Creating art is not just about beautiful brushstrokes, tints and compositions. It’s also about paying the bills. A new program called gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix aims to help traditionally underfunded artists in Milwaukee develop business skills.
On a busy Saturday at the Sherman Phoenix on Fond du Lac Ave in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood, people are buying popcorn, lemonades and spring rolls. They’re also moseying through a “Blackout Market” where creators sell crafts.
Down a flight of stairs, though, about a half dozen artists gather for a presentation about a new opportunity from Darius Smith, program director of gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix, and Maureen Ragalie, managing director of gener8tor Art .
Smith explains it’s an opportunity for Milwaukee artists to learn how to run a sustainable business. “It’s not just from making art, but like, hey, filing your taxes, having a budget, all these different things that the things that people don't like to talk about when it comes down to being an artist, those difficult conversations,” he says.
The non-profit Sherman Phoenix Foundation and gener8tor, a venture capital firm that runs accelerators and fellowships around the country for start-ups, musicians and artists, are collaborating on this project.
The organizations are looking to support Milwaukee’s creative professionals who have been traditionally underfunded, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, female and non-binary people, people with disabilities, people who are neurodivergent and veterans.
Smith explains that they’re hoping to foster a community of artists that can come together and work out of the Sherman Phoenix. “[People] who can understand, ‘Hey, you can be an artist inside of Milwaukee and find community and find people that appreciate your work,’” he says.
There are two main components to the program. One, there will be year-round programming at Sherman Phoenix that is free and open to the public. This will include workshops, webinars, artist talks, one-on-one office hours and mentorship opportunities. Also, there will be a one-month master class series around building a professional art practice.
Two, for 15 chosen, Milwaukee-based artists at a time, there will be a seven-week accelerator program twice per year. Artists chosen will also receive a grant of up to $10,000 and will get individual mentorship on how to strengthen the business side and other aspects of their art practice, including mental wellness.
“Each week of the program will be something different,” Smith explains. “My favorite part, just the mental health and mental wellness. We’ll have a therapist being able to come in and talk to the cohort about how are they feeling. We'll have a conversation around when you do have an artist block or a creative block.”
Ragalie, the managing director of gener8tor Art, explains how artists will be chosen for the selective accelerator: “The jury that's reviewing all these applications will really be looking at a couple of different things. They'll be looking at the artist statement, so, a paragraph or two where the artist talks about who they are artistically, what it is that they're exploring with their work. And then artists can submit up to seven artwork samples.”
Ragalie says it’s hard out there for artists. “Wisconsin is last among the states and arts funding,” she notes. “I can't speak to where Milwaukee is in that particular arts funding ecosystem, but I know it's not wonderful.”
Milwaukee photographer Glenda Mitchell stopped by the informational session at Sherman Phoenix. She’s been shooting portraits and weddings on her own with GM.CREATIVE for a couple years but is going full time in March.
“That makes me a little bit nervous being that in this year I've shifted from [photography as a] hobby, sole proprietor to an official LLC. And I don't know what those tax ramifications are and that kind of thing," Mitchell says.
Mitchell likes that this opportunity is geared towards people at all different levels of their career. “It's not just for the people that are known and are already getting booked a bunch of jobs, [who are] are already getting exposure from some more known things,” she assesses. “This is something new popping up going, ‘Hey, we're here to help everybody at every step.’”
Arianna Petrie is a student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. The 19-year-old says she hasn't had much experience selling and marketing her art and thinks this opportunity would help with that, and also with her goal of getting more involved in the community in general.
"Sometimes I do kind of stay in my bubble," says Petrie. "So, I'm just trying to expand outside of my comfort zone."
The deadline to apply for the first cohort is Sunday February 26 at 11:59 p.m.. The seven-week accelerator program then begins on April 10, 2023.
