About

The WORKING ARTISTS NETWORK was created to offer programs, services, workshops, courses, and marketing/sales opportunities for working artists that best support them in creating a sustainable business and lifestyle. These currently include:

ADVOCACY

POLITICAL ACTION. Increasing membership in WAN to establish a unified voice to support the advocacy work WAN does on a local, regional, state and national level to influence policy and budgeting that directly affect independently employed artists.
- To this end, founder Adrienne Fritze serves on the Small Business Advisory Council [SBAC] which works directly with the Portland Mayor’s office and the City Commissioners on issues related to small business ownership. Currently, Adrienne is the only member exclusively representing artists and arts-based businesses and organizations on SBAC.
- Adrienne is also on the Regional Steering Committee of the Creative Advocacy Network [CAN], is a broad coalition of arts organizations, businesses, government, and individuals with a mission to create a strong voice in support of the arts in order to strengthen the regional arts ecology and to change how the arts are funded in the tri-county region.
- Working Artists Network is a member of Oregon Creative Industries [OCI], a trade association in the formative stages of development, whose mission is to sustain and grow Oregon’s creative economy. Adrienne holds a seat on the core formative council in OCI, the Creative Economic Council.

HEALTH CARE. Although we feel we’ve made some progress in this arena, it’s not nearly enough. This is perhaps the toughest nut to crack for anyone who is independently employed in the United States – and has proven to be WAN’s biggest challenge overall. We’ve tried to find the best partners available locally and nationally to craft solutions and offer accurate and helpful information re: resources available to you as a working artist. And we will continue to work on this most important issue.

BUSINESS INCUBATION [BIZ MOXIE]

TRAINING. Workshops, courses, programs, ongoing coaching to develop strong skill-sets.
PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS SERVICES. Provide affordable services to augment the learning through WAN’s Preferred Provider Network.
RESOURCES. We work with regulated companies and government agencies who products and services affect the self-employed or small arts-business owner. The sbjects run the gamut form insurance to investments, micro-loans and taxes.
MARKETING and SALES ROUTES. WAN is developing avenues for sales online and off, such as our City Export Program and our Exhibition Programs.

COMMUNITY

SAFETY NET. Programs designed to provide the working artist with the tools and resources necessary to have the day-to-day needs met, so creativity has a place to germinate and grow.
- Providing discount programs on healthcare, dental, vision in both western medical and alternative healthcare facilities.
- Creating a Job Board that includes both arts-based opportunities as well as other jobs where the employer is pledged to support the development and success of the artists who work for them
- Creating a Housing Board listing available housing opportunities especially geared toward artists
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. An important component of success for many working artists is the opportunity to participate in the world outside their studios and practice spaces with offerings that touch, move and inspire others. WAN produces and participates in events to assist its members in meeting this need. WAN produces these exhibitions:
- a 60-day exhibition every other year called rdEVOLUTION that focuses on Thought Leadership and Intentional Evolution through the arts (includes both traditional art forms and those forms that leverage technology);
- Gallery for Good with Ned Space, a visual arts program designed to raise awareness and funds for a selected non-profit, emerging artists, curators and the programs producers.
- Some of the outside produced events in which WAN and WAN Members participate, include:
  - Siren Nation Festival, that showcases and creates performance and exhibition opportunities for women throughout the year; and
  - The Creative Conference, an annual event designed to inspire, educate and network professionals across a variety of Creative Industries.