THE OFFICE performing arts + film

The Elevate Prize funds would be used exclusively to support artists who create works that have a social impact in their communities. My OFFICE's new program, Artists At Work (AAW), was conceived as a way to support artists and other arts industry workers through Covid-19’s devastating effects on their livelihoods, and addresses the challenges while embracing the opportunities of this moment. The program is designed to impact the whole ecosystem of a community; it provides a salary, 100% employer-paid healthcare, and professional development to all participating regional artists, connects them to community-based social impact initiatives, and activates cultural organizations in support of both. Originally inspired by the WPA, the program will also create new permanent, systemic structures that will prioritize a more equitable and inclusive expression of art’s role in society. Artists At Work is informed and energized by a deeply held belief: that art and artists can be the messengers that lead us to a world where marginalized and disenfranchised people and communities are lifted up and justice is centered. We hope that the program’s efforts will be both a catalyst for sustainable change, and a radically sensible approach to address needed infrastructure shifts in the culture sector.

As Founder of THE OFFICE with over 35 years of producing experience, I have seen and worked throughout my career to curb inequities faced by the creative workers in our field. My ongoing personal and OFFICE supported goal is to partner with artists and presenting organizations that bring socially impactful, engaging, and accessible work to the public. We work with artists who engage with issues of social and racial justice and equity in their practice, and with like-minded institutions that offer artists a platform that includes opportunities to bring their work to the public sphere. Our staff is a diverse group of curators and producers born in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s with a collective wealth of experience and a wide range of perspectives and life experiences, all of which we bring to bear in developing strategies for cultural initiatives. Our vision is to create equitable spaces for artists to thrive instead of survive, allowing our individual lives and our societal life to flourish. Our goal is to realize this vision through the implementation of the Artist At Work program in rural and urban cities across the USA over the next 3-5 years.

THE OFFICE is committed to providing equitably paid opportunities for artists to create meaningful work, and to making work available to the widest possible audience. Art is humanity's emotional and spiritual sustenance, and an important driver of dynamic local and national economies. Our work lies at the intersection of these two aspects of art’s place in society. The problem we are solving with AAW is the catastrophic global effect of COVID-19 on artists’ livelihoods (income opportunities disappearing for reasons related to public health concerns), on arts institutions (losing funding and income), and on the creative sector at large. In particular, Black, Indigenous artists of color (BIPOC) have higher rates of unemployment than white artists due to the pandemic 69% vs 60% and are losing a larger percentage of their creative income 61% vs 56%. AAW will elevate humanity by ensuring that art will endure by providing financial support directly to the arts sector and artists during and after the pandemic. It will also foster healthy communities by integrating artists into social impact and public health initiatives. MASS MoCA, AAW’s fiscal sponsor and participant in the program, is a contemporary art museum and cultural center that embraces all forms of art. 

The world has been disjointed by the effects of COVID-19. Unemployment is predicted to be long-lasting; this couldn't be more true for the performing arts industry. For many artists, their physical and public work is their livelihood and the current economic landscape has left many in a vulnerable financial state. AAW will give artists resources to continue producing work during the immediate health and economic crisis. In order to address the immediate health and economic crisis, AAW’s adoptive scope aims to address 21st-century inequities. AAW positions artists as workers with an essential work product who deserve the financial stability and benefits other workers enjoy. Beyond that, it frames artists as cross-sector workers with an invaluable creative skill set. In a moment where we have national conversations around reimagining public health, safety, and justice across all industries and civic sectors, artists will lead us to creative, community-led solutions to complex and systemic problems. We believe artists as storytellers can frame these problems in a way that builds social empathy, opening up partisan mindsets that further harm our ability to address so many underlying causes of public health crises.

Artists at Work has had an immense impact for the institutions, communities and artists who participated in our pilot of the program in Western Massachusetts. This impact will strengthen nationally as the program launches in new cities. In the pilot program, AAW provided 6 artists a living wage with health care coverage for 6 months. This enabled artists to focus on their creative practice, create ties to local networks of cultural hubs and social impact initiatives, and connect with other artists and institutions in local and national communities. The program strengthened the cultural fabric of the area, and provided new tools, skills and support to develop social practices that impact the ecosystem of their community.

AAW's goal is to foster a better future where all communities can flourish through focusing on equity, diversity and inclusion in the cultural sector’s recovery, and spotlighting the work of BIPOC-led cultural organizations. A deep cross-sector integration of artists and community is a large part of the infrastructure of AAW, which will help communities to thrive and creatively address issues in areas such as youth mental health, substance abuse recovery and prevention, suicide prevention, food justice, prison reform, youth at risk, sustainability and environmental justice.