INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINED CREATIVITY
What We Do
ISC serves artists through matchmaking, mentoring, creating opportunities and sharing resources.
Austin, TX (2018)
Artist As Culture Producer Conversation Book Event.
Future Front (formerly Boss Babes)
Little Rock, AR (2025)
Informal Gathering With Local Artists.
ESSE Purse Museum
PROGRAMS & SERVICES:
Nashville, TN (2025)
Last Artist Standing Conversation Book Event.
Global Education Center
Connection Hub
ISC functions as a catalyst to connect artists, arts leaders, organizations, foundations, corporations, nonprofits, and academic institutions.
We build and grow meaningful relationships by centering artists’ needs and goals through intentional, intergenerational, and cross-sector introductions.
Our work bringing together stakeholders does not end with initial matchmaking. We remain committed to successful collaborations that become lasting over time.
New York, NY (2013)
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life Conversation Book Event.
Pocket Utopia Gallery
Conversation Book Tours
Between 2013 and 2018, ISC produced two separate conversation book tours in support of the publication of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life collection of essays by working artists, edited by Sharon Louden.
Visiting more than 164 locations across the United States, Alaska, and abroad, we engaged with over 12,000 arts professionals. The next chapter of this touring series, Last Artist Standing, was launched in the fall of 2025 and will continue through 2027.
The demonstrable impact of these events has been substantial and far-reaching, resulting in jobs and exhibition opportunities for artists, increased individual validation, the strengthening of communities, and real-world implementation of new ideas.
Los Angeles, CA (2017)
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life Conversation Book Event.
California State University, Northridge, Department of Art & Design.
Workshops & Informal Gatherings
From creative sustainability guidance to “Needs, Wants & Gives” convenings with artists, nonprofits, and higher education, these in-depth workshops – offered both in person and remotely – have been taking place for the past 10 years in venues across the country and abroad.
Led by artists and arts professionals working across disciplines and roles, these programs bring diverse voices, lived experiences, and multiple perspectives into every conversation — reflecting the wide range of artists and needs we serve.
New Orleans, LA (2024)
”Needs, Wants & Gives” Workshop.
Joan Mitchell Foundation Annual Fellows Convening.
Higher Ed & Learning Environments
ISC collaborates with academic institutions and creates alternative learning environments to advance real-world professional development and contemporary pedagogy.
We also design and implement a range of learning environments that expand access to resources, foster experimentation, and respond to lived challenges facing artists today.
New Haven, CT (2020)
“Building a Sustainable & Creative Career in the Arts” Workshop.
Yale University School of Art.
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
ISC cultivates partnerships that lead with generosity, embrace change, and work to elevate the role of artists in society. We leverage real connections between nonprofits, arts leaders, funders, and government agencies to support programs and opportunities that assist artists and facilitate pathways to strengthen communities nationwide.
We believe deeply in the power of the arts to enhance well-being and longevity and we invite partners to join us in our journey to advance this work.
Tulsa, OK (2017)
Professional Development Workshop
Philbrook Museum of Art
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Sharon Louden travels all over the country as an advocate for artists, detailing sustainable pathways to a wide range of audiences. She has decades of experience in higher education, leading informal gatherings, and making presentations during arts conferences.
Sharon has been a keynote speaker on numerous occasions, such as at the American Women Artists (AWA) Symposium, Nashville, TN (2026), OHIO ARTrepreneurship Summit, Athens, OH (2023), and the SECAC conference in Chattanooga, TN (2019), to name a few. She also served as the Commencement Speaker at the University of Connecticut School of Fine Arts in Storrs, CT (2014).
Athens, OH (2023)
Keynote
OHIO ARTrepreneurship Summit, Ohio University
Resources
We are constantly leveraging our partnership collaborations to exchange and publish research findings, including in-depth reports, links to important initiatives, and one-on-one interviews as well as symposia and conferences on video.
