How does it all add up? Evaluation is an important aspect of any social practice. It provides valuable feedback for an artist wishing to hone their craft, and is a necessary part of funding proposals. To conclude the series, this conversation will introduce the basics of program evaluation and how it helps create meaningful connection between artists and their audiences.

How do we make it sustainable (i.e. “get paid”)? The core purpose of creative placemaking is nothing new. However, new funding sources are increasingly becoming available, providing critical support to placemaking efforts. From grants to crowdfunding, and through private and public partnerships, artists will learn about these funding opportunities and what makes for compelling proposals.

Community partnerships and collaborations are key elements to the creative placemaking process. By combining resources, the process is inclusive of different viewpoints often leading to vibrant and more sustainable results. From local to international communities, discover how partners can enhance your practice.

A benefit of socially engaging art is that it often takes place in unexpected, publicly­-accessible spaces. For example, by bringing art to community gardens, parks and public plazas, we create connection among neighbors and more vibrant neighborhoods. This conversation will uncover the plethora of community spaces and resources available to artists, while also addressing site­ specific work and contextual considerations.

What is ‘creative placemaking’? The term has emerged from the field of community planning and development to describe how arts and culture play a vital role in shaping community places. The series begins by establishing some common language and definition around the term ‘creative placemaking’. We will discuss the concept, its importance to artists and communities, and review examples.

How do artists use their social media accounts as art mediums and platforms through which to produce work? What alternative purposes, if any, might online galleries and “Instagram residencies” serve artists, particularly emerging artists? To consider these topics, CUE conversed with Yulan Grant and Camilo Godoy, two multidisciplinary artists utilizing social media to create work that responds to contemporary discourse.

New York has long been a center for art and cultural activity of international and historic significance. As NYC residents and independent businesses are pushed out of neighborhoods by rising rents, the art community is quickly losing access to work space and the infrastructure needed for production and the transfer of ideas. Can New York City remain a hub for artists and creative businesses? Are there measures that can be taken to protect neighborhoods from displacement? The Artist Studio Affordability Project will discuss their activism and ways that artists can strengthen their claim to space in New York.

Do our communities also bear the negative effects of under-compensated creative labor? Artists famously move residences and work space in response to the availability of low-cost space, often subsidized by development schemes. Tom Angotti of Hunter College Center for Community Planning and Development, Rosanne Haggerty of Community Solutions, and Paul Parkhill of Spaceworks discuss strategies towards long term creative space and community stability.

New York based advocacy and support group hosts, The Artists Financial Support Group, will share their mission to strengthen the financial circumstances of the creative community, through financial self-advocacy, change in the cost of artist education, and innovative ways to manage student loan debt and to budget on an erratic income.

Feminist Labor Economists Deborah M. Figart, Ellen Mutari, and Catherine Mulder discuss the undervaluation of work in the arts and humanities, what you should know about changing the labor market, and its implications for artists and society.