(MADISON, WI) Arts + Literature Laboratory presents CSArt Madison: southern Wisconsin’s first Community Supported Art program. Participating artists receive a stipend of $1000, an exhibition opportunity, and promotional support to produce 60 limited-edition works of art that will be distributed CSA-style to local buyers.
In summer 2017, Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) will launch CSArt Madison in an endeavor to support the local culture and creative economy of Dane County. Much like Community Supported Agriculture programs, in which shareholders invest in a local farm and receive shares of fruits and vegetables, CSArt Madison asks shareholders to invest directly in the arts community with a ‘buy local’ mentality. Ten artists—selected by the ALL Curatorial Board through an open call process—will each receive a stipend of $1,000 to create 60 “shares” for the program (50 for shareholders, 9 for the other participating artists, and 1 for ALL’s permanent collection). Interested collectors or “shareholders” purchase a share, and in return, receive one piece of locally-produced artwork from each of the ten featured artists. Shares will be distributed at a pick-up event and exhibition reception providing opportunities for artists and patrons to further connect. ALL will also organize studio visits to take place during May and June 2017 for artists to receive feedback and support from the Curatorial Board, and for buyers to preview CSArt works-in-progress.
Featured works may take many forms, so long as they are original and unique to CSArt Madison, including but not limited to: small-scale sculptures, drawings, or paintings; a run of prints; photographs; vinyl 7” records; or letterpress editions of a poem or short story.
“We seek to offer a cooperative alternative to the traditional sales model that results in less financial risk for artists, and an accessible entry point into fine art collecting for new and lower-income buyers,” said ALL Lead Curators Simone and Max.
CSArt Madison is based on a national model of art support and distribution developed by Springboard for the Arts, which has been successfully implemented in over 40 cities across the country. Our unique addition to the model includes an exhibition, where participating artists are given the opportunity to display 1-3 larger-scale works (different from works in the CSArt shares) at ALL during a month-long exhibition. The culminating pick-up event will coincide with a closing reception for the exhibition, providing an opportunity for the general public to view the work and meet the participating artists. If successful, we hope to expand the program in 2018 to include more artists and multiple pick-up events throughout the year.
Important Dates
- On December 17 and January 7, the Curatorial Board will will hold public informational sessions at ALL (12/17) and Goodman Library (1/7) to discuss successful submission techniques, view images of other CSA projects, and facilitate a Q&A.
- Open call: December 1–January 16, 2017
- Submit at artlitlab.org
- Participating artists announced: February 15, 2017
- Shares available for purchase beginning May 1, 2017.
- Full shares: $300 (10 works)
- Half shares: $150 (5 works)
- Purchase online (artlitlab.org) or in person (2021 Winnebago St.)
- Exhibition on view: June 30 – July 22, 2017
- Artwork pick-up event & reception: July 22, 2017 5-9pm
- Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-3pm or by appointment
CSArt Madison is organized by the Arts + Literature Laboratory Curatorial Board. The project is supported in part by funds from Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.
Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) is a community art space for visual, literary and performing artists to share their work and create new connections.
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