A few months back, there were a spate of headlines suggesting that the website Kickstarter had exceeded the National Endowment of the Arts in dollars supporting the arts. Presented this way, the two models - crowdfunding and grants-based funding - might seem to be in opposition (the blog Createquity recently had a thoughtful exploration of why they're not). Many individual … [Read more...]
Campaigning for Art
Son of a Bug Trailer from Nicky Tavares on Vimeo. Raising money for a creative project can be a daunting proposition. Crowdfunding sites, if matched with the right project campaigns, can provide a useful template for attracting funds. If you're curious about starting a crowdfunding campaign of your own, check out how some Massachusetts artists are using the site … [Read more...]
Crowdfunding: A Primer
Still from THE WAKE, a film-in-progress by Jesse Kreitzer, fundraising on Kickstarter So, you have a creative project (a yet unfinished film, music album, novel, interactive crochet installation, etc.) and you want funding so you can adequately - nay, spectacularly - realize your vision. Instead of relying solely on traditional grant programs (such as our Artist … [Read more...]
In the Hands of Holly Lynton
A few years ago, photographer Holly Lynton left New York City for Massachusetts farm country, a setting that better fits her desired lifestyle and has a closer synergy with her recent explorations in photography. The photographs in her "Bare Handed" series - some taken in Massachusetts - find mystery and spiritual resonance in people's voluntary encounters with natural forces, … [Read more...]
Atlantic Portals on Kickstarter
In 2009, Claire Andrade-Watkins won an Artist Fellowship in Film & Video by submitting a portion of her film Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican. The documentary is about immigrants from the Cape Verde Islands in the Fox Point neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island, whose community was devastated by gentrification in the '60s and '70s. It is a fascinating and intensely … [Read more...]