The Creatives Project (TCP)

The Creatives Project (TCP) is one of the most unprofessional arts

The Creatives Project (TCP) is one of the most unprofessional arts organizations I have ever encountered. The "studio" you will be awarded is a small space (approximately 10x12 feet) that you will have to share with another resident. The studios are built into an old warehouse at the Goatfarm, and the studio will have no ceiling, no heat, and no natural light. Don't be deceived by the pictures posted in this entry: You will not be working in a beautiful big space, and what you will be given will not be clean. I was unable to bring my photo equipment to my studio because everything at The Goatfarm is covered in dust. With no ceiling to the studios, you have no protection from the dust left by the sculptors around you. Seriously, DUST WILL COVER EVERYTHING IN YOUR STUDIO. Residents have to go out and buy special containers for their tools and their work. You cannot leave anything uncovered in your studio or it will be ruined by the dust. Vacuuming and sweeping does little to help the situation. Don't plan on working much in your studio--it's not very fun. My studio was extremely dark (no natural light), and I only had one overhead fluorescent light for my space. After about 2 hours in my studio, I would start coughing so bad that I had to leave. Several days I went to my studio and the temperature was so cold, that I had to leave. The last time I went, my studio was literally freezing at 32 degrees. Again, with no ceiling to the studio, a space heater is minimally useful. The folks who run The Creatives Project will pressure you into attending events to represent TCP that will largely be a waste of your time. I was sent to events that had no pertinence to my career, and it was clear that TCP wants to use their residents as a form of advertising. Before I even moved into my studio, I was asked to sell tickets and fund raise for TCP for one of their events. This residency is not about your career and your work as an artist, it's about what you can do to advertise for TCP. Finally, you will be required to complete weekly community outreach as part of your residency. Community outreach consists of teaching local, underprivileged students arts. The folks who run TCP will insist that you NOT "think objectively or critically" about the lesson plans for your students. Rather than make lessons geared towards teaching students real artistic skills to make a piece of art, TCP wants you to give the students "experiences". In planning meetings, you will be asked to think how you can "facilitate students' minds" so they can "think in the round." Essentially, TCP has no clue what they are doing when they go into classrooms. The Creatives Project is run by unprofessional people who don't have their act together. They are more concerned about themselves than their artists, and they are here to play arts administrator because they have nothing better to do. Don't bother applying. — Anonymous, 2014. Imported from the original ratemyartistresidency.com archive.