Artist to artist program was developed in 2014 in partnership with the Hannah Grimes Center. The Center found that artists and creatives were not participating as readily in their programming than anticipated. When surveying potential participants they found a strong desire to have workshops in artist-friendly locations, taught by experts in working with artists and artists who had found some level of success. Arts Alive! seemed a perfect partner to develop a program that served artists' needs in business development learning. What was developed has worked as a feeder, giving artists a taste for business development topics and introducing them to Hannah Grimes's more in-depth business development programming.
Arts Alive! and The Hannah Grimes Center presented about the Artist to Artist program at the New England Foundation for the Arts Creative Communities Exchange this past summer in New London, CT. Noted as a great example for other communities around the region, we shared our knowledge and experience in developing and running the Artist to Artist program. Check out our presentation!
Kate Hickey, program director at The Hannah Grimes Center
Kate Hickey
As for benefits from our perspective of the collaboration, we feel that both organizations' work is amplified with this successful collaboration. The A2A series is business owner oriented and that makes both of us broaden our networks as often times artists/makers can be siloed from the business start up community, when in fact artists are the very much in the business entrepreneurship environment. I think we have both extended our reach with the collaboration.
The Hannah Grimes Center has increased our arts & crafts cluster reach by 37%!
Craig Stockwell, visual artist
Craig Stockwell in his studio
I have been involved in the Artist to Artist program both as a presenter and in hosting a gathering at my studio. The presentation took place in Hillsborough village and it offered me the opportunity to speak to a small group of adult artists about mid-career professional and educational options. I, as Director of a low-residency MFA program (NHIA) took the time to especially talk about how a low-residency MFA is well-designed for giving adult artists a re-immersion in their work and the art conversation.
Jillian Miner, Program founder
When I was at Hannah Grimes, we were focusing on a few different industries we knew needed help when it came to building their businesses - the arts was one of them.
Yes artists and arts organizations may know how to create beautiful art, whatever medium that may look like, BUT they need more help when it comes to the business building basics of spreading the word about their work and well, selling it (making a living for themselves).
The Artist to Artist Program came to fruition because there was a need. Artists were interested in learning more so they could move out of the ’starving artist profile’ if you will toward the ’support my family and lifestyle’ attitude. We simply coordinated the experts or those successful artists to share what they were doing with a community who were ready and willing to learn.
Knowing the A2A program has the opportunity for artists to grow is the reason why I wanted to help develop it in the first place.