Arts Foundation of Cape Cod's Creative Exchange Newsletter | Spring 2024

CREATIVE SPRING 2024

EXCHANGE

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rtist of the Year Julia Cumes

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Celeb a ing William Ra ei

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ts at Work: Strengthening Families Through Art

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s New Board Members

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AFCC Welcome

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE CREATIVE EXCHANGE PODCAST

Scan the QR Code to Listen to

the Creative Exchange Podcast

I have a confession to make. I’m a podcast junkie. I lean towards shows where I gain insight and inspiration for how to improve my health, my approach to work, and my relationships with others. Wisdom From The Top, Design Better, and Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris top my list.

In 2019, the Arts Foundation launched its own podcast, the Creative Exchange, which just concluded its sixth season. I’ve had the privilege of sitting opposite our many guests over the past five years. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when going into the podcast, but each conversation has been immensely rewarding, and in many ways therapeutic.

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With each discussion I have, I’ve been left with a gift from our guests – advice, nuggets of wisdom, and stories that have reaffirmed my belief in the power of the arts and the human connection.

A common thread through many conversations has been the importance of nature – the ocean, gardening, interactions with animals, and simply being outside have served to nurture the creative spirit.

In his whimsical Chatham studio, illustrator Bob Staake, who has designed New Yorker covers and artwork for more than 75 children’s books, told me that his ideal assignment is when he is asked “to do something I’ve never done before.”

May we all be as willing (and eager) as Bob is to try new things in our lives.

Perhaps my most moving conversation was with Scott Townsend, one of the top female impersonators in the business, who spoke about the trauma he endured when he was bullied as a kid. Where did he find refuge? On stage.

It’s a reminder that the arts are a safe haven for all.

Several guests, like fiber artist Salley Mavor and author Susan Blood, have told me about the importance of writing. Several years ago, Mavor hired a social media consultant who convinced her to blog. In doing so, she was able to articulate all the thoughts in her head, conveying ideas that offered clarity to her work.

In our 50th episode, actor Murray Bartlett spoke about the importance of fearlessness. “Some of my proudest moments were when I pushed it over the top and made a fool of myself because it takes some courage to really go there,” he shared of playing Armond, the luxury resort manager in “The White Lotus.”

Blood (our first-ever podcast guest) balanced writing with her day job and raising a family. One story she shared was particularly telling – she purchased a small laptop so she could write while waiting to pick up her children from school. It’s a reminder that we all have roadblocks to what we want to do, but we can creatively go around (or through) them to pursue our passions.

It’s a lesson that we can all apply to our personal and professional lives in being bold and not letting fear hold us back.

Julie

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Julie Wake Executive Director 2

DONOR SPOTLIGHT: WILLIAM RAVEIS REAL ESTATE In 1974, William (Bill) Raveis Jr. was a 27-year-old who had a vision for making his own mark by starting a luxury real estate company that was focused on family and community. As the privately-held real estate, mortgage, and insurance firm he created celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, it has held true to those values.

believe in what they are doing. It’s a beautiful thing to see and an honor for us to be involved with that kind of commitment.”

A half century has provided sufficient time for Raveis to evolve William Raveis Real Estate from its humble beginnings in a one-room office above Mercurio Grocery in Fairfield, Connecticut, to a company with more than 140 offices and over 4,500 sales associates who serve the entire Northeast, Florida, and South Carolina. In 2023, William Raveis Real Estate garnered Top Brokerage in the U.S. from Inman, a national real estate news source.

He’s written four books — his most recent, “The Vision and The Passion: Continuing the Journey on the Way of the Entrepreneur” was published in 2022 — and oversees his company’s marketing efforts. “I enjoy it a lot,” he said of that side of the business. “When you’re building a brand, you’re basically telling them what your brand is about — for us, we’re a luxury service, family business. You’re expressing yourself like an artist would.”

“You know the real joy is I have my sons involved with the company,” said Bill, referencing his sons Chris and Ryan who are co-presidents of William Raveis Real Estate. Chris oversees residential sales while Ryan manages the company’s mortgage and insurance arms.

“It is impossible to have a life without art.”

It is that attitude that led William Raveis Real Estate to sign on as the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s Title Sponsor in the midst of the pandemic in 2021. It has renewed that commitment every year since.

“From the executive director on down, the commitment and emotion to what everyone is doing at the Arts Foundation, you can just feel it,” Bill said. “It is great. It’s not something they are doing just to do it, but they are doing it because they

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His late wife Candy, who passed away last October at the age of 76, was a painter, designer, and artist, known for creating stunning decorative pieces out of shells. The couple’s son Ryan is an avid guitarist and singer. And their daughter Laurie is one-half of Raveis Kole, a popular American-indie-folk, singer-songwriter duo.

So it’s not surprising that Bill had this to say about the importance of the arts in our lives, in our communities, and in society: “It is an enrichment of the human experience. It opens your mind and enriches your soul. How can you live without that? It is impossible to have a life without art.”

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The trio’s greatest reward? Turning the company’s success into a vehicle for giving back. “We’re all part of the community, aren’t we?” Bill said, explaining its philanthropic efforts. “This is a very important part of being alive — to give back to the people who helped you. The community helped us build our business. We all have children we send to school in our communities and the agents here are supported by making a living in the community. Why not give back?”

Not only is philanthropy embedded in Bill’s approach to life, but so too is his love of the arts.

DENNIS-YARMOUTH STUDENTS SHIP UP TO BOSTON The last time students from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School’s band, orchestra, and chorus made the trek over the bridge to watch the Boston Symphony rehearse was at the end of February 2020.

Four years and one pandemic later, 40 students returned to Symphony Hall to watch professional musicians perform Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt.” The oneof-a-kind experience was made possible through funding from the Arts Foundation’s AFCC Access program, which covered the cost of transportation for the field trip.

“For a lot of these kids, this was one of the first times they were able to see a symphony orchestra perform, let alone one of the top orchestras in the country,” said the high school’s Chorus Director Stephanie Riley. “They got to see what a Grammy-winning ensemble sounds like.”

And for Riley, it was an opportunity to showcase her talent as she was on stage singing with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. “To see their teacher up there – I had to learn the whole piece in Norwegian and not English – putting into practice everything I’ve been trying to teach them is invaluable,” she said. “It’s work I am extremely proud of and to share it with them is exhilarating.”

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Getting out of the classroom and having these types of opportunities is incredibly important in their development.

“This gives them a realistic understanding of where they can go if they so choose,” said Riley. “One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say, ‘Don’t get a music degree because you’ll never be able to do anything but perform or teach.’ That is not the case. There’s so much you can do with a music degree, and it opens so many doors.”

OUR MISSION IS MADE POSSIBLE BY

YOU , OUR SUPPORTERS , WHO SHARE IN OUR BELIEF THAT INVESTING IN THE ARTS IS AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY

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A VOICE FOR THE ARTS The Arts Foundation’s Executive Director Julie Wake, Director of Development Amy Tuttle, and Director of Grants and Communications Chris Kazarian kicked off the new year by crossing the Cape Cod Canal and making their way to Boston for a celebration of the arts across the Commonwealth.

The trio joined hundreds of other arts leaders, stakeholders, and supporters at Creative Sector Day at the end of January, filling the Massachusetts State House to highlight the importance of arts and culture in the state.

It's one example of the Arts Foundation's efforts to advocate for the arts, working with the Cape's legislative delegation to ensure the creative sector receives the support it needs to grow and thrive. Wake and her team followed that up by convening a meeting of local arts leaders in March with State Senators Julian Cyr and Susan Moran, and State Representatives Sarah Peake, Kip Diggs, Christopher Flanagan, David Vieira, Steven Xiarhos, and Dylan Fernandes. Held at the Arts Foundation’s office, the meeting allowed arts leaders to highlight ways they’re delivering innovative projects in partnership with sectors outside the arts.

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ARTIST OF THE YEAR JULIA CUMES: BRINGING

HUMANITY TO THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY When done right, a photo can be a powerfully moving work of art, telling the story of a person and a place at a singular moment in time. This is where Julia Cumes excels.

It is through her lens that the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s 2024 Artist of the Year is able to add depth, clarity, hope, connection, and understanding to the human experience.

Whether it’s capturing images of women facing the painful diagnosis of breast cancer; volunteers working to rescue dolphins stranding themselves on Cape Cod beaches; the aftermath of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina; or the water crisis in Cape Town, Africa, there’s a breadth of emotion to Julia’s work that cannot be expressed in words.

As Arts Foundation Executive Director Julie Wake said in announcing Julia Cumes as our Artist of the Year: “Julia is a beacon for how an artist can make a profound difference through their art. Her photographs shine a bright light onto the human experience and important topics like gender identity, climate change, sustainable food production, and the struggles that women have faced around the world.”

Julia epitomizes what we want out of the Artist of the Year, someone who “moves us to think about our place in the world and the role each of us can play in shaping it for the better,” Wake said.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR: ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

sday, pril 24, 5-7 PM Where: Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth When: Wedne

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RSVP He e

Come be inspired by the Arts Foundation’s Artists of the Year Jo Hay (2022), Mark Adams (2023), and Julia Cumes (2024) who will talk about their creative journeys, their artistic processes, and what inspires them to make the type of art that can make a meaningful difference in our lives and our communities.

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Originally from South Africa, Julia Cumes came to Cape Cod in 2001 when she was a summer photography intern at the Cape Cod Times after completing an MFA at Cornell University and an MA in photojournalism at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School.

Her photos have been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, Boston Globe, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today.

To see more of Julia’s work, visit JuliaCumes.com.

“Having grown up in Apartheid-era South Africa, I understood early on the power of photography to reveal truth, evoke empathy, and catalyze change.”

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CAPACITY-BUILDING GRANT PROGRAM

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The Arts Foundation kicked off the new year by welcoming a talented, diverse array of artists for its Capacity-Building Grant Program.

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Nearly 70 artists applied for the program, which is now in its second year. This year’s cohort of 15 artists (pictured here) will spend six months developing a business plan, complete with actionable goals that allow them to grow their creative practice; participate in a series of professional development workshops, encompassing everything from taxes to artist licensing; and receive a $2,000 grant upon the completion of the program.

"The support of organizations like the Arts Foundation affirms that what you're doing, no matter where you're at in your career, is validated."

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“Creative people, whatever field you are in, you are the empathy muscle of our culture. You are helping people to see perspectives they never considered.”

—Hannah Cole, Visual Artist & Taxes for Artists Workshop Coach

ABOUT THE CREATIVE EXCHANGE

The Creative Exchange Program offers experience beyond mere funding! The Creative Exchange Program offers tailored, artist-centered professional development, empowering artists to enhance their creative practice, pursue purposeful careers, forge supportive networks, and secure resources for long-term sustainability.

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COACHES HELP ARTISTS

THRIVE ON THE CAPE

Why is the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s Capacity-Building Grant Program so important?

Because “the struggles of artists are unlike any other profession out there,” Rick Miller explained.

Since January, Miller, a psychotherapist, author, and public speaker, has worked side by side with artist Laura Shabott in supporting the 15 Cape creatives participating in the sixmonth professional development program.

The pair are serving as coaches for the cohort, providing twoon-one guidance in helping each artist create a business plan that lists achievable goals they can reach in building financial sustainability for their creative practice.

CREATIVE EXCHANGE IS EMPOWERING ARTISTS

52,000 in grants awarded to rtists

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400+ local artists served through the program

Year 1 (2023):

51 applicants for 12 spots Year 2 (2024):

70 applicants for 15 spots Year 3 (2025):

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the two cohorts have exhibited a rich ethnic diversity: Combined,

29%) Latinx (17%) Native American (9%) Middle Eastern (3%) Asian/Pacific Islander (3%)

“Each of them wants the same thing – to do work that has meaning, that is authentic, and that they can make a living from,” said Shabott, who participated in the first-ever artist cohort last year. “There are a lot of business planning classes on the Cape, but not solely for artists. That’s why this program is unique.”

One of the focuses of their efforts is to help each artist “crack the time-money code,” said Shabott. “That is one of the reasons why people give up as artists because they can’t crack that code. …I am not beyond the time-money struggle. Yes, you have time-money challenges, but it shouldn’t stop you.

You keep going and work through these challenges.”

Part of what Shabott and Miller are doing is providing the motivation for each artist to do just that.

It is particularly needed in a region where the economic divide is widening. “However, we can be successful here as artists,” Shabott stressed. “How does an artist embrace what is available here and thrive, not just artistically, but financially?”

Miller and Shabott are working in concert to ensure artists in the cohort can thrive, artistically and financially.

“One of the most important things about having an art coach is the feeling that somebody believes in you,” Shabott said.

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What makes the program unique, Miller said, is that the curriculum is almost tailormade to the challenges each artist is facing. “Why do they need a program like this? The truth is everyone needs more training, more encouragement, and more growth,” he said. “Everyone is taking advantage of that and will grow immensely as a result.”

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STAND with the

ARTS FOUNDATION OF CAPE COD

FALMOUTH ROAD RACE:

RUN FOR THE ARTS Help the Arts Foundation add color, creativity, and vibrancy to the Falmouth Road Race! For the second straight year, we’re fielding a team to run the iconic 7-mile road race while taking meaningful steps to strengthen the region’s arts sector.

The road race, which will be celebrating its 52nd anniversary, is set for Sunday, August 18th. You can also support the Arts Foundation’s mission by participating in a virtual “At-Home Edition” of the race.

To learn how you can run for the arts this summer or become a sponsor, please reach out to Development Associate TJ Davis at tdavis@artsfoundation.org. Go Team Arts Foundation!

GIFTS AT WORK:

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES THROUGH ART When you support the Arts Foundation, you’re investing in arts programs that allow parents to connect with their children through creativity.

Scan the QR code to learn more about how your gift allowed Cape Cod Children’s Place to serve 102 families from throughout the region via meaningful arts activities that brought joy and togetherness into their lives.

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“When I contribute to the AFCC, I know the donation will make a real impact and help build the arts economy on Cape Cod.” – Michele Clarke, AFCC Patron

Your belief in the arts transforms, educates, and inspires, shaping a brighter future for all on Cape Cod. Right now, the Arts Foundation needs to raise $20,000 to ensure funding is available to support vital arts programming that benefits our community. Your gift supports local arts that you value and touches lives from Bourne to Provincetown, and everywhere in between.

Please make your gift today & stand

with the arts!

OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBERS

Amanda-Clare Cunningham

Marius Dehelean

Ken Elmer

The Arts Foundation is excited to strengthen its Board of Directors with four talented individuals who have a passion for the arts and a keen understanding of the importance of volunteerism.

The new board members are Amanda-Clare Cunningham of Barnstable, principal of A.M. P.M. Design; Marius Dehelean of Mashpee, a senior relationship manager, VP at TD Bank; Ken Elmer, of Barnstable, a retired HR professional who held leadership positions at Repligen Corporation in Waltham, attune in Burlington, and Celerant Consulting in Waltham; and Jeffrey Soares of South Dartmouth, a Cape Cod native who is the former legislative aid to Senator Julian Cyr and currently the director of rowing at Watuppa Rowing Center in Fall River.

SAVE THE DATES

Jeffrey Soares

AFCC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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2024 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

ARTS FOUNDATION GALA + LIVE AUCTION

INCREASE CHILDREN'S ACCESS TO THE

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POWER OF THE ARTS

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ARTS FOUNDATION SILENT AUCTION

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CREATIVE EXCHANGE CONFERENCE

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xpand our AFCC Access Program, which connected 5,700 children to the arts in 2023, to make an even bigger impact.

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GIVE THE SECTOR THE TOOLS TO THRIVE

uild upon the success of the Creative Exchange which supported over 400 individuals working in the arts on the Cape through professional development last year.

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LEVERAGE FEDERAL FUNDING TO STRENGTHEN THE CAPE

s spring, we will use a $30,000 NEA grant to fund rtist projects.

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UNVEIL A NEW LOOK

ur rebrand and website redesign will launch this summer to better communicate the impact that your giving has on the arts, artists, and the community.

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396 Main St., Ste. 10 Hyannis, MA 02601

THANK YOU!