The Foundation announced the 12 artists selected to take part in the prestigious Business of Art Cohort. Funded by GWCF's Creative Worcester Initiative in partnership with the Barr Foundation, the Business of Art is a 6-month financial wellness and sustainability program for Worcester artists of color who identify as low-to-moderate income. Administered with the help of MASS MoCA's Assets for Artists, this capacity-building program pairs $1,000 mini-grants with one-on-one coaching, artist community-building, and a series of online financial and business resiliency workshops specifically focused on navigating a post-COVID cultural sector. All program components are linked through a core commitment to racial equity.
“Individual artists and creatives are natural entrepreneurs, and they play a vital role in Worcester's arts and culture ecosystem,'' said Lindiana Semidei, GWCF Program Officer. “However, many artists aren't given the proper tools and resources to learn how to produce a business for profit from their creative ideas through traditional entrepreneurship programs. We also know that Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are under-served in the arts community. Through GWCF's The Business of Art cohort, we plan to invest in and support the amazing work that's already happening in the creative community and give artists the building blocks for economic self-sufficiency.”
The following artists have been named for the new Business of Art Cohort:
- George Annan
- Christine Brown
- Vanessa Calixto
- Emmanuel Carboo / Q Demi god
- Julian Cintrón
- William Gardiner
- Yasmin Goris
- Geoffrey Killebrew
- Jenkins Macedo
- BrujaTheVillain
- John Vo
- Grhimm Xavier
More information or questions about The Business of Art, contact Lindiana Semidei at lsemidei@greaterworcester.org.