What’s better than two Houston arts service organizations? Well, actually, one really awesome arts service organization. Fresh Arts Coalition and Spacetaker are merging! As the “new” Fresh Arts, we’ll be able to serve artists and arts organizations more effectively and responsively, capitalize on combined resources and bring the community even greater access to the creative talent thriving in our city. Learn more about these exciting changes first on our Merger FAQ page. We’ll be in transition over the next few months and will keep you updated on our blog.
SPACETAKER'S MISSION
Spacetaker is a 501(c)3 professional organization and Artist Resource Center located in Houston’s First Ward whose mission is to provide artists and non-profits access to economic development, continuing education, and networking opportunities to support their professional growth.
FRESH ARTS MISSION
Fresh Arts Coalition is a collaborative of small and mid-sized Houston arts organizations that markets the importance of the arts to the public and builds audience participation through increased visibility, collaborative efforts and advocacy.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SPACETAKER'S 2010 990 TAX RETURN.
PROGRAM AREAS
Tap into The Culture Guide for a curated selection of Houston’s finest exhibitions, performances, and events. As an added bonus for artists, businesses and organizations, the Guide’s event listings include links to those involved in the production and sponsorship of the event in order to foster connections between the artist and those who support the arts.
The Artist Registry is an online venue for local artists to showcase their work, elaborate on their vision, and connect with their audience and peers. A trove of information for both the artist and art aficionado, the registry affords artists a communal space on the web for artists’ professional bios, artist statements, and work portfolios.
The Houston Artist Field Guide is a centralized database of arts-related resources providing Houston’s artists with access to up-to-date information and resources. The Field Guide both assembles the tools artists need to complete and promote projects, as well as provides professional development support. Consult the Field Guide for material, service, and space listings, along with the latest career and employment opportunities.
The Culture Wire features up-to-the minute info on Houston’s art scene. This service delivers a feed of press releases for openings, performances, and events illuminating what is happening today and what is in the works.
The Artist Resource Center (ARC) is a supportive physical space for young and emerging artists where Spacetaker hosts career-building classes and workshops, as well as fosters artists though affordable space rental for rehearsals, exhibitions and special events. Through strategic partnerships with the business and educational community, Spacetaker continues to develop the curriculum and scope of our professional development resources for artists.
The Artist SPEAKeasy is a bi-monthly public event in which two artists present creative presentations about their work, affording the audience further insight into the artist, the artist's aesthetic and the creative process. Encouraging dialogue in an informal atmosphere, the Artist SPEAKeasy is designed to introduce local artists to the public and to each other and features artists working in differing artistic arenas (performing, visual, literary, etc.) in order to foster conversation and cross-disciplinary pollination.
The Winter Holiday Art Market (WHAM) is held to give artists an economic engine to grow their markets and sell their work at a time of year when additional revenue is often needed. Free to the public, WHAM is a special exhibition, sale, and art festival in one— featuring art, demonstrations, and performances by local artists of all disciplines. This annual event generates opportunities for artists to engage the public in a festive atmosphere and to present their work to a large and diverse audience.
Cultured Cocktails is a weekly public happy hour hosted by Spacetaker and sponsored by local businesses which benefits a new non-profit arts organization each week. More than a fundraiser, Cultured Cocktails is an opportunity for artists, arts administrators, and fans to come together and network in a casual environment.
Spacetaker partners with local businesses to feature talented local artists and provide them with opportunities to showcase their work in a public forum.
Spacetaker and Fresh Arts Coalition have joined forces in an initiative to bring the best of Houston's progressive art scene to the greater Metropolitan area. Whether it be a happy hour at CityCentre or a festival Sugar Land's Town Square, both organizations are eager to think outside the loop.
SOME STATS
In 2011:
- - Spacetaker helped raise $121,727 for local artists and arts organizations.
- - Spacetaker's Cultured Cocktails program generated $17,860 for 47 local arts organizations and artist-driven projects.
- - Spacetaker held 21 professional development workshops that reached 411 attendees.
- - Spacetaker hosted 15 exhibitions that grossed $11,610 in art sales and drew approximately 1,900 people.
- - Spacetaker's physical programs & services reached roughly 8,000 individuals including both artists and the greater public. An additional 58,000 individuals utilize Spacetaker’s web resources (Culture Guide, Artist Registry, and Houston Artist Field Guide).
In 2010:
- - Spacetaker helped raise $124,789 for local artists and arts organizations. This nearly doubles the figure raised in 2009.
- - Spacetaker's Cultured Cocktails program generated $8,281 for 48 local arts organizations.
- - Spacetaker held 13 professional development workshops that reached 200 attendees.
- - Spacetaker hosted 10 exhibitions that grossed $17,225 in art sales and drew approximately 675 people.
- - Spacetaker's physical programs & services reached roughly 10,000 individuals including both artists and the greater public. An additional 57,000 individuals utilize Spacetaker’s web resources (Culture Guide, Artist Registry, and Houston Artist Field Guide).
In 2009:
- - Spacetaker helped put over $57,000 in the hands of approximately 160 local artists through programming such as the Winter Holiday Art Market and partner exhibitions with local businesses.
- - Spacetaker's Cultured Cocktails Program featured 50 unique nonprofits and raised over $8,000 for local arts organizations.
- - Spacetaker's Artist Resource Center (ARC) hosted 24 professional development workshops for artists and arts organizations, as well as 5 family-oriented art events- touching over 1,200 individuals.
- - Between the Winter Holiday Art Market, the Artist Resource Center workshops, the Cultured Cocktails program, the Artist SPEAKeasy events, and the Synergy Gala, Spacetaker directly impacted over 7,000 Houstonians.
*Updated May 2012
Spacetaker is funded in part by grants from the
City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
