September is National Preparedness Month
CERF+ urges every artist to do at least one thing during the month of September to be better prepared for emergencies.
Category: Uncategorized
Are You Wildfire Ready?
Wildfires are already affecting the western U.S. this year. It’s time to access your wildfire risk and be Wildfire Ready! Know Your Wildfire Risk • Use the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Hazard Potential Map Viewer to see the historic likelihood of wildfire in your area and this map for current wildfire dangers • Be aware that wildfires can occur […]
Are you Prepared for Hurricane Season?
Hurricanes are among nature’s most powerful and destructive phenomena, states the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). On average, 12 tropical storms, 6 of which become hurricanes form over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico during the hurricane season which runs from June 1 to November 30 each year. Now is the time to understand your hurricane risk and prepare with these tips and resources.
Artists Building a Future in Puerto Rico
Over the course of a week, we met with many of our emergency grant recipients each in different phases of recovery – some completely back to work and others whose destroyed homes and studios remain in a state of uncertainty. Many told us that ours has been the only help they’ve received so far. Since the storm struck eight months ago, CERF+ has already provided 42 artist working in craft disciplines $188,100 in grants and interest free loans, making this our second largest response effort after Hurricane Katrina.
Shipping Artwork: Trial + Tribulation
Your shipping process needs to be methodically documented and detailed with instructions for the preparatory staff of the exhibition so they know how to professionally package your sculpture for return shipment.
Answering the Call
This month, Etsy launched the Etsy Disaster Relief Fund for their seller community in partnership with CERF+. By creating this fund, Etsy joins other organizations that have “answered the call” to respond to the unique needs of the creative communities that they serve after disasters. Other recent examples are the Recovery Fund at Creative Sonoma and the Harvey Arts Recovery Fund which was created in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. Each of these important efforts helps to broaden the safety net for artists and creatives and, as a result, we are heartened to see the Artists Safety Net growing!
New Crafting Your Legacy Resource Available
CERF+ guide helps working artists plan the ‘afterlife’ of their tools and other studio assets.
No one knows the full story of your artistic career better than you—your artwork, your creative vision, your art-making process, and the professional activities through which you have shared your passion and talent.
To ensure that you have a say in how you are remembered, it is vital to have a plan in place that will serve as a guide to your heirs for protecting and preserving your artistic legacy. These resources can help demystify the work of estate planning—and help break down the tasks into doable steps.
It’s Almost Tax Time
Now that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has existed for nearly two whole months, it’s timely to to answer some of the most common questions we’ve been hearing from creative professionals, specifically visual artists and crafters. So here are three of our favorite questions and answers, in no particular order.
Happy New Year! Be Well + Make Things
Ah, January, a time for starting over, trying new things – trying a new art form, eating better, losing weight, changing behaviors – whatever it is, most of us think of this month as an opportunity for new beginnings.
In addition to the daily yoga practice I’ve taken up in the new year, I’m really excited about a new project at CERF+ that ties in nicely with making resolutions. Thanks to a partnership with Wellness for Makers, we’re launching educational videos and resources to help artists remain healthy in their studio practice.