I’m one of those people that never got a visual arts degree, I decided to focus on art history/theory instead.  Now, I’m realizing that one crucial thing I missed was connecting with other artists. So now, I’m in a situation where I’d like to connect more with other artists to share ideas, discuss work, etc. but I don’t know where to start. Artist residencies? Workshops? If so, which ones are best for emerging artists? Can you recommend anyways to connect with artists locally and internationally?

– Charisse, Normandy, FR

Congratulations on realizing the benefits of being a member of a community of artists. I’ve said this once and I’ll say it a thousand times: Other artists are your greatest asset. They are your most valuable source of support, information, and resources.

I would definitely encourage you to enroll in a local class or, if you’re short on time, take a weekend workshop. Even if the other students in the class aren’t professional artists, you’ll find yourself in a supportive environment surrounded by other creative people who are interested in learning. Also, the person teaching the class will likely be a local artist that you can connect with long after the class has finished.

Another great way to meet artists is to go on your local artist open studio tour. Meeting other artists in their studios will give you a chance to not only see their most current work, but really have the chance to talk and connect with them. They may even have suggestions for other local artist groups or organizations they’re part of that might be of interest to you.

And let’s not forget the plethora of opportunities for meeting and connecting with other artists on-line.Facebook and LinkedIn offer hundreds of micro artist communities that you can tap into.

A few of my favorites:

By using the Facebook search tool you can easily find a group called Art Bloggers. Even if you aren’t a blogger it’s a great group of artists who are usually having some very useful discussions about contemporary art. As an added bonus, if you find certain posts interesting you can then click over to their individual blogs, learn more about their work, and make connections and start conversations there too.

If you click on the LinkedIn Groups tab you’ll see that, like Facebook, LinkedIn offers thousands of art groups for almost every professional field. The two groups I find most useful are Contemporary Art Network and Art Business. These are my two “go to” groups when I need a question answered or I’m looking for a very specific resource. Information I’ve gained from these group members have been an incredible asset to both my studio practice and my art business.

Even if you never end up meeting these people face to face, although that too is a possibility, you can definitely benefit from the ideas and resources other artists in on-line groups will be able to offer you. Whether the group you find is on-line or off, the most important step is to join and start taking part in whatever community you choose to engage.

Send your questions to Kesha:
freshartinternational@gmail.com
Subject Line: Fresh Rx