Creating an "Artists Raising Kids" Community

Andrew Simonet with his sons Nicolo & Jesse.


Last fall, we hosted a new Creative Capital webinar titled “Artists Raising Kids,” led by choreographer and dad Andrew Simonet. The number of passionate responses we received clued us in to a real need for conversation on the subject of artists-as-parents. Artists in the Creative Capital community (and beyond) are eager to share what they know and to learn from one another. One artist who participated in the webinar told us: “[I learned] that I’m not alone! It’s great to find out there are other people out there with similar concerns, and coming together and talking and exchanging resources, building community, is great.”
The webinar got us thinking about the larger implications of raising families in the arts. As one participant put it:  “[The webinar presented] the notion that it is okay to have taken a hiatus from art-making to raise a child; this does not mean you are no longer an artist. Validating this notion was hugely empowering.” In the spirit of empowering artist moms and dads, we wanted to share a few more resources for families from some wonderful organizations.
In addition, we’re excited to add “Artists Raising Kids” to our list of regularly offered Creative Capital webinar content, with our next session scheduled for March 26 at 7:00pm EST. Andrew will be presenting on the topic once again, with lots of time for Q&A and conversation. Click here to register!
Retreat

Creative Capital Artists Patty Chang (bottom left) and Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts (right) with their families at the CC Retreat.

“It always feels good to find community and conversation among artists who are parents. The other participants came up with resources that I hadn’t heard of before and
will be sure to look up soon.”
– Participant, Artists Raising Kids Webinar, September 29, 2014

Residencies:
Alliance of Artist Communities & Resartis offer online search engines that help identify which residencies are accepting of children “for the duration of the stay.” We’ve highlighted a few below (as well as a few from other sources):
Family Specific:
Santa Fe Art Institute: Santa Fe, NM, July residency program for families
Kala Art Institute: Berkeley, CA, Sustainable Arts Residency Program for Parent Artists
Short Stay:
Island Hill House Artist Residency Program: Michigan, 2-4 Wks
Long term:
Fine Arts Work CenterProvincetown, MA
Penland Resident Artist Program: Penland, NC (also offering shorter term residencies)
International:
Akademie Schloss SolitudeStuttgart, Germany
Green Olive Arts: Tetouan, Morocco
Red Gate Gallery: Beijing, China

Urban:
18th St. Arts Center: Santa Monica, CA
McColl Center: Charlotte, NC

Wilderness/Rural:
Acadia National Park Artist-In-Residence ProgramBar Harbor, ME
Roswell Artist In Residence ProgramRoswell, NM
Grants & Other Resources:
Sustainable Arts Foundation
Women’s Studio Workshop’s Parent Residency Grant
Parent/Artist Space Grant (Brooklyn Artist Exchange)
The Artists Raising Kids Compendium, compiled by Andrew Simonet & Artists U
Artist Projects: 
Lenka Clayton’sResidency in Motherhood
Glass Curtain Gallery/Division of Labor: Chicago Artist Parents
Cultural Reproducers,Residency Reportseries
Have more resources to share? Leave them in the comments section or register for Andrew’s March 26th webinar and share your knowledge with your peers (while picking up lots of new information, of course)!
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More Online Resources