Considering your impact

To engage your viewers meaningfully is expected that you consider certain things as an artist:

• Responsibility

• Impact

• Infrastructure

• Community

• Narrative

You can commission a massive structure that means nothing, or you could hang some fabrics on an alley in a way that inspires viewers to engage with their surroundings

Understanding your why will help when navigating difficult financial and logistical challenges

As Olafur Eliasson has said  Art is not the object but what the object does to the world

Art is a Conversation

Art and the artist are not defined exclusively by their material output, you're finding your position inside the conversation

The conversation between crafters from the past that inspire you, your present team and the future spectators

Trying to go at it alone robs from you the opportunity of participating in the conversation and increases the amount of things that can go wrong unnecessarily

All of your drafts, scribbles and the road you take to the destination are part of the conversation

As Ai Weiwei has emphasized repeatedly, public art inevitably exists inside political, social and institutional systems. You don’t escape them. Is better to engage them consciously 

A Good Mindset

While we encourage a degree of recklessness and risk taking, we know that is more sustainable to work with courage and structure, spreadsheets and clear timelines

Having a good mindset and a clear view of your budget, audience, technical knowledge will help you articulate your vision to potential collaborators and financial backers 

There are many possibilities at every step, and many things that can go wrong

A bagpiper riding a massive unicorn art car, Lakes of Fire 2023

Self-Funding or Grants

Is great when you can just go and buy everything and fund your own project, but when that's not the case, consider there are many ways to generate revenue from crafts and events

As your project develops, you need to consider cash flow, to cover for unavoidable operational expenses

Understanding your why and committing to it is investing in yourself

Look into your short term and long term plans and create roadmaps that will keep you busy for years, building larger projects every few iterations

When fundraising via crowdfunding, grantwriting or corporate sponsorhip your why must look like it is aligned with the objectives of the supporters. There are many layers to it, but in general is important to be able to articulate your personal mission and the goal of the proposal to be seriously consider for receiving money

“I want to express myself at a large scale”

Lame 

“This installation will activate underused public space, engage 200 local volunteers over three weeks, and include free educational workshops aligned with youth arts programming”

Much better

Particularly when it comes to grants or corporate sponsors, there's usually is a history of previous awardees that can help your research and tailoring the description so it feels aligned

During your creative research process include time to look into business models, warehouses, artists lofts, collectives, hot dog stands. artists like Theaster Gates have built entire ecosystems by aligning artistic vision with civic redevelopment and community goals

It is important that you're comfortable requesting this money, we have friends pitching expensive productions comfortably as well as people who prefer to recycle cardboard before cursing themselves by being in the same room with people who shower; we love them all, is up to you and the boundaries and sacrifices you'd make for your art

Fundraising is emotional, understanding your why is important to stay motivated and consistent in a process that includes being rejected. As Shepard Fairey has discussed in relation to large public campaigns, messaging clarity is everything. If people cannot explain your project to someone else, they will not advocate for it 

Decision Point: Scale and Responsibility

Consider whether your project is small for a few friends, or whether you need to have 200 volunteers to cover all the shifts; for most large projects you need to think on terms of years, as it might take an arbitrary amount of time to develop certain skills, receive permits, develop prototypes and safety protocols 

Supporting your decisions with research gives everyone involved more confidence on the project. Consider reading more about artists whose work you like, read interviews, investigate their process, see if they mention their systems 

Developing your why 

We recommend thinking about three versions, and revisiting as you grow 

Private notes that are your personal driver 

Public like the version that would go on your instagram profile 

Institutional for grant writing and promotional material 

Journaling Prompts

• Why do I want to build?

• What is art that has impacted me?

• What impact can I have with my art?

• Would I still do this if no one where to see it?

• Why am I doing this now?

• Would I sacrifice hours of sleep for this?

Forum Discussion Prompt

Post your Public Why in  3 to 5 sentences

Take Action

Find any past or open grant opportunity, corporate sponsorship or public commission, and write your why again aligned with their intents