View materials and watch videos of 2022 WorkBench Sessions.
Workbench Sessions | 2022 Schedule |
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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.