New MAML Initiative Announced

Arts Foundation and Lower Cape CDC collaborate on workshop series for artists.

Centerville, MA, September 12, 2005 - ARTS FOUNDATION OF CAPE COD AND LOWER CAPE CDC ANNOUNCE ENTREPRENEURIAL WORKSHOPS FOR LOCAL ARTISTS

Two year initiative launched between AFCC, the Lower Cape CDC, and two other regional partners to build business skills of Cape Cod artists.

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod (AFCC), the officially designated Local Arts Agency of Barnstable County, and the Lower Cape Cod Community Development Corporation (CDC) are partnering with two organizations in the Upper and Mid Cape to offer a series of professional and personal development workshops dubbed “New Markets for Cape Cod Artists.” Based on the successful program, “Smart Markets for Artists,” developed by the two organizations and offered for the past three years by the Lower Cape Cod CDC, the workshops focus on providing artists with the tools to better market their work both on and off Cape, implement business planning, and create entrepreneurial models that work for artists. Each workshop will be led by artist Oren Sherman and therapist/consultant Rick Miller, who have facilitated the program since its inception.

For over ten years, the AFCC has presented technical assistance workshops and conferences under the umbrella of “Making Art, Making a Living (MAML).” The New Markets for Artists program will now become part of the AFCC’s well-known MAML program. With funding provided by the Cape Cod Economic Development Council and the Citizens Bank Foundation, the AFCC and the Lower Cape CDC will replicate the New Markets program regionally with two other partners: the Falmouth Artists Guild and the Workforce Education Resource Center at Cape Cod Community College, in cooperation with the Cape & Islands Community Development, Inc. The workshop series is also being offered in Eastham through the Lower Cape CDC under the new name (New Markets for Artists).

New Markets for Cape Cod Artists is an intensive marketing seminar series, which teaches artists how to gain more year-round exposure for their work and increase their ability to make a living as a working artist. With the recognition of a growing national and regional Cultural Economy Cluster, the workshop will focus on the how’s and where’s of finding a year-round market that works for each artist.

The New Markets workshop schedule is as follows:

October 14 – 16, 2005 Falmouth Artists Guild, for more information please call (508) 540-3304. Deadline for submitting application for this workshop is Sept. 30, 2005.

November 11 – 13, 2005 Lower Cape Economic Development Council, Eastham. This workshop is already fully enrolled. For information about future workshops, please call (508) 487-5573.

January 6 – 8, 2006 Workforce Education Resource Center, Cape Cod Community College, in Barnstable. For more information, please call 508-362-0066.

Each workshop is limited to 15 participants who must submit an application with three to five slides or photographs representative of their work. A selection committee juries the applications based on the artists’ experiences and viability of their work. To request an application, please contact the appropriate phone number above. A fee of $90 per person will be charged for the workshops in Falmouth and Barnstable.

Each session will kick-off with an introductory opening reception followed by a two-day intensive workshop, which will allow all artists to present their work, and receive, in turn, individual critiques from the consultants and other participants. The workshop presenters offer a variety of marketing and personal development tools to assist participating artists in creating customized marketing strategies.

The weekend workshop is followed by the Artist Connections Group Sessions, a monthly gathering that features presentations by guest speakers on topics such as target markets, package design, writing press releases, web development, creating a business plan and getting your work into galleries and trade shows.

Each workshop series will conclude with a culminating local exhibit of the participating artists’ work. In November 2006, a regional MAML conference will be held at Cape Cod Community College to share success stories, lessons learned, evaluation results, and insights on other entrepreneurial training models from keynote speakers. The alumni from all workshop sites will be invited to participate in a regional juried exhibition at the Cape Cod Museum of Art August – October 2007 highlighting the work of these emerging artists.

Cultural tourism attracts thousands of visitors every year to Cape Cod, which has been listed as one of the top 25 arts destinations in the country more than once. For the Cape to remain a top tourist destination, the economic well-being of individual artists must be a priority. For many artists, making a living on Cape Cod is a challenge due to the high cost of living and the lack of affordable housing. Before the out-migration of this creative cluster becomes a trend, there is a clear need to create a regional economic development focus on arts and culture, thereby increasing income and employment within this industry.

About the AFCC

The AFCC, the designated local arts agency for Barnstable County, was founded in 1988. The mission of the AFCC is to: • Support, promote, and celebrate the arts and culture of Cape Cod • Create a strong, stable and diverse arts and culture industry • Contribute to the quality of life and economic vitality of the region

For more information about the AFCC, please visit our website www.artsfoundationcapecod.org or call the AFCC at 508-362-0066.

About the Lower Cape CDC

The Lower Cape Cod Community Development Corporation empowers local individuals and organizations to become self-sufficient, enhancing the Lower Cape community character and quality of life in an environmentally sound manner. The CDC helps provide Lower Cape residents of low and moderate income with affordable housing, employment and economic opportunities, and assistance to the small business community. For more information, please call (508) 240-7873 or visit www.lowercape.org.