The dots between is is a financial coaching program for artists in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. A few spots for artists living anywhere are open for the next cohort beginning in September 2021.

Program content is based on your individual questions around financial literacy topics like managing uneven income, building credit, how to structure debt, creating a retirement plan and how to plan financially for family members. We will meet occasionally as a group to help each other with core questions around our arts businesses practices. Sheetal Prajapati and other experts will present four workshops on arts business management including content on how to charge for your time, best teaching practices, networking and fundraising. For more details on content, see the applying tab.

the dots between program outline

We will explore these core topics:

Investing in self- how to put your financial well being as a core element in every stage of your career.
Budgeting- creating a pie chart of your current revenue sources and one with your ideal- what are the steps you need to take to get from the current to the ideal?
Planning for the future- creating a nest egg that can support your artistic practice and investment vehicles to save for your retirement.
Strengthening key relationships and finding new ones- who are the institutions, organizations and individuals who are most aligned with your work and vision, how do you make a path towards them?
Language about your practice- deepening your vision statement, placing your work within a larger context to bring new allies and support systems. Why it matters that you are the one doing this work.

background image looking out a window made of stone in new mexico.

is this right for you?

Are you so busy working in your abundant art practice that you aren’t taking the time to invest in building sustainable financial supports that will ensure your long term thriving?

Are you ready to take responsibility for your knowledge of financial systems and how they might best support you?

Do you want more agency around the audiences you choose, the impact you make and the communities you reach with your work?

If you won a MacArthur “genius” award tomorrow, would you know what to do with the money?

Do you want a network of artists asking the same questions you are on navigating your field of practice and figuring it out together?

"I really appreciate that I can ask questions beyond my art practice and we can talk about financial concerns within my family life. The program is not just benefiting me but my whole family and that is an amazing gift I was not expecting."

Arista Slater-Sandoval

"The program has opened my eyes on how to manage my finances and art work. I feel more confident about getting paid and not being afraid of asking for the money that I think my work is worth. Also I have been able to create a much healthier financial dialogue at home with my partner."

Carolina Aranibar Fernandez

"Since starting this fellowship, I have begun to consider my relationship with money as a spiritual practice. Money is one element of wealth and to really be spiritually and emotionally abundant, I need to work on that relationship. I feel like I'm learning how to talk about and appreciate the resource that helps keep a roof over my head and food in my stomach."

Faylita Hicks

The dots between began at the start of COVID-19 when Santa Fe cancelled its major art markets. Knowing that these art markets were often the sole source of income for participants, Tamara created a 6 month program to help artists diversify their revenue sources and strengthen their financial understanding to emerge strongly from the pandemic. Staff members and former awardees at Creative Capital gave early advice to help create a pipeline of artists in the Southwest who could apply and win the Creative Capital award. Tamara is also grateful to these founding advisors who gave their time and expertise to promote and grow the program.

Olivia Brown

Olivia Brown is a mixed Black femme from Tulsa, OK. She is a maker and a do-er that advocates for the arts and creativity through her practice, educational outreach, and design thinking. Olivia believes in experimenting with New Media (University of North Texas, BFA 2015) to push the boundaries of what has already been created and to address the current moment with a fitting medium. Her work concentrates on unravelling complexities for her self and results in sharing her findings with others. She intends for these efforts to increase human connection and understanding. Olivia currently lives and works in Santa Fe, NM as a Senior Artist with MEOW WOLF, an immersive arts company. There, she focuses on the potential of immersive installation on a large and public scale and grows her skills in collaborative art-making.

Benjamin Muñoz

Benjamin Muñoz is an accomplished painter, printmaker and illustrator, born and raised in Corpus Christi. His work is often reflective of his heritage, upbringing and current surroundings. Benjamin paints primarily in watercolor, using singular imagery to illustrate defining moments in his life. In printmaking Benjamin works in large scale woodcuts and is the owner/operator of Casa Press. He has been educating artists for several years and has a passion for helping to cultivate community and collaboration among artists. His work has been displayed throughout Texas and he has curated several exhibitions over the years.

Bess Murphy

Bess Murphy was born and raised in the artist community of Santa Fe, NM. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Bard College and a M.A. and PhD in 20th Century American Art History from the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on the decentering of canonical narratives of American art by positioning art and artists of the Southwest, practitioners of craft and "traditional" art forms, and artists of color into the lens of mainstream art. She is currently the Curator at the Coe Center for the Arts where she works with leading Native artists, community members, and students to develop meaningful programs, exhibitions, and creative experiments. She has taught Art History and Museum Studies at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design and the Institute of American Indian Arts and has held positions at galleries, museums, and art centers as well as alternative artist-led art spaces. She is deeply dedicated to supporting the arts and artists of the Southwest, and of Santa Fe specifically.

Vicente Telles

Vicente Telles is a Santero (painter of saints) and Cultural Iconographer who is driven by the desire to honor the culture and traditions of his native New Mexico. He began painting traditional retablos (saints on carved wood) using natural pigments created from clays and minerals on homemade gesso, which is then sealed with pinon sap varnish. Always looking for ways to push boundaries, his style has evolved to include various reinterpretations of traditional Catholic iconography. His experimentation with different mediums such as textiles, high quality paper(s), found and repurposed materials are used to create more contemporary pieces. Telles’ work can be found in private and public collections both in the United States and abroad.

Frank Rose

Frank Rose is a creative conductor, passionate about facilitating avenues of support for artists and orchestrating events and experiences that cultivate community, beauty, and wonder. He founded Gallery 1724, a community art space in Houston in 2005. Frank holds a degree in Digital Media and has exhibited in several exhibitions in the US, China, and South Korea. He served as Press Coordinator for Foto Fest, the largest photography festival in the US and was the Publisher of Arts Houston Magazine before moving to Santa Fe in 2008. Frank co-founded form & concept in 2016 and opened Hecho a Mano in 2019. Frank loves expanding consciousness, hiking, good coffee, and tacos.

I want to bring financial health to the artistic visionaries who are changing our world. Artists may not pay enough attention to creating a solid foundation for themselves and as a result, the change they seek to create-- vital to our society-- is undermined. Giving my financial wisdom away at no charge is how I seek to subvert the capitalistic system we are in. This program is how I fulfill my mission of creating more equity in the world.

Using my knowledge of fundraising for the arts and my training and practice as a financial advisor for the largest brokerage firms in the world, I seek to align creative visionaries with a financial foundation at every stage of their careers. I have worked as a program officer at the Schott Foundation for Public Education, as a nonprofit development director and fundraising consultant for numerous organizations, and as a licensed financial advisor for UBS and Raymond James.

I understand the flow of money and how capital works from all these different perspectives. The thing that lights me up the most is helping others find support for their vision-- that has been the central theme of my different career paths. I am a member of the Santa Fe Arts Commission and on the National Advisory Council for Creative Capital.

Portrait of Tamara Bates by Simon S Sotelo

Questions? Email tamara@thedotsbetween.com

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