Artists Support
Through our AOK Artist Retreat in Wellfleet, MA, we connect young, emerging artists with the people and resources they need to:
- Make and show their art: AOK artists are provided with space and materials to create and present work. Our residencies provide AOK artists with the time, space, mentor-ship, community and resources they need to create, reflect, connect with fellow artists-in-residence and community members and create new networks
- Make a living in the creative economy: Making art is one thing; making a living from one’s creativity is another. And the skills for one are totally different from those of the other. We make sure our young artists learn how to manage their careers, negotiate contracts, market their work, gain representation and more. We help them find work using their creative skills in a variety of settings. We also ensure they have healthy financial habits so they can establish financial independence
Community
AOK provides a dense network of support for all AOK artists. We pair them with mentors, which allows them to experience trusting relationships and allows us to connect them with other people and organizations who can help them with particular areas of need and provide access to an array of positive experiences and opportunities:
- AOK’s longest running program is Thursday Night Dinner (TND), a diverse, weekly home-cooked meal. It is a boisterous gathering of AOK family members, anywhere from 10-20 people of all ages and backgrounds. This weekly dinner grounds our young artists in a consistent community of mutual support and high expectations and helps create and deepen relationships that result in increased self-confidence and networks that both open doors to opportunities of all kinds.
- We make sure our young artists are celebrated and made to feel special, just like we would for our own kids. Every summer we bring a group of the first cohort of DC-based artists to Cape Cod for a week of fun in the sun. Everyone in the first generation of AOK artists has specially selected and wrapped presents waiting for them under the tree during the holiday season and are celebrated on their birthdays and on other milestones, such as graduation, new jobs, selling artwork, new exhibitions or shows, etc.
Education & Life Support
- Currently, five of our original cohort of young artists are in college. We provide everything they need to focus on learning and succeed, including helping them navigate the financial aid process, covering gaps in tuition, providing allowance and phone plans and making sure they have the supplies they need.
- We also ensure the students in that original cohort have adequate access to the things they need to negotiate everyday life, including food, clothing, phones, chargers, phone plans, IDs, health care and mental health care, computers, etc.
Interested in learning more about AOK Programs?
If you have questions or want more information on the programs and services AOK provides, reach out to us today!