Arts in Our City
|| Thursday, November 9 / 6:00 – 7:30 pm. || Our local decision-makers play a critical role in how arts and culture and artists are valued and supported in our city. With the announcement of a new position in city administration specifically designed to support our arts and culture industries, we want to open up an authentic conversation between our arts community and city and county leadership. How can we work together to realize a greater vision for Cleveland’s arts and culture?
This conversation hosted as part of REvision, a series of community discussions focused on reimagining and addressing key challenges faced by Greater Cleveland’s arts and culture industry. Register to attend this free conversation.
Registration isn’t required but will help us plan for the best discussion possible. Accessible location coming soon!
Guaranteed Basic Income
|| Thursday, October 12 / 6:00 – 7:30 pm. || What would it look like if artists could work knowing they’d receive a guaranteed paycheck every month to supplement their creative work? Other cities are trying this. Join the discussion to learn how they’re doing it and what this could mean in Cleveland’s arts community.
What is guaranteed income? Defined by Springboard for the Arts, an artist support organization in Minneapolis, “A guaranteed income is a monthly cash payment given directly to individuals. It’s unconditional with no strings attached and no work requirements and is meant to supplement, rather than replace, existing social safety nets and can be a tool for racial and gender equity.”
Learn more about Springboard’s Guaranteed Income Pilot program and discuss this concept as a group with Assembly.
This conversation hosted as part of REvision, a series of community discussions focused on reimagining and addressing key challenges faced by Greater Cleveland’s arts and culture industry. Register to attend this free conversation.
Registration isn’t required but will help us plan for the best discussion possible. Accessible location coming soon!
Access to Funds
|| Thursday, July 13 / 6:00 – 7:30 pm. || Securing the money needed to maintain a creative practice is often a full-time job. Whether it’s gig work, grant seeking, product sales, commissions or multiple part-time jobs, artistic income is typically patchworked together through multiple sources. What are some alternative methods of generating income and how can we take an active role in redefining our approach to funding creative work?
Join the discussion and learn more about systems like fiscal sponsorship, low and no interest loans and other methods for accessing capital.
This conversation hosted as part of REvision, a series of community discussions focused on reimagining and addressing key challenges faced by Greater Cleveland’s arts and culture industry. Register to attend this free conversation.
Registration isn’t required but will help us plan for the best discussion possible. Accessible location coming soon!
Creative Spaces
|| Thursday, April 13 / 6:00 – 7:30 pm. @ SPACES Gallery ||
Our creative community is facing a serious issue of access to the space they need to live, work and create. What resources are available to help artists and creative businesses access space to live, work, rehearse, present, and host events? Hear insights from a panel of city officials, artists, and developers. Network and brainstorm real solutions to space access and ownership.
This conversation hosted as part of REvision, a series of community discussions focused on reimagining and addressing key challenges faced by Greater Cleveland’s arts and culture industry. Register to attend this free conversation.
Location: SPACES 2900 Detroit Avenue Cleveland, OH 44113
Key Guest Voices at this conversation:
- Joyce Pan Huang, Director, City of Cleveland Planning Commission
- Aisia Jones, VP of Community Empowerment, MidTown
- Ajha Dean Phillips, Cleveland Black Artist Movement
- Julie Schabel, Wave Space Studio
- Ismail Samad, LOITER
- Sarah Paul, Artist, Associate Professor of Sculpture + Expanded Media, CIA
Registration isn’t required but will help us plan for the best discussion possible.
Workbench Series Archive
View materials and watch videos of 2022 WorkBench Sessions.
Workbench Sessions | 2022 Schedule |
|||
Session |
Partner |
Date |
Link |
| Capitalization for Grantmakers and Nonprofits | GIA | January 11 | learn |
| Accessibility Opportunity: Arts + Culture Partnership + Shared Virtual Communities | Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities | January 20 | view recipients |
| Healthcare is not a Privilege | The MetroHealth System | March 10 | view resources |
| Fiscal Sponsorship 101 | April 14 | watch | |
| Business Basics for Creatives | SCORE Cleveland | May 4 | watch |
| Marketing Basics for Creatives | SCORE Cleveland | May 18 | watch |
| Community CORE: The Superhero Project | Lisa Kollins | July 21 | watch |
| Legal Help Needed: Better Call VLA and Legal Aid | Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts; Legal Aid | August 11 | learn more |
| A Conversation with W.A.G.E. | W.A.G.E. | November 3 | WAGENCY |
Context
In learning from Cleveland’s arts and culture communities, Assembly has seen the need for practical support, professional development and connections rise to the top as priorities for creative workers – from financial sustainability, accounting and health insurance to accessibility, equity practices and legal assistance.
Assembly worked in partnership with The George Gund Foundation and Grantmakers in the Arts to host an initial workshop focused on financial resiliency and capitalization for both grantmakers and nonprofit organizations.
With that and the observed priorities for creative workers, Assembly has devised Workbench Sessions: Useable Tools for Creative Workers
Who benefits?
The ultimate goal of this program is to boost the professional bandwidth and resiliency of our area creative workers and, in turn, grow the effectiveness of greater Cleveland’s arts and culture sector and creative industries. Stronger arts and culture means thriving residents, vibrant and safer neighborhoods, more effective education and community well-being.
Additionally, the financial impact of COVID on artists and arts groups has been well documented. But even prior to the pandemic, small- and medium-budget nonprofits lacked sufficient financial cushions to do long range planning, weather unexpected emergencies, or beef up for expansion. Assembly is well-positioned to provide support and resources to our creative communities that address these issues.
By hosting this series of programs, Assembly for the Arts will gain more insight into future programming and uncover areas of deep need for the arts community.
Financial Sustainability for Creatives
While the overall Workbench Sessions are intended to address the needs of the full creative community, a specialized, separate track of entrepreneurship coaching will be offered for small to mid-size organizations, artists and small creative businesses. Participation will prioritize BIPOC communities, BIPOC-led organizations, and organizations devoted to development equitable business practices. This work is supported by Huntington Bank’s Entrepreneur In Residence program.
Community Core Sessions
Assembly recognizes that there are hundreds of untapped experts in our arts communities who are living, working and waiting to share their knowledge. That’s why we’re excited to launch Workbench: Community Core. An extension of the Workbench Sessions, Community Core feature arts community presented topics and conversations. We see the value in creating a flexible, community-centered space and platform for our local artists, business owners, nonprofit professionals and entrepreneurs to Teach, Connect and Provide their knowledge to the public using the virtual webinar format.
Topics can be
- Knowledge-based; rooted in your expertise as part of the arts community and supportive to others
- Collaborative in style, seeking the feedback of the community
- Broad-reaching and beneficial for anyone in the arts community
Topics cannot be
- Partisan political presentations or lobbying efforts
- A sales pitch or event promotion
- A lecture on a personal viewpoint
Submit your idea now!
All Community Core presentations will be hosted on Assembly’s Zoom platform, supported by staff and promoted in our communications channels. Our regular Workbench Series will continue, with Community Core as a supplement depending on community interest and appetite.