WORKSHOP DETAILS

APRIL 4-6, 2003 | LOWER MANHATTAN CULTURAL COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY

A lot of advice given to artists is misguided – especially about how to alter your work to make money. It was so nice to hear about ways to realize your work fully and also have a successful life
    — Paul Clay, LMCC artist/participant

Overview

Creative Capital launched our Professional Development weekend retreats through a unique partnership with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). Through a nomination process, LMCC selected visual artists who had received a space grant from the Council to participate in the retreat, which took place at Creative Capital’s offices.

After the workshop ended, alumni from the retreat served as nominators for a second group of artists to participate in a second workshop sponsored by LMCC in October 2003.

Highlights From the 2003 Retreat

Leaders

Professional Development Program Director: Alyson Pou

Workshop Instructors: Colleen Keegan, Jackie Battenfield, Aaron Landsman

Artist-facilitators: Poet Tracie Morris, Visual and Video artist Chris Doyle, and Emerging Fields artist Sue Johnson

Observers: Sara Kellner, Executive Director, Diverseworks; Sean Elwood, Creative Capital.

Artists

20 New York City-based visual artists attended the 2003 weekend retreat. They ran the gamut in terms of age, medium and cultural background – from emerging installation artist Yoko Inoue, whose work is idiosyncratic, humorous and provocative, to veteran abstract painter Todd Stone, to Paul Clay, a media artist who works in film, fashion, and studio art, as well as running a local gallery. Many of these artists were also active as curators, teachers and digital media professionals.

Outcomes

The initial retreat with LMCC was so successful that, together, the two organizations immediately began planning a second retreat for October 2003. In addition, the workshop participants remained an active avenue of support for one another, organizing an email listserv to keep in touch, and helping each other publicize openings and collaborate on projects.

One of the most exciting developments with this workshop was a small break-out group that discussed long-term financial planning and real estate. Of the seven participants who met, four have already purchased homes in Manhattan, Bronx and Brooklyn, without a large influx of startup funds.

Creative Capital also facilitated a follow-up meeting with the LMCC artists three months after the retreat in April, facilitated by Alyson Pou and Colleen Keegan. Many of the participants reported substantial progress toward their goals and have maintained contact ever since.

"The Creative Capital workshops helped me shift my mindset to one of believing that I can simultaneously think in terms of long term stability, balance, family life and reward. The most apparent result of the workshops is that my partner and I are in the process of buying an apartment in Manhattan, which will give us long term stability." – Ann Beffel, LMCC artist/participant