Invention on the Horizon

Public Display of Invention
September 21, 2009, 7:30-9:30pm
WNYC's The Greene Space
FREE, RSVP at www.thefield.org

Economic Revitalization for Performing Artists tackles tough economic realities on two fronts: inventive public dialogues and an ambitious entrepreneurial lab. Since 2008, ERPA dialogues have engaged more than 500 artists and cultural stakeholders in topics ranging from alternative fundraising tactics, to the romanticization of the starving artist paradigm, to a smackdown exposé on the ‘new’ economy. Full audio coverage of all ERPA events is available HERE on the blog. (See ERPA Guideposts: Podcasts)

These Invention Sessions helped set the stage for a competitive application process in November 2008, from which seven artists (out of 116 applicants!) were selected to receive cash, tools, and resources from The Field. With the aim to revitalize the economic lives of performing artists, ERPA projects were selected by a panel of arts and business leaders based on their potential impact and replicability.

This fall, after nine months of entrepreneurial investigations, seven artists (dubbed the ‘ERPA 7’) present their models for economic and financial sustainability in a Public Display of Invention. Each artist will have 15 minutes to show off their wares and field questions from a discerning public audience. Join us to witness the fruits of their labor and hear how individual artists and arts organizations plan to revitalize their own economy.

ERPA 7: Kahlil Almustafa, Nick Brooke, Rachel Chavkin/The TEAM, Connie Hall/Conni's Avant Garde Restaurant, JoAnna Mendl Shaw/The Equus Projects, Jon Stancato/Stolen Chair, and Caroline Woolard/Our Goods

Learn more about the ERPA 7 HERE.

This program is presented by The Field as part of the ERPA program, made possible by the NYC Cultural Innovation Fund of The Rockefeller Foundation.