Free Artist “Changemaker” Workshop For Vermont Creatives Nov. 13
Free public panels gather community mentors to help artists make social change happen
BURLINGTON VT October 13, 2021 Significant regional leaders in the arts field join Music to Life and Big Heavy world to present a day of learning, support, communion and activation. ‘Changemaker’ musicians of all ages and genres are invited to explore achieving their vision for the benefit of their communities.
The Artist Changemaker Workshop on Saturday, November 13, brings together New Hampshire and Vermont-based artists, their allies and stakeholders, to help them become more effective with their music-driven programs that address the needs of their communities and make our states more resilient. A full schedule of events can be found below and online here: https://www.musictolife.org/news/artist-changemaker-weekend-schedule-of-events/.
Having called Vermont home since 2000, Liz Stookey Sunde is delighted to be partnering with Big Heavy World. “We’ve worked around the country with musician change agents and turning our attention to my home state helps us bring our learning closer to home, hone the skills of local artists, and help facilitate meaningful connections between creatives and our communities in need.”
There is a public schedule of presentations on Saturday, November 13, open to all creatives as well as the general public with topics including social change branding, building relationships & community support, and measuring community impact. Participants will have the opportunity to network, attend facilitated “lunch & learns”, and enjoy an after-hours gathering at The Whiskey Room, a nearby watering hole.
On Sunday, November 14, musicians with active causes will be invited through an application process to join intimate, hands-on sessions that take a deeper dive into building an effective social change project, identifying partnerships and funding and creating a change artist statement.
Saturday and Sunday event underwriters include the Host Sponsor, The Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, along with the Windham Foundation, and the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation. Outreach sponsors include 105.9FM The Radiator and the Vermont Creative Network.
Everyone will come away from the weekend with a bigger skill set, a larger circle of colleagues and friends, and more confidence to pursue social change through their art.
James Lockridge, Executive Director of Big Heavy World and coordinator of Vermont Creative Network activities in Chittenden County said, “Everyone benefits when artists have the skills, tools, and self-confidence to pursue their vision for a better world. And those things come in great part from our peers, friends and allies in the community.”
Audiences who may benefit from attending:
Musicians and other creatives interested in community-based programming;
Allies, stakeholders, and civic-minded music lovers interested in understanding the impact of music or arts-driven programming that heals, advocates for and serves communities in need and vulnerable populations;
A resource for the whole community & artists of all disciplines.
About Music to Life: Music to Life is a national nonprofit, co-founded by civil rights icon Noel Paul Stookey (of the 60’s folk trio, Peter, Paul & Mary) and his daughter, Liz Sunde to empower musicians to become catalysts for change in the areas of civil and human rights, climate advocacy, poverty and health. Music to Life’s Activist Musician Accelerator, the first incubator of its kind for activist artists, facilitates innovative partnerships between musicians and communities-in-need. Music to Life is based in Wilder, Vermont. For more, visit www.musictolife.org
About Big Heavy World: Big Heavy World is an independent nonprofit music development office established to archive and promote the original music of Vermont. With a crew of volunteers it publishes information about Vermont’s music industry, archives thousands of Vermont-made recordings, photographs and artifacts, and operates 105.9FM, a radio station highlighting the region’s creative community. It hosts the weekly ‘Rocket Shop local music radio hour and podcast that has featured ~700 Vermont-based artists. In 2020 Big Heavy World was recognized as ‘Best Global Music Office’ by an international Music Cities jury. The organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021. For more, visit bigheavyworld.com
Photo, above: Millie Heckler is a dance and music artist from Vermont. She’s toured with Street Dance Theater pioneer Rennie Harris and afro-contemporary company Charles O. Anderson/dance theater X. She is currently a Visiting Artist in the Dance department at the University of Vermont. Co-founder of Yes Body : a ‘traveling party’ dedicated to relentless self-progression and the pursuit of fearlessness, her personal projects center community engagement, multi-disciplinary performance, collaborative art making and facilitation, and equitable community dialogue. Her practice is listening. Her interests lie in all the voices of the body fully expressing, no shame, as means to remember, forget and renew the root from which she comes. Download in high resolution.
SATURDAY
The Artist Changemaker Workshop on SATURDAY, November 13:
Time: 9:30am-5:00pm
Cost: Free
Place: The Film House of the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Lake & College Building, 60 Lake Street, Burlington, Vermont.
Organizers: Music to Life; Big Heavy World
Host Sponsor: Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center & Film House
Post-Workshop social event at The Whiskey Room, 173 College Street, Burlington.
Free public sessions; each begins with a brief artist welcome by artists Rajnii Eddins, Jadah Bearden, or Millie Heckler.
10:00am-11:30am Coalition Building and Finding Support & Funding from the Community with panelists Amy Cunningham, Vermont Arts Council; Rajnii Eddins, Spoken Word Poet and Teaching Artist; and Paddy Reagan, Waking Windows. Developing effective community-based programs means understanding the people you wish to serve and building a base of support and influence to ensure you can make a difference. This panel will explore how to identify and approach the organizations, civic leaders, stakeholders and funders that are critical to making your program a reality.
11:45am-12:45am Networking Lunch
1:00pm-2:30pm Branding and Messaging as a Social Change Artist with panelists Myra Flynn, singer/songwriter and journalist at Vermont Public Radio; Luis Calderin, Creative Director, OKAY!! OKAY!!; and David Cooper, Manager/Producer, A2VT. Balancing a robust artistic career while also leveraging that platform to impact issues of concern can be rewarding and controversial. Learn what it means to align your social change passion with your artistic career and how to communicate that orientation without alienating your audience and fans.
2:45pm-3:15pm Intermission and tunk for those with musical instruments
3:30pm-5:00pm Am I Making a Difference? with panelists Omega Jade, artist/community activist; Linda Bassick, Girls Rock Vermont; and Nick Sherman, Leonine Public Affairs. Social change artists need to appreciate their value and understand the impact of their work on the communities they serve (or wish to serve). Learn how artists can capture and demonstrate the change they aspire to make, and pitch their results to program partners, civil leaders and funders.
6:00pm-7:30pm After-Event Gathering at The Whiskey Room
SUNDAY
Changemaker Artist Incubator/Intensive on SUNDAY, November 14:
This event is by application. Artists may contact the organizers.
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm
Cost: Free
Place: Conference room TBD, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Lake & College Building, 60 Lake Street, Burlington, Vermont.
Organizers: Music to Life; Big Heavy World
Host Sponsor: Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center & Film House
Sunday's full-day session includes customized programming for 10-12 selected social change musicians (identified by application/invitation), who have specific ideas for music-driven programs in their community. These artists will receive hands-on training in proposal development, identifying good-fit partners and mobilizing community support. Participating artists will leave with a draft outline of their concept, fundraising and partnership ideas, and an individualized “artist as change-maker” statement. Additionally, artists will receive up to ten hours of post-weekend technical assistance to help formulate grants, develop partnerships and/or troubleshoot program challenges. They will automatically join Music to Life’s juried artist list (our Artist Changemakers), and the National Music for Change Network with ongoing performance, educational and grants opportunities.
Facilitators/Presenters:
Elizabeth Stookey Sunde, Executive Director & Co-Founder, Music to Life
Linda Bassick, Executive Director, Girls Rock Vermont
Myra Flynn, Artist, educator (via Zoom)
Craig Mitchell, Performing artist, activist, educator (via Zoom)
Sessions:
Mix, Mingle & Song: Interactive Introductions to Fellow Changemakers
Concept Development: Building an effective case statement for your concept (who’s it for, why does it matter, how will it work, and what results will it produce)
Funder/Partner Development: Identifying the nonprofits, businesses, civil leaders and other assets to your project; fundraising research 101.
Artist Changemaker Statement: Crafting or updating your own colorful and honest statement about how you align your artistry with your activism.
Contact: Elizabeth Stookey Sunde, lizs@musictolife.org, (802) 683-9212.
