Community Service
By Karen Atkinson, courtesy of Side Street Projects
Participating as a volunteer at a nonprofit organization, teaching classes in the field, and generally giving back to the community is a good way to keep in touch with what is going on in the art world, your neighborhood, or your region. Many organizations were founded to help artists with exhibitions, professional skills, or presentation. If you have been supported by one of these organizations, please consider giving back by volunteering, or serving on a committee. If you have not benefited, consider it anyway, as it helps the next generation of artists have a support system.
If your work addresses certain issues that a community organization supports, consider getting involved. Your work may be one aspect of getting the word out, or raising issues, but consider becoming active in the issues you address in your work.
Most organizations have volunteer positions, internships and a board of directors. Contact them directly and ask if they need assistance in any way, particularly if you have a needed skill, such as graphic design, or you’re a technology wizard, or you just want to make new friends and meet other artists.
This article is excerpted from Get Your Sh*t Together, an artist's professional development series produced by Side Street Projects, Los Angeles. Visit their web site to order the complete series on CD-ROM.