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Ruby Lopez Harper, Executive Director of CERF+, reflects on how the artists in a community can struggle when the staff of the organizations working with artists are struggling to access the training, resources, and peer network they need to do this work effectively.

To ensure that the arts and creativity were a key issue in the 2015 mayoral race in Nashville, TN, the Metro Nashville Arts Commission (public sector) and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville (private sector) spearheaded creation of a coalition of artists and creative businesses called "the Creative Edge" recognizing that, simply put, creative people are Nashville's competitive edge. Led by a steering committee of 15 artists and arts supporters, the Creative Edge coalition grew to include of over 150 artists, artist cooperatives, and creative businesses. The Creative Edge platform identified four areas for the next Mayor of Nashville to focus on for investment and public policy to support the creative community and hosted a mayoral forum (attended by all of the mayoral candidates) to seek commitments on these issues. Thanks in part to this effort, Nashville elected the most arts-friendly Mayor and City Council in recent memory. Further, the Mayor has already made good on one of the four commitments which was appointing a position in the Mayor's Office to coordinate policy and services to members of the creative industries.

The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville (ABC Nashville) created Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training, a program to ensure that artists can thrive in Nashville with a team of partners who bring different expertise and resources: Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Metro Nashville Arts Commission, and Nashville Mayor's Office of Economic Development. ABC Nashville identified these partners and built consensus around the importance of retaining artists as well as attracting more artists to Nashville. With a shared goal as the focus, the partners were able to combine traditional business expertise with artist expertise to create Periscope, a program tailored to the unique needs of artists that is much more robust and sustainable than a multitude of individual programs would have been. Further, having one coordinated program is much easier for artists to access and navigate!

In 2016 the Arts Council New Orleans debuted a Local Artist Training Program to teach a small group of artists skills and tools around making large-scale installations with light and technology. This was in preparation for LUNA Fete, which commissions such projects largely from international artists although that's changing that with the help of this program. Immediately following the completion of the program one artist had made and displayed at a gallery an entirely new series of work made possible by the use of the MadMapper program she had learned. Another artist was offered a scholarship to attend the New York University Interactive Telecommunications Program, which is where the primary instructor for the initiative is employed.

Jenifer Simon, Director of Programs + Outreach for CERF+, describes their efforts to ensure that artists who are dealing with disasters have a voice at the table.

Azucena Trejo-Williams describes how she has learned to manage her time by creating a detailed day-to-day schedule including both her "non-negotiables" as well as self-care, studio time, relationship building, and more.

by Jessica McCambly Generosity has been indivisible from my experience of being an artist. I cannot personally separate the two. I have found that taking an active role in creating the scene and being a supportive peer has served me well as an artist and as a human. I was fortunate to come out of a grad program where there was a strong spirit of kindness and collaboration among my peers. I was also lucky to be a part of Texas’ oldest, artist-run collective, 500X. At the same time, John and I opened an experimental project space. We named it good good things. This time of sharing and generosity truly formed the core of what I wanted my creative life to be and has been at the center of my life and career ever since. When we relocated to San Diego for our teaching positions, we altered the idea for good good things, redefining it as a transitory curatorial project. As good good things, John and I have worked collaboratively with an artist run space (Helmuth Projects) in San Diego, to curate two notable exhibitions, both known as Object Object!. The idea behind the show was that artists would meet, and that an artist-driven network would bloom. And this did happen. And it was beautiful. The secondary piece that we didn’t count on was the line around the block, filled with art lovers,collectors, arts administrators, and curators. In a city where artists struggle for support a nd visibility.. it was amazing. From these two shows, studio visits were scheduled, commissions were requested, curators curated, work was collected, artists felt awesome, friendships were forged, and a community came together. A valued piece of advice that my mentor, Annette Lawrence, shared with me while in grad school, was to “not get caught up in the art world noise.. just focus on the work and the rest will follow.” She was right, and would like to add that being both a lover and champion of art other than my own has also been so important. I feel that generosity and gratitude go hand in hand. I am so grateful to know other artists. I love their art. I love knowing that they are making art. It makes me want to make my art. I believe that there really is room for all of us. We make the room. When we, as artists create the scene, we drive the scene for each other, and we own the scene together.

Artist Linda Enfante-Lyons shares how she maintains balance in her practice by both protecting studio time and also getting out of the studio to generate new inspiration.

Travis Laughlin, previously Senior Director of Programs for the Joan Mitchell Foundation, describes their holistic approach to supporting artists including a key strategy of fostering community between artists.

Artist Meghan Sinclair describes how she practices generosity by coordinating pop up art shows that provide an outlet for many artists to exhibit.

Cindy Ornstein, Director of Arts & Culture for the City of Mesa and Executive Director of the Mesa Arts Center, describes a new initiative funding artists to create prototypes in response to community input.

Artist Samantha Fields shares how she has developed a routine that protects her studio time.