Creative Capital

{{Infobox organization

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| formation = 1999

| type = Philanthropic nonprofit arts organization

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| services = Visual artists, performing artists, literary artists, and multidisciplinary artists in the United States

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| leader_title = President & Executive Director

| leader_name = Christine Kuan (2021-Present); Suzy Delvalle (2016-2020)

| leader_title2 = Founding Director

| leader_name2 = Ruby Lerner (1999-2016)

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| name = Creative Capital

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| abbreviation = Creative Capital

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| location = New York City

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| methods = Awards grants up to $50,000 to individual artists and artist services valued at an additional $50,000; provides artist workshops, educational programming, and artist gatherings across the United States

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| website = {{URL|creative-capital.org|Creative-Capital.org}}

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Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has committed over $50 million in project funding and advisory support to 631 projects representing 783 artists and has worked with thousands more artists across the country through workshops and other resources.{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://creative-capital.org/about-us/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}} One of the "most prestigious art grants in the country,"{{Cite web|last=Vansynghel|first=Margo|title='A bunch of badasses': Northwest artists win prestigious art grants worth $100K {{!}} Crosscut|url=https://crosscut.com/2020/01/bunch-badasses-northwest-artists-win-prestigious-art-grants-worth-100k|access-date=2021-03-30|website=crosscut.com|language=en}} their yearly Creative Capital Awards application is open to artists in over 40 different disciplines spanning the visual arts, performing arts, moving image, literature, technology, and socially-engaged art.

Their stated mission is to “amplify the voices of artists working in all creative disciplines and catalyze connections to help them realize their visions and build sustainable practices.”{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://creative-capital.org/about-us/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}}

History

During the "culture wars" of the 1990s, the National Endowment for the Arts's (NEA) cut funding for individual artists.{{Cite web|title=Bohemian Boot Camp for New York Artists -- New York Magazine - Nymag|url=https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/19151/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=New York Magazine|language=en-us}} In response, Arch Gillies of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts spearheaded the creation of a new organization that would directly fund individual artists. Creative Capital began in 1999 with Ruby Lerner as Founding Director. The announcement of the organization appeared on the front page of The New York Times, noting that Creative Capital would "actively advocate freedom of expression" and "support artists who challenge convention."{{Cite news|last=Dobrzynski|first=Judith H.|date=1999-05-03|title=Private Donors Unite to Support Art Spurned by the Government|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/03/arts/private-donors-unite-to-support-art-spurned-by-the-government.html|access-date=2021-03-30|issn=0362-4331}}

In its first year, Creative Capital launched by selecting 75 artists to receive the Creative Capital Award.{{Cite web|date=27 January 2000|title=New Fund to Support Emerging Artists Awards 75 Grants Totaling Over $560,000|url=https://www.philanthropy.com/article/New-Fund-to-Support-Emerging/187949|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.philanthropy.com}} In 2002, the organization launched their first Artist Retreat at Skowhegan School of Painting. This in-person meeting of artists and professionals became a core part of Creative Capital's model, allowing for an exchange of ideas and as well as a platform to spark new connections within the community.{{Cite web|last=Candid|title=A Spark for Good Art: Creative Capital Doesn't Just Fund Projects, It Builds Careers|url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/columns/ssir-pnd/a-spark-for-good-art-creative-capital-doesn-t-just-fund-projects-it-builds-careers|access-date=2020-08-10|website=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=How Ruby Lerner's Vision Shaped the Unique Model of Creative Capital|url=https://creative-capital.org/2020/08/18/how-ruby-lerners-vision-shaped-the-unique-model-of-creative-capital/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}}

Creative Capital has supported many artists whose projects have become well recognized in their fields and beyond, including Paul Beatty’s The Sellout,{{Cite web|date=2016-10-25|title=Paul Beatty is the first American to win the Man Booker Prize|url=https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-man-booker-20161025-snap-story.html|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}} Yance Ford’s Strong Island,{{Cite web|title=STRONG ISLAND|url=https://www.strongislandfilm.com/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=STRONG ISLAND|language=en-US}} Bill Morrison’s Decasia,{{Cite web|title=Bill Morrison's "Decasia" Added to National Film Registry|url=https://creative-capital.org/2014/01/08/bill-morrisons-decasia-added-national-film-registry/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}}{{Cite web|last1=Marfa|first1=The Chinati Foundation PO Box 1135 / 1 Cavalry Row|last2=Foundation|first2=TX 79843 Wed-Sun 9am–5pm map {{!}} plan your visit © 2021 The Chinati|title=Bill Morrison: Film Screening at the Crowley Theater – The Chinati Foundation|url=https://chinati.org/bill-morrison-screening-at-the-crowley-theater/|access-date=2021-03-30|language=en-US}} Bandaloop's Crossing,{{Cite web|date=2006-08-20|title=Creative types get a bit of business schooling|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-20-ca-capital20-story.html|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}} Sam Van Aken’s Tree of 40 Fruits,{{Cite web|title=Tree of 40 Fruit|url=https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/museum/exhibit/tree-of-40-fruits/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=21c Museum Hotels|language=en-US}} Jae Rhim Lee’s Infinity Burial Project,{{Cite web|title=Infinity Burial Project » Coeio|url=http://coeio.com/infinity-burial-project/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616061849/http://www.coeio.com/infinity-burial-project/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 16, 2015|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Coeio|language=en-US}} Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts,{{Cite web|title=Creative Writing Lecture: Maggie Nelson|url=https://arts.columbia.edu/events/creative-writing-lecture-maggie-nelson|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Columbia - School of the Arts|language=en}} as well as early works by artists like Taylor Mac, Sanford Biggers, Laura Poitras, and Jeffrey Gibson.

In 2019, Creative Capital celebrated their 20th anniversary.{{Cite web|title=20th Anniversary|url=https://creative-capital.org/20th-anniversary/|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Creative Capital|language=en}} In partnership with the Los Angeles Review of Books, Creative Capital invited several writers to examine projects from each award cycle year in the organization's first two decades.{{Cite web|last=Fateman|first=Johanna|title=Art Matters Now — 12 Writers on 20 Years of Art: Johanna Fateman on the Founding of Creative Capital|url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/art-matters-now-12-writers-on-20-years-of-art-johanna-fateman-on-the-founding-of-creative-capital/|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Los Angeles Review of Books}}

Creative Capital Awards

Through an open application process, Creative Capital identifies and selects artists from all disciplines to receive the Creative Capital Award. The award gives each project access to up to $50,000 in direct funding allocated at key intervals in project development, combined with additional mentorship and advisory services.{{Cite web|title=About the Creative Capital Award|url=https://creative-capital.org/award/about/|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Creative Capital|language=en}}

While there were a total of 12 award cycles from 2000 to 2019, in 2019 for their 20th anniversary, Creative Capital announced a new annual award cycle.{{Cite web|last=Candid|title=Creative Capital Shifts to Annual Funding Cycle for Artists|url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/creative-capital-shifts-to-annual-funding-cycle-for-artists|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)|language=en}}

Philanthropic Model and Artist Services

Creative Capital calls for artists to submit their project ideas through a free and open application for the Creative Capital Awards. After selecting artists for the awards, the organization applies a venture philanthropy model to help those artists develop their projects with funding, professional development, and advisory services, including artist coaching, communications and promotion, strategic planning, and legal and financial counsel.{{Cite web|title=Creative Capital: Sustaining the Arts ^ 810098|url=https://store.hbr.org/product/creative-capital-sustaining-the-arts/810098|access-date=2021-03-30|website=HBR Store|language=en}} The award gives artists access to a series of artist gatherings, like Creative Capital Carnival, designed to connect them with a community of artists and professionals who can help realize and present their work at venues and organizations all over the world.{{Cite web|title=Venture Philanthropy for the Arts, for Innovation (SSIR)|url=https://ssir.org/articles/entry/venture_philanthropy_for_the_arts_for_innovation|access-date=2021-03-30|website=ssir.org|language=en-us}}

Creative Capital's approach centers on the idea that time and advisory services are as important to the creative process as money. As awardees' funded projects develop, Creative Capital staff meet with them to set goals and chart progress. Creative Capital provides funding at benchmark moments for each project, including initial funding, support to build the artist's personal and professional capacity, follow-up support for project production, funding for the project's premiere, and support for the project's expansion after its premiere.{{cite web|title=Our Approach|url=http://creative-capital.org/approach|access-date=31 October 2012}} Of this type of support, Sheryl Oring, a Creative Capital Awardee, has said, "For mid-career artists like me, Creative Capital can help make the difference between whether we keep making art or give up."{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Tim|title=Bohemian Boot Camp|url=http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/19151/|access-date=10 October 2012|publisher=nymag.com}}

= Creative Capital Award recipients =

= Notable awardees include =

Performing Arts

Performing arts works funded by Creative Capital often blur the genres, including musical performance, theater, comedy, puppetry, dance, jazz, and multimedia installation. Notable projects include James Scruggs's 3/Fifths, Robin Frohardt's The Plastic Bag Store, Kyle Abraham's Dearest Home, Nick Cave's Drop, Taylor Mac's The Lily’s Revenge, and Young Jean Lee's Lear.

Visual Arts

Visual arts projects that have received Creative Capital Awards include installation, painting, sculpture, photography, and public art. Notable funded projects include Abigail DeVille’s The Bronx: History of Now, Richard Pell’s Center for PostNatural History, Jennie C. Jones’ Counterpoint, Critical Art Ensemble’s GenTerra,{{Cite web|title=How Critical Art Ensemble Pioneered Bio Art|url=https://creative-capital.org/2020/01/27/how-critical-art-ensemble-pioneered-bio-art/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}} and Lead Pencil Studios’ Maryhill Double.{{Cite web|last=Graves|first=Jen|title=Dust and the Promise of Water|url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/dust-and-the-promise-of-water/Content?oid=55936|access-date=2021-03-30|website=The Stranger|language=en}}

Moving Image

Creative Capital Projects in moving image include narrative and documentary film, short, episodic, and experimental film, animation, and video art. Notable projects include Penny Lane's documentary, NUTS!, Barbara Hammer's Resisting Paradise,{{Cite web|title="Remembering Barbara Hammer: Artists Discuss Her Legacy, Generosity, and Work." Creative Capital, April 18, 2019.|url=https://barbarahammer.com/texts/remembering-barbara-hammer-artists-discuss-her-legacy-generosity-and-work-creative-capital-april-18-2019/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Barbara Hammer|language=en}} Sam Green's The Weather Underground,{{Cite web|title=The Ripple Effect of History: A Documentary about a Group of Radical Activists Resonates Today|url=https://creative-capital.org/2020/07/17/the-ripple-effect-of-history-a-documentary-about-a-group-of-radical-activists-resonates-today/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}} as well as Yance Ford's Strong Island,{{Cite web|title=Yance Ford on Asking the Right Questions with "Strong Island"|url=https://creative-capital.org/2018/03/02/yance-ford-asking-right-questions-strong-island/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}} and Daniel Sousa's Feral, both of which were nominated for Academy Awards.{{Cite web|title='Strong Island' Director Yance Ford Makes Oscars History|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/03/04/590745506/strong-island-director-yance-ford-makes-oscars-history|access-date=2021-03-30|website=NPR.org|language=en}}

Literature

Creative Capital began funding literature projects in 2005, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid literary works. Notable projects include Paul Beatty's The Sellout, Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts, and Bernadette Mayer's The Helens of Troy, New York.

Emerging Fields

Since 2000, Creative Capital has funded projects under a particular discipline they call “emerging fields,” which includes disciplines not typically classified as art. As of 2019, the category has been broken out into more specific categories, such as technology, social practice, software, architecture & design.{{Cite web|title=Awardees|url=https://creative-capital.org/award/awardees/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Creative Capital|language=en}} Some notable artists funded in this category include:

Artist Retreat and Carnival

After each new round of awards was announced, Creative Capital would host a retreat for the artists, as well as people connected to Creative Capital in various ways who act as consultants, workshop leaders or observers.{{Cite web|title=Retreat & Gatherings|url=https://creative-capital.org/retreat-and-gatherings/|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Creative Capital|language=en}} In various workshops and meetings with consultants, artists were advised on how to plan the coming years of their artistic careers as well their personal goals.{{Cite web|title=Bohemian Boot Camp for New York Artists -- New York Magazine - Nymag|url=https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/19151/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=New York Magazine|language=en-us}} In 2021, the Artist Retreat was replaced by Creative Capital Carnival, a day-long event for Creative Capital artists to connect with each other and network.

Creative Capital hosts a variety of events for awardees to meet each other and others within the artistic community. Critic Paddy Johnson wrote, "These conferences offer grantees an amazing opportunity to connect with other artists and a wide range of curators, distributors, and artistic directors through mixers, meetings with consultants, and artist presentations. They also ask grantees to return to the conference every couple of years, which keeps them in touch with a constantly expanding network of creative art folk."{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Paddy|title=Expanding The Creative Capital Network|url=http://www.artfagcity.com/2012/07/30/expanding-the-creative-capital-network/|publisher=Art Fag City|access-date=31 October 2012}}

At the Artist Retreat, awardees were asked to present their Creative Capital Award project ideas as a work-in-progress to a live audience of curators and presenters.{{Cite web|title=Venture Philanthropy for the Arts, for Innovation (SSIR)|url=https://ssir.org/articles/entry/venture_philanthropy_for_the_arts_for_innovation|access-date=2021-03-30|website=ssir.org|language=en-us}} These presentations were then uploaded to YouTube and can be viewed by the public.{{Cite web|title=- YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNetQ|access-date=2021-03-30|website=www.youtube.com}} Starting in 2021, awardees now create project videos that are screened at Carnival and uploaded on YouTube.

Workshops and Resources

In 2003 Creative Capital started producing workshops, offering all artists access to online and in-person workshops to help them with skills such as communication and marketing, strategic planning, self-management, fundraising, and community building. Many of the programs are developed and led by Creative Capital Awardees, using the affordable workshop model to give them a platform to share their expertise. The workshops have been described as a "crash course in self-management, strategic planning, fundraising and promotion."{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Annie|title=Workshop brings 'creative capital'|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/print-edition/2011/06/03/workshop-brings-creative-capital.html|access-date=10 October 2012|newspaper=Nashville Business Journal|date=3 June 2011}}

During the pandemic in 2020, Creative Capital provided online resources including free artist workshops.{{Cite web|last=Jaime|first=Angie|title=6 Digital Art Museums You Can Visit From Home|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/6-digital-art-museum-you-can-visit-from-home|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Teen Vogue|language=en-us}} The organization was also a member of Artist Relief, an emergency coalition of national arts grantmakers to support artists during the COVID-19 crisis.{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://www.artistrelief.org/about|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Artist Relief|language=en-US}}

References

External links

[http://creative-capital.org Creative-Capital.org]
[http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/print-edition/2011/06/03/workshop-brings-creative-capital.html Nashville Business Journal features a workshop led by the Creative Capital Professional Development Program in Nashville]
[https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/13/arts/new-york-artists-win-majority-of-a-foundation-s-first-grants.html New York Times article on the first round of Creative Capital grantees]
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-20-ca-capital20-story.html LA Times article on Creative Capital's impact]
[http://www.fastcompany.com/59351/it-sure-beats-nea Fast Company article on Creative Capital's use of venture philanthropy]
[http://99u.com/articles/6495/Ruby-Lerner-Preparing-Artists-for-a-DIYWO-World 99u interview with President of Creative Capital, Ruby Lerner]
[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/arts/design/19profit.html New York Times article in which Creative Capital's Professional Development Program is mentioned]
[http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/news/2011-01-28/funding-the-arts-pay-to-play/ Funding the Arts: Pay to Play] – Art in America
[http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2012/08/the-cult-appeal-of-the-creative-capital-retreat/ The Cult Appeal of the Creative Capital Retreat]
[http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1056 Creative Capital: April 30–June 6, 2010] – exhibition
[http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/a_spark_for_good_art A Spark for Good Art: Creative Capital doesn’t just fund projects, it builds careers]

Category:Arts organizations based in New York City

Category:Arts organizations established in 1999

Category:1999 establishments in New York (state)