AW COVID-19 UPDATE: March 20, 2020

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update from artworking.jpg

Hello all, we would like to give an update on what has been happening with us over the last few weeks. It’s hard to think that it’s coming up on a week since we closed the studio. When things started to really hit with the COVID-19, we knew that we needed to act as fast as possible. Many of the artists we support have underlying health issues that can put them at greater risk of dangerous complications if they get sick. We also realized that we needed to help protect our staff and the community by following the most conservative protocols possible. On Wednesday, March 11th, we decided to close the studio to all outsiders, and by the weekend, we had closed the studio altogether. As a staff team, we are currently self-isolating to try to help control the spread of the infection and to help flatten the curve. That said, it’s having a pretty huge impact on us. Like everyone else, when our doors close, our income stops just as suddenly. As a result, our limited reserves for paying staff salaries and health insurance are dwindling rapidly, and most importantly our ability to work with the artists is completely compromised.

But just because we are closed, doesn’t mean we haven’t been working overtime. As a team, we have been burning the midnight oil to reformulate how we operate. We know that this thing isn’t going to go away overnight, so we have to act quickly to adapt to the new reality. To that end, we are developing new strategies around how we safely deliver services to the artists we support. We are also developing new ways to interact with the public when we can’t be face to face. In the coming weeks and months, we will stock the online store and open it to the public. You can also expect to see and hear a lot more from us online, as we develop ways to work with the artists and share community resources digitally. Lastly, we expect that we’ll have more opportunities for volunteers to participate, interact, and contribute remotely.

I won’t pretend that we aren’t scared. As a community, we all have a lot at stake right now, and we all have everything to lose. We need each other now more than ever. The AW artists need their community, and the community needs them in return. We are looking forward to getting to know all of you a lot better, as we work our way through this.

Adversity brings change.

Change brings growth.

Growth brings wholeness.

Wholeness brings joy.

-Lance-

The Cap Times: "With a 3D printer, he’s building their artistic potential and quality of life"→

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Jeanne Grosse with the custom built catapult John Lash made for her.

Jeanne Grosse with the custom built catapult John Lash made for her.

Great article in The Cap Times about the adaptive technologies that John Lash is building. Resident Artist Jeanne Grosse is featured, as she has commissioned John for two adaptive devices to aid in her art making.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Let’s say you use a wheelchair and have limited use of only one hand and you want to be a professional painter. That was the dream of Jeanne Grosse. She'd been using a rudimentary catapult to fling paint and was receiving career development help through Madison nonprofit ArtWorking, which assists artists and entrepreneurs with disabilities.

“In her mind, in her creative persona, she [had] the ability and potential,” said ArtWorking Program Director Lance Owens. “She knows color super, super well” and “has a really, really clarified and distilled vision of what she wants to do and be." But without a better tool, her artistic potential was limited, he said.

Enter John Lash.

Someone at ArtWorking knew Lash, who at the time was building kinetic metal sculptures, and they asked if he could design something more sophisticated. Lash agreed, and Grosse hired him with help from the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, which allots funds to help people with disabilities enter the workforce or start businesses. 

Owens was immediately surprised by Lash’s approach. It began with interviews in which Grosse, who has limited speaking ability, used her letter board to answer Lash’s questions: “What do you want it to do? What can your current catapult not do that you would wish this thing could do? What do you like about the current catapult?” He also asked her support staff for input.

“It was a really exhaustive process, but it was really super person-centered,” Owens said. “He innately understood ... how the object isn't as important as understanding the mind of the person using it.”

Lash returned to Grosse with a metal catapult that let her choose how many cups of paint to attach as well as the force and angle with which to fling the paint. 

But he wasn’t done. He asked Grosse to test the catapult and give him feedback so he could make adjustments. Then he left it with her for months, checking back and tweaking it again and again. “He did such incredible diligence with it,” Owens recalled.

With the new device, Grosse became one of ArtWorking’s most lucrative artists. Her vibrant painted clocks and spattered canvases sell “like hotcakes,” sometimes faster than she can replenish the supply, Owens said. 

Thank you, Cap Times!

Read more at: https://madison.com/ct/news/local/neighborhoods/with-a-d-printer-he-s-building-their-artistic-potential/article_68e80fc0-3fb1-538e-b33a-61aa4c26baa2.html

Thank you. We couldn't have done it without you.

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This year's Holiday Pop-Up Shop was a resounding success, our best yet! And we simply could not have done it without you. From the numerous volunteers to the artists’ families to the community that purchased artwork, we thank you. Your support for the Artworking community continues to amaze and inspire us. We are grateful.

Did you miss the Pop-Up? Stop by the Artworking Shop for Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30 from 11am-3pm.

ArtWorking will hold extended shopping hours throughout the month of December. (open regularly M-F from 9am-4pm) Throughout the month of December Friday hours will run from 9am-8pm, with additional Saturday hours from 11am-3pm.

ArtWorking Needs Muscles and Pizzazz!

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Hey all, we are getting down to the wire for our big annual pop-up shop, and we need help moving, setting up and working the event. We will start packing to move over to the space next Monday morning (Nov 11th), and will be working up until it opens on Friday November 15th. After that we’ll need help working the event Friday-Sunday. Lastly, we need a lot of help packing out on Sunday night, and unloading the truck Monday morning (Nov 18th). Just click on the button above!

It's Been a Year!

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Remembering where we were a full year ago today, and oh, so grateful for where we wound up! Last year at this time we were just beginning to navigate through our emergency move . We quickly found temporary space, which held us over til November, when we finally were able to move into our current (and permanent) space.

We are so, so grateful for the support of our community as we’ve gone through these changes. Many thanks to you for your financial contributions, for lending a hand and for every word of encouragement spoken. Your support kept us going, inspired us and helped us forge a new path forward for ArtWorking. We couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you.

Looking for volunteers to screenprint at Chazen Summer Spin!

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We’re doing it again! Last year several Artworking artists participated in Summer Spin at the Chazen Art Museum and we’ve been invited to do it again this year! We’re looking for a few volunteers to join us at the Chazen on Thursday, July 11th between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. This year we’ll be screenprinting bandanas with six ArtWorking artists.

We are hoping to have three volunteers at a time for each hour of the evening. Please consider joining us (as a volunteer or a participant) for a fun afternoon of screenprinting and community fun!

Sign-up for volunteer time here.

Prince drawing by Romano Johnson for screenprinting at Summer Spin.

Prince drawing by Romano Johnson for screenprinting at Summer Spin.

Good Fortune: ArtWorking's Opening Celebration!

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Our Grand Opening was a huge success! So many thanks to all who attended and who support ArtWorking. It was a grand night, with friends, family, artists and artwork! And a special shout out to Tito’s Vodka for supplying the food and festive drinks. We appreciate your support!