January 14, 2025 (Cape Cod, MA) – The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has selected 15 artists to participate in its Capacity-Building Program which helps participants identify practical strategies to strengthen their creative practice and take the next steps in their professional careers.
Launched in 2023, the program is now welcoming its third cohort of artists who will spend the next four months taking professional development workshops; benefit from small group coaching in the development of a business plan aimed at identifying goals and a road map to achieving them; and receive a $1,000 grant at the end of program completion.
Since its inception, 27 artists have gone through the program, including 12 in 2023 and 15 last year.
“We’re incredibly impressed by the creative talent that abounds here on Cape Cod as exemplified by the artists selected for this year’s program,” said Arts Foundation Executive Director Julie Wake. “They are making important contributions to our community through their art. We look forward to giving them the support, tools, connections, and access to the resources they need to live, create, and thrive here.”
“Because I work with young people, I’m very excited for what I’ll gain from this program and being able to bring it back to the people I work with,” said eco-artist and naturalist Grace Emmet of Brewster, who is the curator of community education at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM). “I definitely want to deepen my knowledge of financial management, bookkeeping, and develop a sustainable business model for my art. As unglamorous as it is, an important part of being an artist is knowing how to survive.”
Joining her in the cohort is Mike Sullivan of Provincetown, a multimedia artist and musician whose work includes creating sculptural headwear made of natural objects, jewelry, and broken mirrors.
Having recently returned from an artist residency at Confetti Westerns Artist Residency in Pioneertown, California, Sullivan was eager to use the program to focus on the business side of his practice. “I’m forever learning as much as I can. It would be amazing to be a full-time artist and be able to keep expanding, learning, and growing and incorporate business practices so my art is able to sustain itself,” he said.
The other 13 artists selected for the program are:
- Mara Araujo of East Falmouth, multimedia artist (hybridheart.org)
- Kailey (Kai) Barrows of Cotuit, illustrator and comic artist (instagram.com/kaibeestudios)
- Joe Diggs of Osterville, painter (joediggsart.com)
- William (Bill) Evaul of Provincetown, painter and printmaker (evaul.com)
- Ocean Eversley of Falmouth, photographer and painter (oceaneversleyart.com)
- Craig Florence of South Yarmouth, illustrator and comic artist (crflorence.com)
- Susan Moffat of Falmouth, photographer (susanmoffatphotography.com)
- Filipe Miguel of Onset, multidisciplinary visual artist (filipemiguelart.com)
- Jessie Nickerson of Cotuit, visual artist and illustrator (jessienickerson.com)
- Gabriel Ribeiro of West Yarmouth, author and illustrator (drawgabedraw.com)
- Alyssa Ruggieri of Cotuit, watercolor artist (alr-designs.com)
- Kenard Smith Jr. of Hyannis, fashion designer and tailor (instagram.com/kmjsmith)
- Vanessa Vartabedian of Truro, storyteller and story coach (mosquitostory.org)
Among the meetups and workshops the cohort will attend are the Creative Process taught by poet John Bonanni of South Yarmouth, and visual artist Mark Adams of Truro; Taxes for Artists, Freelancers, and Creative Businesses taught by Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax in Asheville, North Carolina; How to Write a Press Release taught by the Arts Foundation’s Director of Grants and Communications Chris Kazarian of East Falmouth; Writing and Talking About Your Art taught by visual artist Pete Hocking of Truro; and Art Licensing 101 taught by illustrator Allison Cole of Providence, Rhode Island.
The cohort will receive coaching and individualized support in the creation of a business plan from Arts Foundation Special Projects Coordinator Raydene (Ray) Salinas Hansen of Bourne; psychotherapist, author, and speaker Rick Miller of Truro; and visual artist Oren Sherman of Truro.
The Capacity-Building Program is made possible through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the state of Massachusetts, William Raveis Real Estate, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, South Shore Playhouse Associates, Cape Cod Foundation, Cape Cod 5 Foundation, Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, John K. & Thirza F. Davenport Foundation, and Eastern Bank.
Want to sponsor the Capacity-Building Program and support artists on their creative journeys? Reach out to Director of Development Amy Tuttle at atuttle@artsfoundation.org.