By Polina Smith
When the pandemic first reared its head and wrapped the country up into its all-consuming vortex, artists were among the first to lose their livelihoods and their primary source of income. Longstanding issues of class inequity, racial disparity, and cultural ghettoization within the arts community were not created by the pandemic but were intensified by it.
Some artists have taken cover from the storm by finding freelance positions to supplement the sudden empty space; other artists have attempted to find outlets of expression in virtual mediums, struggling to create a sense of community in utter isolation. Creatives in Place, a Bay Area-based listening project initiated by the Akonadi Foundation, TJUniverse, Change Consulting, and Tao Rising, has seized upon this sociopolitical inflection point to create an artistic space to support Bay Area artists.
The 22 artists who make up the residency span an array of “artistic and cultural practices, ethnicities and races, and gender identities and sexualities, and with varying relationships to formal arts and funding institutions.” Challenging the homogeneity of an arts pipeline centered on credentials, awards, and institutions, Creatives in Place has assembled a diverse, non-application-based roster of innovators and thought leaders to reflect, listen, and create within a moment of suffering that transcends borders.
Through Creatives in Place, each artist is endowed with a $10,000 stipend, essentially a carte blanche to live and create with no formal dicta; the purpose of this generous commission is to create an attitude of “abundance rather than scarcity,” allowing artists have their individual and community-based needs met to free up space for exploration and introspection.
The featured artists of Creatives in Place are mission-focused multidisciplinary creators who align their values and objectives with the underserved and underrepresented communities of the Bay Area. Among the 22 resident artists are:
Lisa Evans, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place
Lisa Evans - a Black non-binary performer facilitating art installations, solo shows, and youth development projects.
Kim Shuck, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place
Kim Shuck - a member of the Cherokee Nation and the poet laureate of San Francisco.
Ruby J. Fuala’au, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place
Ruby J. Fuala’au - a storyteller working through public educational infrastructures to uplift the voices of transwomen of color and the creative director of a Polynesian dance company that honors her Samoan cultural roots.
Nkeiruka Oruche, Photo Credit: Creatives in Place
Nkeiruka Oruche - a cross-disciplinary administrator, producer, and performer of Igbo descent widening the reach of the African Diaspora through her devised theater projects, her digital magazine at Nigerianentertainment.com, and her position as Executive Artistic Director with the Afro Urban Society.
This is just a small representative sample of the talented artists at Creatives in Place, each grounded in a distinct subcommunity with a focus toward uplift, amplification, and education of marginalized stories and underrepresented voices. Creatives in Place is staffed by a team of three producers and four advisers. Each individual on this team of overseers lends their expertise in the areas of artist advocacy, Bay Area-based philanthropic work, and nonprofit sector experience to create this supportive space for artists of all walks of life.
More information on specific artists and their work through this imaginative project can be found on the Creatives in Place website, which presents a gallery of each artist, their background, and their vast and varied portfolios for audience perusal. For those interested in their mission with the financial means to assist in its longevity, the team at Creatives in Place is still accepting individual donations as well as support from foundations.