Tag: artists

CERF+ Emergency Relief Program on Hold: Needs Rebuilding NOW!

As we enter another hurricane season tomorrow, I’m writing to share an important announcement and a call for unprecedented need for relief funds.

Extreme weather conditions caused by climate change have exponentially increased the demands on our Craft Emergency Relief Fund to help artists recover from disasters that affect their art and their livelihoods. Since last Fall, we have provided three times more grants and loans than last year – depleting available funds for relief. We have made the difficult and unprecedented decision to put the Emergency Relief Program on hold until we can raise more money to meet artists’ needs. We are currently not taking any applications until we can raise at least $200,000 to reinstate this critical program.

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.

Perspective Through a Hurricane

Irma was my first hurricane, but it certainly wasn’t Key West’s. I moved here five years ago to take the reins at a growing art center, and quickly became attuned to the way storms serve as rites of passage and touchstones for anyone who’s lived through at least one.

Ready + Resilient Gatlinburg

Ready + Resilient is a free program for studio artists to learn how to strengthen their careers, prepare for emergencies and get back on their feet after challenges. The event marks one year after Sevier County’s devastating wildfires that affected hundreds of artists in the area. Registration is suggested as space is limited.

CERF+ Awards Twenty “Get Ready” Grants

From dust collection systems to fire extinguishers, twenty artists from across the country received grants to help safeguard their studios, protect their careers and implement safety measures.

Cover Your A’s: Art, Assets + Archives

Learn to Cover Your A’s: Art, Assets + Archives Training for Art School Faculty, Career Services Staff, Arts Administrators, Professionals + Educators on September 28th at SVA in NYC.

Crafting Community: Visiting Seagrove + Star, NC

Where do you go to see a hive of both tradition and innovation in a longstanding rural craft community? For our recent spring board meeting, CERF+ trustees and staff spent three inspiring days in North Carolina around the adjoining towns of Seagrove (known as the U.S. capital of handmade ceramics with over 90 potteries) and Star, home to STARworks, a new center for creative enterprise in a former hosiery mill.

artists