Support Space for Cuenca Creatives
Donation protected
Cuenca, Ecuador needs a creative center that will provide affordable work space to artists and writers unable to rent a place of their own.
Here’s how I came to discover this need.
Nearly a decade ago, I began making art out of materials others might consider trash: bottle caps and fabric scraps, paper dolls and outdated maps. I did this because things like acrylic paint and colored pencils were too expensive. When I needed practical things I also couldn't afford, I improvised. For example, I found a table on the curb, waiting for the city sanitation department to collect. It was what I needed, but it was also ugly. So out of necessity, I transformed it into a piece I could be proud of.
When others saw what I’d done, friends, family, and even strangers began asking me to teach them what I had taught myself.
Then, when my spouse and I moved to Cuenca, Ecuador in 2013, these requests continued, so we developed a workshop that would share with others the skills I’d acquired by trial and error.
As an author who had taught college writing for years, I created a brand that would express my love for both the visual and verbal arts. Thus, idiomART was born, and other workshops were developed.
I still teach these classes, but recently creative people in town have begun asking me to start a community studio that would provide affordable work space to artists and writers unable to rent their own. Below are just a few of those artists.
I love their idea. I’ve found a space.
But we need $3,000 to get started. That’s where you come in, I hope.
Below I outline our community's dream and my philosophy for inspiring creativity in others. I describe the needs the studio will meet and exactly where donated funds will be spent.
Our Core Beliefs about Community and the Creative Process
The dream to draw or paint or write requires three things of you.
1, Forget the rules you learned in Kindergarten about neatness and coloring inside the lines. Painting a sunrise or writing a poem has nothing to do with the grade you earned in middle school art or freshman composition.
2. Abandon the myth that you, of all people, can NOT create. Maybe you say, "I can't make art. I can't even draw a straight line. Couldn't if my life depended on it." Only important, is your willingness to try. There's no such thing as "failure."
3. Be part of a supportive community of like-minded people. This will help you feel free and safe enough to experiment. We offer a community that will celebrate success with you. Community can witness your creative process, offer insight, and champion even the little victories.
The Goal
idiomART wants to open a creative space at the corner of Manuel Vega and Juan Jarmillo (in el Centro), where artists and writers can purchase access like they would a gym membership. The space would provide a large, open studio for the visual arts, quiet writing room, classroom, lounging area, and Wi-Fi. The space is close to 2000 square feet and up a single, double-wide staircase, for easy access. We also hope to eventually develop a lending library.
To get started we need to raise $3,000.
Who we will Serve
1. Retired expats who finally have the time to create but not the space.
2. Young Ecuadorian artists who can't afford to rent a space of their own.
3. Tourists who want short-term access to studio space and a place to meet other creative people.
Objectives
1. idiomART will offer an affordable creative space, access to which you can purchase like a gym membership, by the year, by the month or even the week. (No contracts required. See plans below.)
2. idiomART will help you overcome creative insecurities and beliefs that you can’t make art. We all can’t before we can. During the creative process, unplanned brush strokes or stray pencil marks can be gifts, nudging us in new directions.
3. idiomART will support both artists and writers. Artists will be able to experiment with words, and writers can explore images, adding texture to text.
4. idiomART will build community. It will become a place to meet other creative people, have a cup of coffee, and relax among friends, all of whom want to create, even if they’ve never had the time or place to do so before
5. idiomART will sponsor events such as workshops, art talks, literary readings, book launches, and exhibits.
Membership Plans and Benefits
Founding Membership: Regularly $500
1. Founding members will receive one-year/52-week accesss to the studio.
2. Founding members will be invited to serve on an advisory committee.
3. They will have free, quarterly access to our classroom, where they can teach workshops of their own (one day per quarter).
4. They will be able to arrange after-hours access to the studio, as scheduling allows.
5. Founding members will have access to a large, light filled, open studio; a separate, quiet work space for writing; and a lounge, where they can socialize and make new friends.
6. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
7. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
8. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
9. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
10. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
One-year membership: Regularly $400.
1. One-year members will receive 52 consecutive weeks of studio access.
2. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
3. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
4. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
5. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
6. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
One-month membership: Regularly $60
1. One-month members receive four consecutive weeks of studio access.
2. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
3. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
4. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
5. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
6. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
One-week membership: Regularly $20
1. One-week members receive 5 consecutive days of studio access.
2. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
3. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
4. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
5. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
6. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
Hours
Open studio hours will be Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Weekends will be reserved for special events.
Support Us
If you're able to donate, we thank you in advance.
1. If you can't contribute financially, would you please share our campaigne via social media? Thank you so much!
2. If you don't live in Ecuador and can't benefit from membership, we welcome your donation anyway. Maybe you'll come visit us.
3. If you do live in Ecuador, you can become a FOUNDING MEMBER for the discounted rate of $450. (See benefits above.)
4. You can also donate by pre-purchasing a ONE-YEAR PASS that would normally cost $400 for $350.
5. You can pre-purchase a ONE-MONtH PASS that would cost $60 for $55.
6. You can pre-purchase ONE-WEEK PRIVLEGES for $18 instead of $20.
7. You can also donate ANY OTHER AMOUNT, either above the $450 category, below the $18 amount, or anything in between.
We need $3000 to cover the costs of deposit, first and second month’s rent, set up of internet and utilities, as well as the purchase of furniture and supplies.
Budget
· Deposit and first two months' rent: $900
· Internet installation and modem: $90
· Internet for two months: $63
· Utilities for two months: $80
· Basic Kitchen Set-Up (coffee pot, mugs, etc.): $112
· Twenty chairs for classroom and open studio: $200
· Two used sofas: $400
· Five large tables: $200
· Five sheets of plywood to enlarge tables: $100
· Furniture delivery: $40
· Misc. Housekeeping Items (waste baskets, mop,
broom, etc): $75
· Three bookshelves: $150
· Storage for members' personal art supplies: $100
· Two stools: $30
· Two side tables for lounge: $30
· Ingredients to make blackboard paint: $15
· One five-gallon bucket of white primer: $40
· Six gallons of paint for accent walls: $60
· Brushes: $25
· Other studio tools: $50
· Floor protection (drop clothes, etc.): $40
· Paper: $50
· Used paper cutter: $50
· Miscellaneous: $100
· TOTAL: $3,000
Again, we THANK YOU!!!! Cuenca's artists and authors appreciate your support.
Here’s how I came to discover this need.
Nearly a decade ago, I began making art out of materials others might consider trash: bottle caps and fabric scraps, paper dolls and outdated maps. I did this because things like acrylic paint and colored pencils were too expensive. When I needed practical things I also couldn't afford, I improvised. For example, I found a table on the curb, waiting for the city sanitation department to collect. It was what I needed, but it was also ugly. So out of necessity, I transformed it into a piece I could be proud of.
When others saw what I’d done, friends, family, and even strangers began asking me to teach them what I had taught myself.
Then, when my spouse and I moved to Cuenca, Ecuador in 2013, these requests continued, so we developed a workshop that would share with others the skills I’d acquired by trial and error.
As an author who had taught college writing for years, I created a brand that would express my love for both the visual and verbal arts. Thus, idiomART was born, and other workshops were developed.
I still teach these classes, but recently creative people in town have begun asking me to start a community studio that would provide affordable work space to artists and writers unable to rent their own. Below are just a few of those artists.
I love their idea. I’ve found a space.
But we need $3,000 to get started. That’s where you come in, I hope.
Below I outline our community's dream and my philosophy for inspiring creativity in others. I describe the needs the studio will meet and exactly where donated funds will be spent.
Our Core Beliefs about Community and the Creative Process
The dream to draw or paint or write requires three things of you.
1, Forget the rules you learned in Kindergarten about neatness and coloring inside the lines. Painting a sunrise or writing a poem has nothing to do with the grade you earned in middle school art or freshman composition.
2. Abandon the myth that you, of all people, can NOT create. Maybe you say, "I can't make art. I can't even draw a straight line. Couldn't if my life depended on it." Only important, is your willingness to try. There's no such thing as "failure."
3. Be part of a supportive community of like-minded people. This will help you feel free and safe enough to experiment. We offer a community that will celebrate success with you. Community can witness your creative process, offer insight, and champion even the little victories.
The Goal
idiomART wants to open a creative space at the corner of Manuel Vega and Juan Jarmillo (in el Centro), where artists and writers can purchase access like they would a gym membership. The space would provide a large, open studio for the visual arts, quiet writing room, classroom, lounging area, and Wi-Fi. The space is close to 2000 square feet and up a single, double-wide staircase, for easy access. We also hope to eventually develop a lending library.
To get started we need to raise $3,000.
Who we will Serve
1. Retired expats who finally have the time to create but not the space.
2. Young Ecuadorian artists who can't afford to rent a space of their own.
3. Tourists who want short-term access to studio space and a place to meet other creative people.
Objectives
1. idiomART will offer an affordable creative space, access to which you can purchase like a gym membership, by the year, by the month or even the week. (No contracts required. See plans below.)
2. idiomART will help you overcome creative insecurities and beliefs that you can’t make art. We all can’t before we can. During the creative process, unplanned brush strokes or stray pencil marks can be gifts, nudging us in new directions.
3. idiomART will support both artists and writers. Artists will be able to experiment with words, and writers can explore images, adding texture to text.
4. idiomART will build community. It will become a place to meet other creative people, have a cup of coffee, and relax among friends, all of whom want to create, even if they’ve never had the time or place to do so before
5. idiomART will sponsor events such as workshops, art talks, literary readings, book launches, and exhibits.
Membership Plans and Benefits
Founding Membership: Regularly $500
1. Founding members will receive one-year/52-week accesss to the studio.
2. Founding members will be invited to serve on an advisory committee.
3. They will have free, quarterly access to our classroom, where they can teach workshops of their own (one day per quarter).
4. They will be able to arrange after-hours access to the studio, as scheduling allows.
5. Founding members will have access to a large, light filled, open studio; a separate, quiet work space for writing; and a lounge, where they can socialize and make new friends.
6. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
7. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
8. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
9. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
10. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
One-year membership: Regularly $400.
1. One-year members will receive 52 consecutive weeks of studio access.
2. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
3. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
4. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
5. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
6. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
One-month membership: Regularly $60
1. One-month members receive four consecutive weeks of studio access.
2. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
3. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
4. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
5. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
6. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
One-week membership: Regularly $20
1. One-week members receive 5 consecutive days of studio access.
2. They will be entitled to free coffee and tea, as well as Wi-Fi.
3. They'll have a place where they can store personal art supplies. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional fee.
4. They will have free access to events such as art talks, literary readings, and exhibits.
5. The cost of workshops and classes are not included in any membership.
6. Members will be able to use studio tools such as brushes, straight edges, e-XACTO knives, etc.; but not supplies such as paint, paper. canvas, or colored pencils.
Hours
Open studio hours will be Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Weekends will be reserved for special events.
Support Us
If you're able to donate, we thank you in advance.
1. If you can't contribute financially, would you please share our campaigne via social media? Thank you so much!
2. If you don't live in Ecuador and can't benefit from membership, we welcome your donation anyway. Maybe you'll come visit us.
3. If you do live in Ecuador, you can become a FOUNDING MEMBER for the discounted rate of $450. (See benefits above.)
4. You can also donate by pre-purchasing a ONE-YEAR PASS that would normally cost $400 for $350.
5. You can pre-purchase a ONE-MONtH PASS that would cost $60 for $55.
6. You can pre-purchase ONE-WEEK PRIVLEGES for $18 instead of $20.
7. You can also donate ANY OTHER AMOUNT, either above the $450 category, below the $18 amount, or anything in between.
We need $3000 to cover the costs of deposit, first and second month’s rent, set up of internet and utilities, as well as the purchase of furniture and supplies.
Budget
· Deposit and first two months' rent: $900
· Internet installation and modem: $90
· Internet for two months: $63
· Utilities for two months: $80
· Basic Kitchen Set-Up (coffee pot, mugs, etc.): $112
· Twenty chairs for classroom and open studio: $200
· Two used sofas: $400
· Five large tables: $200
· Five sheets of plywood to enlarge tables: $100
· Furniture delivery: $40
· Misc. Housekeeping Items (waste baskets, mop,
broom, etc): $75
· Three bookshelves: $150
· Storage for members' personal art supplies: $100
· Two stools: $30
· Two side tables for lounge: $30
· Ingredients to make blackboard paint: $15
· One five-gallon bucket of white primer: $40
· Six gallons of paint for accent walls: $60
· Brushes: $25
· Other studio tools: $50
· Floor protection (drop clothes, etc.): $40
· Paper: $50
· Used paper cutter: $50
· Miscellaneous: $100
· TOTAL: $3,000
Again, we THANK YOU!!!! Cuenca's artists and authors appreciate your support.
Organizer
Kathryn McCullough
Organizer
Homestead, FL
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