, please.
Ready-made is meant to reflect the amazing crafts and artists.
Across the state who we couldn't host our in-person events.
We really want it to highlight,
especially around the holiday mash shopping season.
So we decided to put together somewhat of a gallery space where folks
can peruse.
Or site.
Learn and discover artists.
Artists in Minnesota, across the state.
And a shot from them directly.
So, this is not an e-commerce site.
It's really just a gallery and a platform to showcase artists.
But if as you click on each profile on each image,
you can go directly to the artist page or wherever they have an
e-commerce site fit up.
And chapter directly or their inventory and directly from them.
Next slide, please.
And he was just a closer look at the mainland, the page.
Where we feature the makers and all different categories,
including jewelry, textiles, makeup, and skincare.
The list is going and growing.
So we designed it in this way to maximize social media is kind of
scroll capacity and people's behavior,
and also to keep interest and your attention on the page.
So we're adding new makers every day and we're excited to broaden our
perception.
At an aesthetic of what Minnesota craft arts look like.
And the next slide, please.
And big announcement and shameless plug.
We're bringing back and in person market.
This holiday shopping season. So we're partnering with third daughter.
To host the last minute gifts fair the Saturday at our St. Paul site.
There's my ID or is able pictured.
Wrapping gifts.
She'll be reprising this role on Saturday.
So I hope all of you in Minnesota, can gum come by?
For some holiday fund and to pick up any last minute gifts.
And that's all for me. Thanks for the most for your time.
Thanks Carolina. Appreciate it.
As a fan girl.
I was springboard for the arts for over a decade.
It's great to have you out the conversation and to learn more about
how you all pivoted and supported artists during kind of.
This.
On your most unusual last 22 months. So thank you for sharing that.
That's great.
All right. I'd like to invite Eric to please turn his camera on.
So Eric.
Takeshita is passionate about the power of art and culture to help
build a healthier, more equitable and sustainable communities.
He is currently the principal of the Takeshita group.
And previously served as a senior fellow at our place. America.
Portfolio portfolio director for community creativity at the Bush
foundation and director of creative.
Placemaking at the local initiative support corporation.
Eric has trained as a ceramic artist and lives in Minneapolis with his
wife and daughters.
And I personally work with Eric on an Americans for the arts
initiative, get worker creative workers working,
which I'm sure he'll talk about a little bit as well. So, Eric,
thanks for being here today.
Well, thanks for being here.
I actually just want to invite people.
I just want to invite people to take a quick breath.
I just want to acknowledge, like what we just heard, like.
From Caroline and from.
Like, this is amazing stuff. That's going on all over the country.
I just want to kind of recognize that.
And pause for a second.
I really appreciate that.
Again,
I want to thank one and the crop council and y'all for being here.
And as Leslie said, I think it's a horn applied some context.
So while I appreciate the introduction.
The introduction that.
First and foremost to myself as the son of.
Eleanor.
The father.
The husband.
Japanese American who does live here.
On the past, present and future land.
The second one, but the quarter people in Minneapolis.
I was trained as a Japanese artist.
As a ceramic artist.
I will say that I don't have any slow.
For people that love PowerPort you're just gonna have to look at me.
I have got a salt and pepper hair. I have glasses on.
And I'm standing in front of.
It's actually springboard.
So that's kind of who I am.
Just to start.
I wanna bikes for being here, but I don't know.
I don't have any answers. So if you're looking for answers,
But I will say that I love the questions are being asked here today.
Right?
Part of the creative economy.
We moving forward.
What will it look like?
Will it be more of a criminal?
I love these questions and these are the questions I've been wrestling
with.
The last 20 or so years. So I just have a few remarks.
I'm going to put them in three buckets.
First a few assumptions.
Then a couple of observations.
And then finally some thoughts on how we can send her an advance
equity in our work.
So first two assumptions.
So number one, I just want to start with.
I believe the definition of insanity.
Is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
And the steps.
We have are designed exquisitely to get the results. We're.
So what that means that we have to actually think differently.
And we have to build new systems just as Caroline was talking about to
actually get different results in the future.
So that's my first assumption.
You know,
With great power comes. Great responsibility.
And you all as artists.
And craft people.
Have incredible power.
As artists, what do we do?
We imagine things that don't yet exist and we manifest them.
You don't literally change the world.
Recruit things that didn't exist before.
So I want to just pose that.
I think a key part of this conversation is how do we start to claim.
And use our power.
I think that's a critical part of this idea of.
Rolling stone article about.
Navigating risk and sees an opportunity. That's what artists do,
right.
Things that don't exist. So, so how do we use.
So that's the second assumptions.
My third assumption is that.
We are the ones we've been waiting for.
So if we want different outcomes, we need to think differently.
Think bigger.
I think that artists, because of that.
Amazing power that we have.
We have to do it. We're the ones that we've been waiting for.
If we want to see.
We've got to do it.
So we sit around passively waiting for somebody to ask us.
We have to assert ourselves. We have to claim our power.
We have to see ourselves and we.
We have to be leaders in our communities.
So those are my three.
I want to kind of start.
And frame my remarks.
So that's specifically on the creative economy.
I'll speak briefly to that.
Just a couple things. One is.
And many of you already do this, so I acknowledge this,
but I just want to.
It was fair to say the obvious.
Artists.
Our businesses.
You are a small business person.
But you have a product that you sell it.
The marketplace.
Model that's behind it.
And so this idea of somehow artists are not part of the credit
problem.
It doesn't make sense to me.
Of course we are.
We are businesses.
And we have to see ourselves as businesses.
And we have to act as if we're a part of that.
We are a part of the economy.
A critical part of the economy.
In terms of revenues and having goods and services and products that
are in the marketplace.
So I just want to encourage us to think about.
How are we showing up?
You know, how are we showing up? How do we see ourselves?
How do we show the chamber of commerce? How do we show up?
At our small business association.
How do I participate in things that are offered by.
Universities or colleges.
Or by the small business administration.
So of course artists are part of the creative economy.
We have to see ourselves as that.
And we need to assert ourselves as part of the.
Went through on the creative academy is that, you know,
the folks that have spoken before just doing amazing.
Right.
Kind of re-imagine existing infrastructure, kind of like textile arts.
Or the work.
And elsewhere. I.
Correct. Kudos.
Kudos.
Applause applause. Applause.
And then the work to build new infrastructure, right.
I was doing with the black artists.
At Caroline's doing.
I mean, it's just, it's critical.
So we absolutely need to think about how do we have.
Infrastructure within the arts community to support artists as part of
the credit.
Kudos to those are doing that.
But number three is I also think we have to think beyond the arts.
And Caroline started to talk about this a little bit,
but there's like an entire infrastructure.
That's designed to support small businesses and entrepreneurs.
But sometimes we think about it. Oftentimes we don't.
I've kind of alluded to it, but folks like.
The small business administration,
entrepreneurial centers and universities.
USDA. If you live in rural communities.
May three programs.
Community development, financial institutions.
Other kinds of committee development, corporations.
There are a ton of.
Infrastructure.
Exists out there.
I support small businesses to support entrepreneurs.
But I think artists need to really find.
Get involved with.
And tap into.
And maximize.
We're going to get where we need to go as artists,
as leaders in our communities.
And really part of the creative economy.
We have to figure out how to hack into these other systems.
Now importantly, I want to acknowledge and recognize that.
Many of these systems aren't necessarily set up to support artists
recruits.
Oh, interesting.
So then we never show up.
And we need to help them.
We need to change those systems.
We need to get to be the leaders that.
That we're been waiting for such that we can start to have those
systems.
Be more responsive to the needs of all folks,
including artists and creatives.
So that's what they're called.
The final point. I want to talk about the creative academy.
Maybe a little bit is just mentioned in terms of I've.
With Procrit of workers to work.
In response to the pandemic.
A group of folks.
Kind of came together last year and.
Hey, you know what? We have this kind of health crisis.
Number one, but we have obviously the economic crisis.
And obviously those are the.
As we think about responding to that,
what will the public intervention.
And so the good and creative workers working coalition,
which we would invite all of you to participate in.
That's a group of folks that have come together to really think about.
Well, what are the federal policies?
And the federal investments.
I can support artists and creative workers and really helping to get
them back to work.
As Carolina.
Alluded to there's kind of.
Different stages. Right. There was kind of the immediate, like,
Hey people, man.
Immediate relief.
Like emergency and they find that
artists are also critical as part of the recovery effort. Right.
So we're kind of in this phase now,
like how do we think about recovering.
The American rescue plan and there's a bunch of dollars are coming
down.
From a federal government.
Trillions of dollars.
But artists can and should figure out how to tap into.
So we need to then start to again,
build these muscles and these relationships within these other
systems.
To be able to access.
And then number three is.
There's like all this new kind of infrastructure.
How do we actually build a safety net?
So when the next doc.
But when the next.
Coven like pandemic when the next great recession.
When the next film of.
Blackburn happens.
But we actually have a system.
That is better able to respond and support all people within our
society.
Including, and especially artists and creators. So.
Just to imagine that they're getting creative workers working.
You're welcome to participate.
We have a network call.
Monthly.
On the third Thursdays.
So folks are welcome to join us. If you're interested.
So.
I think there was a couple of different things on the crypto economy.
Right.
Number one that we have to see ourselves as businesses.
First number.
You know,
there's a lot of right ways that we can kind of repurpose or help
evolve existing infrastructure within the arts.
To better support artists as businesses.
Part of the creative economy. Number two.
Number three,
we have to start to think about what is the existing infrastructure.
But maybe it's not.
Specifically for artists, but as part of.
Economic development infrastructure.
That artists should and can access a news.
And finally four, how do we start to build these new systems?
And really advocate for.
By which artists are benefiting from some of the public investment,
but.
That is currently coming down the road.
So four observations.
Creative economy.
And then finally,
I'll just talk briefly on equity because it's a core part of.
Me and my work.
And my value system. And so just the name.
No part of.
Will the creative economy be more equitable.
You know, and it's gonna really depend on us, right. Again, we're.
You're the ones who've been waiting for.
That's what's going to be more equitable.
I'm going to offer three things.
One is that a general.
I think that artists and critics.
We just need a lot more folks in.
The credit, a bigger pen, right?
So I loved one's definition of the crack house.
No craft is skilled making on a human scale.
And what I'll say is that.
You know, I think we need to kind of continually work to get out of,
out of our own way.
And not hold art so precious.
That's my personal thing.
See how more people see themselves as artists.
As Caroline was talking about that experience.
Definitions of who gets to call themselves an artist and be creative
worker.
I think that there's oftentimes a fear to do that.
Or there's a fear that I've seen in China with talks about.
The value and all the hard work and effort that I put into mastering
my craft, mastering my.
Artistic work.
And I would suggest to folks it's actually the opposite of that.
The more people.
Try to do what y'all are doing.
And more they realize, oh man.
That's like amazing what they do,
because here's what I can do as a lay person. Right.
And I think it actually has this kind of opposite effect where people
have a greater appreciation. Right. And.
Charlie and talked about.
Laura is able who's.
I also known that a lawyer talks about how, you know,
In sports, for example, like I owned golf clubs, right.
So like I go out and I golf and then I watch like
golf pros, golf, and I was like, oh, right. Like,
this is why they make it look easy. And this is like really hard.
So by actually having more people do this and participate,
we actually enhanced the value of professional artists and folks that
are making a living at.
And then the master craftsmen. So, so number one,
I think we just took.
To to advance equity. Number one,
we need to invite more people in Lieutenant.
A lot more people see themselves.
So number one.
Number two is I think this idea that.
I want to.
Assert that there is no such thing as an art desert, right. That,
that.
Art is happening everywhere.
And that we need to really recognize that that it's a human impulse.
It's something that, that folks are doing.
But the systems aren't always accurate.
Right. So we need to expand kind of our definitions of who gets to be
included.
What kind of art and craft is going to be supported.
And we need to include other geographies, right?
We need to think differently about geographically, remote places,
rural places.
We need to think differently about Indian country.
We need to think about, differently about like who gets included.
Right.
So I love the work that's been talked about today that badges doing
and springboards doing.
It really advanced black folks, indigenous folks and folks of color.
Again, it goes back to this idea of if we want.
To do something. If we all have different results,
we need different systems and we need to think differently about.
So I'm going to encourage us.
If we really want the credit economy to be more equitable,
we have to do that. We have to build those systems.
We need to include more people. So in closing, you know,
will the creative economy look different?
Well, it could just be a part of it.
You know, will it be more equitable?
You know,
I don't know.
I really don't know.
But what else suggest to you is that it's going to be up to us if we
want to create a different future.
We need to do things differently.
And that we are the ones we've been waiting for.
Artists can I believe must be leaders in this work.
Thank you all.
Because artists create things that don't yet exist.
And they make them a reality.
Thank you.
That was wonderful.
What a great closer you are.
I would like to invite all the presenters.
Please turn on their cameras.
We're going to move into.
A little bit of a group conversation before we go into breakout rooms.
And of course the sunshine is a thing in my window, as it always is.
This time of.
That it Wednesdays.
And I apologize for that.
So, you know, Eric, I actually really want to play off of that.
The way you closed down and talked about how is it,
how the creative economy moves forward and it becomes more equitable.
Is about reinventing systems.
So does anybody have some thoughts on what some of those systems might
look like or what they might be,
or if you feel you are already working on some of those systems,
would you like to share with the group.
And feel free to just unmute.
Speak up or.
I can.
Colony. If you raise your hand. Yeah. Let's see. Go ahead.
I'll throw myself out there.
I think, I think to some extent,
A new creative economy is inevitable because I think it's going to be
a response to, so before the pandemic.
40% Of Americans apparently were already engaged in a gig economy.
And to, you know, to Eric's point.
Like we are all artists, right? How, how are we defining this word?
But a gig economy is essentially me seeing myself as a person with a
skillset.
Did I then go and apply in the environment or the time or the place in
which it's needed? That's that's creativity.
Right. And so I think that we're going to.
Okay.
And then if we talk about this whole great resignation.
I think that more of us are going to be.
Demanding meaningful work.
Looking for ways to have more flexible time and looking for ways that
we can bring forth our, our humanity and that,
that that's by definition, a creative economy.
So I think we're on the cusp of living into.
The inevitability.
That's great.
Anybody else have some thoughts on that?
I think kind of, I want to go back Eric to that, you know,
the work we do about put creative workers to work.
And this idea of policy change.
Right. Is that.
That's probably one of the most effective places where systems can.
Be affected and changed is under policy change at the federal
particular federal level,
moving on down all the way to the local level.
But will you talk a little bit about the work that's being has been
done?
At the put creative workers to work because it's not just about
creating.
Places for artists to make their art,
but it's actually really incorporating creative workers into everyday
aspects of working as well. Right.
Yeah.
A couple of things.
I'll comment. So, number one, as I mentioned,
We're getting credit workers to work.
Has been about a 20 month effort so far.
I've heard so far.
What are the things that we did, it was actually tried to.
From the coalition.
Policy platform that's on the website, but actually says, Hey,
as we re-imagine, the future, here are things that artists need.
To actually help support their work in all kinds of different ways.
And so, and that was generated by the field. So I think that's one.
And so we've started to try to help.
Socialize, if you will, or kind of include, or, you know,
At least not.
This allow.
Things that would support artists and creatives in federal policy.
So that's,
that's one thing that I think is critically important as a policy.
I think the other thing is to really start to figure out like,
Decode some of these systems to figure out like, Hey,
if there's a trillion dollars coming down the pike,
where is all that money? Right.
And is it going to be in the department of labor or is it going to be
in departmental education? Where's it gonna be?
Where where's it going to be through workforce?
You know, whatever and try to figure out these,
these points of translation because it's fine to get federal policies
done.
But at the end of the day,
we need to get money in the hands of artists. Right.
And so part of this coalition's work is really to help do some of
that.
Decoding the.
The translating part of it to say,
Hey, here's this federal policy and we need to work on that.
We need to advocate for that.
But then that money's going to go to like state and local agencies.
So,
how do you start to build a relationship with those state and local
agencies and how do you help them understand that this is something
that can be done?
And then how does that then translate into getting the dollars
actually into the hands of artists and creative workers?
So it's kind of that entire spectrum. If you will,
of how the dollars are flowing.
And another last thing I'll say about the coalition,
I think is important is that it is a national group.
So we're able to add, to do exactly like this kind of how these.
National peer learning conversations where folks are saying, oh, Hey,
here's what I'm doing in Illinois.
And here's what we can do with South Carolina or here's what's
happening in the bay area that we could then do and nothing in
Memphis. Right. So just as examples,
I think that that's been another really powerful.
Part of that work that's been happening.
To just some of the equitable questions.
One of the things that we're starting to see more,
having more transparency around fees.
And asking for you.
You know, asking to be paid.
You know, and paying what we're asked our worst.
I think that's when a really a big thing that's happening.
I know amongst our members is they're still,
they're starting to feel more confident on asking for what they feel
their worth.
And also learning about.
What the fees have been,
and they're also able to see the gap that has been created on how much
they've been missing out. And so people have been raising.
You know, increasing their fees to try to help to.
You know,
create that equitable system because I think especially when it comes
to design, even in art,
I think they go hand in hand.
We have no idea what people are getting paid with.
How much this costs, blah, blah, blah.
So I think that's one of the ways that we just start to create that
equity is that we need more transparency.
Can I chime in too, cause I really liked that.
Yeah, I think there's definitely been a lack of transparency.
All right.
Zoom from home.
Is that what you get?
The kids, animals I'm calls like this all the time.
So no worries and welcome. What's his name?
Lackey.
All right. Welcome.
Yeah.
At the point about transparency, because I think.
What the last 18 months.
As Titus is. Yeah.
I just don't have a safety net and part of what we can do to kind of
build one.
Is talk about.
Talk about money. Talk about costs. Talk about budgets.
Talk about pricing.
I think there's been, you know,
a little bit of secrecy because we're all kind of trying to, I mean,
capitalism, we're trying to all kinds of.
You know,
Get get the most out of opportunities,
but I think that's creating a lot of opportunities.
So I think the pandemic is how does solidarity.
Some unity, some transparency's important,
but moving away from the individual artist's responsibility.
I'm thinking.
Eric's point thinking about the creative economy,
if the creative workforce,
like how are we talking about ourselves as a, as a workforce?
So when we're thinking about.
Policy or money coming down or big agenda.
We can advocate. We can advocate better as a body,
as a collective.
And I think so much of the arts has been preserved and is considered
very precious.
And again, the pandemic has taught us that.
A lot of artists.
No completely fell out. There was no bottom underneath a lot of us.
I think there's something there's a lesson there. Breath. And how.
And how it's not about the excellence,
but it's really about the community and the collective power.
So, how are we using our collective power to like,
Advocate.
You know, as a workforce, as a.
As a, as a body of people that are economic drivers, I mean,
artists bring a lot of money into our communities.
And they pay other artists. So how can we,
how can we like funnel in and move some of that money more into
artist's hands?
Because we know that that's where it circulates and also that's how we
can keep our artists communities healthy and vibrant.
And, and beyond ours communities,
our entire communities to Eric's point are, is they're everywhere.
Artists are a part of the fabric of all of our.
Civic activities. So if you recognize that.
And then look to how we can.
Work in solidarity in a Kennedy partnership with each other.
I think this moves away from the individual's responsibility. Yes,
there is some, but I think it helps us move into more of like,
Bigger.
Imagining.
Bigger thinking. And then hopefully like shifts greater shifts in our.
Sense of what equity could look like.
On a collective level.
It's pretty points. And Leslie, did you send me.
Thanks Glenn.
Because I see Eric wants to jump to.
That's good.
Aye.
W this idea, transparency.
I think is so powerful because we,
and then to Eric's point about thinking about what gets funded and
then how that money trickles down. Because number one,
I think a lot of us have a twisted sense of what value is because we
forget that we're subsidizing.
The cost of the grocery store, for instance, through our tax dollars.
And then we're complaining about the price of the farmer's market.
Or we're presuming that everybody else is making so much money and
there are actually two traps that are happening. One is the,
like the fact in Los Angeles, if you get hired,
To be the executive director of an arts organization.
Most of the time you don't even get paid enough money to rent a one
bedroom apartment.
And then the other track is who's taking those jobs, right.
It's people who are already coming from money.
So that the more that we talk about money.
The more that we begin to see how rigged the game is and how,
how we can talk about change.
And then also the fact that those of us who are building community
platforms recognize the leveraged opportunity. Right.
And I'm sure Malayna can speak to this with the,
like the group at the art show.
But that.
A relatively small number of people,
each giving you a small amount of money, you know,
buying your good or whatnot, aggregates to a nice amount of money.
So it's, that's another track of.
You know, if you can't add,
if you're not in a position to be accessing large grants or funding.
There's there's the hyper-local and the doubling down on the,
on the intimacy.
That's great. Thanks for sharing Eric.
Did you have more, you wanted to add in there?
Yes.
I was going to say something.
I'll have to go back though. Just Caroline,
you were talking about this idea of the solidarity economy.
Just to go back to what Leslie was saying about gig workers, right?
I mean,
And just to acknowledge like, you know,
artists or businesses are sort of gig workers.
And I think the more that we can find those natural allies and
partners and be working with them collectively to change the systems,
that's where we're going.
That's where I think we're going to find success in the fact that I
would suggest it's the only way we're going to find success.
Number one.
And number two is I also just want to acknowledge like,
A lot of the systems we currently have and taken for granted.
Social security, unemployment, whatever, whatever.
These are all things that were created most of them in the 20th
century. Right.
And so they're,
they're designed to meet the 20th century workforce needs.
And so as we go into the 21st century,
I think we have to, again,
Imagine what.
What are the current needs? How is how,
what is the nature of work in the 21st century? And I think, again,
artists are orange.
Example of this, right? As Carolyn said,
Your artists for the Bronx, with us,
we were on the front lines of who lost work,
who still hasn't recovered.
Who was most at risk?
Oh, by the way.
The very ones that people were holding up during the beginning of the
pandemic.
But the singing on the balconies, right?
The playing the music or the.
Painting the sidewalks or whatever it may be like it's critical to our
community. And I think that more than ever,
we see the need and the value for artists. So.
You combine the fact that people start to see, oh yeah.
Artists are actually important to our, our wellbeing.
Oh, and by the way,
If we kind of invoke bell hooks, we need to center on the margin idea.
Like they're the most.
On the margin, particularly rural communities on BiPAP folks.
Let's make systems work for those people that are most on the margin.
And.
And then a more work for everybody else.
Get off my soapbox.
Yeah, no, I love it. It's great.
I know we could probably keep conversation going,
but I do want to give us an opportunity to go into the breakout rooms
so that we can give the attendees.
A moment to also have a conversation with each of us.
So I would like to move into those breakout rooms now, please, Jason.
And for those of you who are attendees.
This is an option for you.
If you don't want to move into the breakout room,
just don't accept the invite that pops up onto your screen.
I will spend 20 minutes inside the breakout room.
Each breakout room will have its own unique conversation.
And like I said earlier,
we are capturing the note notes and I overarching teams and
ideas that are happening in there.
And then we'll come back together after that 20 minutes and kind of
just check in with each of the presenters to see.
There were some,
some major themes or ideas that are expressed in there,
your conversation in your breakout rooms,
did you want to share with the greater group?
So Jason, whenever you're ready,
we'd love to move into those breakout rooms, please.
Wonderful.
You on a little bit.
All right. Well, I hope you.
It had a nice lively conversation in your.
Like I did,
and I would also love to invite the presenters to be
spotlighted back on the screen when possible.
And just want to check in and see what kind of conversations you all
had in your breakout rooms.
And if there's any themes or ideas that were shared that you'd want to
share with the rest of the group.
Well,
My group talked a lot about that. Artists do a lot. I mean,
artists make the things,
but then have to figure out how to market the thing, price, the thing.
You know, build an audience around the thing. So.
So the thing. So I think we talked about what that feels like.
And how so much more complicated than people might realize or
acknowledge.
And what are some of the ways that, you know,
we can take some of that pressure.
Provide some more support systems around artists.
So especially for solopreneurs artists,
preneurs folks that do a lot by themselves.
How can we create a community of support around them?
And then some of the other things we discussed were.
The business side. So when to know.
When to hire and when to know where to seek counsel, right.
Legal counsel.
Accounting council.
How do you grow your business in a way that feels to scale and taxable
and manageable?
So some of those.
Business side of things can be handed off. So when do you do then?
How do you do that?
And how do you circumvent having to go to business school?
What are some of the resources that folks in.
I get a new easily. And then I think.
The other lesson that folks feel they learned over the.
And then M**k was how important it was to stay connected to other
artists.
To stay in your communities and to stay plugged in.
So that's what we talked about is really rich.
I'm sorry if I missed anything, but a really great groups.
I think that's great.
Wonderful. Thanks for sharing Caroline. Malanie do you want to share.
Yeah, we, I thought.
Theme of I'm talking about taking back our power as creatives.
Realizing that.
We have the power to create our own tribes and really
nurture the group that we could create through our art.
Oh, it talks about the importance of storytelling.
And then also the importance of having the marketing and business
support as a creative and thinking about that.
You know,
I was looking at this time for artists as a time where we were,
we were being seen in a different way because we had time to make.
And then now people who could support us or, you know,
homeworking still and still getting paid.
And so they had more money to spend.
But as an artist, we have to be prepared for that.
And thinking about how that use this time to,
to reevaluate your business model and think about that.
You as a creative.
You get to make the rules and decide.
You know, create the line. We also have the line or the product.
We really don't like what people want to buy.
But I was saying like, let's look at this.
Let's change the language around that.
And so at that cup that you make is going to say, pay the rent.
You know, set up a system so that cup could pay the rent.
So then you could work on the other projects that you really love to
do.
It's okay. Because remember all objects are coming from you anyways.
Your vision.
It's about how you want to tell the story.
So it was really about like on taking ownership of your craft,
your story and your business, and, you know, looking for a.
American craft council to support that from the marketing and business
perspective.
Yeah, that's great.
Any other themes or ideas that were discussed in breakout rooms?
He wants to share.
To others, plus one that.
But this idea of how do we create me as a support?
How do we take back our power?
And particularly in the context of how do we start to navigate systems
that really weren't out to support us.
Whether it's we as black folks has.
Folks.
As.
As artists and creatives.
Things like the small business administration network.
And so we need to kind of assert that and we need to not just do it by
ourselves.
But we need to find kind of our Trav right. To.
Well,
our tribe and let's find other folks that are like minded and really
support each other.
And solider.
Yeah, absolutely great idea. And I'm, I'm putting in the chat.
So to kinda expand just briefly on what Eric was talking about is
seeing yourself as an artist, as a business.
Resources that are outside of the arts community that you all may not
know about. So he mentioned CDFIs, which are keeping development,
financial institutions. I actually worked for one here in Asheville.
We do have a very specific sector focus on craft in Western
North Carolina.
But CFIs were developed in the Clinton administration and their whole
purpose was to provide money to small businesses from marginalized
communities that often.
We're not able to secure funding from traditional banking
institutions.
And we can have a whole another hour conversation about the racism.
And the systems inside and financial institutions that prevent equity
and access to lending.
Capitol.
That's what CDFIs are about.
There's 1300 of them across the United States.
If you don't thinks Eric he's putting in a mountain.
That's to where I work.
I appreciate you giving them a plug, but you know,
If you don't know about one.
There will be one in your area that covers your area.
So the opportunity finance network.
It has a website where you can go to,
and you can put in your area where you live and find out who your,
what CDFIs.
Actually serve you.
Some others as the small business association.
I'm also on different college university campuses.
There's always going to be either a small business center or an SPTC,
which is a small business technology development center.
They're there to offer free support.
For anyone who's trying to get their business off the ground or to
learn.
There's a lot of basic wonderful classes that are offered there.
There's entrepreneurship centers also that are often.
Gonna be found on college campuses.
And community colleges in general often teach a lot of wonderful kind
of business focused classes.
Caroline you were talking about in your room.
People want to know how can they get that business support without
having to go get their MBA? Right? Like,
You can find that support it is available.
There's also, I didn't even think about this,
but there's an organization called score that helps you with
financial.
That's really about mentors and volunteers across the United States
that have financial expertise that volunteer to support small
businesses and getting their financials and learning about financial
best practices and running your business. So there is a lot of.
Support out there for small businesses that can translate into the
arts community.
You just need to be aware of that.
So I just kind of wanted to bring that out there.
For you all to become aware.
In our group, we talked also about the intergenerational challenges.
Where, you know,
like younger people who are very comfortable with social media,
they may have been able to pivot to more using social media and
online websites for sales and e-commerce sales where older generations
that may not be as technically.
Comfortable had more challenges.
And then what would it look like if you created more intergenerational
programs where you're bringing those intergenerational of artists
together to really have conversations,
to learn from each other and then to.
We support each other as well. Kind of like an,
a cohort type of atmosphere,
which I thought was kind of fascinating to think about.
And then thinking about not just,
are you a little packet of United States, right. But also, you know,
across the world. So like Diana and our room does a lot of work,
you know?
Across to, she splits her time, both here in the United States.
And I think in Senegal and she was talking about an artist,
she knows in Norway, who's also working in Zambia.
So thinking about like, what are,
are there programs that exist or are interesting communities that
exist out there?
To create a global support system,
not just one within the United States. So yeah, absolutely.
It was very interesting conversation in our room.
How about you? Leslie did.
You have some interesting conversations in your breakout room?
Yes.
And huge.
Thanks to everyone who is in that.
That breakout room. It was very, it was emotional and revealing.
I will say.
To use air to expression on a plus one.
We talked a lot about agency.
And the idea that, that in fact,
all of us in different language used that same kind of concept.
And coincidentally everyone in that room had created,
or was an integral part of some sort of a platform.
That then was leveraged.
For community building and economic opportunity in
whatever their particular genre was. So that was just encouraging.
That we're not powerless. We talked about that for a bit. We also.
And talked a little bit about remembering that with things like social
media and Instagram in particular.
To, to have a little grain of salt,
if you presume that everyone else on there is somehow.
Hitting it out of the park and that you're still struggling.
You know, don't forget a lot of,
that's just marketing as a marketing person.
I will confess that right now.
You know, so just take a breath and play your own game there.
And then the third thing.
We actually had a beautiful conversation about.
Indigeneity and where we're from and,
and our obligation to ourselves to.
Each other that when we have to give.
And, you know, when we need to ask.
That's great. That's wonderful.
And, you know, my last thought is that, you know, Eric.
I have to say that you are very kind of that inspirational kind of
speaking from the pulpit.
Kind of individuals.
So I think that few of us would like to nominate you to be our
spokesperson for the creative community.
And we'll lead. We'll.
So you, you lead us, but thank you for that.
You inspired people in my room.
To be excited again, to connect to the creative community,
to connect to each other. And so thank you for that.
Malaney what you're dealing with,
the black artists and designers skilled with your own personal work.
The obsidian house.
That's just was so powerful and amazing to see.
And so thank you for that work.
And I'm looking forward to seeing how that continues.
Caroline.
You know,
Springboard for the arts. I,
when I was the director of an economic development organization,
that group economies to craft in small towns of Western
North Carolina, we use your CSA program.
Your art train program.
You know, your work of art handbook,
all of the resources that you offer at springboard for the arts is
just full of generosity and knowledge and expertise.
And it's just amazing. And if you all,
as artists or people who work in the arts or community have not
accessed that website,
you should absolutely 100% do that because they have a lot of free
resources and inexpensive resources that you can take advantage of.
That I'm constantly stocking and looking and I'm using
myself. So thank you for that.
And then Leslie, I mean,
we'll let your day with the textile arts LA the idea of a fiber Shan,
which we didn't even really go into,
but this idea of a circular economy.
Inside, you know,
a radius and what you're trying to do to empower textile artists in
the LA area and help them build a Connie's.
Is just phenomenal. And so, you know,
I just want to thank each of you for being a supportive
and.
Subject matter experts in your area.
The work that you've done.
I want to recognize that because I know you're all probably exhausted
on.
I was supporting the artists in a time of crisis. And so, you know,
I'm just, just blown away and I know.
The attendees in my breakout room are also blown away by just the
phenomenal work that each of you are doing in each of your
organizations are doing. So thank you for that.
Thank you to the attendees for participating and being here.
Those of you who were with us for all three talks.
I hope you enjoyed the journey.
I can't believe it's.
Ending,
but I'm sure there'll be some revitalization of these conversations in
the new year.
I hope everybody enjoys their holiday season or has enjoyed it.
If it's already over for you depending kind of on your belief systems
and your, in your culture and your community.
But thank you everyone for being here today.
I'm just so excited about initiating and starting these conversations
and being privileged enough to be part of it,
which is just kind of something that I pinch myself every day for.
So thank you for that. And with that,
I hope everybody enjoys the rest of their day slash evening,