INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINED CREATIVITY

Connection Hub

The ISC Connection Hub is a national platform that cultivates meaningful relationships among artists, arts leaders, institutions, and communities, transforming individual connections into lasting collaborations that strengthen society.

Our personalized, one-on-one approach is grounded in trust, generosity, and sustained engagement. Through shared resources, guidance, and pragmatic pathways, we support artists and organizations in reshaping how the arts are understood, discussed, and supported.

What sets ISC apart is our commitment to micro-solutions and ongoing involvement, ensuring collaborations extend beyond initial matchmaking and achieve lasting impact.

While many organizations serve artists, no national platform currently exists with the sole purpose of strategically connecting artists across sectors to generate opportunity, strengthen institutions, and build lasting community partnerships.

ISC is uniquely positioned to create that connective infrastructure.

OUR METHODS

We act as a catalyst to build and grow meaningful connections by centering artists’ needs and goals through intentional, intergenerational, and cross-sector relationships.

Examples include:

• Mentorship & Leadership
  Through a thoughtful matching process, we pair artists with leaders across diverse art forms. Generous support comes from professionals in academia, arts organizations, regional nonprofits, museums, arts journalism, and other relevant entities who provide nuanced strategies to problem-solving specific issues, needs, and goals of artists. Training and support for those looking to become arts leaders is also provided.

• Community & Convening
  Through town halls, workshops, and artist-led sessions, we identify shared needs, exchange strategies among peers, and address challenges collaboratively. Each offering is customized for participants across sectors, responsive to the communities involved, and includes both formal and informal gatherings.

• Opportunities & Partnerships
  ISC helps facilitate exhibitions, speaking engagements, intergenerational projects, paid positions and other strategic connections. We track the changing jobs landscape, grants deadlines, and various volunteer positions in the arts community across the country. New and unique partnerships are also suggested to further expand possibilities for artists and nonprofits and businesses.

• Professional Development & Resources
  Publishing arts content, dissemination of contemporary pedagogies & curricula, pushing for interdisciplinary crossover, highlighting up-to-date research findings, and discovering other unique resources — all are shared generously within our community. If we are approached with a request for a deep-dive on an issue we aren’t familiar with, we use the opportunity to expand the reach of our publication and research offerings, as well.

Baltimore, MD (2017)
Area 405 Artist Gathering Over Food & Drinks / Artist as Culture Producer Conversation Book Event
Artist facilitators: Sharon Louden, Tim Dowd, Cara Ober, Kat Kiernan, Michael Scoggins, Zoë Charlton, Edgar Arceneaux, Deanna Haggag, and Jayme McLellan.