Who Pays for the Art?
Mannequins and animal taxidermy dangles above the ground at various heights around you. Once the sun dips below the horizon, you see multiple points on the levitated bodies light up. You notice that you are looking at constellations. This exhibit is You are Here created by Ken Nintzel. You are Here is currently on display in the BAM Next Wave Festival until December. Nintzel created the three dimensional representation of the night sky’s constellations.
Normally we will focus on how the artist created his piece of work, what inspired him, and the purpose of his work, but we don’t discuss where the artist receives the capital to begin and continue his project. Many of the artistic institutions in New York City are free to the public. If consumers are not funding the arts of New York City, then who is funding them? Most of us would think art donors provide capital for artists. This is true, but their donations are only part of the benefits they offer the artists. Organizations are set up to manage the funds of donors and provide assistance to artists in various ways.
The non-profit organization, Creative Capital, funded Ken Nintzel’s You are Here. Creative Capital’s headquarter is located in New York City, but operates on a national scale. Since its conception in 1999, it has provided $29 million to 418 projects. Ruby Lerner founded Creative Capital as a response to the National Endowment for the Arts’ decision to cease its grant programs to artists. Funding allows artists to pursue their projects and without it lovers of art would never see greats pieces of art such as You are Here. As an organization meant to benefit artists, Creative Capital lives up to its cause by contributing the maximum amount of effort to each and every project it chooses to guide.
Creative Capital functions and treats projects similar to how Venture Capital firms incubate start-ups. The main difference is that Creative Capital was not created to generate profit. Aside from funding, it provides artists services, which support artists and assist their growth. Artist services include; “artist retreats and convening; coaching; promotional support; phone-in clinics for legal, public relations, financial planning, business planning; web and technology advice; and partnerships” (Capital). Artist retreats and conventions are events that allow artists to network and present their work that they collaborated with the non-profit to create. Creative Capital’s dedication to the art community is obvious. In the 2013 artist retreat, Jen Bervin presented her project, Silk Poems, which is about biomedical silk, along with countless other artists. It is likely that Ken Nintzel will have similar chance to present You are Here in the 2014 artist retreat. These retreats are proof that the effort and work Creative Capital contributes yields amazing pieces of art. The various other services provided are logistical and meant to ensure the success of the project being funded. It invests three to sevens years into each project to ensure that it realizes the artist’s vision. No matter how much support is generated, it is impossible to fund every project out there. There must be a process that offers these services to the most deserving artists.
Hundreds of artists apply for grants, but Creative Capital has to narrow down its applicants to a small percentage. Because of the rigorous amount of effort it attributes to each project, applications are accepted once every other year and only for specific fields dedicated to that year. The next application process is open February 3rd, 2014, but only for visual arts and film or video projects. The process is highly selective and looks for certain characteristics in the artists and their projects: professional capacity, artistic strength, time, ideas, project feasibility, and potential impact and benefit. Once a panel of judges has selected approximately 45 projects, the artists will begin to receive monetary and consulting services. Each project is initially granted $10,000, but if needed, projects will continue to request aid up to $50,000. As I have mentioned, it provides more than just financial services, the professional services and benefits can reach as high as $40,000. Each project has the potential to receive up to $90,000 in funding. One session of funding for all the approved projects can top $4 million. Where does Creative Capital receive the money to fund projects like You are Here?
Large portions of Creative Capital’s money come from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and various supporters and donors. In 2009, the Warhol Foundation made a ten-year commitment to provide $15 million dollars to Creative Capital. Aside from the Warhol Foundation, it receives funds from over 500 sources. Anyone can donate and make an impact on an artist’s work and vision. Every penny it receives will be put to good use to serve artists that have or have not been selected.
Because Creative Capital is aware that its fund is a finite supply, it chooses to start the Professional Development Program (PDP), which provides support for the artist community. Anyone can attend the PDP workshops, regardless if his or her project has been selected for funding or not. The workshops provide tools for artists to communicate, market themselves, and managing their finances. Artists are encouraged to learn from each other and work together to meet their respective goals. This program has affected various artists and their success stories can be found on Creative Capital’s blog. There will be a financial literacy workshop in New York City in 2014. The PDP’s main goal is to bring the community together to help artists complete their projects by providing the appropriate knowledge and tools.
The funding and guidance, Ken Nintzel received from Creative Capital is important because it made You are Here possible. We often don’t think about where the money for a piece of artwork comes from, but it is the second most important aspect next to the artists’ vision. Without any funding, artists may never be able to start or complete their projects. Creative Capital has done a magnificent job in servicing the art community by starting the Professional Development Program and giving a chance for artists to incubate their projects.
Work Cited
BAM. 2013 Next Wave Art. 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Creative Capital. Creative Capital, 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Warhol Foundation. Warhol Foundation, 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
