Springboard for the Arts and CSA-Inspired Artist Support

CSArt, a new program of the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, is based on the CSA-inspired (Community Supported Agriculture) model of community-based artist support pioneered by Springboard for the Arts. Cambridge Center is the latest organization to embrace Springboard's open-source-so-go-ahead-and-reproduce-me model, which mimics financial investment in a community farm (with returns in the form of periodically delivered boxes of locally grown, organic produce or, in this case, locally produced art). At Springboard, a three-month season costs $300. From the website:

The selected artists receive a commission to create 50 "shares" for the program. Interested consumers/collectors will purchase a share from Springboard for the Arts and in return receive "farm boxes" of locally produced artwork at intervals during the season. Featured works could include items such as: an edition of vinyl 7", a run of screen-prints, series of small tea cups, run of photographs, tickets to an upcoming performance or event, letterpress editions of a poem or short story, or even 50 small original paintings. Each member share includes one piece from each of the 9 CSA featured artist works over the season and also includes "bumper crop" of additional artwork and arts opportunities. The pick-up evenings are at local art sites and will be events in themselves.

Learn more about CSArt and the CSA model here.