Springboard for the Arts and mnartists.org celebrate the launch of the Community Supported Art (CSA) with the first pick-up event and a party on the Walker Open Field.
mnartists.org and Springboard for the Arts and are pleased to announce the official launch party for the inaugural season of Community Supported Art (CSA) on Thursday, June 17, 2010 at the Walker Art Center's Open Field from 6 - 9 pm. This celebratory event will feature music by Davina and the Vagabonds and short presentations by the CSA program creators, artists, and members of the local food and art community; food and drinks will be available on the new Open Field patio. The event will also serve as the first of three pick-up sites scheduled this summer for those who've purchased member shares of locally-created artwork. Even if you're not a shareholder in CSA, we invite you to come down and celebrate our vibrant local art community, learn about new economies in the arts, and enjoy a summer evening on the Open Field.
About CSA: Community Supported Art
The CSA program supports artists and creates a community of engaged local arts supporters. CSA supports artists: in the creation of new work, by helping them to establish relationships with local collectors and patrons, and by providing an avenue for them to participate in the launch of an exciting new model of art support and distribution. CSA share/member benefits include multiple works of original art from local emerging and mid-career artists at a fantastic value! Additionally, CSA shareholders have the opportunity to develop relationships with the local artists and art community, discover new artists, explore a variety of disciplines, and directly support artists' careers and a vibrant community.
How Does the CSA work?
Over the last 20 years the community supported agriculture, or "farm share," model has become a popular way for consumers to buy seasonal produce directly from local farmers. With the same buy-local spirit in mind, both mnartists.org and Springboard for the Arts created Community Supported Art (CSA), initiated a similar endeavor to support local art, artists, and collectors, paying local artists to create new work and then connecting them with a community of new patrons. Nearly 200 local artists applied for the first season of our CSA; from those applications, 9 artists were selected by a panel of local food and culture tastemakers, including Lee Zukor (Simple, Good and Tasty), James Norton (The Heavy Table), Chuck Olsen (MN Original) and Mecca Bos-Williams (Metro Magazine), Laura Zabel (Springboard for the Arts) and Scott Stulen (mnartists.org). The 50 shares (aka "memberships" or "subscriptions") which were offered for the inaugural season sold out completely in only six hours! Featured works in the first season's "farm boxes" of art could include items such as: an edition of vinyl 7", a run of screenprints, series of small tea cups, limited editions of photographs, letterpress broadsides of a poem or short story, or even small original paintings.
The summer CSA artists include:
Calpurnia Peach (textile/fashion)
Jennifer Davis/Burlesque design (painting/printmaking)
Andy Ducett (drawing/printmaking)
Sam Hoolihan/Switzerland (musician/photographer)
Amber Jensen (book arts)
Maren Kloppmann (ceramics)
Lacey Prpic Hedtke (photography)
Amy Rice (painting)
Karl Unnasch (stained glass/sculpture)
Pick-up Events
The summer CSA pick-up evenings are opportunities for shareholders to receive their purchased share. The first pickup event will be a public celebration of the program on new Walker Open Field on June 17th.
Subsequent pick-up event times and locations include:
Second pick-up event
Friday, July 23, 2010
6 - 8 pm
Mears Park, in conjunction with TPT's MN Original launch party
221 5th St. East
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Third pick-up event
Thursday, August 19, 2010
4 - 7 pm
Walker Art Center, as part of mnartists.org's Field Day
1750 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
How can I get involved?
Are you an artist interested in applying for inclusion in the next CSA season? Or, would you like to find out more about purchasing shares? Please visit www.mnartists.org/CSA for more information.
About Springboard for the Arts
Springboard for the Arts is an economic development organization for artists. Springboard for the Arts' mission is to cultivate a vibrant community by connecting artists with the skills, information, and services they need to make a living and life. For more than 20 years, Springboard for the Arts has been providing affordable professional development services to artists and their organizations. Springboard's programs include one on one consulting, workshops, the Artist Loan Fund, Emergency Relief Fund, Artists' Access to Healthcare and online Job Book and Resource Guide. For more information on our services see our website at www.springboardforthearts.org .
About mnartists.org
The mission of mnartists.org is to improve the lives of Minnesota artists and provide access to and engagement with Minnesota's arts culture. mnartists.org is an online database of Minnesota artists and organizations from all disciplines. It offers to Minnesota-based artists a central gathering place on the Web, and will grow to become a marketplace and community hub. It offers the public a new way to explore art and get to know artists. In addition to providing artists and organizations with a web page containing images and information, mnartists.org provides news and features about the local arts scene from a variety of sources. mnartists.org was developed as the result of a survey of Minnesota artists conducted by The McKnight Foundation. The survey revealed the survival struggles of individual artists. The McKnight Foundation partnered with the Walker Art Center's New Media Initiatives group to develop mnartists.org.
