https://thecreatewell.org The CreateWell Fund Fri, 02 Apr 2021 03:10:33 +0000 https://thecreatewell.org en https://thecreatewell.org/history-and-programs Thu, 17 Dec 2020 21:28:33 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/history-and-programs The CreateWell Fund invests in the belief that art is a critical human need through its award-making initiative to individual BIPoC artists from racially, socially, and economically oppressed communities. We envision a society that values the benefits and power of art so that all people have access to arts education, participation, and production.Email&nbsp; &nbsp; Instagram ❤❤❤❤ about usHistory Founded in 2016, the CreateWell Fund was the first advocacy and gift-making initiative in the Greater Boston area to support BIPoC artists in their authentic art-making and in the care of their well-being. In its inaugural award program, in 2016, the CreateWell Fund awarded $20,000 in cash gifts to four BIPoC individual artists whose artwork spans a spectrum of mediums and genres and whose health and wellness needs ranged from operation recovery to preventative care. Since then, the CreateWell Fund has awarded over $140K to 18 BIPoC artists in the Boston metro region.An Intentional Design Model Funding opportunities available in the U.S. to support the creative practices of individual artists are sparse. Living in a capital-driven society, we are immersed in social and cultural norms that place value on industriousness above our basic existence and wellness; these systems enforce and corroborate beliefs that prioritize the value of profitability over creative and artistic potential, authenticity, risk, and diversity of expression. Unlike philanthropic foundations, we are not a 501(c)3 with a conventional hierarchical leadership model. CreateWell Fund in its founding and operational design decided to optimize the monetary and human resources dedicated to its artist constituency to better reach and benefit (monetarily) a more inclusive spectrum of underfunded and overlooked practitioners through its gifting model. award programThe CreateWell Fund Award Program is grounded in the desire to support people, creative processes, and authenticity. Our intention is not only geared towards the final product but also nurturing the growth, learning, and creativity of the people involved. We are invested in resourcing work that our awardees would produce if they did not have to consider commercial viability or funder restrictions. Each year, CWF has engaged in a process of intentional peer review in partnership with artists and creatives in the Boston Metro area. In 2019, the award program was expanded from a one year program to two years as a means to deepen engagement, commit more time to building relationships, reduce barriers to access for working artists/artists that work, and allow more time to create a sustained wellness practice. Read more here &nbsp; coL-labThe col-LAB is an extension of the award program which offers micro-awards to a cohort of alumni. col-LAB works to create programming built around seminars and workshops that facilitate a non-hierarchical learning space. It is a space for consideration, relationship building, and reflection. The design of col-LAB is informed by and changes with the goals and interests of its members. Additionally, the group is involved in the continual evolution of the CWF’s programs. Safety &amp; Crisis FundWe understand that there are varied articulations of safety, economic, social, and health crises that occur year-round. In March 2020, CreateWell established a Safety &amp; Crises Mutual Aid Fund for awardees and alumni who are facing personal crises. This fund was in development before COVID-19, but we prioritized initiating the fund due to the state of emergency the pandemic caused. The Safety and Crisis Mutual Aid Fund is not a long-term or sustainable solution to the myriad of crises our community regularly faces within our racially, socially, and economically inequitable society, but a vehicle through which we enact our values of care. co-tending designers The CreateWell Fund’s programming is shaped by BIPOC artists for BIPOC artists. We, the Co-Tending Designers Collaborative, are united by a desire to organize around community, access, and wellness. The current Co-Tending Designers have come together to focus on engaging in horizontal leadership within the CreateWell community, with the vested interest in changing societal views on the value and purpose of the arts and artists, as well as imagining more equitable and accessible art funding practices. The Co-Tending Designers Collaborative is a social practice award program for individual creatives whose practices are centered in the desire to organize around community, access, and wellness for BIPoC artists. The award is designed with the intention of enabling Co-Tending Designers with time and attention to center in their individual healing, the care of their needs, and the development of their practice within and outside of the CreateWell Fund community. Read more here &nbsp; gifts &amp; redistribution modelThe CreateWell Award Program, The Co-Tending Designers Award Program, Safety and Crisis Fund, and col-LAB micro-awards are administered as non-taxable gifts to recipients. The CreateWell award is administered as a gift through the CreateWell Fund, LLC. According to gift tax law, the “donee” (or, in this case, “awardee”) does not have to pay taxes on any amount of gifts. The “donor” (in this case, CreateWell Fund, LLC) is solely responsible for filing any gift tax returns if the gift exceeds the annual exclusion amounts.* The awardee does not have to file a gift tax return nor pay taxes on this gift (aka “award”), no matter the amount of the award. While The CreateWell Fund gifts award with thoughtful intentionality, all gifts are ultimately up to awardees to use at their own discretion. Our programs provide opportunities to engage in relationship-building, to share about processes and projects, engage in participatory and collaborative processes, participate in events, etc, but the response to these opportunities and invitations have no impact on awardees’ receipt of full awards or general support. In place of allocating human and fiscal resources toward compliance with the requirements of a 501(c)3 structure and relying on traditional donation pathways, CreateWell Fund focuses on building relationships with donors who are content to redistribute wealth to CreateWell without receiving the benefits of tax deduction. Please note that this information is provided for awardees’ benefit, however, it does not serve as official tax advice. Please consult a tax expert or read up on the most recent gift tax laws, as tax laws are subject to change every year.Read more here https://thecreatewell.org/the-createwell-award Fri, 12 Mar 2021 18:34:25 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/the-createwell-award The CreateWell Fund invests in the belief that art is a critical human need through its awardmaking initiative to individual BIPoC artists from racially, socially, and economically oppressed communities. We envision a society that values the benefits and power of art so that all people have access to arts education, participation, and production. The CreateWell Fund Award Program spans over a two-year term for selected artists. The minimum award request is $12,000 and the maximum request to $16,000. The awards will be disbursed over two years-time as non-taxable gifts.Applications for the 2021–2023 award cycle will be available Summer 2021. Check back here for more updates. https://thecreatewell.org/people-power Thu, 18 Mar 2021 20:29:23 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/people-power people powerThe CreateWell Fund is a result of the stewardship, love and care of our people. Acknowledgement + gratitude to past team members Jennifer Lin-Weinheimer, Founder and Collaborator JR Mahung,&nbsp;Community Process Associate Amanda Zhang, Event Planner + Administrative Assistant Kasiemba Okeyo, Videographer David Cleckley, Videographer&nbsp; Ricky Orng, Web Design Jillian Hammer, Graphic Designer Jeff Cott, Graphic Designer Kamaria Weems, Transformative Practices Lead Formal and informal advisors + inspirers (current and past) Allistair Mallillin, Common Counsel Monique Nguyen, Matahari Women Workers’ Center Kasiemba Okeyo, Musician + Filmmaker Sadaf Cameron, Kindle Project Acknowledgement + gratitude to past application reviewers Autumn Ahn Allison Maria Rodriguez Anjimile Timothy Hall bashezo Aiden Nguyen Zenaida Peterson Cynthia Woo Meena Malik Sara Riveras Chrislene DeJean Ju-Pong Lin Eric Lin Clarence Lin Jennifer Lin-Weinheimer Website design by Julian Parikh and Cierra Peters. Header text set in Bilbol NC, designed by Hélène Marian Srodogora of Velvetyne Type Foundary. Body text set in Halyard Display, designed by Eben Sorkin, Joshua Darden, and Lucas Sharp of Darden Studio. Logo text set in Karrik, designed by Jean-Baptiste Morizot and Lucas Le Bihan of Velvetyne Type Foundry. https://thecreatewell.org/faq Fri, 02 Apr 2021 03:10:33 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/faq faqCreateWell Fund’s award program is a two-year term for selected artists. Typically, the minimum award request is $12,000 and the maximum request is $16,000. The awards are usually disbursed every six months over two years-time as non-taxable “gifts.” Over the past year, award disbursements were more flexible and given out based on awardee and project needs. Please read our FAQ below, if your question is not answered here you can reach out to thecreatewell@gmail.com. Who do we fund?Individual Artists. . . Who are 18 years or older.Who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Person of Color.Whose current economic situation can be described as cash-poor.*Who reside in the Greater Boston Area (see here for a full list of eligible towns and cities).Who need monetary resources to actualize a new artistic work that they want to create without having to consider the work’s profitability, commercial viability, time-cost benefits against day job(s), funder restrictions, or any other constraints.Who need monetary resources to support their self-determined care.**Who are committed to paying themselves for their own creative labor.Who are rooted and sustaining connections in the communities they are a part of Why did you extend the length of the award term?In 2019, we extended the length of the award based on the following considerations: We understand that most of the artists applying are not full-time artists; with day job(s), healthcare responsibilities, and/or family commitments. We want to encourage your own artistic motivation and practice, rather than create additional time constraints to carry out the project;We also hope a two-year term will provide more opportunities for deepened engagement and relationship-building with awardees and our wider CWF communities; Finally, our hope is that a two year term allows for a sustained wellness practice. What are our funding priorities?Our ideal applicants demonstrate commitments towards: Creating a new original artistic project that honors one’s creative practice - particularly work(s) that an artist might want to make if they did not have to consider profitability, commercial viability, time-cost benefits against day job(s), funder restrictions, or other constraints.Applicants must apply to fund the creation of a new work that is in its conceptualizing or pre-planning phase. The work must result in either a cumulative project or a series of outcomes (i.e.&nbsp; performances etc.) with the intent to share publicly. All mediums and genres welcome. (Note: We do not fund already-developed art projects, arts or community festivals, educational programs, arts programming for nonprofits, or capital for creative businesses.) Accessing services and supports that enable or sustain a critical aspect of an artist’s overall well-being (physical, emotional, mental, and/or spiritual).&nbsp; What if the artistic project I’m proposing does not require two years to complete? Will it still be considered?Yes, your project need not be large in scope nor have a longer timeline to be considered a good fit. We want to emphasize our interest in supporting the artist’s well-being and building relationships with awardees over finish dates. Just as an example, if a project’s scope is smaller, the rest of the term might be used on creating different iterations of the work, securing opportunities to share the work, or seeking ideas or mentorship from alum, while wellness care continues. *cash-poor: We use the term cash-poor to refer to negative net wealth. The racial wealth divide in the U.S. is real and staggering. And the reality is that an artist of color who earns a decent income could still be cash-poor because of generational barriers to wealth, student loans, car loans, etc. As we understand and use it, “cash-poor” is an umbrella term that encompasses individuals who currently have negative monetary wealth, whose causes fall under a broad range of complex considerations such as income history, debt, and generational access / barriers that have been passed down. It is also a way to specify the resource that is lacking - cash. Not worthiness nor spirit nor character nor intellect nor wisdom nor compassion nor integrity, creativity, talent. **self-determined care:&nbsp;We’ve adopted this term from adrienne maree brown’s amendment to the widely used term “self-care.” While still a useful term, “self-care” can imply that the care of an individual is an isolated responsibility and act, wherease "self-determined care" places the individual's agency and participation in the center but leaves room for the components of connection, community, and collective care. The latter of which CreateWell believes is integral, necessary and critical. https://thecreatewell.org/2019-2021-awardees Thu, 14 Jan 2021 21:27:12 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/2019-2021-awardees 2019 awardees Arielle Gray Bithyah Israel Deen Rawlins-Harris Ellice Patterson G Diaz y Rodriguez JD Stokely semi-finalists Iaritza Menjivar (she/her/hers)Eddie Maisonet, aka Eddie M (he/him/his)Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah (they/them/theirs, he/him/his)Maria Servellon (she/her/hers)Lala Shanks, aka Autie Shawtie&nbsp;(she/her/hers, they/them/theirs, he/him/his) Nwaobiala (they/them/theirs)Nina Bhattacharya, aka Radio Rani (she/her/hers) Meet our Past Awardees (2018–19) → https://thecreatewell.org/arielle-gray Thu, 04 Mar 2021 21:46:48 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/arielle-gray arielle gray(she/her/hers) As a queer Black femme living with a mental illness, I grew up not knowing much about my ancestry, about my family's lineage and about myself. My artwork is a ship I've built to return to the shores of my identity. In the African Diaspora, so much is lost because of a lack of documented archival presence—names and stories are lost, on sea and on land. My work centers my experiences, in the here and now, while also reaching a hand back to the those who've come before me. The importance of documentation is paramount to passing down essential information, stories and narratives—I aim to do that with both my visual artwork and my writing. We are the things we leave behind and I do this work in the hopes that my art speaks for both myself and my people. Project Summary "Fringes" is a multi-media project that aims to document and archive the experiences of queer and trans folks of the African Diaspora living here in Boston, often on the fringes of hetero-normative society. The archives on QTPOC experiences in the city are threadbare and sparse—this project aims to mitigate that by creating a written, artistic and visual stamp of our existence. "Fringes" will take shape in two main ways—an installation and a one time literary magazine. I will interview and take photographs of queer and trans folks from the African Diaspora, documenting their experiences here in the city, along with some of their family's history. These photos I will use for reference for creating textile portraits (made from embroidery thread) of ten of the interviewees, calling on a long line of African ancestral tradition of working with thread and fabric. These hanging tapestries will be a part of an art installation—digital versions of them will also live within the literary magazine. For the photos not turned into hanging tapestries, I will use digital illustration to transform the photos into ethereal portraits, which will be printed and also hung in the installation. <img width="600" height="600" width_o="600" height_o="600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9a2575421ff0bc8c8e57ba357fbd912ed0dc6212c00e3c897f8c8917743b6233/ari-gray.jpg" data-mid="100906428" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/600/i/9a2575421ff0bc8c8e57ba357fbd912ed0dc6212c00e3c897f8c8917743b6233/ari-gray.jpg" /> 🌐️ bonitafrobum.com ← JD Stokely Bithyah Israel → https://thecreatewell.org/bithyah-israel Tue, 23 Mar 2021 18:49:57 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/bithyah-israel bithyah israel(she/her/hers) I approach composition through an abstract focus, expressing emotion through sound, believing music is in its truest form when uninhibited by mundane constructs. Before I make decisions in a new piece, I have a dream-like approach: what are the textures that come to mind when experiencing a subject? After I have answered this question, the music comes to me in compound, layered moments. A lot happens at once, working together to portray the experience within a subject of focus. Listeners initially internalize music on complex emotional and spiritual levels, which are my focus when I compose fresh music. I have a passion for connection. Project Summary This project is an autobiographical album of original compositions for live cello performance, expressing emotions the composer has experienced during pivotal moments in her background. These encounters commission the composer’s capacity to generate compelling musical works through the honesty of sound. <img width="600" height="600" width_o="600" height_o="600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/37c72892cac7cdba63c86de54394983f9a80f938232eb393783300945b646414/bithyah-israel.jpg" data-mid="103021479" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/600/i/37c72892cac7cdba63c86de54394983f9a80f938232eb393783300945b646414/bithyah-israel.jpg" /> ✷ bithyahisraelmusicdesign.com ← Arielle Gray Deen Rawlins-Harris → https://thecreatewell.org/deen-rawlins-harris Tue, 23 Mar 2021 18:52:08 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/deen-rawlins-harris deen rawlins-harris(they/them/theirs, he/him/his) I am a Queer Black and Non-binary Bostonian, who utilizes facilitation to implicate communities in making art and creating community. My work amplifies the vibrancy, ingenuity, and humanity of Black and oppressed people by aligning our stories with historical, ongoing, and prophetic depictions of the world we live in. I cherish intimacy and create spaces where people witness their neighbors in new ways. I am a graduate of Headlong Performance Institute in Philadelphia and the Boston Arts Academy. Project Summary Traces/Remain: Contagious Healing will address how POC communities come together to heal, and begs the question “How can a community make healing contagious?” This public art ritual captures the attention of passerbys who see participants occupying public lots, parks, and community centers with dance, storytelling, drawings, and joy as our “medicine”. We will be developing Traces/Remain: Contagious Healing through a series of facilitated workshops held between January 2020 to August of 2020. Join us as we bring our development process to public spaces for all to interact with. <img width="600" height="600" width_o="600" height_o="600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9351a50de7911cb2d84f18c71398a50a8e78a807d335643d80067d7a121b515f/deen-rawlins-harris.jpg" data-mid="103021884" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/600/i/9351a50de7911cb2d84f18c71398a50a8e78a807d335643d80067d7a121b515f/deen-rawlins-harris.jpg" /> 📧 traces2020@gmail.comPhoto by Lauren Miller ← Bithyah Israel Ellice Patterson → https://thecreatewell.org/ellice-patterson Tue, 23 Mar 2021 18:57:59 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/ellice-patterson ellice patterson(she/her/hers) My artistic approach is to put identities first in my choreographic work. I don't want to create work on dancers but with dancers as their bodies and their identities are held first as we create stories together. These stories stay true to the choreographic intention but also highlight the dancers to their highest capabilities. I utilize adaptive ballet/modern techniques to work with dancers where they are and create professional level work. My vision is to normalize diverse bodies in dance. Through telling stories that are unique to my own intersecting identities as well as working with dancers diverse backgrounds to further highlight the work so that everyone knows they belong on stage. Project Summary I am creating three five minute films that highlight the stories of my ancestors as told through my grandmother through movement and original music including her voice. The project will include telling the story of my memaw’s great memaw Deelie who was born a slave and the generational trauma and hopes that was realized in me. There will be a video of my Uncle Jim who was kept in slave-like conditions in the 20th century. There will also be a video of my memaw and myself on our ancestors’ land and how we are our ancestor’s dreams. Through telling these stories, we are showing that there is power in our history and telling these stories for the world.&nbsp; <img width="600" height="600" width_o="600" height_o="600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6b5c668817e4b10dd3ca18efbafe3532960cd7ed0086e18dc116ed404709d311/ellice-patterson.jpg" data-mid="103022281" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/600/i/6b5c668817e4b10dd3ca18efbafe3532960cd7ed0086e18dc116ed404709d311/ellice-patterson.jpg" /> ← Deen Rawlins-Harris G Diaz y Rodriguez → https://thecreatewell.org/g-diaz-y-rodriguez Tue, 23 Mar 2021 19:00:34 +0000 The CreateWell Fund https://thecreatewell.org/g-diaz-y-rodriguez g diaz y rodriguez(she/her/hers, they/them/theirs, ella/elle in Spanish) I am a Queer butch Latinx fat survivor. I want to create to lead to collective healing. I work in many mediums to share stories, evoke shifts, and bring to surface what others fight to keep silent and hidden. I want to create collaborative work that speaks to my communities, for us by us. Thru film, installation work/set design, and curation of community i want to heal with others and find liberation thru telling my truth. Project Summary I want to create a film project and installation for collective QTBIPoC healing. I want to bring movement to stories of QTBIPoC sexual trauma survivors. As a survivor of familial sexual violence want to create about this. As a Queer Latina survivor I have had to remain silent because of so many reasons and holding the burdens of being others in ways that don't let you be your whole self and still be held by community or to heal yourself. You are in a constant struggle always asking who you are and who your trauma is. I want to create a film that puts creative movement to these stories and I want to pay us for sharing these stories. I want us as survivors to also envision putting movement to how we would comfort our younger selves. Throughout this process I want to collaborate with a mentor that can guide and help me envision a future for myself. I want to imagine myself alive because I didn't think I'd make it. I am hoping this project will feel like the process was the thing for me and others and that what manifest is really just a sharing of what came out of the two year process. <img width="600" height="600" width_o="600" height_o="600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ba37915a969ae93a591b91952d41827e90dd7c3bc10d6a191a3a94891c7b09d8/g-diaz-y-rodriguez.jpg" data-mid="103022465" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/600/i/ba37915a969ae93a591b91952d41827e90dd7c3bc10d6a191a3a94891c7b09d8/g-diaz-y-rodriguez.jpg" /> Photo by Wandy Rafaela Photography ← Ellice Patterson JD Stokely →